section:case study status:active v:1.0

Brand Experience Platform

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Konpira Maru

2020 Customer Experience Ecommerce Interactive Experiences Storytelling

Our Role

Agency Partner, Ecommerce, Interactive Development, Shopify Development

In collaboration with

ACG Creative & Made.Ink – Design, Project Management

Overview

Konpira Maru is an Australian wine company known for its distinctive branding, illustrations and approach to winemaking.

Working alongside ACG Creative and Made.Ink, my role was to develop a Shopify ecommerce experience that balanced online sales with storytelling, allowing visitors to explore not only the wines themselves but also the people, places and vineyards behind them.

Challenge

The challenge was creating an ecommerce experience that felt true to the personality of the brand.

While the website needed to support online wine sales, it also needed to communicate the story of Konpira Maru, celebrate its Australian roots and showcase the unique vineyards and regions that contribute to its wines.

The site required a careful balance between functionality, content and visual storytelling without compromising usability or performance.

Approach

The website was developed on Shopify with a strong focus on creating an engaging and immersive user experience.

Key functionality included:

  • Shopify ecommerce integration.
  • Region-specific purchasing controls.
  • Interactive stockist directory.
  • Blog and editorial content management.
  • Press and media resources.
  • Animated content and illustrations.
  • Interactive Australian vineyard map.
  • Story-driven content architecture.

Particular attention was given to the illustrated elements throughout the site, bringing the brand to life through subtle animation and interactive experiences that encouraged visitors to explore the stories behind the wines.

A custom interactive map of Australia was also developed, allowing users to discover vineyard locations and learn more about the regions and growers connected to the brand.

Result

The result was a distinctive ecommerce experience that extended beyond traditional online retail.

The platform successfully combined storytelling, education and commerce, allowing customers to engage with the brand on a deeper level while maintaining a seamless purchasing experience for Australian customers.

The interactive content and custom map experience helped reinforce the authenticity of the brand and provided visitors with a richer understanding of the people and places behind the wine.

Why this project was interesting

This was one of those projects that reminded me why I got into web development in the first place.

The illustrated style of the brand opened the door for lots of small details, animations and interactive moments that brought the website to life. It was a chance to move beyond forms, integrations and content management systems and focus on creating an experience that felt playful and engaging.

Building the interactive vineyard map was a personal favourite. There’s something satisfying about taking a static illustration and turning it into an experience people can explore and interact with.

Not every project calls for that level of creativity, which made this one particularly rewarding to work on.