An elegant website design to reflect the Dobbies brand
Founded in 1865, Dobbies is now one of the UK's leading garden centre retailers with over 20 centres across the country. Recently purchased by Tesco, Dobbies also owns a number of popular attractions including Plantasia and Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World.
The Brief:
Dobbies required a website that would:
- Reflect its brand values and the seasonal nature of the core products
- Give site users reasons to visit both the website and local stores
- Drive a sense of community, particularly amongst its Gardening Club members
The Solution:
To provide a website that would meet their needs, a number of planning sessions were held with the Dobbies marketing team to establish and understand their objectives for the website. To understand its customers' requirements from the website a web survey was conducted and the results were analysed and fed into the planning process. Together with a competitor analysis, the survey results and planning sessions came together and wire frames were produced. These outlined the functionality on each template of the website.
A key part of the Dobbies website was the design. This need to reflect the high standard of Dobbies brand as well as its close association with nature. To this end, much emphasis was put on seasonal changes and the site background changes according to the time of year.
The site is underpinned by the Innovation Digital Content Management System (CMS)and new websites for both Plantasia and Edinburgh Butterfly and Insect World will be launched in the near future. Alongside the website sits an E-mail Management System, providing Dobbies with the tools they need to communicate effectively with different customer segments, an integral part of their overall marketing efforts.
The Results:
The Dobbies website continues to develop as a valuable source of information for its customers. To date it provides easy access to store information, useful tip for gardeners, a private area for its Gardening Club members and the facility to join or renew Gardening Club membership online.