We started working with Steve Powell from Chelmsford-based Ninja Printing earlier this year, soon after he had set up the business. As a new lockdown start-up company, Ninja Printing had created their own initial website by hand and now wanted to take the next steps to increase their customer base and to give the business a more professional edge.

In addition to our personal interactions with Steve, by reviewing their social media and existing site we got to know his personality and the wider aims for Ninja Printing. We then set about bringing the online business in line with this style and ethos to truly reflect who they are.

Identifying the limitations and creating a new idea

From the outset, it was clear that Ninja Printing knew they needed to make progress in a few areas and that they weren’t happy with how the existing website was working for them. Working together with them, the issues we agreed needed attention were:

• The look and feel needed to be more professional
• Functionality and connection with other parts of the business needed improving
• Issues with the sales process needed resolving
• Scalability was required for future product lines and services
• The company’s Facebook presence needed to be tied in to avoid further ineffective spend

Taking these focus areas, we asked Ninja Printing to show us examples of sites they felt had the features and the style that they were after. This competitor analysis, combined with some of our own previous work we highlighted, then gave a more rounded view of the direction they wanted to go and led the structure and design ideas in our proposal.

Delivering the new solution

Having had our proposal agreed, we set about starting the design to enhance the strength of the Ninja Printing branding and give them the tools to market, manage and deliver their business all in one place. They were already clear on their target customers, wanting to find a balance between printing and art work for professionals and businesses, and providing a range of novelty gifts for the wider public.

To help achieve this, we focused on a tone within the design and text that reflected how flexible and welcoming Steve and the team were to solving the problems of their customers, and always with high-quality results. We then worked to integrate their Facebook page to achieve consistency of branding and messaging, and to show live offers and order options. We also added behind-the-scenes functionality to enable similar integration of eBay and Amazon – allowing Ninja Printing far greater flexibility for growing in the future.

Management of the sales and stock process was next on the list. We needed to iron out previous problems with delivery and sales pricing that had crept into the previous site, and build a more professional and effective system for Steve and the team to run the business. So, we put in an order management system to the website structure that gave Ninja Printing control of their inventory, stock, sales orders and customer engagement all in one system. This would save them plenty of time, effort and money in their day-to-day work, which was an important box to tick.

Handing over the reins

We knew how important it was to provide a system that Steve and the Ninja Printing team could use effectively, so selected tools and systems that work well in combination with each other. We chose WordPress for content management paired with WooCommerce to provide the eCommerce functionality because we knew these could do everything they needed now and that they would likely need for the future – with a set up they could control themselves from the day they went live.

It was then time to deliver the site and show Steve and the team the online functionality we had created for different parts of the business. With great feedback and a little more testing, we then spent time providing a range of training and tips for using the order management system and making the most of the new strings to their bow.

With everything ready, we set the new site live.

Going live and taking the next steps

The results have so far been fantastic.

Since going live, Ninja Printing have seen a 200% increase in sales in the first two weeks – meaning they are already seeing a return on the investment they put into revitalising their online business. They’ve also received some great customer feedback that the site is now more professional and easier to use. It’s always so nice to see such a positive response so soon after launch.

But going live is not the end, just the start of the next phase for the business. We have since been working with Steve on a subscription ordering model and a private shop service page for an existing customer. We’ll also be revisiting the site in future to analyse the customer experience and identify any changes needed to engage with new target customers and to meet the expansion of the business.

We’re here to help with any questions and further training at any time too, as we’re always a long-term partner for our clients, not a service provider. And in Ninja Printing, we now have a new partner ready for the next stage in their journey.

Get in touch to find out how we can help.