Blanca Padel
- UX/UI design
- Front-end development
- Art direction
- Photography
Blanca Padel is a USA-born breakaway padel brand that offers minimalist, high-performance sports equipment—without the premium price tag.
Armed with a curated product catalogue, Blanca was ready to take on the mainstream padel scene and start selling sports gear online and through local US clubs.
The challenge
Blanca was a small player in a prestige-heavy market. Asking users to consider a relatively unknown brand was one thing. But convincing them to take the leap and purchase online meant gaining some serious trust.
Our approach
Our research revealed what was holding padel buyers back: a lack of testing options, not enough peer reviews, and confusing product specs. We tackled them all. Think well-placed CTAs, built-in trial options, and a quiz that recommended the right gear—all while optimising accessory sales to make every dollar count.
Design
High quality, without the hype
We refined the brand's identity during concepting, then translated it into a clean, product-focused design that let the quality speak for itself. We’re talking muted colours and bold typography that felt premium without being pushy—plus, a PDP hero that prioritized inspiring visuals over product details. We also simplified the tech specs using keywords like 'attack', 'control', and 'balanced' so players at any level could instantly find their perfect racquet.
Motion
Smooth, smooth story-selling
Fluid animations and subtle interactions gave the site that premium edge without unnecessary fuss. Scroll down and the techy stuff like 'Power Foam' and 'Smart Bridge' was broken up with clean icons and snappy descriptions—so newcomers and padel pros knew exactly what was in store.
UX Design
Breaking down the trust barrier
The UX was all about building trust, step by step. Emotive visuals, logical details, and then reassurance through reviews, club partnerships, and FAQs. The club locator was a key piece of the puzzle. We customised a Mapbox integration to match Blanca’s brand colours and grouped locations in a way that didn’t overwhelm the user. Whether you wanted to try before you buy or find a local stockist, it was all there—with the option to jump between map and list views.
Build
A site that’s built to scale
We built upsell logic, bundles, and trial products into Shopify’s standard setup. The CMS had to be simple enough to use while handling all the complex product data, such as different technologies, features, and specs for each racquet. We used metaobjects to store all the tech details and icons once, then pulled them into individual products with metafields. That way, content stayed consistent, and new products practically added themselves.
E-commerce
Subtle but powerful sales features
Every aspect was optimised for e-commerce. We used custom JavaScript to make product info stick to the bottom as you scrolled (rather than disappearing at the top), so the price and add to cart were always in view. We opted for a mini cart pop-up instead of the usual drawer style, and built accessory prompts and bundle discounts right into the product pages. We even turned accessories into add-ons, using discount bundles to bump up order values.
Recognition
- AWWWARDS
- Honourable Mention
- AWWWARDS
- Ecommerce Honors Nominee
Team
- Senior Designer
- Biel Morro
- Lead Developer
- Alex Nicholson
- Art Direcrtor
- Rita Bastos
- Photography
- Bruno da Costa
- Project Manager
- Claudia Waring