Back in January, we re-launched the Virginia Favorites web site. Virginia Favorites sells Virginia peanuts and other gourmet items from our wonderful state. I developed their first web site in 1997 — my first foray into e-commerce. It was redesigned again on the Yahoo Merchant Services platform in 2002, and the 2009 iteration is built on a new e-commerce system.
In addition to totally redesigning the visual appeal of the web site, we added many new features to improve functionality and customer service.
- Better coupon codes
Virginia Favorites can now offer a variety of coupon codes and easily control expiration, overlapping codes and more. - “My Account”
Loyal customers no longer have to enter all of their information in at checkout — most personal information is stored securely on the site, including a catalog of commonly-used addresses for shipping. - Order status and tracking
After a customer places an order, they can instantly find out the status of their order, and if it has shipped, can get a direct link to track the package while in transit. - Streamlined checkout flow
Checking out is a 2-step process, and cleaning up the process and shortening it has led to big increases in conversion rate. - Recently viewed items
If a customer clicks away from a product and wants to go back, the site stores the three most recently viewed items for easy access.
You can see the new web site (and buy something) at VaPeanuts.com.
