Big Red.
An independent retailer's journey from no online presence to future-ready digital platform
Big Red.
Big Red, a beloved independent retailer serving the Cleethorpes community since 2015, approached us as part of a competitive pitch.
They had a thriving physical store stocking everything from groceries to garden and pet supplies, but no website.
Like most retailers, they thought they needed a traditional e-commerce site. That’s what they briefed, and that’s what every other agency quoted for.
We do things differently.
Looking beyond the unexpected.
Instead of simply quoting what they asked for, we spent time understanding their business. We visited the store, spoke to the team, and looked at their actual product mix and customer base.
It quickly became clear that a standard e-commerce website wasn’t the right solution. The majority of their stock consisted of basic groceries and low-value items – products customers can buy anywhere, from corner shops to major retailers.
Building an e-commerce site for these products would offer poor ROI, and the marketing investment needed to drive meaningful web traffic would be prohibitively expensive.
Our solution.
Hold off on e-commerce
We recommended delaying full e-commerce functionality and instead focusing on what would actually drive value for their business. We identified that there were more unique and higher value items in the ranges, such as garden furniture and ornaments, that would work as e-commerce, but that work needed to be done to build a database first.
Future-proof foundation
We built a website that could easily add e-commerce later, allowing Big Red to focus on developing the right product ranges for online sales.
Showcase the store’s personality
As an independent retailer, Big Red’s biggest asset is its knowledgeable, friendly team and strong community connections. We created department videos featuring managers discussing their ranges, letting their expertise and enthusiasm shine through.
Virtual store experience
Using 360-degree camera footage, we created a virtual walkthrough of the entire store, allowing customers to explore the aisles and locate specific items before visiting.
Build a customer database
We integrated Mailchimp with their till system to capture email addresses at point of purchase, building an engaged customer database for the promotion of unique offers and deals and building a base for future marketing, including eventual e-commerce launch.
Generating incremental business
One of the innovative suggestions and solutions to gaining repeat, incremental business was to create a way of generating offers for customers to encourage return visits and purchases (a bit like Tesco Clubcard).
We created a system that generated barcodes from their till system when customers made purchases. These were then sent to customers as unique offer codes through their email platform. Customers could redeem the code on their next store visit and purchase.
From the very start, Rob, Jon, and Alex took the time to deeply research our company and truly understand our brand’s identity. Their dedication ensured the website perfectly reflects who we are and what we stand for.
Throughout the entire process, they made everything incredibly easy and stress-free, guiding us every step of the way with professionalism and care.
We’re excited to continue working closely with them and look forward to a long-term partnership. Highly recommended!”
Head of Marketing, Big Red
A profitable partnership.
With the successful launch of the new website, we are now at the stage of promoting it throughout the store with POS, displays and email marketing.
Their internal team have picked up social media and both teams are working closely on building on this initial success.
Most importantly, Big Red now has a digital platform that reflects its brand values while being perfectly positioned for its e-commerce journey when the time is right.
What the team says:
“This project demonstrates our collaborative approach – we won’t sell you what you don’t need, and we’re here for long-term success, not quick wins.
Big Red found our approach refreshing and I am happy that our relationship has developed into one of partnership where we we share ideas and vision.”
Rob, Managing Director
