Website Design, Web UX Design, Web Development
Harrison & Hetherington is one of the largest livestock sales businesses in the UK, operating across nine centres, including Borderway Mart at Carlisle. The business, which was established in 1870, has a wealth of expertise among its team.
Harrison & Hetherington wanted a fresh, new approach to its busy website. The site had to work well for a specific user profile of a farmer who works outside and uses a mobile phone.
The firm’s managing director Scott Donaldson said: “The majority of people logging on to our website are probably standing in a shed or sitting on a tractor. They need instant access any time of the day.”
Our research indicated that the business needed a mobile-first approach and a straightforward website that’s quick to navigate, while maintaining functionality for its administrators.
The website contains a lot of information, so it was important to limit the number of clicks required to reach the key content.
Working closely with Harrison & Hetherington admin and auctioneer staff, we created a responsive, mobile-first website that’s fast and easy to navigate.
Using analytics, we researched which content is the most important and made sure it’s easily accessible.
The design reflected Harrison & Hetherington’s new branding, using rich colours and bold imagery, which worked well on all screens.
Monthly page views
Faster than previous site
Reduction on bounce backs
Our customised content management system enabled us to create a bespoke site to fit the business needs, while reducing the amount of code ensured fast page speeds.
The website has a much more contemporary look which is cleaner, fresher and brighter.
There are benefits for the site administrators, because any updates are automatically applied to all relevant pages.
The new website reflects the importance that technology now plays in the farmstock business. Scott added that the new website had vastly improved the firm’s live streaming of livestock sales and live bidding and had made it possible to offer online timed sales of livestock and machinery.
Accessing these services via the website has driven up online traffic.
Having seen what can be achieved, Scott said the business has plans for further online development.
