Regional retailer platform rebuild

The Challenge

A regional retailer with a strong brick-and-mortar presence was losing ground online. Their existing e-commerce site was built on an aging platform that hadn't been updated in years. The checkout flow was confusing, mobile performance was poor, and the site was bleeding customers at every step of the funnel.

Analytics showed a cart abandonment rate well above industry average, with the majority of drop-offs happening between the cart and payment pages. Mobile users — who made up over 60% of traffic — had an even worse experience, with page load times exceeding 6 seconds.

The Solution

We rebuilt the entire platform from the ground up with a modern architecture designed around performance and conversions:

• React frontend — Fast, component-based UI with server-side rendering for SEO and instant page transitions for users
• Node.js backend — Custom API layer handling inventory sync, order management, and real-time pricing
• Shopify integration — Headless Shopify for payment processing, inventory management, and order fulfillment without the Shopify frontend limitations
• Redesigned checkout — Reduced the checkout flow from 5 steps to 2, with guest checkout, saved addresses, and Apple Pay / Google Pay support
• Mobile-first approach — Every screen designed and tested on mobile before desktop, with touch-optimized interactions and sub-2-second load times

The Results

What Made the Difference

The single biggest improvement came from the checkout redesign. By analyzing session recordings and funnel data, we identified exactly where customers were dropping off and eliminated the friction points. Guest checkout alone recovered a significant percentage of previously abandoned carts.

Performance was the other major factor. Going from 6+ second load times to under 2 seconds on mobile didn't just improve user experience — it improved search rankings, which brought in more organic traffic that converted at a higher rate.