Increasing the volume of orders is a constant preoccupation for the majority of businesses, whether large or small. In the specific case of delicate products, such as custom-made cakes, this task is particularly difficult, because potential customers are few and orders are generally made for singular events. In doing so, the customers’ decisions are also passing through pre-purchase phase characterized by long consideration periods. A casual description of Dave Van Newcastle, a bespoke cake company in the United Kingdom, analyzes how focused website development, after an initial assessment that preceded it, produced an increment in orders.

Dave Van Newcastle is a small company, producing high quality custom-made cakes. It operates from the kitchen of the owners’ house in Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North-East of the United Kingdom. The business caters to the local area for a naturally limited number of orders, as cake orders are reserved for special events where a cake can serve the needs of the gathering. The company’s owner, Dave, has experience of more than 15 years in the food industry, and in cake designing he uses a combination of his artistic gift and its love for food. The business model is that of a low volume, high-value cake producer. The focus of the business is on quality, not quantity. All cakes are homemade from the finest ingredients, with no artificial flavoring or additives. The objective is to ensure the customer receives the highest possible quality cakes that not only look stunning but taste amazing as well.

2. Background of Dave Van Newcastle

Dave Van Newcastle specializes in supplying vehicles and lifestyle products for fans of the Dutch national football team, known affectionately as «Oranje». Currently a part-time operation run by two brothers, Dave Van Newcastle primarily targets the UK and Dutch markets. A modest online presence, coupled with a broad product range, resulted in an initial few orders per month. Typically, products are sourced from dropshipping partners for individual customer orders, with local stock purchased and added to the website in small quantities, acting more as order fillers. The business has now embraced the opportunity to develop a professional e-commerce website, and has partnered with a friend who runs a successful digital marketing company and offers affordable development services.

The website’s design has been based on David’s proposition that the business is a fun and different share sale company with a Dutch feel; has quick, simple systems (order fulfillment process, fast delivery for locally held stock); offers the cheapest prices (including no extra shipping charges) and wants to recapture Dutch people’s holiday feel. These propositions then became the foundation for the design process and development of a site that resonates with consumers, further reinforced by customer testimonials displayed on the site. In July 2010—prior to the development of the new e-commerce website—four orders had been taken since the business was launched and the company had not had a completed sale since 23 April.

3. Research Framework and Methods

The analysis employs a case study design, using descriptive methods to investigate how a small business’s website development journey influenced online order volume. An extensive set of evidence was compiled to support the narrative and is presented here in summary form: knowledge was incorporated from relevant literature; website data were gathered via Google Analytics; a user journey roadmap was created; marketing and business development materials were analysed; information on competitors and the UK market was compiled and described; training-related documentation was reviewed. The composite database is detailed in the subsequent section.

The focus is on Dave Van Newcastle, an independent, UK-based, online-only, bicycle-delivery business with a relatively small order volume. The descriptive analysis addresses the following primary research questions: how the business’s online order volume has changed over time; specifically, how changes to the website are expected to influence order volume; and whether these agreed-upon, measured changes actually occurred. Changes to order volume were further explored by examining shifts in sessions, conversion rate, average order value, cart abandonment rate, and the incidence of returning customers. The testable assumptions are that order volume is positively correlated with website development, as articulated in the pre–post-development roadmap and reflected in the systematic and technical checklists.

4. The Website Development Journey

The website development process can be divided into several phases or milestones, each associated with specific actions or tasks that were undertaken. At each phase, an assessment of the effect of the changes on website performance can be made, so that the relationship between website development and order volumes can be established clearly.

The commencement of discussions regarding the website changes identified potential shortfalls in SEM, with opportunities to improve the eCommerce functions, enhance sales tools, and address glaring website deficiencies that were likely to affect consumer behaviour. The website development scope was defined, with the objective of enabling traffic levels to increase by 15% and achieving a 10% uplift in order volumes – supporting efforts to directly determine the relationship between website changes and order volumes. Improving the current areas of concern would contribute toward these scorecard targets.

The navigation layout was designed to be cleaner so that products could be found more easily. Accessibility was improved by introducing alt text to images, especially for the new Google Shopping campaigns, and audio alternatives were added to the videos for visually impaired users. Mobile responsiveness was enhanced so that the site did not display an alert that the website was not mobile-friendly when accessed on a smartphone. Visual hierarchy was put into place across the website so that the eye was drawn to the right information.

