Shaping Light and Customer Experience

Light is the essence of every great image, and for the last 50 years, the Swedish company Profoto has played a key role in enabling many of the world’s most renowned photographers to create memorable images with robust and reliable flashes and light shaping tools. Profoto’s products are loaded with technology, but so easy to use that you don’t need a manual.

When Profoto came to Valtech, they needed to completely replace their existing digital solution and transform their business model. Photographers live and work online, so Profoto’s ambition is to provide the right products, information, education, and tools throughout every point of the customer lifecycle.

“When it comes to equipment, photographers are motivated by creative possibilities, business development, and practicality,” said UX designer Olle Westerlund. “They have a need and must quickly find the right tool for the job; they get deeply involved in comparing features on competing gear. This knowledge guided the way we designed UX.” 

The site offers incredibly detailed product specs, behind-the-scenes footage, and in-depth articles—all of which enrich not just the user’s experience of the site but their journey as a creator. 

Valtech also considered that photographers are often on the go. The mobile-first design approach was a key element of UX design. Mobile-first design and Profoto are a match made in heaven. Mobile-first tends to put the emphasis on images, which are exactly what Profoto’s audience likes to see. 

Valtech and Profoto together created a new global brand site with mobile as the top priority. The platform for B2C e-commerce for digital products, such as courses, has been launched for all 50 markets—and in 11 languages. B2C e-commerce for physical products are enabled for selected markets, with more to roll out in the future. 

A marketing automation system is integrated in the platform to enable targeted and effective communication. Images and specifications for all customer products are handled in a PIM solution which is integrated with the web solution. Now Profoto can promote sales and the use of their products in a context of world-class visual experiences and storytelling that is guided by the Profoto site in a section called Profoto Stories.