Web Development Fresh Code: Hudson Mfg Disrupts the Handgun Market with an Attractive New Website!
Amy Holcomb — May 04, 2017
Hudson Manufacturing group
A Pistol Born from an Unwillingness to Settle
Owners Cy and Lauren Hudson have spent years bringing their idea to life. Originally from Texas and with a strong military background, the Hudson’s bring years of expertise and research to the handgun industry.
The new H9 pistol – designed to be the first in a line of products – is a world apart from its competitors. We wanted to build a website that showcased this. The primary objective was to highlight some of the products’ differentiators as seen in their video below.
A Website Built to Advance
As a first step, White Lion was tasked with building a microsite with a series of chapters that would “unlock” each week leading up to the product launch. A countdown timer was also present on the site, letting followers know when the full details of the product would be revealed.
In getting the microsite ready, we worked with Pandemic Designs, who provided the look and feel as well as all the photography and design elements for the site. They were outstanding to work with and we really appreciated their attention to detail, organized delivery of assets, and ability to be flexible and nimble with any development changes. With their designs and our development chops, the end result was exactly ‘On Target’.
When it came time to build the full site, we chose WordPress as the content management system. This allowed the Hudson team full control over their content. It also gave us the ability to add highly customized areas that don’t limit what we are capable of in web development.
5 Ways to Create Excitement Around a Product Launch
When you put your blood, sweat, and tears into a product, you want to make sure the launch is a HUGE success! The best way to do this is to create excitement around it. Download our top 5 strategies to find out how.
We use a plugin called Advanced Custom Fields to allow us to build-out unique content sections on the front-end as well as the back-end editor where our clients make most of their changes. It makes updating content and images super simple. Most off-the-shelf WordPress templates can be a nightmare because they don’t fit your exact need.
Everything on the site was created to drive users towards the gun and its features. The website ends up reading like a beautiful journey through an even more beautiful spec sheet, complete with subtle animations, sophisticated graphics, and powerful imagery. Even for non-gun owners, the appeal and intrigue is irresistible.
Special Features
One of our favorite parts of building this site were the subtle animations and on page interactions. The menu takes the cake for creativity, while the scrolling animations of the history timeline really brings the product and its evolution to life.
The layers of visuals and text provided an interesting canvas for us to explore animations and we loved the opportunity to add our own bit of creativity into the user experience as our dev team is skilled in subtle animations.
Client Success
Since product launch, the Hudsons have received several favorable reviews for the product – as well as resounding positive feedback on the website. The engagement from potential customers has exceeded their expectations, and they are looking forward to continuing to build their following with additional phases and iterations of the website. Specifically, we are looking ahead to ecommerce sales of merchandise, gear, and more.
Your Trusted Web Developer
We enjoy working with third-party design teams as they always bring new challenges we are ready to take on. With this project, we were able to continue experimenting with the process of applying subtle animations and modern technologies to sophisticated designs.
The overall timeline of the project was tight, so we were thrilled with our ability to get it done on time and within expectations. If you are looking for a team that is nimble and able to meet tight deadlines, look no further. Contact White Lion Interactive, your trusted web developer, and let’s build something great together.
