The Challenge

With the continued growth of smart phone users in the Australian mobile market, Marcs saw an opportunity to expand their digital offering -to include mobile commerce and take advantage of this burgeoning shopping channel. As a trusted, long-term digital partner for Marcs, BlueArc was again engaged to develop the mobile site.

The Solution

BlueArc created a mobile site which integrates with Marcs’ current web Content Management System (CMS) and stock management systems.

The mobile site was designed with simplicity and key usability goals in mind to provide clear and easy access to areas of the site, most relevant to users on the go. The site incorporates ‘swipe’ functionality to allow for simple browsing of areas such as the homepage carousel. Optimised for a resolution of 960-by-640 pixels, the site ensures the highest quality output for the audience.

Other key features include:

  • CMS - mobile friendly carousels were built using the existing CMS to ensure familiarity, usability and consistency for updating and editing content.
  • HTML5 forms - HTML 5 forms allows the mobile site to display a relevant keypad based on the type of information being entered into the form e.g. for inputting a contact phone number, the keypad will automatically display numbers only.
  • Mobile Commerce - purchases can be made via the mobile site through integration with the PayPal payment gateway or via credit card.
  • Mobile purchases tracking – integration with the Marcs stock management software.
  • GPS location tracking – uses a customer’s location to display closest stores.
  • “My Favourites” (replaced by “Shop Sale” for the sale period) - this allows customers to add a list of items they can consult in the future, when they have more time.
  • Mobile Auto Redirect - mobile users) will be redirected to the mobile site when accessing the full site, but can then access the full site if desired via the footer.
  • Social Media – Integration with social media allows users to share and like specific products.
  • Google analytics – allowing Marcs to identify specific mobile analytics alongside the website analytics for comparison and analysis.

The Benefits

The mobile site provides Marcs with an enhanced digital offering that meets the needs of the target audience by providing a relevant customer experience. The site is specific to the mobile channel, but also provides mobile-enabled customers with the option to view the full website, while Tablet users are directed to the full MARC’s website for an optimum experience.

The mobile site provides the following benefits:

  • Improved user experience
  • Mobile Purchases - Integration with PayPal and Marcs’ stock management system creates an additional purchasing channel to encourage more purchases via the mobile device.
  • Greater promotion of products on social media - ‘like’ and ‘share’ features on Facebook creates buzz and promotion of specific Marcs products as well as raising brand awareness.
  • Greater efficiency and cost savings - the site is fully manageable in the CMS which also powers the website, ensuring familiarity and ease in editing and updating content.
  • Further insight into customer behaviour through mobile-specific analytics.

The new mobile site offers a seamless transition from web to mobile to deliver a customer experience that is relevant and on brand.

What the client said 

“We are very excited to now have Marcs fully accessible to customers on the go. We’ve specifically catered to customers looking for clear, concise information displayed in an attractive format on their mobile devices. No matter what device is used to browse the site, BlueArc has made the experience consistent and relevant to our audience; something we believe sets us apart from our competition. Working with BlueArc on this project was yet again a delightful experience. The team at BlueArc continues to encourage and inspire our digital journey, taking our online offering from strength to strength.”

Lyle Hudson, Group Operating Officer, M Webster Holdings