HL Group is a technical wholesale company operating in the Finnish market with three business segments. The company imports and markets automotive spare parts and accessories, automotive and industrial paint systems, as well as consumables used in industrial equipment, such as bearings, seals, and conveyor solutions.
The new website was designed based on the idea of how HL Group, as a company, adds value to its customers—not only through product selection and availability but also in other ways.
HL Group has three business segments, each with its own sales strategy. A major shortcoming of the old content structure was the inability to clearly distinguish these business areas as separate entities. This was addressed by redesigning the website.
Another goal was to elevate the company to its rightful position in the market. A prime example of this is its automotive and industrial paints segment, where HL Group is among the industry leaders as the importer of global paint giant Axalta’s brands and systems. Making the value of this offering visible to customers was a key priority.
The site was structured to ensure that target groups could easily find relevant content and navigate it seamlessly. Since HL Group operates in the Finnish market, the primary language of the website is Finnish, aligning with the needs of its customers.
Two main user groups were identified: new and existing customers, along with several subgroups. HL Group’s primary target groups for automotive and industrial paints include large auto body shops or chains, as well as heavy-duty and industrial manufacturers.
We analyzed data from the previous website to identify various customer needs and usage patterns. Additionally, we reviewed key content with the customer service manager to create clear, easily accessible pathways to essential information.
Since logging into the product catalog was a common user need, we added a login link at the top of the website.
Additionally, we:
When a potential customer arrives on the website, the most important thing is to clearly communicate the product range and the additional value the company offers.
In the website renewal process, we:
When embarking on this project, we knew we were setting a high bar for ourselves. The previous website was already considered a top performer by many industry standards, so expectations were high. However, we had sufficient background knowledge of the company, and our vision was reinforced by valuable input and feedback from the marketing manager leading the project.
The end result is a website that is visually fresh and recognizable. The target groups are clearly defined, and they are directly addressed with content that highlights the added value HL Group provides.
Beyond the objectives set for the client, Ideavirta had its own internal goals for the project. We decided to experiment with managing the project in ClickUp, ensuring that concept planning, the client’s key representative, and the technical implementation team could share information through this tool. However, this approach proved problematic. We structured the project incorrectly, breaking it down in a way that led to unnecessary bureaucracy and complexity.
Both Ari, who led the project at Ideavirta, and the technical development lead soon realized that the overall view of the project had become unclear and needed to be adjusted on the fly. The project was restructured in ClickUp using a different approach, which turned out to be significantly better, and we continued with that model through to completion. At the same time, we decided not to burden the client with these adjustments—customer communication remained streamlined through other channels.
