Repositioning an American-made brand with a cult-like following
Benchmade engaged Domaine to reposition as a direct-to-consumer (DTC) brand. The new Shopify site needed to communicate to a wider array of customer segments and also establish Benchmade's high-quality, custom manufacturing capabilities and leadership within its industry. We leaned heavily into product customization and unique 3D renderings to differentiate the brand.
Benchmade came to us with an enthusiastic fanbase but a brand-communication strategy that was only just beginning. We architected the framework for storytelling across a range of affinity groups, supporting exploration and product discovery.
We've leaned heavily into product customization, leveraging the unique capabilities of the American-made manufacturer and fundamentally differentiating our client from their competitive set. We are also leveraging the 3D renders from the customizer throughout the customer journey.
Given the unique aspect ratio of the product we provided two alternate views on the product listing page. The view-toggle herocisizes the collection, increases the viewable area, reveals additional colorways, and ultimately pays tribute to the brand's craftsmanship.
Our implementation started with a proof of concept and data mapping exercise. As one of the most complex features on an ecommerce website, product configurators require close collaboration between all disciplines. Our new customizer supports over 8 different 3D customizable items with over 100’s of 2D customizable items.
We built a custom service flow to allow customers to interact with Benchmade service team for LifeSharp, warranty, RMA, parts request services. During this process, paid services and laser-marking services are served as upsell opportunities and every step is automated via our middleware application, including integration with Narvar, Zendesk and Benchmade ERP system.
