Fashion Import, established in 1950, is a leading Canadian distributor of brand name travel goods, handbags, & accessories. Our business has traditionally targeted brick & mortar retailers; we have an extensive sales team across Canada in multiple retail channels including travel stores, shoe chains, gift stores, etc.

In March of 2020, COVID-19 hit the travel goods industry very hard due to the government’s strict travel restrictions and border closure. As soon as “non-essential” businesses such as retail stores & malls were focused to close, it became obvious very quickly that direct-to-consumer channels (B2C) were no longer optional.

We put together a Shopify store in the summer of 2020 (www.fashionbrands.ca) which we marketed as a “sample sale” eCommerce website. Our initial goal was to attempt to move inventory quickly so we advertised our site on two other websites: www.ilovesamplesales.com and www.allsales.com. We were pleased with sales during the first week, however website visits & sales dropped off quickly. The following month, we added more brands to the store & advertised once again on the same two websites, however sales were weaker than anticipated. We do not have a social media presence for the store, so very few people are aware it exists. We know there is big demand online for many of our brands, especially LeSportsac, and we know we just need to find the best way to connect to these consumers.

This is where we need your help.

· Conduct user experience research to analyze our website:

o Should we consider adjusting the way our site is designed?

o Should we add additional pages? Should content be removed?

o Is anything hindering sales conversions?

· How can we improve Google search results so consumers can easily find us when they search for the brands we sell?

· What is the best way to connect with consumers online to get them to visit our store?

o Social media? Which platforms would be best?

o Google ads? Facebook ads? Instagram ads?

We would like insights on the overall design of our website and how to improve it’s design to increase sales conversion rates. We need your recommendations on how to reach the vast number of Canadian consumers who love the brands we sell, but aren’t aware of our store’s existence.