As a retailer of expedition and outdoor equipment, 1948 Original Equipment have a story to tell. A 1948 Landover of theirs still does the job it is perfect for (hence their name), and the firm want to supply people with goods that will let them live their life in the same mould – with the right, lasting tools liberating their inner explorer.
Facebook is perfect for the company to express and encourage this way of life through their products. The conversation they can engage in and the content they can upload really inspires confidence in the firm’s passion for what they do.
Having set up this dynamic, they needed a way to get the actual products to users on Facebook. It couldn’t just be a link to their own website that people would hopefully follow; a shopfront would have to appear on Facebook itself – in the middle of the conversation already going on.
They came to us to develop two Facebook apps for them: a storefront and a latest news page.
The storefront page showcases a certain product – Frost River backpacks. As with the rest of their Facebook presence, the page had to tell the story of the product; not just sell it. We embedded a YouTube video showing the makers of the packs discussing the product. Beneath this is the range of products, each with an image, price and a call to action to buy. Clicking on any particular product takes users to that product on the main 1948 Original Equipment website. A branded call to action at the bottom of the page takes users to the full range of 1948 Original Equipment products.
The latest news page goes even further in offering the personality of the firm and raising their credibility and user perception. Take a look – they are talking about events they are going to, encouraging people to go along and have a good time, and discussing setting up their own camping equipment ready for attending. We made sure images can be embedded in the posts to keep it interesting.
To ease the transition between the platforms and to keep the branding consistent we included the fonts and colour scheme from the main 1948 Original Equipment site in both the Facebook apps – making things a little less Facebook and a little more 48 OE.
Their ethos, their motivations and aspirations as a firm are core to the business and how they present themselves. Codastar’s apps have enabled 1948 Original Equipment to build a direct link between the engaged environment on Facebook and the ecommerce sections of their website, with no loss of the vitality and personality they have carefully cultivated on Facebook.
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