Hartstrings

Hartstrings has long been known as a manufacturer of high-quality, classically styled children's clothing. This was perfect for those customers fortunate enough to live close enough to the specialty stores that carried the Hartstrings line. Driven by a desire to provide its products on a much broader scale, Hartstrings began the process of exploring the benefits of going direct-to-consumer for the first time in the company's history.

Drawn to WebLinc's experience in working with manufacturers seeking to expand into the direct market via eCommerce, Hartstrings entrusted WebLinc as a complete end-to-end solution provider to get their online business up and running. Working in partnership with department heads and project stakeholders at Hartstrings, WebLinc provided upfront consulting services to build the business case for going direct, assessing risk/reward ratio, proactively identifying potential pitfalls, and projecting ROI. WebLinc worked with Hartstrings to establish specific project parameters and timelines, assign roles and responsibilities, and clearly define success.

From a technology perspective, WebLinc managed relationship with Hartstrings’ existing backend technology provider in order to ensure seamless integration and ensure that previous technology investments were maximized.

As with each WebLinc's eCommerce initiative, Hartstrings.com contains all of the features and functionality expected when shopping a world-class site. With a focus on developing a solution that places a premium on performance, users of the Hartstrings site immediately notice the rapid page downloads, intuitive layout and extensive product detail; all key factors in ensuring the highest possible conversion rates.

Selling complete outfits is always the primary focus for Hartstrings. WebLinc was challenged with developing a shopping experience that provides the user with multiple ways to shop, however whether direct or through cross-sells, the user is sensibly persuaded to buy complete sets.

Finally, WebLinc and Hartstrings worked together to create a comprehensive interactive marketing plan. Using a combination of SEO/SEM, Hartstrings enacted a strategy specifically targeting the parents and grandparents of children within the Hartstrings target market. The initial site launch was so successful that Hartstrings again engaged WebLinc in late 2008 to redesign the site.

Visit the site:

www.hartstrings.com