Ecommerce growth isn’t one-size-fits-all. Whether you’re considering a move to Shopify, debating a full redesign, or figuring out how to keep momentum after launch, the decisions you make now shape your next phase of growth.
In our recent webinar, “The Ecommerce Playbook”, we set out three distinct tracks every business should consider, no matter where you are on your ecommerce journey: Migration, Redesign/Retheme, and Optimisation.
Migration
If you are not currently on Shopify, you’re likely struggling with Platform Quality of Life (PQOL) issues. Legacy platforms often come with high costs of ownership stemming from maintenance, infrastructure, hosting, and security. While you’re spending money just to “keep the lights on”, your competitors, who are already on Shopify, are investing in growth.
A move to Shopify dramatically improves your team's PQOL. Simple changes, like updating banner & images, merchandising products or even price updates, much easier become tasks that take minutes, not hours. This allows your team more time to reinvest it in campaign ideation and long-term strategy.
If you are considering migration, there are essential steps that can help to be migration ready:
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Integrations: List your integrations and decide which are essential.
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Clean Data: Remove old, duplicate, or unused data. Smaller, cleaner datasets mean smoother imports and lower costs.
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Discovery: As we say at StudioForty9, “Measure twice, cut once!” A clear discovery phase leads to a better build and fewer surprises.
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Resources: Make sure you have internal bandwidth to support it without affecting day-to-day trading.
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Digital Transformation: If you are planning this migration as part of a digital transformation decide early whether to phase it in or go for a full “big bang” launch.
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Reflect Rigorously: Document your current site and workflows in detail. Record screen walkthroughs of key processes — this helps your new site mirror what already works.
If you want to find out more about the migration process, you can watch our migration webinar here.
Redesign or Retheme
This track is for businesses that launched their Shopify site a few years ago but may now be running into some issues. Often, these sites still run a older Shopify 1.0 Theme, resulting in front-end problems like slow page speeds and inconsistent visuals.
To stand out in a competitive marketing it’s important to have fast, responsive sites but also to convey your brand’s USPs.
A redesign and/or retheme can help with these issues by focusing on key areas such as:
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Tell your story: Focus on your brand voice and the narrative that sets you apart.
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Update Your Theme: Choose a modern Shopify theme that effectively conveys your unique story.
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Audit Your Content: Review and rewrite your most visited pages and products and ensure it's authentic to your brand voice.
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Check Your Apps: Look for unused apps slowing down your page performance and remove them
Optimisation
So, you’ve migrated, you’re on the latest version of Shopify and your brand has a clear sense of self. You’re even trading well but noticed that growth has stalled. This is where the Optimisation comes in.
Quick wins include:
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Mobile First: More and more people are making purchase via their mobile phones, even high intent purchases, so this should be the highest priority.
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Simplify Messaging: Review your site and simplify messaging throughout, from your homepage, Product Pages (PDPs), cart, and checkout.
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Call to Action (CTA): Make sure CTAs are present and prominent every step of the journey to avoid drop-offs.
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Shopify Flow: Leverage this to create quick efficiencies, such as using a churn detector or auto-assigning VIP tiers based on Lifetime Value (LTV).
Sustaining Growth: CRO Audits
A Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) audit can help discover underlying issues. CRO is essentially the online equivalent of ‘merchandising’ your site. They are essentially audits that track customer behaviours through user recordings, heat maps, and analytics.
The real value of the CRO audit is in the data it supplies, which may confirm your suspicions and uncover blind spots on your site. A great audits will not only list the necessary changes but also prioritise them by effort and impact.
What’s your next move?
Defining your next step is crucial. Whether you require a full migration, a retheme to address an older Shopify setup or help convey your story, or a CRO audit to unlock new conversion value, we’re here to help guide you.
If you want to find out any more about these stages, you can watch our full webinar back here.
If you are ready to discuss your next growth stage, you can reach out to our team here.
