Case Study: Automation & WordPress Support for a Brisbane Salon Marketplace

The Challenge: Streamlining Listings and Payments

The request? Streamlining Listings and Payments using Wordpress

The client's primary goal was to make the process of creating and managing listings seamless for both users and site administrators. Their existing system required significant manual intervention, and the user journey had several points of friction.

The key challenges were:

• A Manual Content Pipeline: Form submissions for new ads had to be manually processed and created as listings, a time-consuming and error-prone task.

• Clunky User Interface: Navigation was unintuitive, and the process for creating a listing lacked key features like photo uploads.

• Limited and Confusing Payments: The site didn't have a credit card payment processor, which was confusingly labelled, and lacked the flexibility of conditional pricing for different ad types.

The Solution: A Custom Automation Engine and UX Overhaul within a fixed budget

The customer only had a small budget, however this doesn't mean that a solution cannot be found.

We tackled the project by focusing on two core areas: building a powerful backend automation engine and refining the front-end user experience.

1. Building a "Form-to-Post" Automation Pipeline



This was the heart of the project. We leveraged Gravity Forms to create a sophisticated workflow that eliminated the need for manual processing:

• Automated Draft Creation: We configured an automation where user form submissions automatically create a draft listing post within WordPress, ready for a simple one-click approval by the admin.

• Conditional Logic and Pricing: The forms were set up with conditional logic, allowing for different pricing structures based on the type of ad a user was creating.
  

• Seamless Payment Integration: We linked the client's Stripe account directly to the forms, mapping the data to ensure all payment information was captured correctly. A live test transaction was completed to guarantee functionality.

• Automated Notifications: A comprehensive notification system was built to keep everyone in the loop. This included specific admin and user email notifications for every ad type, such as "Salons for sale," "Create job ads," and "Free ad to sell items"
  

2. Enhancing the Front-End User Experience

A powerful backend needs an intuitive front-end. We made several key changes to improve site usability:

• Upgraded Navigation: The old navigation buttons were replaced with a traditional, user-friendly header menu, and a new "Create an Ad" dropdown was added for clarity.

• Homepage Redesign: The homepage was modified to feature two prominent graphical tiles, guiding users more effectively through their main choices.

• Essential Form Features: We implemented the ability for users to upload photos to their listings and added a mandatory "Terms and Conditions" checkbox on all forms.

Going Above and Beyond: Comprehensive WordPress Support

True WordPress support goes beyond the initial quote. During the project, we also identified and resolved several underlying issues to ensure the site's stability and security, providing this extra work at no additional charge:

• We fixed a persistent site admin email notification issue.

• We assisted the client with their hosting migration to a new third-party provider.

• We performed a full backup of the website to safeguard their data.

The Result: An Efficient, User-Friendly Marketplace

By implementing this series of strategic upgrades, we delivered a vastly improved platform. The client now has a streamlined, automated system that saves significant administrative time and provides a more professional and intuitive experience for their users.

This project underscores how targeted automation and expert WordPress support can solve real-world business challenges, creating a more efficient and profitable online platform.

Are you a Brisbane-based business struggling with manual processes or a clunky WordPress website? Contact us today to discuss how we can implement a custom automation solution for you.

*At the time of writing, the customer was still working on their own elements of the site and we will update this blog with their URL once we have permission to do so