Featured Designer: ZigZag Design

9 January 2013 | Cate

Here at Bluepark we strive to offer the best in ecommerce software but in the background there are those unsung heroes that help our customers with creating brand new designs, re-designs, offering SEO advice and passing on their wealth of ecommerce experience. We are proud to recommend these companies and individuals to you and we hope to build up a bank of resources that you can dip into should you need someone to help you. Our first featured design company is Zigzag Design.

Contact name: Penny

Email address: info@zigzagdesign.co.uk

Telephone number: 01273 956 977

Website address: www.zigzagdesign.co.uk

Tell us about your design style:

"Do we have a particular style? I am not sure! Every project that we undertake is individual and unique. Every business has a different requirement and no two projects are ever the same. Customers can come to us with a completely full spec and design brief, others give us a complete blank canvas, and there are (more commonly) others that give us a blank canvas in the initial stages and then provide a full design brief mid-way through the design stages!

Representing and creating the branding of an online business is a process that needs to be gone through during the initial build phases, and is a ‘growing and development’ process – an evolution. Even when a website is launched the ‘design’ doesn’t stand still. Unlike a brochure website, the design of an ecommerce website is integral with the functionality and features required by the retailer. For example, the display of promotions and offers, product search refinement, product images display.

Naturally, the website design is driven by the product range. For example, a website which sells toys would have to have a certain type of appeal both to the children and to the parents buying the toys. In contrast, a website selling designer women’s clothes would have to reflect the branding and style of that product range and visually appeal to the consumer buying the brand. In other words, every website is different and we design the website to suit the client, the products, and the customers who use the website. Bluepark allows us the freedom to do this. The range of features and options that Bluepark provides and it’s flexibility gives us the scope to produce websites that work for the business.

So going back to the original question, do we have a design style? Maybe we do but I don’t know what it is. It’s a style based firstly on our experience and secondly an evolvement from the original concepts. Usability is at the heart of every website we build. A website has to work for the ‘consumer’ and not just ‘look great to the retailer’."

Do you offer any other services than web design, i.e. web development, product import, SEO, website management?

"Yes to all of the above. We are able to provide a full service for all aspects of an ecommerce business which includes e-consultancy services - making sure your site is delivering results, site development, management and ongoing support and most important of all - full SEO services. At the heart of our Business is Search Engine Optimisation. We have a strong and established reputation for achieving top rankings for our ecommerce clients within all business sectors. We have SEO clients who directly compete online with household name retailers for their search phrases, and are consistently on page 1 for the top competitive search phrases in their industry.

In addition to ecommerce and SEO, we also provide bespoke web design services for brochure style websites and have a large client base locally for our web design Brighton services."

How does the process of what you offer work, i.e. from initial contact to final delivery?

"There are many factors involved in launching a new online retail business - we guide and manage the client through the whole process from conception through to launch.

Usually, the initial stages are about preparation. Getting to know and understand the client’s requirements, expectations, goals and targets, assessing the core customer base and online competitors.
Data preparation is the next phase. Following initial advice and consultation, we collate the product information including photos and product data. We provide customers with a spread sheet to complete their product details.
Next step is the start of the design process. Having a thorough understanding of the product range and the expectations of the customers who will be buying them (see above) determines how the first design drafts are undertaken.
Once the base of the design has been agreed, the bespoke template is then created and developed. Clients are able to view the work in progress so that they are able to provide feedback and general input at any stage.
All other non-design elements are managed and implemented for the client including; payment gateways, system configuration, shipping etc."

How long have you building ecommerce websites?

"We have been building Ecommerce websites for 12 years now. Our client Mummy & Little Me was one of the first client websites we migrated across to Bluepark (Jan 2011). Already an established and successful online retail business, they needed to switch ecommerce platform. We recommended that we move them across to Bluepark as we knew we had at last found a system that was nothing short of exceptional.

Many other ecommerce platforms have weak elements such as over-bloated code & CSS, poor support, complicated admins, not UK-centric, expensive. Finding Bluepark was a breath of fresh air, there is no question it is light years ahead of any of its nearest competitors."

What are the good points with BP?

"Too long to list! Here are just a few:

One of the key areas we promote to clients new to ecommerce is the usability of the admin area. Retailers need to work with a system that is intuitive and user friendly. Bluepark admin area definitely ticks this box in a big way. It’s a very difficult balance to strike between ‘ease of use’ and ‘fully featured’. In my opinion Bluepark have got this exactly right. As a new online business grows and their requirements expand they can start to make best use of additions, discounts, user groups etc.

Search engine friendly platform: We specialise in search engine optimisation and a SE friendly platform is an absolute pre-requisite. Bluepark is our system of choice and our client’s Google rankings are the proof of the Bluepark pudding.

Development: The Bluepark team regularly release new system features. They listen to their customers and designers alike, and are proactive in development. Some of the feature requests that we have made have been rolled out in a matter of weeks. 2013 looks to be a very exciting year – proposed upgrades (rumoured on the grape vine) are going to make a lot of BP retailers (and Zigzag) even more happy.

System features which are on a par with Magento including but not exclusive to (storefont) Faceted navigation, moderated product reviews, social media buttons, wish lists, live chat, (marketing) gift vouchers, loyalty points, voucher codes and extensive discount options, feeds export, (design) fully customisable in design and css, block placeholders (so much quicker than Magento), cross browser/platform compatible.

The list is long but the above is a small selection of highlights."