Captain Watts is one of the oldest names in Chandlery in the UK. Originally Captain O M Watts and based in Mayfair in London, it became a highly-regarded chandlery and one of the best known sources of everything nautical.
Move forward the best part of 80 years and a new project was born to pay homage to the name and history, but also to bring it up to date with an e-commerce store, brand and physical store.
To relaunch an old name in chandlery online
To create a new style chandlery concept store in Plymouth
Decrease the traditional reliance upon print advertising
Sell stock from multiple locations with fast worldwide shipping
We began by conceptualising and designing the branding, including logo, style, colours and tone of voice. We developed the brand positioning, brand story, brand message and also designed and opened a concept shop in Mayflower Marina Plymouth
The project has been an evolution, it started with proof of concept using a simple Shopify store linked to Vend POS. Getting 8,000 items online is a big task as they all need descriptions, images, pricing, specification and categories. Chandlery spans everything from a stainless steel nut and bolt to offshore clothing and the latest electronic navigation equipment, so both the scale and complexity of the project was significant.
As with all our clients, we reviewed at an early stage the target sectors, the potential growth areas for Captain Watts and also used extensive research on purchasing habits, popular search processes and information requirements to make a purchase. This exercise also helped to guide the choice of product ranges and stocking.
As the business grew and clear demand became apparent, we transitioned Captain Watts onto Shopware, an enterprise level e-commerce platform. Shopware offers immense opportunity and possibility, managing in conjunction with Pickware, stock control, purchase ordering, multiple warehouses and in store POS, as well as a very flexible and quick e-commerce website.
Shopware includes flexibility not seen with other e-commerce platforms in terms of shipping, tax and language options, and it is quick to deploy, getting large e-commerce stores up and running fast.
See more about our e-commerce solutions.
Captain Watts is a lifestyle business appealing to sailors around the world, that often need specialist assistance and parts with good levels of information online to help make a purchasing choice.
Placing content at the heart of the business we have worked with key publishers and suppliers to create a series of videos explaining technical areas and new product launches as well as handy guides about common questions.
Rather than merely being an online shop, we gave emphasis to providing an online resource for customers, with handy buyer guides and more extensive product information. This not only helps Captain Watts rank well organically to drive more traffic to the site, but also improves conversions significantly.
See more about how content marketing can grow your business.
Created the branding, brand message & marketing material
Helped establish positioning and steered stocking decisions.
Built an enterprise level website with Shopware
Transition stock control to live availability
Sell on multiple channels including Facebook and eBay
Work with key manufacturers and publishers to create video and print content to add value to the products being sold
Talk to us for free and find out how we can help to grow your business.
Get in touch
