Velocitek is an outdoor electronics company focused on supplying GPS units speedometers and compasses) to racing sailors and stand-up paddle boarders (SUP). based in Hawaii, Velocitek has been working in the sailing market for 10 years and are a well-known brand in the sailing industry. Releasing their first SUP product in Spring 2015, they decided to venture into new markets, increasing their brand strength and branching into a new target audience.
Velocitek approached 3five in need of a new website redesign and integration with Shopify as its eCommerce platform in order to sell their products and accessories directly from the website.
Velocitek desired specific functionality elements within the new build in order to offer a better user experience online.
The main aims of the new website redesign were; to maintain and further develop brand awareness with the general public through a strong and professional online presence; increase website traffic, referrals and engagement; appeal to a broader demographic and to maintain and further expand Velocitek’s strong SEO position. With
The website itself would be redesigned with a modern feel, to showcase Velocitek’s expertise. As well as this, the website would offer a much improved, effective user experience to help improve online sales.
The newly designed Velocitek website was built using responsive techniques. With an ever growing contingent dedicated to using the internet from their smartphone, it was important that the website was able to cater to these users, viewing content and ordering products with ease. The responsive framework allows web pages to viewed from devices with different screen dimensions, the web page is served to these devices in the same format it would be if the user was viewing from a desktop.
One of the main issues with the old Velocitek website was its ease of use. A robust navigation structure presented too many options for the user and presented difficulties when users attempted to find certain products. Too many pages within the main navigation bar were problematic for the user. Call to Action buttons were not clear, leaving users searching for the option to purchase products from the website.
To remedy these issues we redesigned the homepage and shortened the main navigation bar to include two main options, links to the Velocitek Shop and About pages.
We also focused on grabbing user attention right from the moment they enter the website. Velocitek products are used mainly by professionals in the boating and racing scene. We felt we needed to showcase this through the use of stunning visuals on the website. The new design made use of infinite scrolling, where content loads as the user scrolls down the page. Within the homepage we added stunning visuals of boating professionals in action and using Velocitek products. The use of these images immediately grabs the user attention as they span the width of the page and feature aesthetically pleasing colors and shading.
We made it easy for visitors to the Velocitek site to purchase a product, and if not purchase, at least view the product range with ease. Those who land on the homepage are immediately prompted to “Shop Now” with the placement of a CTA button along with intriguing text “Up Your Game”.
With a clear navigation structure coupled with quality CTA buttons, the user is enticed to follow the conversion path to the shopping cart.
Making it straightforward for users to view the product range was a top priority with the redesign. By creating one tab in the main navigation, the full product range was visible when the user hovered over the “Shop” button. When hovering over this tab in the navigation, the user is then presented with the four flagship products offered by Velocitek (Shift, Speedpuck, Makai, and ProStart) as well as accessories.
Secondary navigation items were moved to the footer of the webpage, for any additional information the user can access pages such as Contact Us and Privacy Policy from here. The relocation of secondary items to the footer allowed for a simple main navigation bar.
Velocitek had two types of customer they were catering to; regular customers who visit the site with the intention of browsing products and purchasing from time to time, and those who purchase in bulk, regularly as wholesalers or ‘dealers’.
We were able to create a login function for ‘Dealers’ allowing those users to order products in bulk and navigate the website differently to the average website user.
In the previous Velocitek website, when a user clicked on a product title, they were presented with a product description page. As well as this, a secondary navigation became available below the main navigation.
This secondary navigation structure gave the user too many options to click through when they are in search of information. We simplified this structure by presenting the initial product offering directly from the ‘Shop’ navigation. From here, once the user selects their product of interest, they are taken to another page, dedicated to that particular product. This product page then showcases the product through the use of stunning visuals. As well as this, there are clear CTA buttons that encourage the user to ‘Add to Cart’, where the product is added directly to the user’s cart in anticipation of a purchase, or a ‘More Details’ CTA button where the user is directed to a product page where they can then add the product to their cart.
Velocitek required the integration of a few third party Shopify Apps. Included in the new website was live chat functionality, allowing users to send a quick message to Velocitek directly from the browser.
Another integration we added into the new website was customer review functionality. This allows customers to write and publish reviews on any product they purchased or used. The review is then published directly to the product page allowing other customers to see how other users found the product. Having a robust customer review system in place builds trust in your brand is the reviews are positive.
Velocitek also required an ease of use for their own employees to access and update the website with content and landing pages, if and when they see fit. We created templates for Velocitek to create specific landing pages that coincide with their digital marketing campaigns. We also included functionality to allow Velocitek users to easily update three interchangeable product template pages. This functionality would be vital to Velocitek employees especially when they need to change and/or add products or make changes to the website.
We felt that showcasing Velocitek products and they setting they are used in through large images that captured customer attention would be ideal for both the Velocitek brand and the user experience of the website. Velocitek products are used mainly by professional racing sailors and stand up paddle boarders. This sporting setting allowed for exciting images of boats and races in action. As soon as a user accesses the Velocitek homepage, the images and unique colors incite emotion in the user. The images encourage the user to get excited about the product as they see the setting in which it is being used and the user can’t wait to try it out for themselves.
With such a unique product and company we were able to create an inspiring new website for Velocitek which excites the user, makes it easy for the user to purchase products and provides important, bitesize information to the user throughout the conversion pathway.
In the previous Velocitek website, important, descriptive information regarding products and Velocitek itself was hidden within pages on the website. The homepage didn’t showcase the products and was not stimulating for the user. We were able to bring the best out of Velocitek with quality content and bright, positive imagery. We also incorporated the customer experience into the website by adding an Instagram feed to the bottom of the homepage. Velocitek Instagram posts which focus on satisfied customers with the product help to showcase how well these products work. Effectively, customers act as brand ambassadors, this encourages potential customers to trust in Velocitek and purchase from the website.
Velocitek products carry unique names. In the old website, product names acted as links within the main navigation bar. The problem was that the unique names didn’t tell the user what the product actually was, to find out they had to click on a link to find out. This led to potential customers clicking through multiple links only to find that they were looking at a product they didn’t want. To remedy this issue, within the new navigation bar we added an image of each product, along with its name and a short blurb to inform the user of what the product was to be used for. This eliminated the need for the user to click through the different product pages to try and find the product which fulfilled their needs.
Throughout the website build, we dedicated ourselves to creating a quality user experience. Focusing on the flow of the website from user landing to a product purchase allowed the user to find relevant information with ease. Call-to-action buttons were placed in specific areas of pages where they would receive the most attention, thus, having a higher chance of converting customers.
Overall, we were able to meet and exceed the needs of Velocitek for the new website redesign and build. Creating a stunning website which highlighted the product and its use in professional boat racing, we were able to capture user attention from the very first click.
Incorporating strong visual elements coupled with interactive GIFs and video further enhanced the user experience, making the website more intriguing and enjoyable to navigate. Users were given a real feel of how Velocitek products work and the uses for each.
