Templates, drag-and-drop builders, and pot-noodle style “just-add-water” solutions are everywhere. But if you want your online store to stand out from the thousands of others and actually reflect your brand’s personality, then you need to think bespoke.
And when it comes to bespoke, future-proof platforms, WordPress is the go-to hero of the ecommerce world.
Online retail has never been bigger than it is right now, with social shopping leading the way (some of us at Kensa are a little guilty of a TikTok shop purchase!). But whether your audience is buying on social, or direct through online stores, it’s important that you have a strong online presence. Something that clearly – and effectively – showcases your products, your brands and why you’re the ideal choice for your customer. There’s a lot of competition out there now so once you’ve got your offering nailed, it’s important to then focus on the online customer experience.
With so many startup businesses now, there’s often the problem of template sites that look great but when it comes to competing with bigger names…well, they kind of fall short. That’s why when we work with clients, we look at not only what they need, but also what’s possible with their budget to help them get to where they want to be. That’s why at Kensa, template is a dirty word when it comes to web projects!
Why settle for average when you can go bespoke?
You can draw likeness between templates and fast-food. They’re quick, cheap, and sometimes just what you think you need after a long day. But do you really want your business to be the digital equivalent of a hashed out burger? Probably not. Templates get you online fast, but they’re limited. Integrations with stock management platforms? Tricky. Complex product variants? Good luck.
Bespoke ecommerce web design, on the other hand, is like having Gordon Ramsay cook your chosen meal exactly how you want it. Every detail, from the colour palette to the product page layout can be tailored to your brand.
The market today is filled with a number of different options for online retail, with pros and cons dependent on the type of product your looking to sell. With Shopify, Squarespace and Wix just some of the options, it can be hard to choose. At Kensa, we’re experts in creating bespoke WordPress sites, so our natural recommendation will always be the ecommerce sister of WordPress, WooCommerce (we can, of course, support clients with builds in other ecommerce platforms!).
With WordPress, you get
- Complete flexibility: WordPress lets you build exactly what you need. Want a product configurator? Dynamic pricing? Custom shipping rules? All possible. The open flexibility of WordPress means we can create a site that fits your business like a glove.
- Plugins galore: WooCommerce, the ecommerce platform for WordPress, can convert your WordPress site into a fully-fledged online store, giving you all the features you’d expect from an online store as standard. From inventory management and a built-in checkout to integration with industry-leading payment gateways. Plus, there’s an official plugin for almost everything else you might need – whether that’s clever cart recovery, live chat, customer reviews and even social proof popups.
- SEO optimisation: Ensuring the right people can find your products in the sea of competitors on Google is a must and WordPress is a great foundation on which to build your SEO strategy. Plugins like Yoast SEO are specifically optimised for WooCommerce and WordPress, so you can optimise every page, product and category, giving you a fighting chance to appear on Google’s top pages. When we create ecommerce websites for clients, we’ll also ensure the right schema is used on your category and product pages, which supports the right content being displayed on Google for prospective customers. You can also lean on digital marketing experts, like us, to provide online strategies to help build your website’s optimisation score and visibility – a must with today’s growing reliance on AEO.
- Scalability: As your business grows, your website needs to grow with you – WordPress gives you that flexibility. Add new features, integrate with your CRM or launch new product lines without having to start from scratch. One of the benefits of building our client sites completely bespoke is that as new functionality is needed, we can build it. There’s no limitations that come with purchased templates, meaning if you can dream it, the likelihood is we can build it!
- Security and peace of mind: With the right setup, WordPress can offer air-tight security. Bespoke builds mean you’re not relying on a one-size-fits-all approach. You can implement the security measures that matter most to you and your customers. If you don’t want to worry about the day-to-day security, we offer secure, global-grade website hosting. Designed to suit your websites need, we’ll make sure all plugins and themes are up to date, check there’s no security breaches and keep everything ticking and live. If you need support with updating content or making quick changes, we also offer packages with support time, so our team can complete tasks for you.
- Payment gateways: Working in the world of online retail, you need to be sure you can complete transactions – and your customers need to know their payment details are safe. WordPress offers secure connections with a number of different payment gateways such as Stripe, PayPal, GooglePay and more. If you’re not sure on the best one for your needs, we can help guide this based on how your internal systems work.
The Kensa approach
At Kensa, we know your business isn’t like anyone else’s. That’s why we dig deep into what makes your brand unique, then craft a site that tells that story (through great design, clever functionality and compelling words) to craft a memorable experience that converts visitors into customers.
And because we build everything from scratch, our team of expert web developers know your website inside and out. That means when you need updates, new features, or just a bit of troubleshooting, you can be confident you’ve got the best people for the job just an email or phone call away.
Ready to set-up your ecommerce business the right way?
If you want a website that looks good, works brilliantly, and actually grows with your business, bespoke ecommerce web design on WooCommerce is the way to go. Don’t settle for bland, off-the-shelf solutions – let’s build something amazing together.
Want to see what’s possible? Drop us a line. We promise not to judge your current website (unless it’s really, really bad!).
