Carpetright
Creating an online shopping experience befitting of a digital leader
With over 470 shops in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Belgium and almost half a century of experience, Carpetright is the specialist in interior refurbishment. The new shop concept, launched in 2016, is a great example of the continuous improvement the business strives for, both in its product selection and in its service. And to fully embrace the new concept, Carpetright also started its digital transformation, entering the e-commerce world with a new Magento platform.
It all started in the Benelux region in 1974, when Carpet-land was founded in Belgium, with an investment from the Danish Taeppenland. The Netherlands followed in 1983 with the first store in Amsterdam. From there, many store openings in Belgium and the Netherlands, and an expansion into France, Germany, and Switzerland, and the UK followed.
Although it has grown considerably over the years, Carpetright is still proud to retain the values that it was founded upon - selling quality products at competitive prices, with a high level of service to unburden customers. The business also wanted to translate these values into the e-commerce world, as Carpetright is not only renewing its brick-and-mortar stores with a new shop concept, but it also entered the world of e-commerce with a state-of-the-art Magento online shop and an online brand style that matches its values and new store concept.
The new concept was long overdue to be taken online. The legacy shop did not meet Carpetright’s level of physical improvement and service. The shop was also based on the old branding, so the new offline branding strategy needed to be translated into an online branding strategy as well.
Making the step from product push to a customer-centric strategy and transforming the company into a service retailer is a complex operation in which the new online experience is key.
Our solution
Starting with a clear strategy
We started with strategy mapping and concept workshops to get a better understanding of the direction we needed to work towards. This was aligned with Dedato, the agency that is responsible for Carpetright’s brick-and-mortar store branding, to make sure that the overall look and feel of the branding was matching.
A brand style to provide a better experience
Carpetright has always been a price fighter, and it wanted to change that image into a brand that delivers quality in products, but also good service. So, the design had to match its core values.
The branding of the brick-and-mortar stores was already developed in 2016, but Youwe created the online branding. First of all, UX workshops were conducted with Carpetright, from which clear user flows were created that should fit in with Carpetright's new identity. Based on this, we entered a design process where we worked closely with the customer to create the best possible designs for the Magento e-commerce platform. And that’s not all, the entire brand experience needed to be updated and had to fit the vision.
Magento Commerce
At the same time, we started taking over the existing e-commerce environment and adding a new Pimcore installation to replace the old and outdated PIM environment. We began to make some optimisations by excluding as many plugins as possible. When the environment was stable enough, work was carried out on the implementation of the redesign, further technical optimisation, and the addition of some valuable functionalities. This included the sample request flow, store locator, and store functionality so that consumers can order products and get home deliveries.
In addition, Carpetright wanted to offer a better online experience. The Magento online shop didn’t only need to offer products, but had to offer service and inspiration. Carpetright has traditionally presented itself with a strong product focus. Making the step from product push to a customer-centric strategy and transforming the company into a service retailer is a complex operation. The new online experience is key. To make this transformation successful, the new Magento platform also needed to show Carpetright’s additional services, such as measuring at home, installing floors and window decorations, free sample service, and more. Thanks to Youwe, the platform is now much more than just an online shop.
Experience design
Youwe's design team collaborated with Carpetright to create a user-friendly and visually appealing website that reflected the company's renewed branding and philosophy. The team redesigned the website from the ground up, transitioning from a 'price fighter' to a more premium look and feel, with a focus on providing excellent customer service and offering inspiration to users. They also created an easy-to-use configurator that allowed users to select the right floor and accessories for their personal situation. Additionally, the team redesigned the product detail pages to ensure that they were user-friendly and visually appealing. Overall, Youwe's design team played a critical role in creating a successful and user-friendly website for Carpetright.
The results
The result is a 100% on-brand Magento shop that fits in with Carpetright's new positioning and vision. It also aligns with offline communications and in-store branding. The shop exudes quality and no longer has the low-cost image, while still remaining recognisable as Carpetright.
Now Carpetright has a shop that that delivers an outstanding experience and great service. There is a whole world of inspiration on the site, including that show the latest trends in flooring. Besides that, the platform offers insights into Carpetright services, furnishing visitors with a better understanding of what they need to know before making a purchase. And that’s not all. The Magento and Pimcore integration makes sure that Carpetright has a stable platform that is future-proof and ready for further future optimisation. The new e-commerce shop has already resulted in several major successes, including:
- Increase in shop visits
- Increase in e-commerce revenue
- Increase in the customer lifetime value
- Increase in NPS
