Implementing a Drupal 10 solution for The Donkey Sanctuary to streamline online retail and increase revenue
Client overview
The Donkey Sanctuary, established in the 1960s, has grown into one of the world’s largest equine charities, dedicated to improving the lives of donkeys globally. With a vision of ensuring every donkey enjoys a good quality of life, they have positively impacted over 30,000 donkeys and 17,000 people in 2022 alone.
Their ongoing projects continue to reach an additional 13,000 donkeys and mules across various regions, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to equine welfare and community engagement.
Their ongoing projects continue to reach an additional 13,000 donkeys and mules across various regions, demonstrating their unwavering commitment to equine welfare and community engagement.
The challenge
The Donkey Sanctuary encountered significant hurdles in optimising their digital presence for revenue generation and user engagement. Their retail shop was underperforming, generating four times less revenue compared to donations and adoptions, which prompted the need for a new online retail solution using Adobe Commerce.
Alongside this, the charity faced pressing security issues with their existing CMS website, making undertaking a complete rebuild using Drupal 10 essential. This rebuild aimed to enhance security and provide a more intuitive user experience, enabling smoother transactions and interactions for their supporters and potential adopters across the UK and Ireland.
We have proudly partnered with The Donkey Sanctuary since 2011, collaborating on a range of projects that include our digital strategy, and hosting and support services. This long-standing relationship has allowed us to deeply understand their mission and goals, enabling us to provide tailored digital solutions that enhance their outreach and engagement efforts to support donkey welfare worldwide.
Alongside this, the charity faced pressing security issues with their existing CMS website, making undertaking a complete rebuild using Drupal 10 essential. This rebuild aimed to enhance security and provide a more intuitive user experience, enabling smoother transactions and interactions for their supporters and potential adopters across the UK and Ireland.
We have proudly partnered with The Donkey Sanctuary since 2011, collaborating on a range of projects that include our digital strategy, and hosting and support services. This long-standing relationship has allowed us to deeply understand their mission and goals, enabling us to provide tailored digital solutions that enhance their outreach and engagement efforts to support donkey welfare worldwide.
— Jason Bell Head of Digital, The Donkey Sanctuary"I have worked with numerous agencies throughout my career, but my experience with cti has only been positive.
We feel like we’re part of the same team, which is fundamentally important for me. I genuinely can’t recommend them highly enough."
The approach
Recognising the urgency of enhancing their retail revenue alongside securing their online presence, we crafted a tailored plan that incorporated both technical excellence and user-focused design.
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Technical planning and discovery:
We conducted thorough assessments of existing documentation and held workshops to gather technical requirements for the new site, ensuring our efforts aligned with the Adobe Commerce project and future growth goals. -
Drupal 10 rebuild:
We divided the build into two phases, focusing the first on back-end development, which included setting up the Drupal 10 environment, configuring core modules, and preparing for later integrations with Adobe Commerce. -
eCommerce integration:
Collaborating closely with the Adobe Commerce team, we designed an integration that would enable users to access and purchase retail items easily, enhancing the overall shopping experience. -
Enhanced user experience:
We implemented user-centric designs during the front-end development phase, introducing features such as a multi-language option, which would appeal to a broader audience and encourage greater engagement. -
Ongoing hosting and support:
Our long-standing relationship with The Donkey Sanctuary enabled us to provide reliable hosting and responsive support, ensuring the website operates smoothly throughout the transition and beyond.
The results
This targeted overhaul not only streamlined their online retail capabilities but also enriched the overall user experience, leading to significant improvements in both engagement and revenue.
Our ongoing commitment to providing reliable hosting and support ensures that The Donkey Sanctuary's website continues to operate smoothly. We are proud of the results achieved through our collaboration and look forward to continuing to support their important work in equine welfare.
Our ongoing commitment to providing reliable hosting and support ensures that The Donkey Sanctuary's website continues to operate smoothly. We are proud of the results achieved through our collaboration and look forward to continuing to support their important work in equine welfare.
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Improved retail revenue:
The integration of Adobe Commerce has created a new and more effective retail shop, which is expected to boost online sales and contribute to overall financial support for the charity. -
Enhanced user engagement:
With the improved user experience, we have seen an increase in overall website traffic and engagement. The intuitive design encourages visitors to interact more with their content, making it easier for supporters to get involved. -
Increased security:
Transitioning to Drupal 10 has addressed previous security concerns, ensuring that the website is secure for transactions and user data, which is essential for maintaining trust with donors and supporters. -
Scalable infrastructure:
The new site architecture facilitates future growth and enhancements, enabling The Donkey Sanctuary to incorporate additional features and functionalities as their needs evolve.
