So for all of your model railroading needs, be sure to visit Fast Track’s fantastic Volusion store.

Welcome to the Brand Labs family, Fast Tracks!

Granted, it’s not fully merchandised (unless you’re looking to stock up on some lorem ipsum) but even now you can begin to get an idea of the full range of alternative energy products that will soon be available at Solar Geek.

We also designed and implemented their blog.  Again, it’s not quite ready for its national debut, but, like we said, the summer sun’s got us thinking solar, so we thought we’d pass it along.

Congratulations, Solar Geek!

Every shopping cart has default checkout process graphics (the “cart – checkout – receipt” icons at the top of the page during the checkout process) and there are literally bazillions of free icons available all over the interwebs for those who want to customize the process a little.  However, there is a certain type of compulsive design nerd for whom that simply isn’t enough.  For those poor souls, every element of every site must be designed from scratch.  That compulsive attention to detail is exactly what we look for in a designer and our clients get to reap the benefits.

Take, for instance, the graphic you see above.  Created for Flanigan Farms (purveyors of fruit and nuts), it isn’t anything you could ever hope to find on a stock icon site.  Its non-literal interpretation of the order process is a lovely bit of storytelling and it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes a custom site so compelling.

While on the one hand, this post is most certainly an endorsement of (and advertisement for) our creative services, it’s also intended to point out that in the competitive eCommerce marketplace, you have to exploit every opportunity you have to reinforce your brand.  In the end, when placed head to head with your competition, your brand is your strongest weapon.  If people connect with you, they’re likelier to buy from you.  Don’t squander any opportunity to distinguish yourself from the other guys.

See more great examples after the jump…

Airsoft Atlanta

Filing Supplies

Leland Tea

Southern Belle

Xoopii

Aiken’s Airplanes

Born On Earth

Shop Fuego

Model Roundup

Soigne

Tattoo U Direct

Verde Lifestyles

Windblue Power

BTTF.net

In every case shown above, the icons match the look and feel of the store so that the shopping experience remains consistent from beginning to end.  Good design contributes to brand credibility.  Brand credibility contributes to consumer confidence.  Consumer confidence contributes to conversions.  Ergo, good design = increased sales.  We totally proved it right there.

Lighting by Lux is the online sister store to Lux Lighting – a 20 year old institution with a 7500 square foot brick and mortar showroom in Atlanta, GA.  Seventy.  Five.  Hundred.  Square.  Feet. That’s a heck of a lot of lights.  Let’s put it this way: there are over 300 items in their chandelier category.  That basically means that if you need a fixture and Lux doesn’t have it, you’d better start building it yourself because we’re pretty sure they carry everything that plugs in and lights up.

Welcome to the Brand Labs family, Lighting by Lux!

… see?  No more light-related puns – just like we promised… just a radiant review of our brilliant new client.

Damn.  So close…

The Olive Oil Merchant stands poised to deliver only the finest Italian olive oil and specialty foods to our lucky, lucky canuckian neighbors.  With their clear dedication to quality and tradition, they’re sure to bring some Mediterranean sunshine to the Great White North.

Congratulations on the lovely new website, Olive Oil Merchant!

We’d love to give you the lowdown on the site, but the headline pretty much says it all… except that eUndies was established in 2003 and has been the goto store for cute and/or sexy underthings ever since.

… but we still stand by the headline.

Welcome to the Brand Labs family, eUndies!

More than just a website design, our relationship with Cool Tools extends to merchandising, marketing and even custom development on an ongoing basis because they’re part of our growing family of Brand Labs Complete clients.  Of course, we’d hate to make this posting all about us, so back to the topic at hand…

Even for the experienced metal clay artist, Cool Tools offers a unique line of products, because they’re not just a store, they’re a brand – offering a full range of supplies and tools that you can’t find anywhere else.

Congratulations on your new store, Cool Tools!  We think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Xoopii is dedicated to being green, but not beating you over the head with it.  They create artist-driven products with eco-friendly materials in limited editions to help guarantee that you’ll never end up at a party carrying the same tote bag as the hostess (always an embarrassing situation).

Welcome to the Brand Labs family, Xoopii!

Graphic 45 specializes in unique papers that utilize vintage images and patterns for crafters looking for that early 20th century feel.  The store and the papers are so warm and inviting that we just want to curl up inside of them and take a nap on a rainy Sunday afternoon.

Congratulations to Graphic 45 on their utterly charming new store!

“Thanks! You all are the best company I have ever done business with hands down”

That seems pretty darn definitive if you ask us, but you don’t have to ask us.  Go to Acure Organics and ask them… and buy some fantastic bath and body products while you’re there.

Thanks Acure and welcome to the family!