Website Launch: Redesigned Look and Feel
As we head further into 2022, Viwinco continues to develop significant behind-the-scenes projects to improve the way we do business and to improve the overall experience for our customers and end- users. In May of 2021, we announced the construction start on our 70,000 sq ft, state-of-the-art glass facility, which is designed to enhance glass capacity, improve quality and to further streamline our manufacturing process. In June, we introduced Viwinco’s rebranding initiative. This included our new modern logo, trailer redesigns and marketing material overhaul. Now we are pleased to announce the newest development from Viwinco’s Marketing department. The new Viwinco website has officially been made live.
Site Planning Phase
Discussions regarding the need for a new website have been floated around within the company for a few years. As we continued to develop software and infrastructure in house, the lacking capabilities, and declining performance of the existing site became more apparent. Although the old site became dated and was in need of a makeover, it still contained a lot of valuable content. When we began planning out the new site, we didn’t want to just design a “pretty site”; we wanted to incorporate vast amounts of information and educational content like what was included on the old site. We began conceptualizing the new site in early 2020, and as discussions regarding the new rebranding began to materialize, so did the development of the new site.
Developed In-House
Built on a stable framework and incorporating modern web technology, the site was fully developed in-house by the Viwinco Marketing Department in conjunction with the IT department on some of the more-technical aspects. This allows us to quickly adapt and add new content or develop new features without relying on a 3rd party. Controlling the source has been a priority for Viwinco since the beginning, and examples of this can be found throughout the company. Bringing the website in-house is the next step in controlling the source and will allow us to make updates much faster than before.
Information Accessibility and Responsive Web Design
Viwinco prioritizes openness when it comes to window and product information. Whereas a homeowner may only replace windows 1-2 times in their lifetime, we view it as an obligation to provide them with the information they need to make an informed decision when buying windows. We designed our content so that there is value whether you are a homeowner with little window knowledge or an industry expert. Easy site navigation and responsive web pages were also a key design focus. Our previous site struggled with this and caused issues when trying to browse from a mobile device. The new site is much more “mobile-friendly” and pages will dynamically shift content for a better viewing experience. Alongside these focuses, we also developed a number of exciting new features to enhance the user experience, some of which are listed below.
Refined Project Gallery: The project gallery from the old site has been completely reinvented. Users can now select a project and view a collection of pictures pertaining to that job in addition to a short writeup detailing products used, location and builder info. Users can also filter the results using predefined tags to find what they are looking for quickly.
Gallery Image Search: In addition to the refined project gallery comes a new gallery image search feature. In this page, you can input a query such as grids, SDLs, or black windows and the results will show images that have those features.
Parts Library: This is an innovative new feature that allows the user to look up parts that are used on specific product brands and styles. Each product page lists a description of that part and lists where it is located.
Label Diagrams: This is a more modern and user-friendly version of our old label locator tool. Every window and door we ship comes with a series of labels specific to that product. The label diagrams page shows what each label is, the location of the label and what the information on the label means.
Buyers Guide: The window buying process can seem intimidating to anyone who has never purchased windows, especially a new homeowner! This is why we decided to put together a buyer’s guide outlining what the typical window buying process looks like, some of the decisions that they will need to make and what to consider prior to starting the window buying journey.
Chatbot: For this site we developed a chatbot feature to expedite response times to our users. Some of the more common questions are automated to direct the user where to find the information on the site, and if additional assistance is required, the request is directed to the appropriate department to address.
Meet The Team: This is another new section of our site designed to provide users with an opportunity to be introduced to the Viwinco upper management, sales and customer service teams.
Timeline: As a family-owned and operated company, our history means a lot to us. We assembled a list of key events since the company was founded and developed a timeline to track our evolution. We are excited to be able to share updates in real time as Viwinco milestones are made!
Looking Ahead
Although the site has been launched, we’re not finished with this project. We have a list of impactful features that we decided to postpone development on until after launch. The development of new features will start back up as soon as the dust settles from the initial launch. We are very excited to update and provide our customers with helpful real-time solutions to buying and learning about windows. We hope you take some time to explore the new site.
