Turning up the Volume: Building Discount Hearing’s Brand on Shopline
Discount Hearing, a retailer specialising in hearing aids and related accessories, approached us with the goal of creating a fully functional online store capable of handling over 1,000 SKUs, each with customisable product variations. The brief was clear: develop a site that exudes a clinical and trustworthy vibe while avoiding the sterile and cold feel often associated with medical products. The objective was to provide a streamlined, intuitive shopping experience while accommodating the specific needs of their customer base, who often require personalised options for products like hearing aids.
The Challenge: Managing High Volume, Customisation, and Brand Feel
The key challenge of this project was twofold. First, we needed to manage a large inventory of over 1,000 products, each with customisable variations such as sizes, colours, and configurations. The platform needed to handle this complexity while keeping the user interface simple and user-friendly.
Secondly, we needed to ensure the site struck the right balance between professionalism and approachability, creating a design that felt clinical and reliable without being too cold or impersonal. Additionally, the site had to offer robust filtering options to allow customers to easily browse products by function, price, and other criteria, ensuring a seamless shopping experience tailored to individual needs.
Our Approach: Optimising Shopline for Customisation & Scalability
To meet Discount Hearing’s requirements, we leveraged the capabilities of the Shopline platform to create a highly functional and scalable online store, while carefully crafting a design that felt both trustworthy and approachable. Our approach included the following key elements:
Customisable Product Variations: We implemented flexible product pages that allowed for multiple variations, such as different models, colours, and sizes for hearing aids and accessories. Customers could easily select the options that best fit their needs, ensuring a personalised shopping experience.
Efficient SKU Management: With over 1,000 SKUs, we developed an organised system to manage the large inventory efficiently. We structured the back-end to ensure seamless updates, and we optimised the front-end to display product details clearly and concisely, making it easy for customers to browse and compare items.
User-Centred, Welcoming Design: The site was designed to reflect the clinical reliability of the Discount Hearing brand without feeling cold or impersonal. We used a clean, modern aesthetic with soft tones and clear layouts to inspire trust while maintaining warmth and approachability. The design incorporated large fonts, easy-to-read product descriptions, and intuitive navigation to cater to the target demographic, many of whom may have accessibility needs.
Advanced Filtering by Function and Price: One of the key unique selling points of the Discount Hearing site is the ability for customers to easily filter products by function, price, and other specifications. This functionality allows users to narrow down their search based on their specific needs, such as selecting hearing aids with certain features or staying within a particular budget, offering a highly personalised shopping experience.
Strong Calls to Action for Clinical Services: To highlight the clinical side of the business, we strategically placed clear and compelling calls to action (CTAs) throughout the site. These were designed to guide users towards booking hearing consultations and accessing professional support, reinforcing the trusted and expert nature of Discount Hearing’s services.
Mobile Optimisation: Since many users shop on the go, we ensured that the website was fully optimised for mobile devices. The result was a responsive design that worked seamlessly across all screen sizes, providing a smooth experience regardless of the device.
The Result: A User-Friendly E-Commerce Store with a Trustworthy Feel
The completed project was a fully operational e-commerce site built on the Shopline platform, capable of managing Discount Hearing’s large and diverse product catalogue. The customisable product variations, advanced filtering options by function and price, and strong calls to action for their clinical services, all contributed to an enhanced user experience. The design successfully strikes a balance between professionalism and approachability, creating a clinical yet welcoming vibe. The store’s scalability ensures that Discount Hearing can continue to expand its product offering without compromising user experience or site performance.
