Woodstock Foods is the flagship brand of UNFI, a national food distributor whose portfolio also includes companies such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s. Their commitment to sustainably grown, high-quality, and satisfying food had long made them a stand-out brand in the natural foods market, with a large and active fan base. However, their website had not kept pace with their vibrant social media presence and sustainable company values. Our Digital Experience team, led by Jon Steinberg, was hired by UNFI’s marketing entity, Blue Marble, to lead the revamp of their website and their digital brand experience. As part of the design process, we also worked for UNFI, reconfiguring their content in addition to Woodstock’s.

Solidifying Woodstock’s digital presence was more than just a website redesign. The website would provide the foundation to build upon and develop deeper more meaningful relationships with customers current and future. Our objective was two-fold: To bridge the gap between the online and the social media presence, as well as to mature the brand’s identity on both outlets. Ultimately, we wanted to bring the Woodstock voice throughout their tech outlets and to enable them to stand out in the natural foods market.

To uncover the respective wants, needs, and desires of Woodstock and their consumers, we took a three-pronged approach:

• First, we connected with Woodstock’s 30,000 followers in order to better understand their perspective on the brand and why they love it. 
• Then, we conducted a competitive analysis to understand where and how Woodstock’s branding stands out. 
• We also engaged with Woodstock’s business stakeholders, thus ensuring that we were aware of the expectations of all parties affected by the design revamp.

Based on our research and outreach, Jon and his team concluded that Woodstock’s demographics were largely composed of women between the ages of 28-50, many of them mothers who valued health and nutrition in their food choices. Their design strategy was therefore to create a sophisticated site that offered a sleek and clean layout, efficient and intuitive structure, easily accessible information on the nutritional value of products, and a state-of-the-art Shopify experience. 

The Digital Experience team collaborated with Woodstock’s developers to implement the brand vision and website redesign accordingly. The revamped website included motifs that visually aligned with Woodstock’s recognizable “wood grain” packaging. It also included social media integration to showcase how the exciting, innovative ways that home cooks were using Woodstock products. As part of this, we coordinated with a third-party agency that focused on the re-branding of their social media.

From stakeholder engagement through concept, design, and implementation, the project was an overall 12-month process. The result was a fully responsive site that not only positions Woodstock as a market leader with top-of-the-line products, but also provides a community setting for information, product launches, and promotional messages. Ultimately, these elements of Woodstock’s redesigned website help to elevate their mantra of “Eat because it’s good.”