Whittaker’s

A website you can taste.

Taking the Whittaker’s chocolate experience online.

Insight

As far as culinary experiences go, few things entice and delight as much as chocolate. So thought J.H Whittaker, a chocolatier who founded Whittaker’s in Christchurch, 1896.

Since that day, the company’s singular vision, to get everyone eating world-class chocolate, has never wavered. From using premium quality, ethically sourced ingredients to building their loyal audience of Chocolate Lovers, it continues to inspire everything they do. As a result, Whittaker’s have been one of NZ’s most loved and trusted brands for over a decade. The issue? Their website didn’t deliver on the brand promise.

Rather than a functional platform, the website needed to be a true brand experience - especially for markets where the magic of Whittaker’s was less known. A re-think was in order.

Idea

Whittaker’s needed an online presence that was luxurious, evocative and personal. Just like their chocolate.

Recognising the need to put the product front and centre, Whittaker’s new website is designed to provide a stage for their delicious chocolate. A compelling storytelling component brings the products to life, telling the ‘beans-to-bar‘ story with emotive content, gorgeous photography and immersive 2D and 3D artwork.

World-class chocolate however is all about the details. Chocolate Lovers can learn more about what’s under the wrapper, filtering products by information like dietary requirements, certification and chocolate type. Plus, no matter where you are in the world, locale-specific sites ensure the right information and content gets to the right consumer.

Impact

Delivering quality to a devoted audience.

It didn’t take long to see vast increases in Chocolate Lovers sign-ups, session duration and content consumption, as well as purchases both in-store and online. The increase in time users were spending on page, up 21.1% against the previous year, and an impressive 49.6% rise in visitor rates also fed into planning for the recent iteration of Whittaker’s online presence - physically taking their chocolate across the globe with direct-to-consumer e-commerce.

Finally, Whittaker’s can rightfully claim their online experience reflects their commitment to world-class.

Awards | Mentions for Whittaker’s

Best Awards Finalist