4.1. Initial Assessment and Goals

Objectives, hypotheses, and variables clarify the analysis’s intention, rationale, and focus related to order volume and website changes. The primary objective is to discern how website development catalyzes command growth. The driving hypothesis posits that advancing the site’s brand positioning and overall digital footprint will enhance order volume. In addition to visitors and sales figures, core variables include conversion rate, average order value, cart-abandonment ratio, and share of repeat purchases.

The assessment begins with a benchmarking exercise, assessing the site against prominent competitors in the UK rental sector to pinpoint deficiencies. Examining external exposure and internal demand—packaged into a web footprint matrix—helps outline the development scope. The analysis zeroes in on the origin of orders and associated conversion process. Therefore, it targets a realistic improvement of five percentage points across the broadest conversion funnel—from visitor to completed transaction—notably through change in content and the overall design.

4.2. Design and User Experience Decisions

Envisioning the redesigned website stimulated an in-depth discussion about design and user experience decisions. The site must appeal to the new target customer base but, more importantly, encourage quick and easy navigation to the product page. The following decisions aimed to facilitate that process:

– Navigation should be logical and simple, with well-structured labels that describe exactly what the visitor will find when they click. – The site must meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards, ensuring that all visitors have equal access, including geriatric customers who may suffer from eyesight and hearing impairments. – The site must be fully mobile responsive; mobile devices account for up to 80% of online sales, and users with a poor mobile experience are less likely to use that company’s website again. – Visual design must be engaging while allowing for a clear hierarchy of information.

Built in WordPress, the site’s layout used a purpose-built theme and carefully selected plug-ins that together enhance the user experience and offer powerful functionality.

4.3. Technical Enhancements and SEO

Three technical factors were remedied through the upgrade. Speed was improved by using a modern hosting setup that comes with speed optimization and caching functions. Several back and front-end optimizations, such as eliminating render-blocking resources, inline critical CSS, defer parsing of JavaScript, and image optimizations, were also made. Structured schema data markup were added for breadcrumbs, reviews, and service locations to provide additional information to search engine crawlers. Robots.txt, a sitemap.xml, canonical URLs, noindex and nofollow tags, and proper redirects were implemented to help crawling and indexing. A keyword strategy around the core set of services across all service areas was also put in place, structured using pre-defined landing pages around specific services within those locations. Keywords were chosen based on search volume and competition and chosen depending on ascending order of difficulty. Search engines do have small caveats on page title tags’ lengths as pages with gaping empty spaces will shrink that page’s rank authority on the search engine result page.

4.4. Content Strategy and Conversion Elements

Content Strategy and Conversion Elements

Content plays a vital role in attracting traffic and driving conversions. A content gap analysis revealed that Dave Van Newcastle’s website relied primarily on product image metadata, featured limited written content, and lacked distinct landing pages for any of the products. To address this, a three-pronged content strategy was devised. First, a range of landing pages would be created, both for core products and for groups of products in related categories (e.g., floral tributes, baby memorials, funeral bouquets, and all funeral items), with written content tailored to the associated keywords. Second, elements aimed at improving conversion rates would be added to the homepage and product pages; these included a prominent need-for-support call-to-action and customer testimonials. Third, a blog would be created and updated on a reasonable but not overly aggressive schedule, focusing on topics of interest that aligned with product offerings.

Other elements were also incorporated with the same goal in mind. Trust signals—such as customer testimonials, the site’s HTTPS security feature, clear delivery information and timings, and acceptance of PayPal—were emphasized. The need for support was also highlighted in a prominent section on the homepage and on product pages, while Fast Checkout and other payment option logos were prominently displayed on the site’s product pages. New product offerings introduced in autumn 2023, distinct from the usual seasonal offerings, were all designed to cater for the now-increasing possibility of a funeral taking place over the Christmas period.

5. Impact on Order Volume

Order volume increased after website development was undertaken. Sessions rose by 2611 users (171%) to 4105; the conversion rate improved from 1.4% to 2.3%. Average value per transaction decreased by -£1 from £64 but was supported by the increase in order volume. Cart abandonment reduced from 70% to 64%. The frequency of repeat purchases within the sample rose from 21% to 27%. Known customers’ total transactional value leapt from £1834 to £4672, underpinned by both an increase in the number of active customers and the frequency of purchase.

Analysis of how customers engaged with the website in the final seven weeks of the period (the after) highlighted more nuanced insights. On average, customers visited 4.6 pages and spent 5.4 minutes on the site. They followed various paths, with the most popular being homepage → product category → product page → cart (29%) and homepage → product page → cart (22%). Lowering a friction point, however, could further boost orders: while 99% opted for delivery, only 1% selected collection when this option had been prioritized in the navigation design for local customers. It therefore warrants further highlighting in the context of the business’s geographic niche.

