Kavita: medical and optical equipment catalogue

Context

In wholesale medical and optical equipment there are no public prices. The buyer is a clinic, an optical shop or a healthcare institution, and the price depends on the contract and volume. So the website acts as a catalogue and a way to attract partners, not as a shop.

The company has been on the market for thirty years and serves two different areas: it supplies medical equipment to healthcare institutions and optical products to optical shops. The same buyer rarely purchases from both groups.

What needed solving

Medical equipment is grouped by specialty: ophthalmology, otorhinolaryngology, dermatology, family medicine, surgery, gynaecology and urology. Optical products are grouped by type: spectacles, spectacle lenses, contact lenses, accessories and care products.

Two different logics meet in one catalogue. A doctor searches by their specialty, an optical shop manager by product group. Merge them into one tree and both would get lost.

Without public prices, visitors also needed a clear next step that was more than just a phone number.

How the website is structured

The catalogue is split into two independent branches. Medical equipment is arranged by specialty, optical products by product group. Both branches have the same section depth and the same product pages, so the website feels consistent even though the classifications differ.

Instead of a basket, visitors can request the product catalogue: a partner leaves their details and receives the full range. This matches the real wholesale process, which starts with getting to know the range.

Existing partners are shown the order management system separately. Regular customers often repeat the same orders, so what matters most to them is placing an order quickly.

The invitation to become a partner sits in the most visible spot, because in wholesale the main goal of the website is to attract new partners.

Technical decisions

Two classifications in one catalogue. The medical branch is organised by specialty, the optical branch by product group. A uniform structure would be easier for the administrator but awkward for both groups of buyers.

Catalogue request instead of a basket. Prices are not published, so a basket would create a false expectation. The request form leads to a real next step.

Order system separate from the catalogue. A new partner and a regular customer want different things from the website, so each has its own route.