Whitakers Chocolates

01

Goal

Bridging 135 Years of Heritage with Modern E-Commerce Growth

Whitakers Chocolates, a five-generation family confectioner operating since 1889, came to us seeking a digital transformation. While possessing a rich heritage, deep B2B penetration, and a strong SEO footprint, their online growth was held back by a clunky legacy system built on Visualsoft.

Their primary objective was twofold: modernise the digital experience to better serve B2B clients while aggressively accelerating their Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) market share, positioning their premium British-made chocolates against larger competitors who were compromising on quality.

02

Barriers

Legacy Constraints Holding Back a Heritage Brand

The brand’s existing Visualsoft site created significant operational and strategic friction. The user journey across both B2B and D2C segments was fragmented, and the platform hindered dynamic marketing and customisation efforts.

Whitakers needed a modern e-commerce infrastructure without sacrificing their valuable search engine rankings or customer trust during a platform migration. Furthermore, while their B2B foundation was strong, their D2C presence remained limited, requiring a tailored acquisition model and high-converting landing pages to lower Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC) and scale Return on Ad Spend (ROAS).

03

Solution

A Bespoke Shopify Migration Driven by Custom UX & Paid Strategy

Working in tight alignment with Whitakers’ SEO team, we executed a seamless platform migration to a bespoke Shopify build, safeguarding their search authority throughout the transition. To achieve their growth goals across both trade and consumer channels, our strategy focused on custom UX, advanced product personalisation, and performance marketing:

• Platform Migration & UX Strategy: Replaced the rigid legacy platform with a flexible, high-performing Shopify store engineered to streamline navigation for trade buyers while delivering an engaging visual experience for consumers.
• Bespoke Product Customizers: Engineered custom interactive tools allowing customers to design personalized chocolate bars and tailored wedding favors directly on site, driving engagement and differentiation.
• Paid Ads Strategy & CRO: Took over Google Ads management and designed dedicated, high-converting landing pages tailored to high-value B2B and D2C marketing campaigns. Post-launch, we implemented ongoing Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) experimentation to continually refine paid ad performance.

04

Results

Delivering Immediate Efficiency and Scalable ROI

By merging technical architecture, conversion-focused design, and data-driven performance marketing, the new platform successfully unlocked Whitakers’ D2C potential while solidifying its premium B2B positioning.

Within the first three months of managing their Google Ads on the new Shopify ecosystem, the brand achieved dramatic gains in advertising efficiency and acquisition volume:

Whitakers now operates on a modern, scalable digital platform equipped with continuous CRO optimisation and strategic advice and marketing efforts from our team to drive sustained, profitable growth.