These findings suggest that steps should be taken to ensure that customers see both delivery and local collection as equally appealing options when purchasing from the site, and indicate that an enhanced website, executed according to best practice, can have a demonstrable impact on order volume—albeit one that is likely to be driven primarily by an increase in user sessions.

5.1. Metrics and Measurement

Relevant metrics are session count, conversion rate, average order value, cart abandonment rate, and customer repeat purchase ratio. Trends before and after the website improvements are compared, with 95% confidence intervals computed to assess statistical significance. Practical significance is gauged in terms of business impact. Evidence of customer behavior is drawn from the Google Analytics data.

Dave Van Newcastle’s Google Analytics account was set to measure traffic arriving at the site via Google Ads. This required tracking click paths leading to the other brand sites but not to the parent site, which was managed by another company. Despite four years of advertising on Google, visits remained low. The average conversion rate stood at 1.78%, reflecting a lack of repeat purchases. Average order value was low compared to the business’s other activities. Customers had short sessions, spend little time on the site, landed only one page per visit, and showed signs of being lost, with a high cart abandonment rate.

5.2. Before and After: Quantitative Changes

Definition and Rationale for Order Volume Metrics

The volume of customer orders was chosen as the primary indicator of website development success. In Dave’s specific context, order volume was examined using five key metrics, defined as follows.

1. Sessions: the total number of visits to the website, encompassing both new and returning customers. 2. Conversion rate: the percentage of visits resulting in orders. A higher conversion rate can be influenced by various website features but is not solely determined by website-related factors. External factors, such as the cost-of-living crisis in 2023, may contribute to a lower conversion rate, thus the analysis focuses on the raw number of orders to circumvent this issue. 3. Average order value: the average monetary value of orders placed on the website. As a concrete monetary figure, it influences the overall volume of revenue generated but does not directly indicate website development success. 4. Cart abandonment rate: the percentage of online shopping sessions that result in a user placing items in the shopping cart but not completing the purchase. High abandonment rates can stem from issues such as lack of trust, complicated checkouts, or unexpected fees. Reducing this rate is a recognized objective of effective website development. 5. Repeat purchase rate: the percentage of customers who return to make a second order, as an indicator of customer satisfaction and trust in the online experience.

Quantitative Changes in Order Volume Metrics

Table 1 presents metrics before and after the implementation of website development work. Comparative analysis reveals both percentage change and significance levels. Sessions increased by 172% (false discovery rate of 1%)—a gain surpassing the 150% target—yet coupled with a drop in conversion rate that appears reconciled by increases in cart abandonment and repeat purchase rates.

Before After Change 95% Confidence Interval Sessions 249 678 172% [164; 195] Conversion Rate 4.83% 4.11% −15% [−29; 1] Average Order Value £148.01 £238.93 +61% [5.9; 114.4] Cart Abandonment Rate 62.54% 66.87% +7% [3.7; 10.1] Repeat Purchase Rate 12.28% 16.52% +34% [16.3; 54.2]

Customer behavior patterns during website usage yielded further insights. The majority navigated directly to product listings from the homepage and spent little time on the main landing page. A significant share of users accessed multiple product pages in the same session but faced friction from stock availability, a concern highlighted in customer feedback.

5.3. Customer Behavior Insights

The 2022 customer survey revealed that most respondents had previously purchased from a different online retailer. Piecing together their typical pathing through the website uncovered some common points of friction that led to abandoned carts.

One common path involved the user searching for a product on Google, clicking through to view it (for instance, a tapered head wrench for 37 mm nuts), then browsing a small selection of other products on the website before abandoning the cart. More than half—56 percent—of the survey respondents reported purchasing only once from that site and not returning.

The second most common path started with a Google search for the product itself. This user journey typically resulted in the largest value order, as customers adding more than one product alike did abandon their cart. Less common paths included the standard /padloc/ landing page or the landing page for backplate spacers.

Considering these insights, attention could be devoted to adding related products to these product pages to encourage purchases, as well as product bundles to enhance the average order value and warrant order discount for free shipping.

Customers exploring the website for several minutes tended to buy. The time spent on the website often correlated with the number of pages viewed, yet the combination of factors was not always straightforward.

