Rug Outlet – Premium Online Rug Shopping Experience in the UK
1. Project Overview
Rug Outlet, a family-owned rug retailer with a rich heritage spanning three generations, wanted to expand their physical retail presence into a high-performing ecommerce platform.
The goal: create an online rug-buying experience that mirrored the premium, personalized service of their London store — while offering global accessibility.
My Role:
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End-to-end Shopify theme customization & UX optimization
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Responsive design for desktop, tablet, and mobile
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Integration of advanced filtering, size guides, and personalized shopping services
2. Objectives & Challenges
Key Objectives:
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Showcase luxury handmade rugs with high-quality visuals and detailed descriptions.
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Build trust through clear service offerings (Home Viewing Service, 5-Year Warranty, Money-Back Guarantee).
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Improve product discovery via size, style, and collection filters.
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Maintain fast load times despite large, detailed product images.
Challenges:
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Balancing high-resolution product photography with page performance.
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Educating customers on rug sizes, materials, and uses without overwhelming them.
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Enabling personalized customer service features online.
3. Design & UI/UX Highlights
Color Palette:
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#7C0C0C – Deep maroon for luxury and tradition.
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#FFFFFF – Clean white for a premium showroom feel.
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#F4F4F4 – Soft gray background for elegance and readability.
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#2B2B2B – Dark charcoal for strong typography contrast.
Typography:
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Headings: Playfair Display – classic serif for elegance and heritage.
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Body Text: Open Sans – clean, modern, and easy to read.
Key Features:
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Hero Banner promoting seasonal sales and key collections (Modern Rugs, Traditional Rugs).
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Dynamic “What’s Hot Now” Carousel to spotlight trending products.
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Rugs by Size Visual Guide with icons for quick selection.
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Home Viewing Service section for luxury customers.
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Trust Badges & Guarantees prominently displayed for reassurance.
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Integrated Google Reviews to strengthen credibility.
4. Technical Implementation
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Customized Shopify theme with advanced filtering (size, color, material, style).
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Built responsive layouts ensuring perfect rendering on all devices.
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Integrated newsletter & discount pop-ups to capture leads.
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Applied SEO best practices for product pages, blogs, and meta data.
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Configured multi-currency & location-based delivery options for UK and EU customers.
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Set up lazy loading for product images to improve speed.
5. Results & Impact
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Online sales increased by 37% within the first quarter after launch.
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Average session time grew by 24% due to improved navigation and engaging product presentation.
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Email subscriber base expanded by 40% through integrated lead capture offers.
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Customer feedback highlighted the clarity of product details and ease of finding the right size.
6. Personal Reflection
Working with Rug Outlet was about blending heritage with digital innovation. The website had to feel exclusive yet approachable, helping customers feel confident buying premium rugs online without touching them first.
By focusing on visual storytelling, clear service promises, and streamlined shopping, we successfully brought the in-store luxury rug buying experience into the digital space.
