Dealer Port: Designing and Building a Dealer-Only Ecommerce Platform

Client
Notus Electronics Ltd.
St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

 

Overview

Notus Electronics develops advanced wireless monitoring, gear-finding, and target detection systems for professional fishing operations.

The company needed a secure dealer-only ecommerce platform that would provide authorized distributors access to products, pricing, training materials, and support resources while maintaining a streamlined purchasing experience.

I was brought in to design the user experience and ultimately build the Shopify-based platform used by dealers throughout the network.

 

The Challenge

The platform needed to serve multiple roles simultaneously.

Dealers needed a way to:

  • Browse specialized products

  • Access account-specific information

  • View training and support resources

  • Manage purchasing workflows

  • Navigate a growing catalog of highly technical equipment

The challenge was creating an experience that felt simple and approachable despite the complexity of the underlying products and dealer relationships.

 

My Approach

Rather than treating the project as a traditional ecommerce build, I approached it as a product-design problem.

The work began with:

  • User flow mapping

  • Information architecture

  • Wireframing

  • Interactive prototyping

  • Stakeholder review sessions

Interactive prototypes were created to test navigation patterns and validate workflows before implementation began.

Once the design direction was approved, I translated the experience into a fully functioning Shopify solution.

 

What I Contributed

Product Design

  • Information architecture

  • User flows

  • Wireframes

  • Interactive prototypes

  • UI design

Ecommerce Strategy

  • Dealer-focused purchasing workflows

  • Product discovery improvements

  • Catalog organization

  • Navigation systems

  • Shopify Development

  • Shopify theme implementation

  • Front-end development

  • Responsive layouts

  • Content integration

  • Launch support

 

Outcome

The resulting Dealer Port provided Notus Electronics with a centralized platform for dealer engagement, product discovery, and ecommerce transactions.

By combining product design, UX strategy, and Shopify development, the project delivered a scalable foundation that could support future growth while simplifying day-to-day dealer interactions.

Tools: Sketch, Marvel, Zeplin, Shopify, Airtable

 

Sampling of Outcome Screens:

Alan Houser