Northskull
Challenge
Background
The brand had a pretty poor and undistinguished online store. Technical problems related to the store required urgent resolving.
- Low page loading speed
- Slow search
- Low security level. The site was regularly attacked and hacked
- Few possibilities for SEO
Analytics and Solution
It was decided to transfer the online store to the CS-Cart platform, version 2.2.5.
We offered the client the Dedicated developer service. It is very convenient,
because the client can skip the long-lasting step of approving the specifications
and can correct the tasks as the project is being implemented.
Project steps:
- Transfer of the store database to a new CMS; optimization of the performance.
- Design integration, modification of the catalog and development of new functionality
Modernization of the admin area of the store and implementation of additional statistics.
Implementing the Project
Transfer to a new CMS and optimization of the performance
The product catalog and customer database of Northskull were transferred to CS-Cart version 2.2.5 without loss. The performance of this system appeared to be so good that it was just necessary to optimize the store layout a little bit in order to increase the speed of search, page and statistics load.
The average time of loading a category page:
Design integration
In order that the mock-up created by the designer could work in the live store, we added a lot of additional functionality and elements. Many of these were developed using the Ajax technology.
Drop-down categories menu with intuitive displaying of popular products
Drop-down cart block
Dynamic filters in the catalog for quick and convenient product search
Product images in the catalog are changed when hovered over
Automatic slider with automatic loading of images in the Collections section
Improving the checkout process
Individual shipping information for each country
Exact calculation of delivery date in cart at checkout
One-step checkout
Development of a unique set of tools for promotion
A modern online store is not just a catalog of products and a cart; it should be integrated into the common brand promotion concept. The latest trend in eCommerce is content marketing, and we did our best to implement it in full.
An automatic loading of videos from the Northskull YouTube channel occurs in the Video section. When played, a video is loaded in a pop-up window.
Using the Wishlist functionality, it is possible to create a stylish list of products and share it with friends.
Special attention is given to social networks. In a common window, we integrated a system of displaying posts in which the brand is mentioned in social media. As a result, we produced Northskull Galaxy. A ready-to-use solution Social Stream was used for Northskull Galaxy. We integrated the add-on into the online store and added all the necessary settings so that the administrator can successfully manage all displayed posts and their sources.
Modernization of the admin panel
We developed an extended sales statistics system. The administrator of Northskull has a real control panel, as a pilot of an airliner does. The control panel consists of many detectors and counters that measure the store operation according to dozens of parameters.
The preview of an individual order is implemented in the orders list. For exact calculation of delivery date, the store administrator can specify nonworking days in advance.
Results
The results of our 477-hour project were:
- Sales increase by two times
- Average number of customers – 20 per day
- Average total order increase – by 1.5 times
It was a pleasure working with Simtech Development on this project, we opted for the dedicated service as this allowed us to work closely with the programmers and as a result our large and complex project was completed in good time and to a high standard.
