Twinings
From tea to total wellbeing
- What we did
- Research
- Strategy
- Brand Communication
- UX & UI
- SEO & Analytics
In 1706, Thomas Twining opened a tea shop at 216 Strand, London. Over 300 years later, Twinings tea is arguably the most famous tea in the world.
When the COVID-19 pandemic began and customers spent more time online, the pioneering company partnered with us here at Liquorice to reimagine their Australian and New Zealand websites as rich and engaging hubs for consumers and suppliers alike.
As Twinings’ long term digital partner, it's our pleasure to help such an iconic brand transition from a tea producer to a modern innovator of wellbeing drinks.
Website Brief
Twinings first engaged Liquorice to create a digital ecosystem in which to launch their new wellbeing range. This new digital hub would be home to rich content, including video interviews with product and wellbeing experts, articles, listicles and recipes, establishing credibility and connecting with consumers who may not associate Twinings with wellbeing.
It would also connect audiences with products in a way that the previous site couldn’t, through its multifaceted, functional design and improvements to design, SEO and technological performance. The project spanned many disciplines, including:
SEO audit and technological audit
SEO recommendations
Content strategy and production, including creating and maintaining a huge product and editorial content management system
Art direction and production of new product photography
Writing, art direction and production of video content
UX and UI design
Copywriting
Ongoing reporting, maintenance and content production
Content strategy
Our introduction to the world of Twinings began with a content strategy workshop, where our digital and content strategists worked together with key stakeholders to build a picture of their audiences, the digital and competitive landscape, and the internal brand goals.
We reviewed the current site, looked at their SEO recommendations, and brainstormed ideas for new content to engage, inform and inspire. By prioritising content ideas and grouping similar types under key strategic pillars, we were able to create a shopping list of content which would best satisfy brand, technology and audience needs.
UX/UI design
When it came to designing the new Twinings website, the biggest challenge was the sheer volume of content. To declutter the site, we collected all the existing content, organised it, updated it, and then categorise it by need, range and profile, applying tags to enable filtering.
An incredible amount of work went into the information architecture and wireframes, and into creating user-friendly journeys through a highly complex web of information.
Our UX/UI designers created a comprehensive set of templates (mobile-first, of course), meticulously crafted using unique colour palettes and layouts to help distinguish different content types and areas of the site.
We opted for full-screen layouts to give the photography the attention it deserves, while still achieving a clean design that created breathing room among an abundance of information.
Content production
Photography
We worked with local legends King & Sobey to style and shoot the Twinings products in preparation for the new site, and what a pleasure it was. Our team shot dozens of stills and stop motion clips in just two days, giving the team a huge library of beautiful, lush imagery to take pride of place on the new site.
Video
We wrote, directed and shot video interviews around Fitzroy, with Twinings’ top experts in herbalism and tea blending mastery, discussing the power of herbs, new products and more. This gave Twinings a tonne of engaging snippets for use on the site and on social media.
Written content
Our in-house copywriter collaborated with the Twinings team to manage the production of content, including writing, editing and proofing interviews, recipes, articles and listicles. Where possible, we also updated existing website content and product descriptions to reflect the new brand direction and create a consistent reading experience for users.
From the get-go, the team really listened to us and added value to our strategic ambition. They led a highly strategic and collaborative process to identify the opportunity areas for the brand website, the desired consumer experience and a roadmap to achieving our objectives. From there, they turned strategic smarts into magic execution, with the consumer experience at the centre of every recommendation. We are delighted with the design of the new website and are excited to continue to work with the team on the roadmap.
— Matt Parker — Senior Connections Manager
Launch
We collaborated with Twinings’ Shopify specialist agency to handover a thoroughly documented design system and site design, to ensuring the design vision translated well to the live site.
Following the launch of the site, we commenced an SEO retainer and began regularly monitoring the website performance, ensuring its performance meets the team’s goals and objectives.
Ongoing content production
Our partnership with Twinings continues on a retainer basis. Our SEO and copy specialists plan and execute content to engage audiences and to optimise search engine performance for the Twinings Australia brand. Our work includes conducting SEO keyword research, facilitating planning workshops and managing the production of strategic written and visual content.
Credits
Services
Design Research
User Research
Digital Strategy
UX Design
UI Design
Digital Direction
Creative Direction
Art Direction
Content Direction
Content Production
Content Management
Copywriting
SEO Analytics
Project team
Jayne Halsey: UX/UI Design, Digital Strategy, Digital Direction
Emerald Cowell: Digital Strategy, Content Production
Shane Loorham: Creative Direction, Content Production
Madeleine Baud: Copywriting, Content Production
Molly Edwards: Project Management
Jackson Callanan: Project Management
Visit
twinings.com.au
