In September 2021 Angel's Face launched a fantastic new e-commerce website. We found that the platform we were previously using was outdated, buggy and restrictive. We weren't able to easily make desired changes and had to rely heavily on the help of our web developers which was time consuming and not cost effective. In 2020, the decision was made to upgrade to a brand new Shopify Plus website; a huge project which I was proud to be heavily involved in.
Initially, we created a shortlist of Shopify web agencies who we thought would be able to help us based on their portfolios and experience. We held extensive meetings with them and did thorough research before deciding on Eastside Co.
The first few months of the project involved a lot of wire framing and UI design as well as working closely with the Eastside Co. web designer. I had to create and supply creative assets as well as extensively review desktop and mobile mockups for all pages.
Once the core pages were signed off and began to be built, it was up to me to test functionality and UX which required high attention to detail. We also realised at this point that the designs which we previously signed off on didn't always translate well on the actual build e.g. text was at times too hard to read, buttons weren't the right size, images didn't stack well etc. We had to think a lot about who the end user of the website is, how they shop, what content they want to see and how we could provide them with the best user experience possible all while closely sticking to brand guidelines.
Once the user journey was mapped out and built, we had to think about how we could go the extra mile, that is how we can provide more value for the user, stand out from competitors and create a simple, yet enjoyable shopping experience. We implemented various solutions such as the ability to shop the look, offer inspiration via a shoppable fan gallery, express checkout options, an extensive FAQs page, video content, simple to use account area and much more.
Additionally, before launch, we had to make sure that all systems and third-party integrations were set up and working correctly. This included integrating things like Facebook pixel, Google ads, email marketing, reviews, order & stock management and delivery partners.
Finally, I had to liaise with Eastside Co's SEO team and help them with all things SEO such as metadata, redirects and backlinks.
Now that the site is live, you can check it out for yourself at www.angels-face.co.uk
Alternatively, scroll down to see some highlights...
Homepage & navigation - Angel's Face is about striking imagery and bold outfits, we therefore decided to go with a large, attention-grabbing homepage banner to leave the customer a strong first-impression. This is accompanied with a logical, simple to navigate top menu.
Homepage hero categories & highlighted products - we wanted to feature best-selling categories as well as include SEO copy on the homepage. These sections use large banners, providing further opportunity for strong imagery to entice the user. It is also best practice to include products on the homepage, in this section we have full control of what products we want to push at any given time.
Homepage 'Shop the Look' & reviews features - we wanted to provide outfit inspiration and give customers the option to shop by outfits, not just products. They are now able to do this straight from the homepage as well as a dedicated 'Shop the Look' page. The reviews section provides confidence to first-time shoppers.
Homepage USPs & Instagram gallery - we wanted to highlight some unique selling points for visitors who may not be familiar with the brand and are shopping for the first time. Instagram is Angel's Face strongest and most engaged with social channel, we therefore wanted to add a live Instagram feed to further push this. The feed updates automatically and is shoppable via tagged products.
Collections page & filters - we wanted the option to highlight certain products within collections by enlarging them. This breaks up the page and makes shopping less monotonous. On the collections page, users are easily able to see what other colours a product comes in as well as add their favourite items to a wishlist to shop later. Filters are simple and user friendly, greatly improving user experience especially on pages with many products.
Product page - the product page displays all the relevant information in a clear and concise manner. We also added extra value via features such as video content, size guide (where relevant) and reviews to aid the user's decision making. The 'complete the look' feature provides a great upselling opportunity.
Gift card - we found that many customers shop the Angel's Face site because they are purchasing a gift for somebody else. This often creates issues with being unsure what the gift recipient likes, exchanges, refunds etc. Our solution, although technically challenging to implement, was to provide an eGift card which removes the previously mentioned pain-points.
FAQs page - we found that the Angel's Face customer service team was burdened by unnecessary and time-consuming messages from website visitors and customers. To address this problem, we established what the most common customer questions were and having obtained the answers, we collated them into a simple, easy-to-use FAQs page. This has significantly reduced customer queries.
Fan Gallery & Shop the Look pages- we realised that Angel's Face customers love being featured on Angel's Face social channels. We therefore decided to create a shoppable fan gallery directly on our website. Here we share our strongest fan images and tag the products they are wearing. This gives customers further incentive to share images which is good for the brand, but it also provides an alternative shopping experience because customers enjoy seeing what a product looks like when worn in a natural setting.
Reviews page - the opinion of others is a strong motivator in a customer's buying decision. Angel's Face has thousands of positive reviews from customers around the world. To boost user's confidence in the brand, we set up a dedicated page containing reviews of the company. We also added a reviews widget on the product page which displays customer reviews for that specific product a customer is interested in.
