The Cheap Shop Tiptree.
The Cheap Shop is a family-run haberdashery and craft store in Tiptree, Essex, with a long-standing reputation for friendly service and deep product knowledge.
Project overview.
Client: The Cheap Shop Tiptree
The Cheap Shop’s previous website didn’t reflect the character of the store or the breadth of stock, and it wasn’t something the team actively used or promoted. It was difficult to manage internally and frustrating for customers to navigate. They asked us to create a new ecommerce website that was clean, easy to update, and provided a stronger platform to sell products and promote the shop more confidently. Our approach was to revitalise a much-loved local business with a digital presence that not only reflects its personality but also makes online shopping simple and enjoyable for customers.
Scope of work.
- User experience
- Website design
- Website development
- Digital accessibility
- Hosting
- Maintenance and support
Our approach.
We focused on clarity, simplicity, and user experience, building a site that felt approachable, like the shop itself. It needed to be accessible, to maximise their potential audience. They sell their products through other platforms, but these are all more successful than their own website. This is because the website was too complicated, and didn’t cater to the huge range of products and the variation within these.
Design.
We used bright, welcoming colours combined with large product imagery to create an immediate sense of warmth and clarity. The design carefully balanced the brand’s heritage with a modern, refreshed layout that works seamlessly across devices, ensuring it feels familiar to existing customers while appealing to new ones. Throughout the site, we highlighted the shop’s personality and showcased product categories in a way that is easy to explore without overwhelming the user.
CMS.
The site was built on WordPress using our Lark setup, providing flexibility and fast performance from the start. Custom fields and blocks were set up to make content updates simple, giving the team full control without extra effort. We also integrated a notice bar and seasonal banners, making it easy to promote offers and events in a way that feels timely and engaging.
Functionality.
We used bright, welcoming colours combined with large product imagery to create an immediate sense of warmth and clarity. The design carefully balanced the brand’s heritage with a modern, refreshed layout that works seamlessly across devices, ensuring it feels familiar to existing customers while appealing to new ones. Throughout the site, we highlighted the shop’s personality and showcased product categories in a way that is easy to explore without overwhelming the user.
Outcome.
The site is now a vibrant part of The Cheap Shop’s brand rather than an afterthought, giving a much-loved local business a professional and friendly presence that reflects its values and supports growth. Following the launch, customers immediately commented on how easy it was to find products – so much so that it created a new challenge for them because they were spending so much as a result! The team can also manage far more of the site themselves, listing products quickly and efficiently, which has made the website both more profitable and more sustainable to run.