ecommerce websites
Ushering in a new era of ecommerce for Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits
Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits put out a call for an agency to take on their corporate website redesign project. Though the scope included over a dozen different brands, my focus was on their top three brands: Josh Cellars, Redemption Whiskey, and The Calling (Jim Nantz' signature wine)
Timeline
The entirety of the project, which included four different websites in the scope, took place over two full years. Each website operated with the same timeline: four weeks of wireframing and prototyping and then eight weeks of design and development.
Background
We began with Josh Cellars, their flagship brand, because the existing website had very little ecommerce capabilities. The goal was to combine best practices with a design as refined as their wines. I created user personas and conducted a deep UX audit of their existing websites to establish baseline performance metrics.
Each website followed the same design and development process. After all, good process is the canvas for creative experimentation.
Research & Planning
Conducted market research to identify baseline performance metrics across the category. Defined target audience segments and outlined key features based on user needs and market trends.
Wireframes & Prototyping
I created two wireframe concepts for each website. One that was more traditional and one that was "out of the box" to give the Deutsch team an opportunity to understand what the market was doing and how they could differentiate themselves.
Design & Development
With the chosen concept in hand, I collaborated with our brand designers to create the aesthetic style of the websites. For Josh, this meant classic sophistication. For Redemption, it meant a rugged, speak-easy vibe.
Testing & Optimization
Each website underwent thorough QA testing to make sure orders were processed correctly from engagement with paid media to the delivery process across the nation.
The full scope of the redesign project provided a massive platform for Deutsch to compete for sales with their global competitors. Adding ecommerce features allowed Josh Cellars to boost sales on their way to be named 2021 Winery of the Year by Wine Enthusiast.
6%
increase in sessions per user
200%
increase in pageviews
74%
increase in session duration
1.4m
cases sold since launch
"Chris is intelligent and extremely creative with a high standard for what he produces for his clients. He is very thorough on his projects, and a pleasure to work with."
Melanie Samper
Senior Director of IT,
Deutsch Family Wine & Spirits