Logistics website built for RFQ-ready procurement teams
About project
Website Redesign · Website Design · Motion
SMG is a B2B freight and transport operator selling to shippers, manufacturers, and third-party logistics teams. Their buyers are procurement and operations managers building carrier shortlists before annual or mid-contract RFQs. A qualified enquiry is a structured quote request from a buyer who already understands SMG's modes, coverage, and capacity. When the digital experience fails, RFQs go to carriers whose websites answer capability questions in the first visit.
Challenges & approach
Problem
Procurement teams score carriers on weighted criteria: total landed cost, service capability, and carrier risk. Industry RFQ practice typically weights cost at 40-50%, capability at 30-40%, and risk at 15-25% (Warp freight RFP guidance, 2026). SMG's old site buried linehaul, warehousing, last-mile, and dedicated fleet under generic transport copy. There was no visible SLA language, credentials, or RFQ path, so buyers moved to carriers who looked faster to evaluate and quote.
Solution
We mapped the site to how logistics buyers shortlist carriers: service coverage and proof first, operational credentials second, one RFQ path third. Each mode got its own page with capacity signals, lane coverage, and a single enquiry action aligned to procurement workflow. Sales can now send one URL that supports a shortlist conversation without a follow-up capability deck.
What we focused on
Mode-specific service architecture
Linehaul, warehousing, last-mile, and dedicated fleet each have a dedicated page. Procurement teams search by mode first, not by a generic "services" menu.
RFQ-first conversion path
One structured quote request replaces buried contact pages. A qualified lead arrives already scoped to a service mode instead of a vague "get in touch" form.
Procurement-grade proof placement
Coverage, response times, and operational credentials sit where weighted scorecard evaluators look before pricing. Proof appears before brochure copy.
B2B messaging discipline
Copy uses logistics buyer language (SLAs, capacity, lane coverage, claims handling), not consumer parcel-shipping terms that undermine B2B credibility.
Mobile-ready evaluation
Procurement and ops managers often research between meetings on phone. Service pages and RFQ paths were prioritised for quick scanning and one-tap contact.
Process
We mapped the RFQ journey with the sales team, reviewed how established carriers present capability online, and rebuilt structure, messaging, and enquiry paths before design and launch.
Discovery
Sales interviews on lost RFQs traced the drop-off pattern: buyers could not map SMG's services to their lane network, could not find OTD or claims proof, and had no structured quote path for new accounts.
Customer and competitor research
We reviewed how leading carriers present network model, EDI/TMS integration, fuel surcharge transparency, and SLA terms. SMG was benchmarked against that evaluation standard, not brochure-style transport sites.
Information architecture and messaging
Navigation follows procurement search behaviour: mode first, then coverage and credentials, then RFQ. Each page answers questions a freight RFP template would ask before pricing enters the conversation.
UX, design, and conversion journey
Wireframes prioritised proof hierarchy and one primary action per service page. The RFQ flow was designed to capture lane, mode, and volume context sales needs to respond without a discovery call.
Search and visibility foundations
Service page titles, headings, and meta structure target mode-specific B2B search intent. Pages were built to answer comparison-stage queries procurement teams use when building a carrier shortlist.
Launch, tracking, and optimisation
Enquiry paths were set up for tracking by service mode and source. The site launched with a single sales-ready URL for RFQ conversations and room to measure which modes drive qualified requests.
What this approach is designed to improve
RFQ
Path clarity
A clearer path from service research to structured quote request instead of a generic contact page.
Proof
At decision point
More visible credentials, coverage, and SLA language at the moment procurement shortlists carriers.
Mode
Page alignment
Better alignment between how buyers evaluate carriers and how SMG's services are presented online.
1
Sales-ready URL
One link sales can send that explains scope and capability before the first RFQ conversation.
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