We’re delighted to announce Heart Internet’s Website of the Month winner for May 2018 – CEP!
This Carlisle-based wholesale company is family run and serves both trade and public customers with electrical and plumbing products for homes and businesses.
The site, designed by Blue Monkey Web Design, perfectly showcases CEP’s extensive product range, both in a trustworthy “recent work” display gallery and a seamlessly integrated e-commerce section.
We sat down with Davide Broccoli from Blue Monkey Web Design as well as a member of the CEP team to talk about how the website was designed and how it’s an extension of their user-friendly service.
What is CEP and what are your core services and products?
CEP: We’re a family-run wholesale company serving the trade and public in electrical, plumbing, lighting, and interior products.
How does your website enhance, support, and drive forward your goals?
CEP: The website breaks down each sector of the business well, giving customers a very specific insight into the area they’re interested in. And we lead sales through proof of past work, including a history of the company and the building we’re located in.
Davide: We always talk regularly regarding marketing, social media, and how we can improve the website.
What would you say the website’s personality is?
CEP: We believe it’s professional and easy to use, especially with its layout.
Davide: It’s easy to navigate between the shop and the site, making it a good experience for the customer so they’ll want to visit again.
When you were designing the website, did you design with the customer in mind, or did you have a fixed idea on how you wanted to portray the brand?
Davide: We always design with the customer in mind – meeting with the client for a face-to-face meeting no matter where they’re based. We then come up with an idea for the site. We never put things on paper, because it always looks different than it would on a screen.
During the design time, our clients have access to their own test area, which allows them to see their online business start to come alive. The client then gets a feel for how they want it to work, and we’ll make any minor tweaks necessary until they’re happy with the finished product.
We believe it’s really important to involve the client as much as possible and make them feel part of the site. They can then say they had a major input in this “feel good factor”.
What’s your favourite thing about the website?
CEP: The images. There’s very good imagery that doesn’t overpower the website. Each section of the site is backed up with visuals and galleries that blend well into the website format and layout.
What do you think makes this site different from the competition?
Davide: We decided to create the website while adding the e-commerce section as an addition. It means that the customer can find out more about the business or can just shop if they want to.
Nowadays websites are generally just online shops or just websites, and when it’s just an online shop, there’s never really enough about the company you’re dealing with. By merging the two, you get the chance to gain the customer’s trust by adding in all the information and history about the company.
It is slightly more expensive to have both, but we believe that in the long run it will pay off. This website tells its visitors: This is who we are, where we are, and you can shop with confidence.
Do you have any future plans for the site?
Davide: We are always looking to improve the website by talking to the client about their future needs and how to take it forward. Communication is very important – it’s not just about doing a website and then abandoning it. It’s about helping the website and the customer to grow, meaning that their online presence will always be up to date.
How has it been being a Heart Internet customer?
Davide: We’ve been with Heart Internet for years now, and we always find their support team helpful – 10/10! The Heart Internet Reseller area is easy to use and informational, and I’ve always found them to offer good hosting packages at reasonable prices.
Thank you, Davide and CEP, and congratulations on winning!
If you think you have a site that can win Website of the Month, you can enter through our Facebook post! Submit your site today and see if you have what it takes!
Please see our previous post for further details, including terms and conditions.
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