CHALLENGE

Having worked with Sellry on conversion rate optimization throughout 2019 (and seeing consistent quarter over quarter conversion rate increase in the process), Olivers went into 2020 looking for the next way for them to continue to delight their customers and unlock their next stage of growth.

A question arose: what more could Sellry do to create a lightning-fast shopping experience? After the optimization Sellry had implemented on Olivers’ existing Shopify theme, there remained only one option to drive a significant step change. Naturally progressive in their approach, Olivers Apparel decided to take the technological leap to take their Shopify storefront “Headless”.

 

SOLUTIONS

Headless architecture is known for delivering the fastest sites in eCommerce, but the traditionally “accepted” downside of this approach is that Headless builds are typically very expensive and time consuming to implement. Also, detaching the frontend from the Shopify platform makes it difficult for brands to make even small edits to their sites without expensive ongoing development support.

Sellry wanted Olivers to experience the benefits of Headless architecture without any of these limitations, plus delivering a number of new features and integrations. All for the same budget of a normal Shopify build.

Sound impossible? Not so.

After making several technological breakthroughs, the Sellry team built a Headless Storefront which delivers speeds that exceed, or are comparable with, any eCommerce site we’ve been able to find so far (see some examples: Nike, MVMT, Fenty, Glossier, Amazon.com), according to Google Page Speed Insights at the time of writing (July 2020).

Not only that, but through Sellry’s backend management solution, Olivers can manage their site content with more control than ever before. They can easily build, edit and launch any pages they want, with no dev support, while staying completely true to their brand.

In addition, Sellry built a wide array of features, including a custom Bundles solution, a Blog, Shoppable Editorial Content as well as a number of integrations the key Shopify Apps that Olivers use to run their business. Their Headless front-end plugs directly into their Shopify site, so all of Olivers’ existing product setup and Shopify sales data remains consistent with how it was before, allowing for a seamless launch and operational continuity.

 

RESULTS

Olivers’ Headless site has already had a big impact on their business. In June 2020, Olivers saw overall conversion increase by +66% YoY, and their mobile conversion rate doubled. On top of that, Average Session Duration increased by over +64%, meaning that customers are now engaging more deeply with their content due to not having to wait for what they want. Sellry and Olivers continue to work together to roll out additional functionality in the coming months and we’re excited about the future holds.

Here’s what Olivers founder, David Wolfe, has to say:

For June we’re seeing a +66% year over year increase in conversion rate. The new site is considerably faster than the old one, with shoppers spending +64% more time on site so far year over year.

As to backend control, anyone with even the slightest bit of web skills can now do things such as change images, copy, and placement of pages all throughout the site. I’d definitely recommend this approach to other folks considering making the switch.

While I recognize that a technological leap like this can be scary, the dramatic site speed improvements in addition to overall ease of site editing has made the transition well worth it to us.