AusJourney is a startup business that provides fun, rewarding and educational outdoor Adventurous Journeys. Their Journeys consist of overnight hiking expeditions for under 25-year-old youth. These Journeys are experiences counted as a component toward The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award. These hiking programs follow rigorous safety standards, accompanied by an instructor to supervise each group, providing participants with the support and skills they need to stay safe during an Adventurous Journey. AusJourney aims to empower young people to be their best selves.
AusJourney wanted to launch their new business off the right way by using a successful and holistic eCommerce solution. They wanted an engaging, user-friendly eCommerce store that would make purchasing a placement in their Journeys easy for participants. AusJourney wanted their website to also reduce administration for their staff, with an editable backend solution. They also needed a professional but engaging frontend look to appeal to both individuals and schools.
We took the time to understand the client’s aims and the target audience of schools and individual participants. We consulted AusJourney at every stage to ensure their concept was brought to life from content to photography, with practical back end solutions and a professional look.
Audience engagement was one of the main objectives when creating the website design. We utilised multiple different features to improve the engagement of the design and smooth navigation, giving the incentive for AusJourney’s audience to keep scrolling and pique their interest.
We collaborated with the client to balance their required information structure with the visual design of the website perfectly. We balanced the photos and content provided by the client in an engaging, seamless design that complemented their new branding.
Once a design was approved, we developed a custom Shopify theme giving the exact identity and functionality that AusJourney needed. This was developed to strategically appeal to the target audience’s desires for adventure and self-achievement.
Participants can sign up to take part in an Adventurous Journey event, so we treated each of AusJourney’s Journeys as a product in Shopify. The different categories of Bronze, Silver, and Gold Journeys that were pre-determined by the client were structured into the website, with flexibility for a different purchasing pathway for schools.
A payment gateway was incorporated to allow AusJourney’s transactions to be completed online. A custom JotForm was integrated with Google Drive to increase efficiency by reducing administration for collecting and managing essential participant information. We also created a client portal that is accessible to clients only after their purchase. This user-friendly client portal allows an easy way to ensure clients can access necessary trip information and download any additional forms they may need.
Once the website was approved, we conducted thorough testing across the site to ensure smooth functionality. To ensure everything was ready for maximum impact in the market, we tested the site across mobile and desktop devices.
Like all of our eCommerce projects, we provided AusJourney with ongoing technical support for their new Shopify website. This included website maintenance and security monitoring once it went live.
After the website went live, we spent time training our client in backend administration for their new Shopify website. With a full training document, AusJourney can manage their website sales, clients, and content from the backend by themselves.