Case Study: Blackhearts and Sparrows Website

Short form

A subscription extension to the Blackhearts and Sparrows website, giving members a steady stream of new wine, beer and spirits chosen to suit their taste.

The challenge

Blackhearts & Sparrows are a Melbourne wine and beverage retailer — born in Brunswick, a stone's throw from Redgum's old offices — with stores across the city and an online shop. The relationship began when their online store was underperforming: the warehouse and inventory systems running the business were never designed to host a retail website, and the online experience fell well short of the in-store one. Later came a second ambition the site couldn't support on its own: customers who always have something new to discover, delivered as a subscription.

What we built

First, working with designers and SEO specialists, we rebuilt the store frontend to carry the flair of the in-store experience online — integrating to the backend warehouse and inventory systems so the operational workflows stayed intact, while enriching the catalogue with the categories and region data that make browsing wine a pleasure rather than a search problem. Later we extended the site with subscriptions: regular deliveries of wine, beer or spirits, matched to each member's personal profile.

The outcome

When the rebuilt store went live, the key metrics — product discovery, cart abandonment, site abandonment — improved clearly and immediately. The validation we didn't expect: several Blackhearts customers whom Redgum staff knew independently commented on the improvement, without knowing it was our work. The subscription service now scales while reducing overheads, and their customers get a never-ending discovery of new wines, with something to look forward to in every delivery.

Related

Suggested image

A member unpacking a delivery of thoughtfully chosen bottles at home, a note of discovery, warm evening light.