Now that the new Aqua Quip website has had a successful launch and Phase 2 is officially underway, we are in a perfect position to reflect on the many changes to the site, what those changes mean for the future, and the changes we are still planning to implement.

Biggest Additions

Hot Tub Customizer

Unlike anything else in the industry, the Hot Tub Customizer allows the customer to design their ideal hot tub in real-time, using verified product features, specs, and upgrades. It is this attention to detail that will grab the focus of the customer and put the Aqua Quip Hot Tub Customizer ahead of the competition. Currently, users can filter tubs by price, seating capacity, seating type, tub shape, features, brand, and manufacturer collections. With a wide array of options to choose from, this tool will lead each customer to their ideal hot tub quicker than previously possible and will have a huge impact on conversions. After all, it’s easy to sell a customer something they are already sure that they want.

Product Compare Tool

Another industry leader is the Product Compare Tool. No other compare tool has the level of detail that the Aqua Quip compare tool has. Over the last year, our web team has painstakingly scoured every corner of the internet, product manuals, owner manuals, and spec sheets to ensure that not only was every detail included, but that they were up to date and accurate. The customer can compare the specs of any type of product across all brands creating the most in-depth comparisons in the industry. This will lead to more educated and more loyal customers, a win-win for Aquaquip.

Improved Location Pages

The location pages received a makeover that features Google Maps, Google Reviews, store hours for every branch, featured brands, in-store pictures, virtual tours, and even the name of the store managers. This small corner of a website can be easily overlooked but is a perfect opportunity to provide benefit to the customer while also showing them what you are about as a company.

Browsing to Doorstep: The Process

Another big change to the site is how it receives and processes orders. No longer will customers have to travel to a store or even a different site to place orders for chemicals, cleaning supplies, or accessories. Let’s take a look at the biggest changes and how they affect online shopping at Aqua Quip.

Online Customer Portal

Online customer portal -Normal Bear Media

The online Customer Portal allows customers to create profiles, track orders, order history, store payment methods, and store personal details for a quick and easy checkout. This is big news for the customer as it completely changes the way that they interface with the site and creates a huge opportunity to expand outside of the confines of what we believe a traditional e-commerce site to be. Instead of an online store, Aquaquip.com can be more like a hangout. Where customers visit to be educated on products, search for recipes, and store all of their newly found information in a way that is easily accessible for future use.

Nationwide Delivery

Aqua Quip is now offering nationwide delivery on all water care products. This is huge as it will allow them to expand their customer base, but will also give Aqua Quip the ability to assess the business model and make improvements that will have a long-term impact on the company as a whole. Home delivery is the future and any site that can be the first to provide that is certain to be a massive success.

E-Commerce and the Future of Aqua Quip

You may be wondering how a full e-commerce website can benefit Aqua Quip moving forward. As with many things, the answer to this question is layered. It’s not just enough to have the tools. You have to know how to use them and understand the power that they have. With that, let’s take a look at the future of the Aqua Quip e-commerce site and the ideals and tools that will ensure its success.

Innovation

A company’s willingness to innovate often separates them from its crowd of competitors and, when done correctly, can reap huge benefits. Amazon was an online company that just sold books. But they saw a huge hole in the market and were willing to change their business model to fill it. They broke the mold of the business they were supposed to be and became the business they needed to be. As a result, Amazon is one of the biggest if not the biggest e-commerce site on the planet. The hot tub and recreation industry is at a very similar crossroads. Customers and the way they shop are changing, and Aqua Quip’s willingness to innovate has the potential to put them ahead of the curve. Here’s How:

Larger Customer Base

One huge benefit of a full e-commerce site is the ability to start building a customer base outside of the greater Washington area. It may be starting small with just a few pool chemicals and accessories shipping nationwide. But that little step is huge in creating brand loyalty for when the business inevitably grows and bigger ticket items begin being sold and distributed.

Customer Tracking

Customer tracking is vital to any growing e-commerce site which is why we worked so hard to integrate that feature into the new site. Understanding its importance and how it can shape the future of Aqua Quip is imperative. The ability to send customers notifications about their shopping habits and abandoned carts has real value but is just the tip of the iceberg. Deeper than that, it gives Aqua Quip the chance to study and understand its customers. With that knowledge, you can get ahead of problems, continue to innovate, and provide benefits to customers they would have never known to ask for. Right now, there is no other company in the industry that is set up for this kind of growth.

Improved User Experience

The future of e-commerce is providing a unique and unparalleled experience for customers. With so many options, a company must work even harder to create a space that the customer doesn’t want to leave. That is why UX has been a huge focus of the website overhaul. Here are just a few of the ideas that we focused on that we believe will deliver that space.

Quick and Easy

With the customer portal, design and performance upgrades, and security upgrades, the new Aqua Quip site is set up to be one of the fastest, easiest, and most secure sites in the industry. Where clunky and difficult-to-use sites are the norm, a site built for speed and ease of use will quickly separate itself from the pack, leading to more customers that will keep coming back.

Content Focus

Accurate and useful content is the cornerstone of any e-commerce site. Because of that, the content has gotten a major overhaul. Every product, every category, and every service was set up to provide the customer with any information they could possibly want. The more they learn on the site, the less time they spend on other sites looking for answers. In addition to the improved product pages, we also have focused a lot on content that is solely to benefit the user. We added all kinds of delicious recipes and informative blog posts that they can then save to their profile to access whenever they would like. This not only improves the customer experience but fosters a sense of trust that will go a long way toward marketing to them in the future.

Dedication

Last but not least, dedication to the customer. This new site not only has all the bells and whistles, but it signifies a shift in focus. A focus that lands solely on the customer. That level of dedication will not only continue to lead to a better site and better features but will endear Aqua Quip to its customer base. When customers see that you are always looking out for their interests, they will stay loyal to you for as long as you keep that focus. It is important to remember, that the customer is always right.

Phase 2 and Next Steps

Aqua Quip Phase 2

Phase 2 is here. Let’s take a look at some of the features that will be coming to the Aqua Quip site in this latest round of upgrades and changes.

Smart Grill Builder

The Smart Grill Builder will take after the hot tub builder in terms of the level of detail and overall functionality. Users will be able to filter grills by fuel type, brand, price, dimensions, weight, number of burners, total cooking area, voltage, and hopper capacity.

Hot Deals Page

The Hot Deals page will be designed to show customers the best deals that Aqua Quip has to offer. In the beginning, these deals are likely to be generic and site wide. With the customer tracking feature, over time, the site and Aqua Quip can learn customer behavior and suggest discounted products that each individual customer is likely to buy. This personalized advertising will create a huge boost in leads and conversions as marketing rooted in data is the most powerful form of advertising that currently exists. That is why sites like Facebook and Amazon that leverage this data have been so wildly successful.

Finance Calculator

Financing and the Finance Calculator are two of the biggest features we plan to integrate. Financing will open the door to a larger pool of customers who can’t pay for a big ticket item outright or who want the flexibility of monthly payments vs a lump sum. The finance calculator will be a supplement to that. This will give the customer an accurate idea of their monthly payment without coming into a store or speaking to a representative.

Conclusion

What does all this add up to? Like it or not, the recent pandemic has forever changed the way Americans live their life. More and more interaction is online, and people only want to visit brick-and-mortar locations if absolutely necessary. It started with purchasing small goods online. Then with Clicklist, customers no longer needed to go into a store to buy groceries. Now online companies are moving into big-ticket items such as used vehicles and are showing a profitable business model. It is only a matter of time before the customer will want to buy hot tubs, grills, and saunas online. And we are positioning Aqua Quip to be at the forefront of that inevitable reality.