The Solution
Axelerant led a comprehensive transformation spanning user journey mapping, design strategy, content modeling, platform engineering, and conversion optimization — with a single unifying goal:
Transform Kohler’s digital presence into a connected influence engine that drives measurable partner activation.
User Journey Mapping — From Inspiration to Partner Engagement
We began by defining the end-to-end journey — understanding both consumer motivations and partner dependencies.
Our analysis revealed two primary journey archetypes:
1. Homeowners and Designers (B2C influence path) – Visitors seeking inspiration, design guidance, or product discovery. Their emotional journey started with aspiration — “I want my space to feel like this” — and moved toward confidence — “I trust this brand to make it real.”
2. Dealers, Distributors, and Trade Professionals (B2B conversion path) – Users looking for specifications, installation details, or lead generation — aiming to transform online demand into tangible sales opportunities.
Mapping these journeys highlighted the conversion inflection points — moments when a visitor shifts from exploration to action:
- Viewing a specific collection or product finish.
- Locating a nearby showroom or installer.
- Submitting a design consultation or project request.
These insights shaped both the information architecture and conversion flow, ensuring the experience intuitively guided users from inspiration to the most relevant form of engagement — without friction.
Design Strategy — Functional Luxury, Digitally Expressed
Kohler’s design philosophy of gracious living was translated into a digital principle: “Functional Luxury.”
This meant creating a site that felt premium — yet performed with precision and clarity.
- Visual Confidence: Photography-driven layouts and cinematic imagery showcased Kohler’s design leadership.
- Motion as Rhythm: Transitions mimicked the flow of water — subtle, fluid, reassuring.
- Tactile Precision: Micro-interactions and hover states brought a sense of craftsmanship to every touch.
- Conversion Embedded in Elegance: Calls to action (“Book a consultation,” “Find a dealer,” “Explore collection”) were integrated within visual storytelling — never intrusive, always natural.
- Mobile-First Experience: Optimized navigation and performance ensured users could explore products, galleries, or dealer maps effortlessly across devices.
The result was a digital aesthetic that breathed luxury while guiding behavior, turning emotional engagement into measurable action.
Content Strategy — Connecting Storytelling to Distribution
Content became the connective tissue between brand inspiration and partner conversion.
Axelerant developed a scalable content strategy and taxonomy that linked narrative depth with transactional clarity.
- Experience-Led Architecture: Structured content into three connected layers — Inspire (stories, spaces), Discover (collections, materials), and Act (consult, locate, purchase).
- Localization Framework: Enabled global teams to adapt stories, campaigns, and calls-to-action based on regional product lines and dealer availability.
- SEO and Discoverability: Rebuilt metadata and content relationships to boost organic visibility and intent-driven discovery.
- Editorial System: Empowered marketing teams to publish lifestyle content that flows directly into product and dealer journeys.
- Behavioral Personalization: Content surfaced dynamically based on user geography and browsing behavior — ensuring every region saw relevant products, visuals, and CTAs.
This strategy reframed content from brand expression to conversion storytelling — influencing preference while driving to channel partners.
Platform Engineering — Unified Experience, Global Scale
Axelerant architected a Drupal-based global platform designed for flexibility, governance, and scale across markets and product divisions.
- Multi-site Global Architecture: A shared Drupal core supporting regional variations and product lines.
- Design System Implementation: Component library with reusable tokens for visual and functional consistency.
- API Integration Layer: Connected CMS with CRM, dealer locators, and campaign management systems.
- Performance and Accessibility: Achieved a 40% improvement in site load times with optimized caching, CDN, and accessibility standards.
- Scalable Content Governance: Role-based permissions allowed regional editors to manage local content while preserving brand alignment.
The new platform united storytelling, product exploration, and partner connection into a single digital system — a luxury experience engineered for agility and insight.
Conversion Strategy — Influence Meets Activation
Rather than focusing on “add-to-cart,” Kohler’s conversion strategy focused on micro-conversions that signaled real intent — connecting digital behavior to dealer engagement.
Axelerant embedded an ongoing optimization framework:
- Conversion Funnel Design: Mapped high-intent actions — brochure downloads, consultation bookings, store locator interactions, and product inquiries.
- Dynamic CTAs: Adjusted calls-to-action based on user type, location, and product category.
- Form Simplification: Reduced friction by auto-filling region and interest data from browsing history.
- Lead Handoff Automation: Integrated CRM workflows routed leads to the nearest distributor or showroom instantly.
- Insight Loop: Conversion dashboards visualized regional engagement metrics, allowing continuous optimization across campaigns and content types.
This created a closed-loop conversion ecosystem — every interaction, from page view to dealer visit, became measurable and improvable.