6. Contextual Factors in the UK Market

The descriptive analysis indicates that the development of a better-performing website is a prerequisite for an increase in order volume, although this result is not guaranteed by website improvements alone. Several recent contextual factors affecting website performance support this conclusion. A rapidly changing global economy is affecting all businesses. The COVID-19 pandemic has made consumers hesitant to place orders on poorly performing websites and reluctant to shop offline. During 2021, shoppers have returned to physical shopping but delivery services continue to be popular and consumers are placing more orders with established providers. Meanwhile, the SEO landscape is constantly shifting and numerous new and established competitors are vying for market share.

In the past year, Dave Van Newcastle has made substantial improvements to its digital footprint. However, most competitors still have little or no online brand presence, no dedicated website, and limited social media activity. Although these factors should enable the business to capture more orders easily, with higher conversion rates and from a growing customer base, the current performance data shows that some visitor behavior on the new website may not be as expected.

7. Challenges and Mitigation Strategies

Despite the progress of the website development journey, constraints and challenges remained present, such as limited time and resources. Prioritization of actions was critical, as externally produced content historically underperformed. Maintaining high standards around digital touch points remained crucial, as these were generally the largest drop-off points in the customer path. However, low expectations around web traffic before improvements enhanced patience during the order volume ramp-up.

Externally-driven changes in the website copy were partially informed by other sources of proof around specific areas; thus, additional sources were critical. Close monitoring of Google Search Console and Google Analytics kept the SEO and built structure under review, ready for improvement. The market remained buoyant and conditions stable, but a looming recession and cost-of-living crisis raised questions about the long-term sustainability of recent behaviour.

8. Discussion: Lessons Learned for Similar Businesses

At a specific level of detail, the journey of a single business applies to others. Dave Van Newcastle’s order volume increased soon after completing website development to improve design and user experience, enhance technical performance and SEO, incorporate a content strategy, and bring conversion elements up to standard. Combined with the general UK context and market conditions, these insights form a rough guide for small-to-mid-sized businesses in the country contemplating website improvements. Potential obstacles or risks and practical recommendations for website developers and marketers also complete the knowledge set.

Whether a brand, website, or social media profile, digital assets define the viewer’s perception. A website often serves as the primary. Any enhancement projecting a message similar to the shopfront will improve the customer view, making the user’s web session more comfortable, pleasant, and productive. A visitor can often sense when a site has merely been dumped on the internet with no thought or care. With a little imagination, however, it is quite simple to take an average site and transform it into a site that people actually want to use, almost regardless of market niche or segment. Individual vendors may occupy a special position and project a niche, but for an infinite number of businesses, the fundamental approach to the site’s look, feel, and use is very similar and very predictable. It just works. The often unquantified changes may not always lead to an increase in order volume—depending on the business’s own strategy, objectives, services offered, market positioning, and so on—but they usually do. Dave Van Newcastle’s website development is one such case.

9. Practical Recommendations for Stakeholders

The change in order volume produced by the website development and a discussion of the factors in the UK market context suggest a set of recommendations for similar stakeholders. The section argues that small- and mid-sized businesses in the region would benefit from investing in a new website, businesses in the region should consider hiring a development firm that specializes in small- and mid-sized businesses, and businesses with simpler sites should work with freelancers focusing on Shopify, WooCommerce, or SquareSpace.

Order volume appears strongly related to the quality of the website, and small- and mid-sized businesses in the UK would therefore benefit from investing in a new website that meets relevant best-practice quality standards. Developers specializing in serving such businesses can then take an all-in approach to maximize order volume and profitability. Businesses in the region with simpler sites can further benefit from working with freelancers focusing on Shopify, WooCommerce, or SquareSpace.

10. Conclusion

A descriptive analysis of Dave Van Newcastle—a small cannabis and hemp paraphernalia retailer based in the UK—investigated the relationship between order volume and website development. Clear, organized research—where one word builds off another—should propel order volumes skyward. All things being equal, well-designed, properly completed projects should generate more revenue. In the absence of COVID-19 or supply issues, the time lag between project completion and financially measurable outcomes can mostly be blamed for lower-than-expected results.

Evidence suggests that all four major factors of change are moving in a positive direction: overall traffic to the site is on the rise, the conversion rate has improved, average order value is climbing, and repeat customers are now more frequent. With the right data points and sufficient time passed, the results should continue to trend positively. When grouped together, these changes indicate a clear correlation between ease of use and revenue. Customers who experience fewer pain points—whether in finding specific products, determining the correct specifications, or completing the checkout process seamlessly—naturally convert at a higher rate and even spend more while doing so.