Lake Champlain Chocolates
Revolutionizing Ecommerce for Lake Champlain Chocolates
Lake Champlain Chocolates, a renowned artisanal chocolate company, needed a partner to ensure their seamless transition to the world of ecommerce software-as-a-service (SaaS).
MoJo Active helped them delve into the exciting world of SaaS, exploring innovative possibilities to enhance their online presence and boost their ecommerce capabilities. It’s only fitting that this company, which values craftsmanship and attention to detail, now has the right systems to accelerate their business and elevate their brand.
Background
Lake Champlain Chocolates (LCC) fulfills B2B and B2C orders year-round with an especially high sales volume during peak seasons like Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Christmas.
As you can imagine, shipping perishable chocolates involves intricate logistical considerations. From gifting mechanisms that accommodate personalized messages and packaging options to navigating complex shipping variables such as temperature control and delivery timelines, LCC ensures that every batch order reaches its destination across a multitude of locations.
They were doing a great job, but LCC was facing a challenge common with companies that use a lot of systems which don’t always integrate well. With business growth and customer satisfaction as top priorities, they knew they needed to revamp their operations to create a more seamless way of working.
The Challenges
We learned early in our conversations with Lake Champlain Chocolates that their unique challenges needed a set of customized solutions. “Out-of-the-box” was not going to work. And it rarely does when you have a client who has achieved the growth and maturity that LCC has accomplished. They needed a partner to help unravel the complexities of their “back-of-house” operation and design an experience that reflected the exquisite nature of their brand as soon as customers landed on the website.
We identified the following goals and objectives:
- Improve overall functionality
- Lower the cost of sales
- Achieve greater control over the shipping calendar
- Increase ecommerce sales through an enhanced shopping experience
- Integrate the right mix of apps for their business strategy
- Support the replatforming process from start to finish
- Collaborate to develop a customized solution
The Solutions
Lake Champlain Chocolates decided to replatform their online store after weighing the long-term cost of maintaining their site and its functional requirements on Magento. They selected BigCommerce as their platform of choice and MoJo Active as the preferred partner to develop the necessary ecommerce solutions.
This project marked LCC’s first venture into a SaaS system, making communication and planning a top priority. In projects like this, there are lots of moving parts from systems architecture to business strategy, user experience (UX) planning, and design execution. Our experience in ecommerce, and specifically BigCommerce, allowed us to offer valuable knowledge and expertise to the client, showcasing possibilities that other firms couldn’t offer.
MoJo Active applied a structured approach to each challenge and developed the following set of solutions:
- Elimination of a manual order entry system
- Development of customized complex shipping rules
- Logic to ensure timely delivery and product quality
- Integration of a mail order management (MOM) system
- Customized app to process orders on the website
- Improved shipping calendar
- Automated shipping processes and rules
Beyond the technical “back-of-house” improvements, MoJo Active also greatly improved the onsite user experience. Through elevated design and product detail page enhancements, as well as improved search, navigation, and cart tools—the LCC online shopping experience was “ready for business.”
The Results
The replatforming of the Lake Champlain Chocolates ecommerce store began in January 2021 and concluded in August 2021. We understood the sensitivity of the deadline—it was just in time for the Christmas shopping season.
As a result of the collaboration with MoJo Active, LCC achieved remarkable success in meeting their goals, including:
- Lower cost of ownership for their ecommerce platform
- Increased average order volume (AOV)
- Reduced staff equipment and training time
- Remote work for staff, making seasonal hiring easier
- Improved organic search visibility
- Top revenue-producing storefront company-wide
Beyond the transition to a SaaS platform, perhaps the most meaningful change for Lake Champlain Chocolates is their ability to concentrate on selling and growing the business rather than getting bogged down by processes. They can now focus their full attention on what they do best—crafting glorious artisanal chocolate.
Our ability to work closely with LCC, truly grasping their objectives, proved essential to achieving success and establishing a strong, lasting relationship. This project serves as a perfect example of how meticulous planning, expertise, and collaborative efforts can yield remarkable outcomes. By enhancing operations, increasing revenue, and creating a more delightful experience for everyone involved, we demonstrated the transformative impact of partnering with MoJo Active.
