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Health & Beauty

Company Profile

Lifestyle is a partnership comprising a group of self-employed health practitioners, beauticians and therapists. From their studio, the partners offer a full range of beauty, homeopathy and complementary treatments - such as allergy testing, migraine relief, Indian head massage, Reiki energy healing, and infertility treatments - as well as dietary advice and sports massage. Many of the partners continue to offer home visits and a number offer treatments at their local GP surgeries.

Business Need

The partnership were keen to further develop the business by building on 4 years of success. Traditionally, new clients were referred to the Lifestyle Studio on ‘word of mouth’ - recommendation from local dentists, doctors, hairdressers and, of course, existing clients. The partners had experimented with publishing a Europe-wide newsletter for sale to individual practitioners for customisation prior to onward circulation to their own clients. However, the effectiveness of this in developing new and additional business was limited.

eCommerce Solution

To address the business requirements, the partners developed a business plan, with help from the WDA’s Business Eye support service.

The partners approached ICT providers to quote for the supply, installation, support and maintenance of a PC network for the Studio.  

• Six laptops and docking stations were acquired, with wireless networking and broadband Internet access.
• They also integrated business Internet banking services directly into the Microsoft Money financial package.
• For on-line sales and marketing plus the publication of educational information - as previously promoted via the newsletter - a Web design solution was also implemented. Through this, the partners became more aware of the Web and how pages could be built and maintained. To ensure that the Web site was developed to the highest standards and to ensure that it attracted the widest range of potential customers, they had extensively researched the Web for the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act, information architecture and usability, and W3C accessibility levels.

Business Benefits

• Whether working from the Studio or at homes, each partner can now refer to their latest diary appointments on-line and access case notes prior to a consultation as well updating records at the end of a treatment.
• Clients can book appointments through the Web site as well as purchase recommended products.
• The electronic newsletter can also be downloaded by affiliated practitioners and customised prior to distribution to clients.
• Similarly, through the Web site, both clients and affiliated practitioners are kept up-to-date with developments in the fields of homeopathy, complementary therapy, sport massage and beauty treatments.
• Effective eMail use to communicate with clients has helped to build and maintain strong relationships with customers.
• As qualified practitioners, the partners can also use the PCs for Internet access in order to gain new skills and qualifications and, ultimately, further their business aspirations.