Order of Style

One stitch at a time.

It can be difficult for new retailers to cut through the clutter of established brands, but Order of Style has made unprecedented strides. The website has grown from non-existent to driving significant monthly traffic and conversions. However, the Wordpress and Woocommerce solution that helped elevate the business to this level could hinder the next phase of growth.

How could we send Order of Style sashaying into the hearts, minds and wallets of fashionistas everywhere? Put customer needs at the core of every decision.

Identifying the must-haves.

Order of Style needed a site that would maximise conversions to continue its growth trajectory. To achieve this, we began investigating what would turn browsers into shoppers through user-experience workshops.

The UX workshop outcomes guided our strategic development and indicated the need for sleek design, advanced SEO, Algolia search and Craft Commerce as part of the website redevelopment project.

Turning user insights into digital solutions

We are vocal advocates of user-experience design. By adopting a human-centred design approach, you can meet the needs of real people, overcome challenges and optimise conversions for your business.

The UX design process for Order of Style taught us valuable insights about what our digital-savvy cohort wanted and expected from a fashion retail site. The more apparent themes being, it would have to look as sharp as a tailored blazer and work lightning-fast on mobile.

Order of Style customers typically know what they are looking for when using the site. They want to search by category, i.e. dress; or brand, i.e. MIH Jeans. This knowledge directed the navigation design, ensuring visitors could access relevant options with a single hover and click.

By integrating Algolia search and a comprehensive filter tool, customers can access what they want and refine results quickly. The Algolia API is cutting-edge search technology that allows for an impressive discovery experience, decodes the intent behind search queries, rectifies spelling errors and understands synonyms to match search criteria at a rapid pace.

By considering user-needs and pain-points, we developed a frictionless path to conversion. And that’s good for business.

Eliminating the distraction factor

Armed with the knowledge that users come to the site with a purpose, we looked for every opportunity to kill distraction.

The search process is designed to never return zero results. This mitigates the risk of a user returning to the homepage or exiting the site. If there is no exact match, results will display options that closely align with their selected criteria.

Similarly, when users review a product page, an array of alternatives are presented underneath, just in case that first option wasn’t quite right. Alternative products are carefully curated with coded logic to meet the needs of the user and keep them edging towards the cart.

To optimise product page conversions, we ensured the CTA was always-on. Size options and the add-to-bag button remain visible even as users browse through product imagery. What’s more, this always-on element highlights item availability, often adding a sense of urgency.

We continued to limit distraction throughout the checkout process. By removing the global header and footer from the purchase steps, attention remains on the task at hand.

E-commerce powered by Craft

It’s no secret that we love Craft CMS. It’s flexible for our developers and easy to maintain for marketers, so opting for Craft Commerce to power the Order of Style website was a no-brainer.

To meet the needs of Order of Style’s growing international audience, Craft Commerce allowed us to cater for different currencies. A currency-switch feature is visible in the top corner of the site and pulls in daily exchange rates.

To reduce checkout friction, we opted for multiple payment options. With credit card, PayPal and AfterPay available, customers choose how they wish to complete their purchase.

Flexible promotion features can easily be switched on by Order of Style to support sales and marketing campaigns. From a 10% discount code that’s given to new users when they sign up to the newsletter, to free shipping codes and discounts on specific lines. Bespoke promotions can be initiated throughout the site to assist with seasonal sales, stock management and increasing traffic to different areas of the site.

Previously, the client's site had a universal shipping fee which meant they often absorbed costly shipping fees for large orders. With Craft Commerce, we integrated comprehensive shipping options that modify charges based on customer location and purchase weight. With customers paying the correct rate, the client has increased margins on those costly orders.

Style with substance

We elected for a boutique look that provides a slick user experience. The minimalist design speaks to the core audience and allows the site’s premium products to be the hero; while emojis, icons and animated GIFs inject the brand’s playful personality.

Search data revealed a high volume of monthly searches for the brands that Order of Style stocks, but given the highly competitive marketplace we had to find a way to harness SEO to deliver strong SERP performance.

We enhanced the sitemap to include brand pillar pages with SEO optimised content and product filtering. This makes Order of Style visible to those searching for high-end fashion brands through search engine queries. Moreover, by taking new visitors to a segment of the site that directly satisfies their needs, we turn anonymous searchers into fans.

On the runway to results

The newly launched site was designed to delight online fashion shoppers and maximise conversions. UX research guided us to limit distraction and serve up exactly what users want when they want it. Algolia search and Craft Commerce combined to create a robust e-commerce platform that delivers a compelling user experience.

Instant results:

• Sleek, fashion-forward design

• Faster page loading

• Easy to find brand and product pages

• Instant search experience

• Filter and selection tool for highly relevant refinement

• Mobile-first experience

• Easy, flexible checkout process

We’re looking forward to reporting back with data when the results begin to pour in. In the meantime, take a look at the site for yourself, but be warned, you may find yourself with a shopping cart full of fashion finds you fancy.

2018 MDA Awards Gold Winner - Digital Fashion Tech