Problem
Adapting B2B Sales Strategies in the Pandemic Landscape
Faced with a post-pandemic sales decline due to halted exhibitions, Axis Designers must pivot. Clients reliant on exhibitions for B2B sales are now exploring new growth channels. Axis Designers aim to create a platform that revitalizes B2B sales in the digital age while offering tailored solutions.
Client
Axis Newgen
Role
Consultant: User experience design and Project Manager
Duration
January - August 2021
Tool
Adobe XD, Illustrator, Mural, Figma
Design Challenge
How can we establish a service that offers the B2B sector staging solutions through digital platforms?
With a 25-year legacy in the exhibition industry, Axis Designers faced COVID-19's global business impact. We introduced digital marketing and SEO integration, identifying shared needs among clients. Adapting to the digital shift became vital, leading to Axis Newgen. This new vertical utilizes our brand staging expertise on diverse digital platforms, serving existing clients in the digital realm.
My Role
I along with the core team came up with the idea of creating a vertical which will provide services for the B2B exhibition sector to stage themselves on a web platform. I led research and product design and designed the brand identity, UI for web and mobile with the in-house team, digital marketing team, design team, and web development team. In 7 months, we launched the brand and got projects from the handloom and the textile industry.
Our goals were to:
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Establish a brand identity that aligns with the brand vision and also resembles Axis Designers’ visual language
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Build a website to offer services digital solutions
Solutions
Introducing Axis Newgen
Axis Newgen assists companies to boost their businesses and aspirations. From ideation and developing digital assets, Axis Newgen facilitates complete solutions to create an expression.
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Establish trust with Axis Mascot
Inspired by the effortlessness of its modus operandi and its unchallenged adaptability in contrasting situations, we look up to an earthworm as a mascot that resonates seamlessly with our spirit and approach. Similarly, the logo was derived from the same idea in conjunction with the identity of the brand - Axis.
Start with free consultancy
Customers can send their queries for discussion with our team to understand the possible solutions, without spending money.
One-stop solution for B2B clients
Customers can find all catering and services on a single platform required for them to connect with their respective target audiences.
Crafting the online brand experience
A systematic process enabled us to understand client needs in terms of existing assets and expectations. This was followed by thorough research to a design solution curated as per the brand story. Additionally, Axis Newgen enhanced the online brand presence by handholding the client through strategy development, digital marketing, SEO optimization, and more.
Project the home brand as a stepping stone
The revitalization of Axis Designers to establish a place in the online world showcases what Axis Newgen is capable of. As a result, the well-tested case study of Axis Designers illustrates how potential clients could benefit from similar services the way they used to benefit through physical exhibitions.
The approach: How did we actually get there?
Understand the existing market to provide unique solutions
We started with conducting market research to understand the demand and supply along with looking at the services of different agencies. After analyzing the research data, we found that few companies address the needs of the local retailers, wholesalers, or international exporters. However, Axis Newgen withholds potential due to its experience and popularity among big brands. They have an opportunity to capitalize on this and capture the market to create a one-stop solution.
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User Research: Conducted interviews and usability testing
We surveyed 55 from Asia and the Middle East and conducted 13 semi-structured interviews with Axis Designer’s loyal clients to understand their needs of using the digital medium to reach out to potential customers in the changing time for market products. In addition, conducted secondary research and heuristic analysis on existing processes.
60%
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10%
60% of clients required alternative medium to stabilize the sale except for exhibition and only 10% of participants has the system to accommodate the needs
Limitation faced by participants in their organizational system
Deeper Insights
Disconnection in the digital world
The physical format of exhibitions provided the opportunity to connect with buyers as it facilitated conversation, which is why the clients are looking for a platform that would establish connections and build trust.
Inability to stand out
Clients are keen on adapting to methods that would help them stand out among the competition, which was otherwise fulfilled by an eye-catching, well-designed exhibition booth.
Limited mediums to connect with potential buyers
Clients feel restricted because generating new leads has become a challenge; they want to get noticed internationally and attract new buyers.
Value measurement
Clients prefer testing and evaluating the service cost with service value and expect a good ROI.
Website Information Architecture
After the research and design process, we created a new platform for Axis newgen which would ease the process of providing staging services to the B2B market.
Low Fidelity Prototype
Learnings: What did we learn?
Take away from challenges
The biggest challenge of this project was to meet the design goals as per the schedule while coordinating with the diverse teams. This project entailed every aspect of designing a digital platform from scratch, which was a very tedious process. However, the customer-driven design process and insights from our research helped me to keep the project vision on track and make progress.
Importance to details
Managing projects, as well as the design team, enabled me to deeply understand the business goals and project requirements. Being involved with the marketing team to design a service strengthened my knowledge about marketing technicalities and methods.
