clients / case studies / businesses

Dr. Weil, LLC

Goal

To find a technology partner to help Weil Lifestyle LLC achieve and maintain their position as a leading supporter in the field of integrative medicine

Solution

Create an interactive, feature rich and database-backed site for both the public and the Weil Lifestyle members, with an emphasis on usability, content management, product feedback and search engine optimization

Results

Introduction

Weil Lifestyle LLC was founded with the purpose of becoming the leading resource for education, information, products, services and philanthropic contributions in the field of integrative medicine. An important part of their goal is to generate revenue that can then be donated to the Weil Foundation for the purposes of supporting the advancement of integrative medicine.

What did we do?

We have implemented several sites on behalf of Weil Lifestyle. Features we have developed have included:

• more functional educational tools
• easier access to information throughout the site and between members
• newsletter and blogging capabilities as part of the member “community” section
• interactive nutrition advisory tools
• purchasing functionality
• administration tools allowing for storing and maintaining all content
• real-time purchase and browsing data analytics
• third party vendor functionality for the Weil team product partners

How did we do it?

• Ephibian built a back-end system consisting of three layers of interaction:
• The database, containing all of the information in the system
• Application modules used to access the database and provide specific information based on that application’s role
• A set of web applications performing specific tasks based on screen flow, ensuring the minimal number of clicks to navigate to any part of the site.
• The data model in was specifically designed and built in order to save time when accessing and managing large content.
• Date setting tools were provided to the site’s administrators to help organize and manage their content ahead of time in accordance with specific dates (Christmas, Easter, the seasons, the beginning of the school year, for example) in order to maximize sales appeal.
• Content tagging was provided to administrators to maximize URL and keywords search engine optimization
• The site also captures which provider the Weil team pay-per-click ads are coming in from, allowing them to view where such ads are most effective
• Conversion tracking was included to determine whether the pay-per-click ads were converting into purchases

What was the result?

Now the Weil team has a thriving online community. Their web sites receive millions of visits each month, and their online e-commerce processes $multi-millions in sales annually. More intangibly, but no less important, they are able to handle an enormous amount of intriguing and engaging content and related transactions with a relatively modest staff.

The analytic tools have allowed them to update their marketing tactics and product reviews more quickly and more efficiently, and to ensure that they are constantly changing their approach according to market demands.

The online community aspects of the site have allowed members to fully engage in brand-centered dialogue, facilitating deepened customer relationships and customer loyalty. As with the other analytics tools, this has also allowed real-time community feedback on products and services to which marketing has been able to respond promptly and effectively.