Umeboshi Shoes is a high-end shoe retailer located in the trendy South Main neighborhood of Vancouver. This European-style boutique opened in 2005 and harkens back to a time of simplicity and traditional artisan quality in shoemaking.
A favourite with locals looking for leather designer footwear, Umeboshi needed a new website in order to better represent the unique in-store experience they provide online and satisfy international demand for their curated collection of men’s and women’s shoes.
While the site is simple in appearance and functionality, much is going on behind the scenes. This project is the result of the efforts and perspective of multiple teams. From branding, to design, to website development, to point-of-sale (POS) integration, and to ecommerce.
This project is another successful multi-team collaboration spearheaded by MAKe and The Jibe. Our focus in creation of the new site was user-friendly and scalable ecommerce capabilities in order to allow for local and international customers to confidently purchase from Umeboshi.
Style and brand filters direct users seamlessly to their preferences, designer pages to enhance discoverability and search engine optimisation (SEO), social login during checkout, gift certificates redeemable both online and in-store, the site boast with functionality designed to facilitate the visitors journey.
Promising long-term versatility, the site permits ongoing updates from the Umeboshi team in terms of products, images, and blogging, through both their POS and a user-friendly content management system. With no technical knowledge required, the site will adapt as the styles shift with the seasons.
The end product combines the high-efficiency and customer funneling enabled by modern technology with the classic Umeboshi aesthetic. The Umeboshi Shoes site provides the same personal, luxury boutique feel as the shop itself. Despite Umeboshi’s expansion into the global retail market, the shopper’s experience maintains small-scale exclusivity.