It is undoubtedly his small online shop that has helped Érablière Bernard get through spring 2020.
• Also read: Online shops: Personalized packaging is part of the customer experience
As soon as the dining rooms were closed, the phone rang “like in a pizzeria,” says Amanda Racicot, who is the 6th generation at the helm of the family business. She remembers four people working at the same time answering the calls.
Requests for takeaway portions started exploding and never stopped. Today, 70% of sales are based on the sale of processed products sold online and in the various outlets, rather than meals in the dining room.
big twist
The family has developed 40% new products and started building a donut factory that will soon be able to quintuple production. According to Ms Racicot, it is clear that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the company and that it is doing even better than before. “It was a big turning point for us, but we had support through it all.”
The family quickly understood that they needed to change their transaction page, which worked with an Excel file. After the 2020 sugaring season ended, Ms. Racicot sought help to improve her website and online store. The goal was a more user-friendly platform that can meet demand.
Help came from the Center d’aide aux entrepreneurs Haute-Yamaska et region, which had just launched a program to optimize local businesses’ websites. “We were able to draw on great resources to create our website because we get along well, it’s a big investment.”
New transaction page
In addition to a new transaction page, the improvements resulted in a number of small details that they believe make all the difference: notification to visitors when there are unpaid products in the virtual shopping cart, product pickup reminder SMS, satisfaction survey and a wealth of product statistics to help, among other things to plan the production and purchase of raw materials.
Two people in the company now maintain Maple Grove’s website, including Amanda. Due to the constant development of technologies and customer needs, regular monitoring is required.
“It looks like we’re still learning. You can’t set up a website and forget about it afterwards. It needs maintenance.”
His advice to companies looking to redesign or create their transactional website is to seek out professional resources and utilities. Cooperation between companies in the same industry is also an advantage.
Founded in 1920
The headquarters : granny
Number of employees : 18
Shareholders: Sarah and Cathy Bernhard