For the past few months our team have been working on an exciting project for Bath’s favourite independent bookshop – Mr B’s Reading Emporium.
A redesigned website and new online store
Mr B’s needed to update their current website to be more modern and user-friendly, as well as keeping up with the increasing popularity of online orders. Storm created a clean, fresh design that was still in keeping with Mr B’s approachable, friendly brand.
Also, rather than manually answering online requests for book orders (as required with their previous site), a new easy to use e-commerce store was created to streamline orders. Now fully responsive, their website can be used on the go, making it even easier to browse their extensive book lists and purchase online.
Who is Mr B’s Reading Emporium?
Mr B’s is a beautiful, energetic and innovative bookshop on John Street in the heart of Bath. Its bright labyrinthine space means you never know what you might encounter next – a claw-footed bath full of books to toilets illustrated by Chris Riddell. Since opening in 2006, it has twice been named the UK’s best independent bookshop. In 2015, the Guardian named Mr B’s one of the ten best bookshops in the world.
What Mr B’s had to say
Nic Bottomley, owner and namesake of Mr B’s, explained: “Back in 2011 we created a website that was very reflective of the shop but that wasn’t necessarily geared towards high volumes of online sales. Since then our online shop has become busier and busier, particularly through sales of our reading gifts and vouchers, and it was time for a new website that made the purchasing process slick and easy, gave us lots of flexibility and still evoked the spirit and style of Mr B’s.”
Why did Mr B’s choose to work with Storm?
Nic continued: “Storm gave us confidence from the off that they were going to be able to deliver exactly what we needed. We really appreciated the carefully planned and structured design process – from initial meetings through to the final moments before launch.
“Storm’s designer came to us and absorbed what our business is all about and then reflected that with zest on the draft website. We were then able to work closely with the designers in refining the look before the technical work began.
“Uniquely, in my experience, once the focus did hone in on the more technical aspect of the site, the dialogue between us and Storm was still in clear plain English. The folk at Storm understand they’re not always dealing with IT experts on the client side and they communicated clearly and effectively throughout. They also understood our desire for meticulous attention to detail and were as keen as we were to launch with a flawless site.”
Are you a book lover or interested to know more?
With online shopping becoming ever-more popular, it’s easy to lose the magic and experience of shopping in a traditional yet eclectic bookstore like Mr B’s. We like to think that their new website still has that special personal feel and almost makes you feel like you could be in Bath having a chat with the staff! Have a look around their new website mrbsemporium.com and see for yourself.
Mr B’s new website has even been mentioned in a fantastic blog post “
If your website needs a refresh, or you have a great new digital idea, come in for a chat or drop us a line via hello@stormconsultancy.com. We’d love to meet you!
“I can’t recommend Storm highly enough – another brilliant Bath independent business. Nothing short of website-building superheroes in our eyes.” – Nic Bottomley, Mr B’s Reading Emporium
