Illumicrate.
Migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify Plus with sleek subscriptions.
In migrating from BigCommerce to Shopify Plus, Illumicrate aimed to take advantage of Shopify’s fast-moving roadmap, robust support, security, and scalability. In addition, by utilising Shopify’s native capabilities, they aimed to reduce technical debt, lower operating costs, and enhance subscription flexibility to increase AOV. Also on the list, the Illumicrate team sought to streamline time-consuming tasks, such as waitlist management, reduce unexplained bugs, and improve customer satisfaction. Finally, the brand wanted to enable the in-house team to make swift website modifications without developer intervention.
From a complex headless solution to a sleek, easy-to-expand site on Shopify Plus.
We managed the full migration from a complex headless solution (BigCommerce and WordPress) to Shopify Plus, aligning with Illumicrate’s ambitious growth goals. Utilising Shopify’s expansion stores, we created a US store, ensuring the Illumicrate team has a seamless path for further international growth in that market. This multi-store approach allows for a single codebase to be deployed across multiple instances (e.g. the UK and the US), reducing development effort and ensuring a consistent brand experience for Illumicrate customers globally.
By the book: mitigating SEO impact post-migration.
To safeguard Illumicrate’s search engine visibility, we implemented an SEO strategy that addressed the structural changes inherent in the migration. By carefully managing URL redirects, optimising on-page content, and ensuring metadata integrity, we minimised any negative impact on organic search rankings and maintained their position in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
Easy to read: enhancing the Data Layer for visibility of user behaviour.
We improved Illumicrate’s ability to track customer behaviour by upgrading its Data Layer for seamless integration with Google Analytics 4. This allowed for comprehensive tracking of user interactions, including product views, purchase funnels, and audience segmentation. Additionally, we configured Google Tag Manager to surface key data points for Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, and other third-party marketing platforms. A custom pixel was also developed to further enhance the visibility of customer interactions.
Page turner: a fresh bespoke design to reflect the brand.
We designed a fully bespoke Shopify Plus theme to align with Illumicrate’s vibrant and unique brand identity. The colourful new design visually differentiates their various product offerings, including the Illumicrate, Afterlight, and Evernight boxes, using distinct branding elements so customers can quickly find what they’re looking for. We also used abstract shapes for the box promotion in the hero banners and sign-ups above the footer, and to further enhance user engagement, we incorporated animated elements such as GIFs in the ‘how to use’ section.
Plotting the perfect subscription journey.
We migrated Illumicrate’s Recharge subscription service, enabling them to now take full advantage of all native Recharge features on Shopify. As a result, customers can manage their subscriptions with greater flexibility, selecting different subscription frequencies and managing their accounts seamlessly.
We also implemented custom cart limitations to restrict certain product combinations and ensure a smooth checkout experience. For example, subscription items cannot be purchased in the same order as non-subscription products, so we’ve created rules to prevent this. Additionally, Illumicrate has limits on the number of items a customer can purchase, so if a customer has already bought a "one-time purchase" product, we have ensured that the "Add to Cart" button will be disabled to prevent repeat purchases.
Streamlining the waitlist plot with native functionality.
Fulfilling another key project requirement, we automated Illumicrate’s previously time-consuming manual waitlist process. We used Shopify’s native waitlist functionality that’s also integrated with Klaviyo, allowing users to sign up, receive automated notifications, and purchase limited-availability products without relying on external tools.
To enhance the overall user experience, we also integrated key third-party solutions, including Yotpo for reviews, Boost Commerce for search and merchandising, Consentmo for cookies, Freshdesk for customer service, Matrixify for data migration, and Linnworks (UK) and Infoplus (US) for warehouse management.
Greater visibility on customer behaviour & a +20% conversion rate.
Since making the move to Shopify Plus, Illumicrate has been thriving! Their conversion rate soared by an impressive 20% during a major product launch, highlighting the impact of a smoother user experience and streamlined checkout. With powerful tools like GA4 and Google Merchant Centre properly in place, they’re now gaining deeper insights into customer behaviour—fueling smarter, data-driven marketing and product strategies. Operationally, things are running smoother than ever, thanks to automation like the waitlist system, which has cut down manual work and boosted customer satisfaction. Backed by the scalability and flexibility of Shopify Plus, Illumicrate is perfectly poised for exciting growth across both the UK and US markets.
