Beneath the surface: why our websites are more than a pretty face


American architect, Louis Sullivan, who created some of the earliest skyscrapers, has been credited with the famous axiom, “form follows function”, an idea that’s since become a touchstone of modern architecture and design.  

The principal was that the purpose should be the starting point for design in buildings, and in our digital world the same could be said of websites. While we pride ourselves on building websites that look exceptional, our driving force is creating sites that work, by which we mean one that delivers return on investment for our clients. That means that it needs to offer a great user experience both for customers and for the business and its internal users. 

For some businesses, that functionality is highly complex, featuring advanced design and integration that’s seamlessly implemented so that on the surface all you see is an easy and enjoyable user experience.

Here are just a few examples of websites that we have designed and created, where complexity is made simple to use and form and function align.

A bespoke portal for a leading UK veterinary buying group

Premier Buying Group (PBG) works with veterinary practices in the UK and Ireland to negotiate rebates and discounts on items such as pharmaceuticals and consumables.

When they came to us, they wanted a bespoke portal to generate reports, PDF statements and which would allow administrators to manage all finances as they cater to clinics, manufacturers and third-party providers across the country. So, that’s what we built.

The result is a platform that not only does everything the client asked for, but also allows users to log in at different levels to view bespoke prices and manage other users.

Custom click and drop for an ecological gardening provider 

Green Gardener are specialists in safe, effective biological pest controls that are harmless to children, pets and wildlife. 

They came to Unity Online wanting a bespoke integration with Click and Drop, which involved creating products which, once ordered, would be sent out at different intervals from a set start date specified by the customer. 

The platform we created also enabled products to have set send dates, send out different products at different intervals and have a variable number of programmes or intervals based on what the customer chooses. 

We also built them a trade portal where they can import orders, export a CSV of totals for accounts and where users have bespoke product prices and can only see certain items.

A custom platform for managing specialist wholesale accounts 

NetLED is a UK-based distributor of energy saving commercial LED lighting products to wholesale companies.

They came to us looking for a platform that had a high level of functionality built into it, including dual login for wholesalers and trade customers, allowing for a different user experience to suit the different customer bases. 

In addition, we created a site with a synchronisation for products and images from a third party system, as well as an integration with Sage 200, pushing orders from the website into Sage accounting software. It allows customers to add products to a basket or a quote list, has the ability to change the quote into an order and import quotes at the basket. 

Furthermore, there’s a trade pricing and rewards system, bespoke coupon functionality, email automations and welcome back offer capabilities. 

Bespoke feeds for an agricultural marketing and sales platform

FarmAds is a marketing and sales platform where you can buy and sell farm equipment, machinery and livestock.

They came to us looking for a platform with bespoke feeds for dealers, which imports and updates adverts on the site. We also added a link with another of their sites to push magazine adverts across where needed. 

More recently we created further capabilities with the addition of subscription functionality so dealers can sign up and receive a set number of adverts per month. They can upgrade this prorate throughout the month.

Ready to take your business to the next level with a website that combines cutting-edge design and seamless functionality? Let’s work together to build a platform that not only looks great but delivers results. Contact us today to start your journey towards a high-performing, user-friendly digital experience.