Buffalo Trace Distillery Merchandise eCommerce
Sazerac is home to over 450 brands from distilleries across the globe. It is well known for producing some of the most award-winning bourbons globally, including Buffalo Trace. The Buffalo Trace Distillery is a top attraction in Kentucky, and the visitor center is flooded with guests year-round. We worked with the Digital Center of Excellence to bring their physical gift shop experience online, with a massive overhaul to the entire eCommerce ecosystem.
As part of the eCommerce upgrades, there were multiple workstreams over the course of two years. The roadmap includes additional updates for future growth opportunities.
Discovery and Research
Gaining an understanding of the current landscape was vital. We conducted multiple audits, research, and analysis:
An audit of fulfillment systems and processes with a goal of creating efficiencies and cost savings
Competitive analysis of class-leading eCommerce merchandise sites
Internal stakeholder interviews to assess possible areas of improvement while maintaining brand voice
Auditing every product to determine content needs around descriptions and photography
Process
Some of the big impact initiatives that were taken to achieve goals:
Re-platforming to Adobe AEM and Magento from the legacy system to allow for large scale growth
Distilling customer service feedback for a better understanding of challenges around the overall shopping experience and product assortment
A complete overhaul of product offerings to align with brand strategy and consumer expectations
eCommerce shop journey map
Competitive Analysis of merchandise sites
Holiday season post mortem artifacts
The merchandise eCommerce site is constantly evolving but the initial work paid off with a 100% YOY growth in sales during the busy holiday quarter in 2021. Continued upgrades will result in an even better user experience, increased conversion opportunities, and a streamlined checkout process.