Winner: Baker’s Delight
https://www.bakersdelight.com.au
A bakery isn’t the type of business that screams “I need a website”, but Baker’s Delight has proved that assumption wrong with its crisp and detailed online hub, taking out two categories in this year’s SmartCompany Web Awards.
The company’s design team has managed to get around these difficulties by providing an attractive menu of otherwise routine information including fresh ingredients, various forms of media, franchising info and store locations.
While the previous Baker’s Delight brand strategy focused on the image of the fun loving “jolly baker”, communications manager Kendra Teasdale says the latest design takes a more professional approach.
“This new strategy is completely different, and focussed on expertise, authenticity and highlighting our traditional methods of baking and so on. We feel the site has much more of a natural feel and really showcases the product.”
A major focus on the site is the company’s virtual bakery, which users can use to look up a product and its related nutritional information. Teasdale says this is one of the most popular areas on the site, and one of the most essential.
“Certainly all of our product information is highly sought after by users, so we find that dedicating a large amount of the site to that is appropriate.”
But Teasdale says the company believes it can’t just put up product information and expect people to be happy. Instead, the Baker’s Delight website acts as a hub for its entire operations.
“The other area here is franchising enquiries, and a lot of our leads come from the site. People can go and apply online with our recruitment system as well; we operate a lot of things out of the site.”
SmartCompany editor and web awards judge James Thomson said the design, functionality and focus on quality content made the Baker’s Delight site a standout.
“What is really impressive is they have taken a product that is hardly suited the web – that is, bread – and really made it come alive. That’s no mean feat.”
Teasdale says Baker’s Delight is an example for smaller businesses that might not have a product to sell online. She says these businesses need to be focusing on what it is they can offer – like product information, recipes or information about the company’s community sponsorship initiatives.
“Our website is a resource. The other features on there like the bakery locater, the virtual bakery and all of the other pieces of media like videos and so on, we think it all drives a lot of content and traffic and it’s all about providing that communication to your customers.”
The website is built by an outside development firm, working with an internal design team to ensure branding is consistent throughout the organisation.
“The website is part of your overall marketing and communications strategy. We communicate our brand in-store, and digital is just another form of extending that.”
