The Brief
With over 30 years providing event hire expertise and equipment to the event and private markets, it was time for Caterhire’s website to receive a serious overhaul. As a visual medium, it was imperative that the site reflected the quality, breadth and diversity of their product range and the hugely inclusive personal service which they provide to their customers. They wanted to modernise their brand online and to replicate the perception that they have achieved offline.With a focus on driving brand recognition and sales, the new site was to be inclusive, aspirational and provide clear channels to required information.
As Ireland’s leading Event & Party Hire company Caterhire have provided a uniquely high quality service to the Hospitality and Event industry for over 30 years. They offer the most extensive range of quality brands in the market. Brands that will create an impact and transform any event from the ordinary to the sublime.Their Company values are driven by providing a first class service to their customers and leading the events market with product innovation. Their customer service is dedicated to ensuring that all events are supplied with everything necessary to make it both special and memorable. Their team have the passion, knowledge and know-how to ensure that your event is a success.
To develop an engaging multi-faceted website that is both user-focused and intuitive for both the casual browser and the repeat customer. The primary objective was to generate new business, through qualified leads and by generating orders, but to also establish Caterhire as the leader in the Event & Party Hire arena in Ireland.
The Process
Working closely with the Caterhire team, we established their immediate and long-term goals and objectives through round-table discussions, identifying specific user and functionality requirements, establishing the proposed user-journey and identifying any barriers to excellent user-experience. We employed sitemap development and wire-framing to highlight UX processes and to ensure all information was provided in a clear and concise manner, but ensuring that it was also a pleasurable experience that took into consideration the fact that Caterhire are selling aspiration through superior event planning and resource provision. Their target markets are quite varied, so it was necessary to provide an inclusive environment. Excellent use of commissioned photography combined with engaging and user-focused content allowed for a design that is informative and exploratory.
We build all of our sites to include as many user types as possible, even if the brief does not require it. The site was built on a custom integration of both Magento (for eCommerce elements) and ExpressionEngine (for non-eCommerce sections of the site), providing a user-friendly and inclusive platform. Both are enterprise level and extremely secure CMS platforms. The site is fully responsive for viewing on all devices. We used language that is instantly comprehensible to all users, in a clear and structured manner. We incorporated imagery and graphics to further illustrate the messages and employed clear, concise terminology and large font sizes for legibility.
The Result
The website provides product detail on over 10,000 products in the Caterhire range, and also offers Hints & Tips for your party or event, outlining details on everything from Dance Floor size guides to Table Linen sizes and Seating Capacity. An Occasions section provides details on Events, Parties, Wedding Venues and Caterers.
The site is a one-stop-shop for all event or party requirements, whether you need to hire equipment, get inspiration or source a caterer. Primarily built using the Magento eCommerce CMS, we have also custom built integration with Expression Engine for the non-eCommerce sections of the site.
