How can we help local producers who have not yet established their own online presence?
This was the unique question raised to us here at Six Ticks by Shropshire Food & Drink. Their proposal was to create a website that would help shout out the amazing locally produced food and drink and producers alongside being an easy-to-use online sales tool. Due to the pandemic, the team at Shropshire Food & Drink noticed that local producers who did not have a previous online presence were struggling and wanted to assist, and of course as a web design company, Six Ticks was here to help.
The vision was to bring together a centralised web directory of all food producers
The main objective of the new web site was to expose local producers to a wider audience and to reflect the individuality, variety and beauty of products created locally in Shropshire. Creating a website was the perfect way to create this centralised online directory.
We created a website plan that would achieve 6 main goals:
- Allow local producers to be found by local people and restaurants
- Have a platform on which producers can showcase their variety of quality goods
- Convey information about producers and their products in a simple and understandable fashion
- Incorporate an intuitive search function that will permit users of the website to filter searches by type and location
- Highlight and proactively promote Shropshire Hampers
- Create built-in flexibility so that functionality can be extended if needs be in the future
Effective features are an integral factor in website design
Adding features that are beneficial both to the producers and those viewing the site was essential for the success of the new web page. With this in mind, we started by creating a login portal for the producers featured on the site, which would open up lines of communication and allow for editing and updating of their information and data. Having this in place will future-proof the site as it allows for a constant stream of updates wherever they are needed within a minimal time frame.
Alongside this we created a search bar in which users can search for a specific type of producer from bakeries to vineyards and find where they are located around the Shropshire area. We utilised Google maps to create a web app which presents the location of each producer and then ascertain information about said producer such as what they produce, exact locations, and contact details etc.
A lot of thought was also put into responsive web design so as users can view the site on their phones, allowing them to view the map when they are out and about, increasing the usability and accessibility of the information stored on the site.
Even before the pandemic hit, small businesses were under a lot of pressure to compete with big national corporations and supermarkets
The pandemic only increased the competitive pressure that smaller businesses were facing in the wake of chain supermarkets and restaurants and as these local food & drink businesses are at the very core of Shropshire Food & Drink the importance of the success of this web development was sizeable.
Not only does the website create an incredibly convenient online catalogue but it builds an online presence for producers who would otherwise not have had any, by giving them their own webpage and online marketing. This gives these businesses access to a new audience and could help them greatly increase the rate at which they get noticed and attract new customers.
Beth Heath, Shropshire Food and Drink Director, said:
“The new features on the Shropshire Food and Drink website have revolutionised the way in which food and drink producers from across the region can update their own details, sign up to promote their wares and manage their own pages. The updates will cut down on staff time needed to update and communicate with members and therefore the whole process has become much slicker for the back end user and the customer experience.”
If you would like more information on Shropshire Food & Drink, would like to join the Shropshire community or would simply like to learn more about the producers and what products are available make sure to check out the new website: https://www.shropshirefoodanddrink.co.uk
If you are interested in what Six Ticks can offer you and your company (such as remote working tools and web page design services) and would like to learn more, feel free to send us a message:
