| The project | |
|---|---|
| Client: | Maison Kemang |
| Industry: | Fashion |
| Solution: | Shopify |
| Year: | 2018 |
| What we did |
|---|
| Design & Development |
| UX: As streamlined as it gets |
| UI: Highlight the Uniqueness of the products |
| Shopify: Full Custom theme |
Shopify customization + SEO expertise
Maison Kemang is a fashion company that produces one-of-a-kind handmade bags and pouches inspired by the culture of the Maison Kemang neighborhood in Jakarta, Indonesia. Founded by designer Joy Rodocanachi, the Maison Kemang brand celebrates adventure and diversity with a chic and cosmopolitan style.
At the end of 2017, Joy came to Bluedge USA with a problem. Though Maison Kemang had a range of incredible products, it had no web presence or sales platform, save a few small pop-up stores and an Instagram account. Maison Kemang had been disappointed by another service provider after a grueling year-long process, and the company was at a serious disadvantage in the market.
Over the course of three months, Bluedge USA created a custom-designed Shopify site that captures the spirit of Maison Kemang’s brand with a design that is as unique as Maison Kemang’s bags. We crafted a strategy that optimized sales opportunities on the platform and supported the site launch with a robust email campaign. Weeks after the site went live, Maison Kemang was experiencing a healthy sales revenue and an exponential increase in brand awareness.
How we delivered a custom B2C site that's easy to manage
Maison Kemang’s dilemma
Maison Kemang had suffered ‐‐as many of our clients have‐‐ at the hands of another service provider who could not deliver a quality website, let alone prepare Maison Kemang for meaningful sales. Maison Kemang lost a year’s worth of sales revenue and brand awareness in exchange for a site that was a basic Wordpress template.
Maison Kemang needed a destination where new customers could fully experience the brand and enjoy collecting Joy’s custom, handcrafted bags. The site needed to be easy for Joy to manage on her own, and it had to be delivered as quickly as possible. A custom-built Shopify store was the obvious answer.
Discovering Maison Kemang’s secret weapon
Weeks after the site went live, Maison Kemang was experiencing a healthy sales revenue and an exponential increase in brand awareness.
Our first step was to thoroughly review Maison Kemang’s positioning, key demographic, products, business strategy, and goals. We quickly discovered that Maison Kemang has a special ingredient that sets it apart from other sellers of its kind.
Maison Kemang’s bags are made from speciality fabrics that Joy sources from around the world. While Joy creates a variety of bag styles, each bag is made from a single piece of material and displays a unique part of the pattern. This means that each bag is distinct, and that there is a limited number of bags of each style.
At the beginning, Joy considered the uniqueness of each bag to be equally important as their limited supply. We suggested that she shift focus to the availability of the bags and create an urgency around collecting a “limited edition” item before it runs out. The fact that each bag is distinct would be a nice feature, but not the key driver of sales.
With this strategy in place, we worked with Joy to plan out a site design that accentuated the decreasing supply of the bags, while still reflecting Maison Kemang’s diversity to women looking for unique, handmade products.
Outsmarting site limitations
We soon encountered a significant technical challenge: Shopify allows sellers to track the remaining stock of each product but not the original quantity available. Not to be defeated, we custom-built a Shopify application that allows sellers to track the original stock and display it on any page of the site. The app was so effective that we decided to release it for purchase on Shopify so that other sellers can take advantage of this feature.
Filling the gap
Another challenge was that Maison Kemang had no existing web presence beyond its Instagram account. During the short period of time it took to build the site, we created an attractive landing page. Visitors could input their emails to receive an update once the site was live.
This allowed us to build a contact base that we used for targeted email marketing during the launch phase, and it ensured that Maison Kemang maintained an elegant web presence throughout the process.
Handing the keys to Maison Kemang
Finally, we needed to create a site that was easy for Joy to update. Thanks to years of Shopify experience, we are able to customize everything from initial design to long-term site maintenance and tailor it to each client’s preference.
We customized the Shopify backend so Joy can change the site according to her preference. She can move elements with a simple drag and drop, add or switch out text and images, and activate or deactivate various sections, such as the Branding section. Joy has complete control over what her customers see, and the backend is tailor-made to be intuitive for her.
Kicking it up with SEO
Search Engine Optimization is one of the most important aspects of turning Joy’s Shopify site into a bustling business. We implemented years worth of SEO expertise throughout the creation of the site, rather than treating it as a final tweak or afterthought. Through both technical measures and the content featured, Joy’s store is at the top of the SEO food chain.
This quality of service is truly unique, we felt really surrounded and accompanied through the development process of the website. Nicolas and his team never hesitated to go beyond the brief in order to get the best possible results for us... Bluedge USA has not only created the site of my dreams, they also have been able to focus on all the technical aspects that allow my brand to be best listed on search engines. Being available online only, it was indeed essential for Maison Kemang to have a site that is both aesthetic and efficient... I will never thank Nicolas and his team at Bluedge USA enough for the work they have done for Maison Kemang!
Joy Rodocanachi
Shared success
In January of 2018, we released an exquisite custom Shopify site for web and mobile platforms, supported by a solid marketing foundation. Within weeks of the release, the store achieved a healthy sales revenue, and customers loved the “limited edition” positioning. Our partnership resulted in a beautiful platform that has launched Maison Kemang onto the map in a way Joy could not have imagined.
Thanks to our turnkey process and intricate knowledge as Shopify experts, Maison Kemang was able to benefit from a customized, full service, 360º approach to its e-commerce business at a price tag the new brand could afford.
We are so grateful to have gotten the chance to bring Joy’s business to life and share the culture of her bags with a world of new customers.
Building a successful 360º partnership
We worked hand-in-hand with Joy throughout the entire process, and shared every document and development along the way. We wanted to deliver the best site possible, but we also wanted to make sure that it was what Joy had envisioned.
We also gave Joy privileged access to a network of professionals that could support her business, including legal advisement. Before the site was launched, we gave the Maison Kemang team a training session and made sure that Joy was comfortable managing every single aspect of the site.