9xb - Creating Online Success

The objectives for this website are simple; to sell, sell some more and then keep selling, increasing the number and value of every customer whilst keeping support overheads to a minimum.

This new business venture was a brave move for Alfresia, entering a very competitive market up against garden centres, large DIY chains and more established e-commerce businesses, and so wisely they wanted to test the water with a pilot website that 9xb built back in 2006 to launch the business.

With a basic e-commerce site, Alfresia could, without huge investment, assess the sales potential of this e-business and ensure they had the necessary infrastructure to fulfil orders and turn a profit. The success of this pilot project far exceeded Alfresia's expectations and shortly after launch, 9xb were commissioned to create a new, improved and more complex e-commerce site to cope with the exceptional demand.

"With the sole aim of selling, the website needed to focus on the variety, quality and value of the products, highlight promotions and as with any online store, but especially a new brand, reassure potential customers about service and fulfilment."

Rob Burns, Account Director

"In order to address Alfresia's two key selling points; price and service, we created a design that combined warehouse discount store simplicity with a quality feel associated with the likes of John Lewis. The result is a clean design with clear direction, simple on the surface whilst all the hard work goes on underneath."

Gary Hartley, Account Designer

"As an e-commerce site, this one ticks all the boxes, a simple design with clear calls to action and a comprehensive content management system that allows Alfresia to quickly update product information, control their extensive sales promotions and integrate with their in-house fulfilment systems."

Alex King, Account Developer