The top portion of the New Lanark spinning desktop website.

The Task

New Lanark Spinning Co. is located within the New Lanark World Heritage Site and spins quality, sustainable yarns for hand knitting, hosiery and the weaving trade, using original 19th century machinery and processes. The spinning mill itself is powered by New Lanark's environmentally friendly onsite water-powered turbine. Whether it’s Woodland Aran Wool, soft woollen socks, or a Hamish the Heilan’ Coo Cushion Cover Kit, every piece of yarn and merchandise produced from New Lanark’s spinning mill is steeped in history.

This Shopify web development was part of a suite of website projects for New Lanark. In addition to their New Lanark World Heritage Site and New Lanark Hotel websites, New Lanark required a beautiful e-commerce website to showcase their product range and collections. A simple, elegant user journey was needed to appeal to a number of different customer markets - including direct to the public in many international markets, and to trade buyers. The shop needed to help customers quickly find the right products, whether they were shopping for a single item, a number of components for a craft project, or a much larger order. Clear journeys and a seamless checkout process would ultimately result in an increased conversion rate and higher average order values.

Client

New Lanark Spinning

Built on

Services

Web Development

UX / UI Design

Data Analysis

A collection page on the New Lanark spinning website.

3 yearn products in the New Lanark spinning store.

Responsive Web Design

With high-end products, carefully developed through quality craftsmanship and historic processes, New Lanark required an expert web developer to bring these products online. What struck us most about New Lanark’s products was the care and attention that went into each ball of yarn ball.

As with any e-commerce website, positioning the products would be of great importance, however, the company's rich heritage and unique history are a key part of the proposition. In addition to beautifully displaying collections and products, as Shopify is designed to do, we would need to develop brochure-style pages to allow visitors to explore the historic processes behind New Lanark Spinning Co.'s unique product range.

6 threads laid out infront of a wooden box.

Ecommerce Web Development

How to choose the right e-commerce platform to use? As experienced Shopify web developers, we decided Shopify would be the most profitable and engaging platform. We could leverage the inbuilt product features, allowing swift navigation from product to basket, and allowing customers to easily explore different colours or styles and move between stages of the sales funnel for complimentary products.

The checkout process afforded by Shopify would ensure that customers could enjoy a smooth transaction. By developing a custom theme with bespoke page designs to integrate video and photography, we could weave the process and heritage content into a smooth and engaging customer journey.

Two desktop pages on the New Lanark spinning website.

UX / UI Design

Our web design team set to work constructing a visually engaging design with extensive use of video to showcase the unique setting and processes. The aim was to build brand resonance throughout the customer journey. Using a soft and rustic pallet to align with the product range helps to ensure that a purchase on the site is an experience in itself.

Users from around the world are provided with a taste of the uniquely Scottish World Heritage village where their goods have been produced, delivering a brand experience that helps to promote repeat custom.

Conclusion

The end result is more than just an online shop - New Lanark Spinning Co.'s unique history, high product quality and beautiful setting are conveyed in a way that builds emotional resonance. When you receive their goods, as you’d expect from the e-commerce journey, you are buying into a piece of history, steeped in quality and heritage.