Redesigning the website of Mannings Bakery, an established Irish bakery manufacturer, around what prospective retail partners need to evaluate a supplier and start a conversation.
Client:
Mannings Bakery
My Role:
UX/UI designer
Tools:
Figma, FigJam,
Framer
Duration:
8 weeks
01 · OVERVIEW
An established supplier with a bigger story than its website told
02 · THE PROBLEM
The information was there. Buyers had to dig for it
A prospect arriving from a trade show, LinkedIn or a referral needs to understand quickly what Mannings makes, whether it can supply at retail scale and how to get in touch. The current site made them assemble that answer themselves.
03 · GOALS
Three jobs for the website
I agreed three priorities with the client before researching further, and used them to judge every design decision.
04 · RESEARCH
Four sources, one picture of what buyers need
The audit showed what could be improved. It could not show what buyers prioritise, so I combined it with competitor benchmarking, internal interviews and market data.
Website audit
I reviewed the site against the questions a retail buyer asks when evaluating a supplier: what does Mannings make, can it support retail at scale, what builds trust, and what should I do next?
Competitive analysis
I looked at three B2B bakery suppliers to see what they communicate. None is a direct copy of Mannings, but each shows a way to build buyer confidence.
Stakeholder interviews
I interviewed sales and business development and the NPD manager, then held a discussion with senior stakeholders. I synthesised the notes on an affinity map to find patterns across the three views.
Market context
A review of Bord Bia in-store bakery data for Britain added commercial context. In-store bakery is under pressure, and buyers want a reason for shoppers to visit more often.
This is why the redesign gives hero products, led by Pastel de Nata, prominence above the broader ranges: a differentiated product gives buyers a reason for shoppers to come back.
This led to two questions:
01 — How might we help prospective buyers quickly see that Mannings can supply at scale?
02 — How might we show what makes Mannings different from larger bakery manufacturers?
This helped narrow the concept around three priorities:
01 — Trust
Build trust through clear proof of capability. Show accreditations, scale and real retail experience so buyers can see Mannings can supply at the required level.
02 — Clarity
Make key information quick and easy to find. Give buyers a clear path from discovery to enquiry, with simple navigation and easy-to-evaluate product information.
03 — Scalability
Build a scalable, easy-to-maintain site. Use reusable content structures so the Mannings team can update it and add new products and markets over time.
06 · STRUCTURE AND USER FLOW
Organising the site around the buyer's questions
I rebuilt the information architecture around how a retail partner evaluates a supplier, and mapped the journey from first visit to enquiry.
08 · THE FINAL DESIGN
A website that leads with capability and keeps the heritage
The final site leads with what Mannings can do for a retail partner. Heritage becomes supporting proof, and every page points to a clear next step.
Visual Language
PROTOTYPE
Reflection
A B2B website earns its place by moving a buyer towards a conversation with Sales. This project taught me to design for that moment. I stopped asking “what does Mannings make?” and started asking “what does a retailer need to see before they get in touch?” The answer was proof, clarity and a simple next step, and every design decision became easier once I worked from it.
What I Took Away From the Project
01 — Research changes the content, not just the layout.
The audit showed what to fix, but the stakeholder interviews showed what mattered most. Almost every problem was about what came first and what was missing.
02 — In B2B, proof builds trust.
Buyers act on evidence: accreditations, scale and real retail experience, shown early and in specific terms.