TANTI London already had an existing WooCommerce based website, but it was slow, taking in excess of 2 minutes in some cases to show products. This was not only damaging the TANTI brand but was resulting in little to no active sales through the website.
Initially, I investigated the existing site to see if it could be migrated over to my servers with a redesign. Unfortunately, the site had been poorly constructed, and many of the plugins used were either very outdated or no longer supported. Luke had not been given any training on using the WooCommerce store, and not been told how to keep the WordPress installation and plugins up to date. This was a major security risk.
It was decided, therefore, that the only way forward was for a complete redesign and rebuild of the website. Doing so would allow me to focus on the key message of TANTI and ensure that best practices were followed.
I went for a monochrome feel to the website. This style is used by a majority of online apparel retailers such as Next and ASOS, primarily because it doesn’t age, and it focuses the customer on the products. The shop was placed front and centre to ensure customers could easily see the product range and quickly order.
A three-pronged approach to allowing customers to pay for their purchases was applied, allowing customers to use PayPal, Stripe and Klarna. The latter allows customers to spread the cost of payments over 3 instalments.
Naturally, based on past experience, I wanted Luke to feel confident in his new online e-commerce store. As part of his monthly hosting fee, as with all my clients, I ensure that both the WordPress Core software and all the plugins used on the website are kept up to date. This allows Luke to focus on his business without the worry of the website being at risk from hackers targeting vulnerabilities often found in outdated WordPress software and plugins.
On occasion, Luke takes advantage of my Ad-Hoc Content Update Service to add or update products on the website.
With the new website, I am sure TANTI London will go from strength to strength in a competitive market specifically aimed at customers wanting the very best in styling and quality when it comes to urban apparel. Indeed, since the launch of the website, TANTI London has been seen in GQ Magazine. This probably would not have been possible with the old website.
