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Australia’s original alcoholic ginger beer brand gets a brand new refresh.

CLIENT Matso's

SERVICES

Web Design Web Development AI Consultancy Graphic Design

The perfect balance of digital flavour and refreshment.

The word ‘Matso’s’ is synonymous with sun-soaked, blissfully warm days spent at the beach with an icy-cold, thirst-quenching drink in hand. Matso’s came to us needing a complete overhaul of their website to capture this vibe online, and we delivered just that.

Think Aussie larrikins, swaying palms, and a playful colour palette that looks as delicious as grandma’s famous pavlova. Drawing inspiration from new packaging, we expanded the set of characters to create a library of people and animals, slipping in ‘aussie-isms’ along the way. To take it even further, we brought them to life with animation, adding another layer of depth to the website.

In a testament to the websites design and user experience, Matso’s was awarded Website of the Year 2024 in the Hospitality Category at the Australian Web Awards. This recognition further solidifies Matso’s position as a leader in the industry, both in terms of their products and online presence.

PROBLEMS

SOLUTIONS

Problem

Lack of authenticity and direction

Matso's original website failed to capture the brand's authentic personality and direction.

SOLUTION

Introduce on brand personality and animations

Implemented brand elements including illustrations and subtle animations throughout the site to showcase Matso's playful and laid-back character.

Problem

Expanding into a new region

With Matso's expansion into Sunshine Coast, QLD, they faced a challenge of building market awareness in an entirely new region.

SOLUTION

Create engagement with social and digital billboards

Created an AI-powered video campaign for out-of-home advertising, with content displayed on social media platforms and digital billboards across Australia.

Problem

Minimal inventory control

Matso’s needed an eCommerce solution that would streamline inventory control and simplify operations.

SOLUTION

Custom eCommerce platform with integrations

Built a custom-designed eCommerce platform for Matso's merchandise, with user-friendly management tools and integration into their platforms

Problem

Users unable to find outlets

Matso’s original beerfinder tool was incompatible with the website architecture and users couldn't effectively locate Matso's products.

SOLUTION

Redevelop the stockist mapping system

Developed a new beerfinder system that comprehensively maps all Matso's stockists throughout Australia.

Problem

Slow and unreliable website

There were performance issues across the site due to heavy media content and beerfinder functionality, making it slow and unreliable on standard hosting platforms.

SOLUTION

Reduce content weight and create a bespoke VPS

Introduced a specialist Virtual Private Server (VPS) solution to efficiently handle the site's media-heavy content and beerfinder functionality, ensuring smooth performance.

Matsos-Video-Thumbnail

Multiple hands raising Matso's Brewery beer cans in an overhead shot showing orange branded packaging

A smartphone displaying the Matso's Brewery app or website with a colourful illustrated design

Multiple Matso's Ginger Beer teal cans arranged in a row landscape banner format

“I’ve worked with Start on two new websites over the last six months and they have been nothing but a dream to work with. Great communication, kept to deadlines (and kept our team on our toes for deliverables which was great) and the finished products exceeded expectations. Thanks for all of your hard work Start Team, can’t wait to work on more projects together in the future!”

Jacob Dibb

Marketing Manager, Good Drinks Australia

Technology

Framework Timber

Database Maria DB

Illustrations Adobe Illustrator

Design Figma

Language Twig & Javascript

CMS Wordpress

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