Background & Challenge
Irrewarra Sourdough is a beloved Victorian artisan bakery known for its natural, hand-made sourdough breads, granolas, and biscuits. Their old website, built on WordPress/WooCommerce, had become clunky, slow, and outdated. It was difficult for customers to navigate and for the Irrewarra team to manage. The online store had a limited product display and an inefficient checkout, leading to frustrated users and abandoned carts.
Irrewarra needed a complete digital overhaul: a website that could beautifully showcase their expanding product range (including seasonal items and gift hampers), and a smooth e-commerce experience to boost their online sales. The goal was to reflect the same quality online as they do in their baking, and ultimately increase revenue from direct online orders.
Solution
A mouth-watering design visual design with improved navigation and product pages, streamlined checkout setup, responsive UX, and performance + SEO optimisations.
Key Features & Benefits
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Modern Visual DesignThe new site features a clean, rustic aesthetic that mirrors Irrewarra’s brand – think earthy tones, gorgeous product photography, and plenty of white space to let the products shine. The homepage immediately welcomes visitors with news of the latest bakes and seasonal specials (e.g., “Irrewarra Mince Tarts now available!”) in an eye-catching banner. It’s a far cry from the old cluttered homepage; now everything is organized and visually appealing.
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Improved Navigation & ShowcasingWe restructured the navigation so shoppers can easily explore categories like Sourdough, Granola, Biscuits, Festive, and Hampers. Each category page offers quick filtering and clear thumbnails. Product pages were revamped with detailed descriptions, ingredient lists, and multiple photos, giving customers all the information they need to click “Add to Cart.” There’s even a “Find a Stockist” feature for those who prefer to buy locally, integrated seamlessly into the menu.
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Streamlined CheckoutWhether using an improved WooCommerce setup or migrating to Shopify (behind the scenes we chose the best platform for Irrewarra’s needs), we ensured the checkout process is simple and fast. Shoppers can create an account or checkout as guests with ease. We included conveniences like saved addresses, a shipping calculator, and various payment options (credit card, PayPal, etc.) to minimize any purchase barriers. The site is also fully responsive, so mobile users can shop just as easily while on the go.
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Performance & SEOThe new Irrewarra site is significantly faster — we optimized images, implemented caching, and cleaned up old plugins that were slowing the previous site. Faster load times mean less drop-off. Additionally, we carried out SEO best practices (metadata, schema for recipes, etc.), which has improved Irrewarra’s visibility on search engines for terms like “artisan bread online” and “buy granola Australia.”
Project gallery
Results
The revamped Irrewarra website delivered an immediate and powerful impact, driving significant growth in online revenue in its first three months and turning occasional online orders into consistent daily sales. Conversion rates doubled thanks to cleaner navigation and a smoother checkout, with cart abandonment dropping significantly. The new site also became a strong marketing tool, allowing Irrewarra to confidently launch products and promotions—like the rapid sell-out of their Family Pack biscuits—while handling traffic spikes with ease. Behind the scenes, the bakery team can now manage products, posts, and orders effortlessly, freeing up more time to focus on creating their next great bake.
The successful overhaul of Irrewarra’s site illustrates how modern design and e-commerce best practices can re-energize a brand’s online presence and directly contribute to increased sales.
“The difference is night and day. Our old site felt like a brick-and-mortar store with the lights off – the new site is bright, inviting, and bustling with customers.”
