Observe, research
and recommend.
Advisory: independent projects
Our advisory support service came into being, almost inadvertently, through a variety of client requests that didn’t fall within our usual digital agency remit.
Over the years we have been asked to consult on many projects from an independent vantage point, usually alongside business owners and their existing website and ecommerce provision.
The kind of perspective we can bring offers online businesses a fresh set of eyes and some objectivity that’s hard to see when you’re very close. It’s also much easier for us, as the neutral party, to ask the challenging questions.
The work we’ve completed has come from a mix of long-term, retained clients; those who need some extra help with a specific project; and from business owners who simply commission a one-off review with a set of recommendations.
The consultancy journey began for us some years ago when we were invited to pitch for a new website for the British Endodontic Society – a UK dental membership organisation. The brief was complicated, so we paused to consider how we could find the best solution for them. They needed to evolve a decades old, bespoke website with specific membership needs. We proposed a collaborative solution where we provided the design to re-skin an improved version of their legacy site. This is an example of a client-first, considered approach to a challenge that initially had all parties stumped.
Smashing the 100-variable limit on Shopify
Armac Martin, a luxury cabinet furnishings business, needed to be able to display way more product versions than Shopify’s 100 limit. We created a MIX configurator that was able to show the required 361 combinations per product, without creating image-heavy storage issues. This was a specific problem faced by our long-standing client.
The value of reviewing and refreshing your ecommerce site’s user experience.
Inkbox, owned by BIC, asked us to work alongside its web development team to identify areas for improvement, specifically to enhance the user experience. We analysed their customer demographic and created wireframes and prototypes to show where changes could be made to benefit their bottom line.
We usually have the skills within Digital by Default to take on the entire project but that means our neutrality could be compromised. In the case of pure advisory work we enjoy the separate roles defined by each stakeholder and allow our independence to set us apart to observe, research and recommend without bias.
It’s interesting and rewarding for everyone involved as we take a commercial, positive and well-considered approach to everything we advise on. It’s a special kind of client who asks for a second opinion so we draw on the skills of our entire team to sense-check and challenge every aspect, whether that’s user journey, design, SEO, coding, website functionality and everything else that goes into the complexities of a successful online business.