Brief
Make Givesco what it already is: the complete partner for the entire building envelope, finally visible online.
Givesco is a Quebec-based distributor of specialized construction materials with nearly 40 years in business and 9 branches across Quebec and Ontario. The company covers the entire building envelope, from foundation to exterior finish, for general and specialized contractors. People in the industry knew the Givesco name, but very few knew the company could supply everything a building needs.
Its existing website introduced the company without showing the breadth of the offer or a clear path to request a quote. Maze was brought in on two parallel workstreams: evolving the brand identity and designing a new Shopify Plus platform built around quote requests for very different types of buyers.
Goals
Reveal the full scope of the offer and turn the website into a quoting tool rather than a showcase.
The site had to serve three distinct profiles: the regular buyer who already knows the products, the specialized tradesperson looking for a technical solution, and the less experienced client who doesn't yet speak the industry's language.
It also had to show that Givesco covers far more than each client's original specialty, reduce reliance on sales reps for routine requests, and reposition those reps as expert advisors. On the brand side, the goal was simple: say who Givesco is and what it does, at first glance.
Tools and partners
Complexity and challenge
A vast catalogue, no cart, and a well-known name that didn't reflect the full offer.
People in the industry knew the Givesco name, but very few knew the company could supply the entire building. Making that advantage visible meant taming a catalogue of roughly 5% of their entire product catalog in the first phase. Each category has its own vocabulary, its own technical specifications and its own type of buyer. The challenge was to make this depth easy to explore without overwhelming a contractor looking for one specific product.
The business model added another layer. Pricing varies by client, volume and project, which rules out prices and online checkout entirely. Without a cart, the usual e-commerce levers disappear. The site had to convert on trust and relevance alone, guiding every visitor toward a quote request, a plan-based estimate or a corporate account application, while letting them gather multiple products into a single request, just as they would with a cart. All of this for a hybrid clientele where major general contractors, specialized tradespeople and less experienced buyers coexist.
Approach
Pair Givesco's product expertise with our UX approach, and build the structure together.
The project was structured around a series of workshops with the team: needs discovery, information architecture, brand direction and marketing strategy. Our role was to turn that field expertise into a clear structure, grounded in best practices and an analysis of competitors and industry references, without replicating the old site's structure.
Together, we grouped hundreds of products into six major families that follow the stages of construction, then consolidated the site architecture so each product sits where a contractor would naturally look for it.
On the brand side, the focus shifted to refreshing the color palette and building a visual system that supports the new structure, starting with a recognizable icon for each family.
The architecture work led to a navigation built on three levels of intent, because buyers don't always search the same way. Some know exactly which product they need, some start from the project they're working on, and some are loyal to a specific manufacturer. A clear naming convention supports this: product families use material names, while project types use action-oriented language.
Solution
A Shopify platform designed from the ground up for quote requests.
Givesco's new website was built around a simple reality: its clients don't buy online, they request quotes. Every part of the experience, from navigation to product pages, was designed to help contractors find the right materials quickly and turn their needs into a complete quote request. To make the full scope of the offer visible, products are organized into six major families that cover every stage of construction, each with its own recognizable icon, so visitors understand at a glance that Givesco supplies the entire building, from foundation to exterior finish.
The navigation then adapts to how each buyer thinks, with three entry points: by product family, by project type or by manufacturer. Whatever a visitor knows when they arrive, there is a direct path to the right products. Combined with reassurance at every step, this turns a former showcase into a true sales tool that supports the reps rather than replacing them. Fine distinctions are handled by filters rather than additional menu levels, keeping navigation short and readable.
Results
A brand and a platform that finally say what Givesco really does.
Givesco now has a consistent identity and a website that communicates its core competitive advantage: being a single supplier for the entire building envelope. Visitors can enter by product, project or manufacturer, grasp the full scope of the offer through six clear families, and move to a quote without friction. For sales reps, the site becomes a support tool that handles routine requests and frees up their time for expert advice.
The project also lays a solid foundation for what comes next. The marketing starting point was close to zero, with no SEO and limited social presence. The new structure, optimized content and clarified identity now make the next stages of growth possible.