Building an Integrated eCommerce Website for Colorblends

Our team collaborated with Colorblends to implement this website redesign in phases, over a three-year engagement. During phase one, our team redesigned Colorblends’ digital storefront, which included the implementation of a WordPress CMS. Phase 2 involved the redevelopment of the website’s cart, checkout, and account management systems. Finally, in phase 3, our team streamlined the user experience and introduced new, customer-friendly features, such as product wishlists and ‘In Your Zone’ maps.

To begin, our team scoped out Colorblends’ existing web infrastructure and held exploratory discussions with the company’s team to better understand the design and technology requirements for the new website. After gathering all necessary information, our team focused on a few primary goals.

The first, and arguably most important, goal of the website redesign was implementing a flexible content management system (CMS) that could integrate with the company’s customized internal order management software. To achieve this scalable design and maintain the site’s eCommerce functionality, our team built the website on WordPress.

Using a series of APIs, our team integrated the data and functionality in the company’s internal order management software to the new front-end WordPress website and CMS. This integrated eCommerce website helped ensure a customer-friendly online shopping experience with simplified checkout and payment options.

We also added a user account feature to the website which allowed customers to register for an account to facilitate faster checkouts, view previous order history, manage their payment information, view their wishlists and more.

For the homepage design, our team created a dynamic landing page that featured an interactive slider banner, colorful imagery, and comprehensive information on Colorblends, their products, and expertise. Below the banner, our team included links to customer-friendly resources such as the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map and a comprehensive FAQ section, covering topics such as delivery information, shipping, and more. To engage landscape professionals – one of the company’s target audiences – the homepage also featured a prominent link to a webpage detailing the company’s services for this group.

Another key focus was creating a seamless user experience across the website, starting with an organized and intuitive navigation menu. The main menu is broken out by flower type, making it easy for the user to select which flower they are looking for. The ‘Shop By’ navigation tab was also a key component of the menu, allowing users to streamline their product search by shade tolerance, color, bloom time, and more.

To showcase the variety of flower bulbs that Colorblends offer, we created catalog-style webpages for each flower type and a detailed product page for each flower. Every product webpage, as seen below, includes a vivid image gallery and information on the bulb’s specifications, bloom time, design criteria, and more.

The product pages also featured relevant information for the user such as planting instructions as well as a bulb calculator that allowed users to estimate the number of bulbs they would need based on the square footage of their planting area. From the product page, the user can also share the product to social media or add the product to their wishlist.

The section titled ‘In Your Zone’ allows landscapers and gardeners to enter their location to determine if that specific flower is most likely to thrive in their location. This functionality is based off data from the USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map.  The map also displays what month that flower should be planted based on location.

Related articles