(dot)Store Domains
Logo Refresh, Identity System & Website Design
Made at Radix, Design Studio
Design Director: Arjava Vig
Designers: Ansh Boyla & Bipasha Ray
(Dot)Store is a domain purchasing platform that facilitates entrepreneurs and business owners in showcasing their products and ideas on the online platform.
Our team has developed a system that acknowledges the challenges faced by every entrepreneur and empowers them, thereby creating an inclusive opportunity for all. To convey the unique essence of (Dot)Store, we utilised a diverse range of colours, a refreshing photography style, and an approachable writing tone.
Opportunity to educate the value of domain names
Towards the end of 2019, we discovered that a sizable section of our audience—SMBs—were not opting for a (dot)Store domain. Through research, we understood that most of them lacked the requisite knowledge about domain names. We considered this as an opportunity to expand the functionality of (dot)Store beyond domain sales into domain education.
The branding refresh project was divided into two phases - a refresh of the brand identity and an enhancement of the user experience on the website.
During the research phase, the team was deeply moved by the compelling narratives of the business owners, which served as the primary inspiration for the project. Extensive efforts were made to capture the zeal and dedication of the business owners through a brand refresh, which included the use of hand-drawn imagery to infuse the brand with a human touch. A legible typeface was carefully selected to create a professional impression, and a vibrant and dynamic color palette was chosen to reflect the creativity of the customer base.
The brand guidelines will help to ensure that the new brand identity is consistently applied across all platforms, thereby creating a strong and recognisable brand over time.
Research Methodology
Find brand guidelines here.
Designing a website that empowers entrepreneurs
Our aim was to design a website that motivates our users to explore the world of domain names. Before the consumer decides to purchase the ideal domain name for their business, our goal was to educate them. In our preliminary testing, we discovered that a knowledgeable user is more assured while purchasing the domain name, which led to quicker checkouts.
With our external research partners, Kantar Group, we were able to study user stories to find common behaviour patterns, goals, and frustration points. Using thematic coding we categorised them into two broad personalities:
The eCommerce Professional:
The eCommerce Professional is a serious and committed individual who rises to challenges with a positive, optimistic outlook
They are more likely to be female and span across all age groups
They believe in staying current and working with modern forms of communication – social media, blogs etc.
The Uncommitted Moaner:
‘Uncommitted Moaner’ is someone who is involved in eCommerce through necessity rather than choice.
The are less likely to search for information & believe that the only way to learn about eCommerce is to do it
Usually are generally less enthusiastic and optimistic about business
We had a three-step strategy to transform (dot)Store from just a domain-selling platform to a brand that enables users to build memorable brands by providing access to the best information, partners, and benefits.
Access to curated information:
Collaboration with the top business experts to curate easy-to-understand bite-sized content
Benefits to using (dot)Store:
Educate people about SEO benefits and offer discounts on buying a (dot)Store domain
Integrating with partners:
Integrate with different partners to help users get everything they need to go live
Journey Maps
//TLDR; Click on the images to see a high-resolution image
Drafting journey maps helped bring out pain points that alleviated fragmentation from the (Dot)Store customer experience. It also helped us narrow our product specifics to focus on the ones really needed by the users.
Wireframe & information architecture
//TLDR; Click on the images to see a high-resolution image
With the help of research methods like card sorting, we were able to identify the information hierarchy and the user flow for the website. Using that, we designed the site architecture and create wireframes that helped communicate our ideas to the stakeholders.
We carefully considered a learning space to empower entrepreneurs and encourage them to stand on their feet
Since a sizable portion of our target audience was online out of need rather than choice, they were uninformed about internet marketing. They mostly trusted the counsel of friends or relatives. We wanted to devote a section in the website to building a strong network with professionals in the field. However, owing to the project's deadline, that component was put on hold for a while. Nevertheless, later this year, the team developed elevate.store, which employs the same methodology and promotes the development of stronger networks.
Time for some impactful numbers
We observed 7K new logins after 6 months of launching the new brand
An increase in trust was achieved by successful purchases and a 15% lower bounce rate
The channel team reported an increase in click rate in the recent GTM ads with the new branding
Next project:
Radix Value Deck