Heron Foods puts deals first in major website overhaul with Blink

Heron Foods has launched a new website designed to bring its extensive product catalogue, latest promotions and national store network together in one streamlined experience for customers.

Led by Head of Marketing Rebecca Maltby, who previously worked as part of Morrisons' marketing team, the project has been delivered in partnership with Hull-based digital agency Blink, building on a six-year relationship between the two businesses.

For Heron Foods, offers are central to the customer experience. They attract customers into stores, encourage further purchases and give shoppers a reason to keep coming back. Making those deals easier to discover online was therefore a key priority.

Drawing on her experience in retail marketing, Rebecca worked closely with Blink to rethink how Heron Foods presents its products and promotions online, with a particular focus on the journey from discovering an offer to visiting a store.

Rebecca Maltby, Head of Marketing at Heron Foods, said:

“Our customers love Heron for the great bargains they can find and the sense that there’s always something new to discover. We wanted the website to bring more of that in-store experience online, making it easier for customers to discover our latest offers and giving them another reason to visit their local Heron

The team at Blink have been excellent throughout. They've understood what we wanted to achieve, challenged our thinking where needed and worked closely with us to find solutions. They've brought some great ideas to the project, and we're really pleased with what we've achieved together.”

Connecting technology with the customer experience

Behind the new design sits a substantial technical development project.

Blink developed bespoke functionality to bring Heron's product catalogue, promotional content and product information together. By automatically pulling through the latest product imagery, descriptions and nutritional information, the website stays up to date as products change, including seasonal packaging, promotional variations and updated product details. Heron's marketing team can now build promotional content directly from the catalogue, confident they're using the most current and accurate information, while making offers easier to manage and significantly reducing duplicated work.

Blink also developed a bespoke tool to process and standardise store information, including addresses, opening hours and location data. Customers can now browse products and promotions before finding their nearest store, with direct links from product pages helping connect online discovery with a physical visit.

The mobile experience has also been redesigned under the direction of Blink's Creative Director, Ben Keith, with clearer navigation and a greater emphasis on making offers easy to discover.

Search played an important role in shaping the website. Blink analysed how customers look for products, promotions and local stores, using those insights to plan the site's structure and make relevant content easier to discover through Google. The approach connects Heron's online visibility with the customer journey towards visiting a store.

Six years of working together

Blink has worked with Heron Foods for six years, with the latest project bringing together the agency's design, development and SEO specialists.

Jacob Blakey, Client Director at Blink, said:

“We've worked with Heron Foods for six years, but this has been one of our most interesting projects together. Rebecca and her team had a clear vision for what they wanted to achieve, and it's pushed us to bring together some sophisticated technology with a much simpler customer experience.

“That's the work we enjoy most. Taking something technically demanding and making it feel effortless for the people using it. It's been a brilliant project to be part of.”

Founded in 2008 and now based at Hesslewood Country Office Park, Blink is led by directors Jacob Blakey, Ben Keith and James Capper. The agency specialises in search-led websites and bespoke integrations, with clients ranging from regional businesses to national organisations, including Great Britain Ice Hockey, East Riding Council, Raytheon, QinetiQ and ProGARM.

Blink has also invested heavily in artificial intelligence, incorporating AI-assisted technology into its research, technical analysis and development processes. The investment is helping its specialists work more efficiently, explore solutions in greater depth and take on increasingly ambitious projects.

For Heron Foods, which opened its first store in Hull in 1979, the launch brings its online presence closer to the way its customers shop, using digital technology to support the experience of visiting its stores.