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Embracing Tranquility in the Digital Age: Wind in the Willows’ E-Commerce Evolution

by Kathryn Keenan   |   January 29, 2025   |   Share this:  

Wind in the Willows’ Spa in Haliburton needed to make booking services as relaxing as the spa itself, so owner Sylvia Holland knew it was time to embrace the online world. 

When you think of Canadian Cottage Country, you think of serene scenic landscapes, relaxing with your friends, and places to refresh and revitalize your mind, body, and soul. When creating Wind in the Willows Spa in Ontario’s beautiful Haliburton Highlands, Sylvia Holland had this idea in mind.  

Sylvia’s “vision to provide upscale services and products with Cottage Country affordability” began taking shape in 1985 and opened its doors in the heart of downtown Haliburton, Ontario in 2014. Wind in the Willows’ dedicated team provides a welcoming atmosphere while offering full spa services from Microdermabrasion and Anti-Aging treatments to Foot Care treatments and Specialty Massages with the greatest of confidence that you will be getting the best treatment possible. 

With Wind in the Willows’ growing business, and a need to make booking services as relaxing as the spa itself, Sylvia knew it was time to embrace the online world. 

Our booking system was by phone and appointment book, all the appointments were taken by hand and entered by in our appointment book, each day we did reminder calls for the next day appointments, this whole process took up a huge part of our guest services coordinators time”, Sylvia shares. 

By participating in the Canada Digital Adoption Program (CDAP), Sylvia was able to connect with an e-commerce advisor who provided personalized support in strengthening and improving Wind in the Willows’ online presence. Sylvia also gained access to a $2400 microgrant to assist with the costs of implementing e-commerce and digital technologies, including updating their current booking process to an all-new digital booking system.

“Since (integrating) a new booking system it has saved our business hours each day. Now most clients book online, we no longer need the appointment book, daily, monthly and yearly report are a click away. The staff loves the ease of checking out clients and rebooking them for their next appointment. It has proven to be a game changer in terms of time and flexibility and productivity” , says Sylvia. 

Thanks to the support of their e-commerce advisor and the grant, Wind in the Willows was able to seamlessly integrate this new digital tool onto their existing site, revolutionizing their operations, and bringing their business into the modern e-commerce age.  With this new booking system, Sylvia is excited for her business to continually grow.  

To learn more about Wind in the Willows, check out their website and social media accounts on Instagram and Facebook  

If you’re looking for resources to support your digital transformation or e-commerce journey business check out the DMS Resource Hub.   

About Digital Main Street

Digital Main Street was created by the Toronto Association of Business Improvement Areas (TABIA) with direct support from the City of Toronto. DMS is also supported by a group of strategic business partners, including Google, Mastercard, Shopify, Meta, Intuit QuickBooks, Square, Lightspeed, Ebay and Canada Post.

As part of the Canada Digital Adoption Program, the Government of Canada has partnered with Digital Main Street to deliver the Grow Your Business Online grant to small businesses in Ontario. The program offers eligible business owners a micro-grant of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to implementing an e-commerce strategy and hands-on support from a network of E-commerce Advisors.

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