You know it when you experience it, smooth, clear, and intuitive and thoughtful. The kind of interaction that makes you trust the brand more by the minute and feel taken care of. No friction. No guessing what comes next. Just an easy “of course” all the way through. Like you’ve found your place and you’re relieved to be understood for who you are and what you need.

At Plum, sometime we build websites, but more often than not, we’re auditing existing sites, helping our clients find the right web dev solution, and providing context, branding, UX design direction and helping the website feel like the storefront you’ve always wanted where your customers feel at home (and ready to buy from you). We’ve worked across every platform, from Shopify to Magento to Woocommerce and across every industry, from Skincare to Menswear to Gunsmithing Tools. The biggest pattern? Most sites don’t suffer from a lack of visitors, They have service problems.

Great Service in Marketing

As a quick aside — most of us at Plum started our careers in hotels and restaurants. We’ve parked cars, plated banquets, checked in cranky guests at 1 a.m., and mixed martinis during the dinner rush.

So, yes — we get service.
(And we’re deeply thankful to now work in marketing, where no one asks us to work a double because the overnight front desk agent called in sick… and we don’t have to worry about having scrambled eggs in our hair.)

But that customer obsession?
It never left.

And honestly, it’s what makes us good at what we do. It’s why we treat websites like front desks, not billboards. We’re constantly asking:

Is this page anticipating what the customer needs next?
Does the copy feel human and reassuring?
Does this checkout flow feel more like “welcome back” or “wait, where am I?”

Your website isn’t just a piece of marketing. It’s digital hospitality.

Websites Are Your Lobby, Your Front Desk, Heck, They’re Even Your Breakfast Buffet

Ok, let’s get the analogy straight. Your homepage is not your front desk. It’s your lobby. It’s where guests enter, get a first impression, and decide whether they want to stay.

But your product pages, your checkout flow, that’s the front desk. It’s where people make decisions, hand over payment, and commit to you.

The problem? Most brands decorate the lobby and forget to staff the front desk. Worse yet, they put those annoying, personality void kiosks up and expect guests to fend for themselves and figure it out. Everything looks beautiful, but no one’s answering questions. And the customer is desperately trying to avoid getting a room next to the ice machine instead of getting talked into a suite upgrade.

We’ve seen it everywhere, mobile traffic surging but conversions lagging, checkout flows with surprise fees and clunky UX, product pages buried in jargon with bad pictures and confusing options. It’s the digital version of making a guest wait in line while three employees argue about who lost the package that was delivered for room 301. (We really hope you’re enjoying this thread we’re pulling through here as much as we are.)

And the fix isn’t Shopify apps, new tech or a fancier CMS. It’s service.

Good websites guide, they carry your luggage and point out the spa. They don’t make people work for the next step.

The Best Websites Anticipate the “Next Ask”

When we worked in hotels, great service meant seeing the need before it was spoken. You’d bring the extra napkin before someone asked. You’d top off a coffee halfway through the conversation. You’d say “I’ve already taken care of that.”

A great website does the same thing.

On the front end:

It shows your top-selling products first, not your entire catalog.
It displays price, shipping, and return info clearly, with no surprises.
It remembers you (logins, carts, preferences) so every visit feels familiar.

On the back end:

It loads quickly (Google says every second of delay can cut conversions by up to 20%).
It’s optimized for mobile, where 60%+ of traffic lives.
It uses data dashboards to connect marketing efforts with actual sales results.

That’s not “optimization.” That’s thoughtful service.

Check-In, Don’t Confuse

In hotels, check-in is make or break. Why do you think the Doubletree does it with a warm chocolate chip cookie? A warm greeting and a quick process set the tone. A missing reservation or a 10-minute line ruins it.

The website equivalent? Checkout.

Your checkout should feel fast, familiar, and friction-free — the online version of a friendly front-desk agent saying, “Welcome back, we’ve prepared your room just how you like it.”

At Plum, we look for:

Transparent costs (no surprise shipping fees), even better offer free shipping.
Multiple payment options.
Simple guest checkout.
Trust cues (reviews, security icons, flexible returns).

Cart abandonment isn’t a pricing issue. It’s a trust issue. And trust is what great service builds.

It’s Your Job to Provide The “Concierge Experience”

At a nice hotel, there’s always someone whose job is to solve problems you didn’t even know you had. That’s your website’s job, too.

Your content, your FAQs, product details, and educational resources, should anticipate and answer customer hesitations before they ever reach out. The brands that do this well don’t just sell more; they build loyalty. They make people feel seen, heard and understood.

Think “Here’s what makes this product worth it,” not “Add to Cart.”
Think “This page helps you make a confident choice,” not “This page looks cool.”

A good concierge doesn’t push. They guide.

Dashboards Are Your Daily Stand Up

In hospitality, every morning starts with a briefing. We always called it “stand up”: occupancy numbers, guest feedback, VIP arrivals. It keeps everyone aligned.

Dashboards do the same thing for marketing.

When you connect your systems — Mailchimp to GA4, Shopify to Klaviyo — you get clarity. You stop guessing what’s working and start optimizing what’s proven.

We don’t build reports to stare at numbers. We build them to run better service.

If you know where guests (or customers) drop off, you can fix the friction. If you know what’s driving repeat visits, you can replicate it.

That’s how exceptional service becomes growth and scale.

The Plum Good Perspective

Every website is a hospitality business. It’s just digital.

You don’t need marble floors or lobby jazz (but we do love a good lobby bar). You just need clarity, empathy, and a genuine desire to make the experience better for the person on the other side of the screen.

We’ve carried everything we learned from hotels, the instinct to anticipate, the ability to adapt, and the obsession with delighting guests, straight into marketing and straight into our clients’ businesses

Because when your website offers good service, people don’t just convert. They become loyal repeat customers.

Read the Comments +