Sagittarius, a leading digital agency, is thrilled to announce that our work with a long-standing client, YPO, a leading public sector procurement organisation, has received the ultimate recognition by being awarded Best B2B Ecommerce Website of the year at the UK Ecommerce Awards 2023.
The awards ceremony took place at the Park Lane Hotel on Thursday 2nd November and we’re thrilled to walk away with a trophy demonstrating our commitment to excellence, innovation and delivering top-notch ecommerce experiences.
As a leading public sector procurement organisation, YPO is on a remarkable business transformation journey.
Their mission is to improve the procurement landscape, offering an extensive range of products and services at incredible value to a variety of public sector organisations, including local governments, schools, emergency services, and more. With an unwavering commitment to serving UK communities, YPO strives to deliver the utmost value to their customers.
In their pursuit to deliver exceptional value to customers, YPO recognises that a fully optimised commerce experience is critical to their success. Their goal is to empower their customers to effortlessly compare products, access personalised recommendations, easily access offers and vouchers, and ultimately enjoy a seamless basket-to-checkout journey.
In order to accelerate innovation and time to value, YPO and Sagittarius have adopted an agile approach to enhancing the digital customer experience. Leveraging Sitecore’s Experience Platform, we have developed a foundation ecommerce site using flexible components allowing for fast and easy content management and continuous improvement via A/B testing. Using the data captured combined with an ongoing programme of customer feedback, we have been able to deliver a number of key enhancements to transform the customer on-site experience. This includes:
With a vast catalogue of over 23,000 products spanning various categories from stationary to furniture, the website’s search and navigation are critical. A redesigned website navigation, featuring multi-level categorisation, browse by sector as well as by product category, personalised promotional content and imagery allows customers to find the products they need.
For those customers who prefer to search over browsing, YPO has embraced cutting-edge technology by integrating AI-powered search capabilities. Leveraging intelligent algorithms, combined with some localised customisation – customers are swiftly guided to products and recommendations that are highly relevant and personal to them.
Using Sitecore’s Experience Platform, we are delivering personalised, omnichannel campaigns to customers. A standout example of this is the customer loyalty campaign, launched at the end of 2022. The goal was to prompt as many customers as possible to use their loyalty vouchers before they expire. Using our library of components a highly optimised landing page was created tailored to each user’s available vouchers.
We focused on creating a frictionless checkout experience by analysing behavioural data and conducting user testing. Improvements were implemented, including enhanced delivery messaging, improved payment options, tabbed design to guide customers through the checkout stages, and personalised product suggestions.
Our impressive SEO efforts led to a substantial year-on-year increase in Google organic clicks, while their Contracts for Schools sector saw a remarkable 35.9% year-on-year increase in online leads.
By adopting an agile, data-driven approach and integrating innovative features like AI-powered search, YPO has been able to exceed customer expectations in a competitive market and achieve its goal of delivering value to the public sector.
Delivery of the above workstreams has yielded some impressive results.
These tangible results are evidence of the dedication to improving the customer experience leading to success in the competitive e-commerce market.
The UK Ecommerce Awards 2023 featured a panel of judges from across the Ecommerce landscape including clients and software partners such as Stanley Black and Decker, Oak Furnitureland, Adobe and Samsung. Their feedback for our award entry was as follows:
“We were impressed with the navigation on the website and how it has been thoroughly built to serve specific sector needs, this demonstrates a clear understanding of the audience. The onsite search is user-friendly and offers relevant results as well as clever, useful suggestions. The site demonstrates great use of content which nurtures users through options as well as encourages them to explore more.”
Speaking about the award, David O’Brien, Digital & E-Commerce Manager for YPO said:
“We’re thrilled to be recognized as the Best B2B Ecommerce Website of the Year alongside Sagittarius. Our close collaboration has allowed us to align our digital goals seamlessly, enhancing online experiences for our customers. Sagittarius’s dedicated efforts, including workshops, research, and innovative concepts, have been invaluable in this journey.
The acknowledgement from the UK Ecommerce Awards 2023 is a testament to the strength of our partnership. Working closely together, we strive for excellence, making a maximum impact in all our endeavours and delivering value to the public sector.”
Sagittarius CEO, Ian MacArthur said:
“We are absolutely thrilled to receive the prestigious award, a testament to YPO’s unwavering commitment to supporting the UK’s public sector. Winning the Best B2B Ecommerce Website of the Year validates YPO’s dedication to providing remarkable ecommerce experiences for their customers, and at Sagittarius, we are honoured to have been YPO’s digital partner of choice since 2018. This award truly recognises our collaborative team’s hard work and our ongoing mission to deliver excellence in serving the public sector.”
If you’d like to explore how Sagittarius can help you deliver award-winning experiences that convert for you and your customers, get in touch today.
