Custom build membership platform with bespoke reporting.
A new, effective website for the UK's largest ecommerce association
What did IMRG need?
IMRG is the UK’s membership body for the ecommerce industry. Their website was running on a bespoke platform that relied on a single developer to function. That is not a website strategy. It is a risk.
IMRG serves two distinct audiences: retailers who join for market data, benchmarks and intelligence to improve their ecommerce performance, and solution providers who join to build brand awareness and generate leads within the retail community. Each audience needs a different journey and a different reason to engage.
The old site was failing both of them. Built on a custom platform with limited backend flexibility, it was dependent on one developer for any meaningful change. The design no longer reflected IMRG’s updated branding. High bounce rates indicated that users were landing and leaving without finding what they needed. Membership journeys were unclear. The site was not supporting the commercial objectives the organisation needed it to support.
IMRG had conducted user interviews and testing with members and non-members before coming to us. The direction of travel was clear. The brief was to build a proper WordPress platform that could serve both audiences, grow with the organisation and never again be hostage to a single developer’s availability.
Issues with the existing site:
- Bespoke custom platform with no support ecosystem – entirely dependent on a single developer
- Design dated and misaligned with IMRG’s updated brand
- High bounce rates indicating poor user journeys for both retailer and solution provider audiences
- Membership tiers and value proposition not communicated clearly
- No scalable path for adding members area functionality, data access or events content
- The site was not converting interest into membership enquiries effectively
Our approach
Project overview
A full rebuild combining strategy, UX, design and development. User research already completed by IMRG informed the direction. Early Wix templates created internally provided a starting point, evolved into a considered, scalable WordPress platform built around two distinct membership audiences.
Membership journeys
- Separate, clearly structured journeys for retailers and solution providers
- Membership tiers presented clearly – free data participation, paid dashboard access, premium membership packages
- Calls to action and enquiry points integrated throughout so users can engage at the right moment in their journey
- Content and messaging structured to reduce bounce rates and encourage deeper engagement with IMRG’s data and insights
Design
- Design refreshed to align with IMRG’s updated branding and current market positioning
- Layouts redesigned to be clearer, more engaging and more conversion-focused for both audience types
- User research findings from IMRG’s own interviews with members and non-members incorporated into structural decisions
- Early internal Wix templates used as a reference point, evolved into a properly considered platform
WordPress build
Bespoke WordPress build replacing the custom legacy platform. The move to WordPress means IMRG now has access to a wide support ecosystem rather than a single developer dependency. Purpose-built ACF content blocks give the internal team control over content without developer involvement for day-to-day changes.
The platform is architected to grow – new members area functionality, data access, reports and events content can all be added as IMRG’s proposition evolves.
Members area
The platform is built to support a personalised members area providing access to digital dashboards, benchmarking reports, optimisation guides and event content. The architecture accommodates new functionality as IMRG’s data and membership offering develops – without requiring a rebuild each time something new is added.
A membership organisation?
If your site is not serving your members or prospective members properly – or you are too reliant on a single developer to make it work – we should talk.
Tell us where things are breaking down and we will tell you how we would fix them.
The results
100
Google PageSpeed score on mobile and desktop at launch
2
Distinct audience journeys – retailers and solution providers both served through clear, separate pathways
Nada
Single-developer dependency – IMRG now has a full WordPress support ecosystem behind the platform
100%
Of content manageable by the internal team – no developer involvement needed for day-to-day publishing and updates
Scalable
Members area, data dashboards, reports and events functionality all accommodated as the platform grows
Rebranded
Updated visual identity properly reflected in the new build – design and platform aligned for the first time
Technical details
WordPress theme
Built on our own bare-bones WordPress starter theme. No inherited styles, no third-party framework dependencies, no bloat. Before any design work goes in, we run the blank theme through Google PageSpeed Insights and aim for 100 out of 100 on both mobile and desktop. That discipline is what makes the performance scores possible.
Plugins
We keep third-party plugins to a minimum. This site uses ACF-powered content blocks edited in the Gutenberg editor. The default WordPress block library was disabled entirely – editors can only use the purpose-built blocks we created, which means every page is built consistently and on-brand regardless of who published it.
Members area architecture
The platform is structured to support personalised member access to dashboards, reports, guides and event content. WordPress’s open ecosystem means integrations with data providers, access control tools and third-party platforms can be added as the membership offering develops – without rebuilding the site each time.
Marketing funnel support
Newsletter sign-ups, event registrations and content access all supported through the site structure. Analytics integrated to track engagement across both audience types. The platform is the central hub of IMRG’s marketing funnel – everything is built to support that role rather than work around it.
Why WordPress was the right platform for IMRG.
Bespoke platforms look appealing when you build them. They look very different three years later when the developer who built them has moved on.
IMRG’s previous site was built bespoke. At the time, that probably felt like control – a platform built exactly to specification, no compromises. The reality is that a bespoke platform with no wider ecosystem means you are entirely dependent on one person to keep it running. When that person is unavailable, progress stops. When they leave, you have a system nobody else fully understands.
WordPress solved that problem immediately. There is a global developer community, extensive documentation, a mature plugin ecosystem and agencies like us who can step in, understand the codebase and carry the work forward. IMRG will never again be in a position where a single developer is the critical dependency for their most important marketing asset.
The other argument for WordPress here is scalability. IMRG’s proposition is evolving – new data products, new membership tiers, a growing members area. On a bespoke platform, each of those additions requires custom development work from scratch, on a codebase only one person knows. On WordPress, they can be built by any competent developer working with a well-structured theme and a clear content architecture.
IMRG needed a platform it could rely on, maintain and grow. That is what WordPress is built for.
