The cool kids
Do you often find yourself standing in front of the refrigerated section at the supermarket, debating whether to go for a healthy salad or a generously topped pizza for dinner? Or do you like grabbing an ice-cold bottle of cola at the gas station on your way home from work? In both cases, the refrigerated display housing these products was probably developed by Smeva. For over 100 years, they’ve been the kings of cooling solutions across various markets: from consumer refrigeration at gas stations and supermarkets to cooling and freezing systems for butcher shops, fishmongers, and hospitals. So when they announced a pitch, we at GI were eager to take part and claim our spot among the cool kids.
Pitching on ice
And so, on the hottest day of the year, we set off with an elaborate presentation and an even more elaborate cooler full of ice creams to Smeva’s headquarters. In their search for a distinctive repositioning, they had selected three different agencies for the pitch, and GI was one of them. Together with our tech-savvy sibling Not on Paper, we presented our approach for the new brand strategy, initial ideas for the website, and our plan to attract the right audience and ensure optimal conversion. As you might have guessed... we kept our cool and won the pitch!
Bringing the right internal and external expertise to the table right away ensures that you can examine the question and its corresponding solution from multiple perspectives.
Dedicated to freshness
The first step in the collaboration was an extensive brand session where we used a brand circle to define the brand essence. This also included diving into the personas. Smeva serves multiple segments, each with its own target audience. Mapping these out immediately clarified how to approach and inspire these different personas. And although Smeva is a well-known name among its target audience, and is recognised for quality and craftsmanship, it’s crucial to determine how they can continue to make a difference.
The brand essence was quickly defined: Smeva is Dedicated to freshness. This isn't just reflected in their cooling solutions, where product freshness takes centre stage, but also in their communication style: honest, clear, and refreshing. Naturally, the new website had to follow suit…
Bring in the bright brains!
Since our sibling company Not on Paper was already involved from the pitch stage, they were fully aware of the expectations and requirements for the website, right from the start. As our trusted technical partner, they understand us with just half a word. Together, we developed the user stories that mapped out the needs of the different personas. Instead of focusing on what Smeva wanted to say, we focused on what their customers were looking for. Targeted product information tailored to the personas' needs became the most important layer of the website. This is where butchers, supermarket owners, and hospitals land to immediately see the products relevant to their specific situations. The second layer highlights overarching markets, and only in the third layer, or the outer shell of the website, you find the homepage. Does that mean the homepage is the least important? Yes, that’s exactly right. Your homepage is merely the gateway to where you really want your visitors to go: the detail pages.
From this insight, we got to work on the wireframes and the creation of an extensive UI toolkit. The primary goal of the website is to encourage contact, so: a conversion-driven site where a mobile-first approach is essential. Together with Not on Paper, we built a solid foundation, after which our designers took over to craft the visual translation.
Mobile-first puts the mobile user at the center and forces you to optimise the user experience accordingly.
A fresh look, for maximum conversion
From the UX phase, our designers got to work aligning the website with the brand essence, Dedicated to freshness. We chose black as the base colour. Probably not what you’d expect when thinking of freshness, right? However, the contrast with black makes the products stand out, which emphasises their freshness even more. By combining this with fresh teal and white highlights, we created a unique style (and matching vibe) that’s unlike any competitor. And it fits Smeva like a glove!
From cold to hot leads
With all flows on the new website leading directly to the products, where a request can be made instantly, the site is incredibly effective. And no, you don’t have to trust us just because of our charming blue (or actually: pink) eyes. The data below speaks for itself. And, between us: after the launch of the new website, sales increased so much that even Smeva’s factory started to feel the heat. Cool, right?
Website visits
The average time a visitor spends on the site has increased by 48% compared to the previous site.
Page views
Thanks to the use of smart UX elements, the number of pages viewed has increased by an average of 39% compared to the old site.
Bounce rate optimisation
The bounce rate has dropped by 28% since the new website went live. This indicates that the content aligns better with the target audience's needs.
