ONLINE AND IN FOCUS
Roots website undergoes major revamp
Anybody who has visited the Roots website recently will have noticed its impressive new look. Currently, the homepage features a beautiful winter image of the Roots lodge in Algonquin Park under two feet of snow. It’s framed in the red and black buffalo plaid, the visual motif for this year’s holiday season at Roots. The next page on the site’s Canadian section shows another pastoral photo for the season along with an eco-friendly tip, in keeping with the Roots longtime commitment to the environment.
“The new look of the site is a bold move forward,” says James Connell, Director, E-Commerce, Digital Marketing and New Media. “While still keeping the site user friendly, we’ve created a dramatic change from the past look of the site so that consumers notice an obvious difference starting with the first page itself.”
The redesign process began last spring with the development of the Roots Canadian online store. Prior to this, roots.com sold products only in the US while Canadian customers were channeled to sears.ca with which Roots had a special agreement to sell products in Canada.
The new look of the entire Roots website is a work in progress that will be completed during the winter. The current configuration was uploaded in stages this month with input from Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green along with Product Development Coordinator Syd Beder and Anthony Green, Don’s son. As part of the redesign, many new features are being added such as a revamped section for the Business-to-Business Department, and a special ‘Get Connected’ section where customers can locate Roots stores and view their up-to-date details along with pictures of the store.
Customers can also sign-up to receive store-specific emails to stay updated with new styles as soon as they hit their neighbouring Roots locations.
Additionally, the website features blogs updated by Roots employees that customers can read for information about various company initiatives and activities. There will also be links to the separate websites for Roots Home (for home products) and Roots Yoga (yoga apparel and accessories).
“The new look was developed to better align the in-store retail experience with the online experience,” says James. “For example, when the shopping bags at the stores change, we will also change the shopping bag icons on the website to match.”
Evolving further, roots.com will soon implement a content management system. This will enable Roots employees themselves to update sections of the site related to their respective departments.
“The aim is to have a more comprehensive website with many people contributing to it,” says James. “The new software will allow us to focus on developing quality content for the site with modern user-friendly technology.”
At the same time, James has continued to update the website making the most recent products available online. He has been assisted by his recently expanded web team, comprised of Graphic Designer in Information Technology Raynold Dela Cruz, Product Coordinator Anjali Singh, and Manager, E-commerce Operations, Victoria Lee.
The Business-to-Business section of the site has been integrated with support from Sales Assistant Josann Creighton-Robinson from the B2B department and Account Representative Patricia MacInnis from the Wholesale Department.
Additionally, PFSweb and Cybernomics, that provide related technical services to Roots, have also supported the development of the new website.
Anybody who has visited the Roots website recently will have noticed its impressive new look. Currently, the homepage features a beautiful winter image of the Roots lodge in Algonquin Park under two feet of snow. It’s framed in the red and black buffalo plaid, the visual motif for this year’s holiday season at Roots. The next page on the site’s Canadian section shows another pastoral photo for the season along with an eco-friendly tip, in keeping with the Roots longtime commitment to the environment.
“The new look of the site is a bold move forward,” says James Connell, Director, E-Commerce, Digital Marketing and New Media. “While still keeping the site user friendly, we’ve created a dramatic change from the past look of the site so that consumers notice an obvious difference starting with the first page itself.”
The redesign process began last spring with the development of the Roots Canadian online store. Prior to this, roots.com sold products only in the US while Canadian customers were channeled to sears.ca with which Roots had a special agreement to sell products in Canada.
The new look of the entire Roots website is a work in progress that will be completed during the winter. The current configuration was uploaded in stages this month with input from Roots Co-Founders Michael Budman and Don Green along with Product Development Coordinator Syd Beder and Anthony Green, Don’s son. As part of the redesign, many new features are being added such as a revamped section for the Business-to-Business Department, and a special ‘Get Connected’ section where customers can locate Roots stores and view their up-to-date details along with pictures of the store.
Customers can also sign-up to receive store-specific emails to stay updated with new styles as soon as they hit their neighbouring Roots locations.
Additionally, the website features blogs updated by Roots employees that customers can read for information about various company initiatives and activities. There will also be links to the separate websites for Roots Home (for home products) and Roots Yoga (yoga apparel and accessories).
“The new look was developed to better align the in-store retail experience with the online experience,” says James. “For example, when the shopping bags at the stores change, we will also change the shopping bag icons on the website to match.”
Evolving further, roots.com will soon implement a content management system. This will enable Roots employees themselves to update sections of the site related to their respective departments.
“The aim is to have a more comprehensive website with many people contributing to it,” says James. “The new software will allow us to focus on developing quality content for the site with modern user-friendly technology.”
At the same time, James has continued to update the website making the most recent products available online. He has been assisted by his recently expanded web team, comprised of Graphic Designer in Information Technology Raynold Dela Cruz, Product Coordinator Anjali Singh, and Manager, E-commerce Operations, Victoria Lee.
The Business-to-Business section of the site has been integrated with support from Sales Assistant Josann Creighton-Robinson from the B2B department and Account Representative Patricia MacInnis from the Wholesale Department.
Additionally, PFSweb and Cybernomics, that provide related technical services to Roots, have also supported the development of the new website.
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