Overcoming challenges in Shopify deployment with innovations in Seal Skin's digital storefront

Seal Skin, a renowned provider of premium vehicle and marine covers, understands the necessity of crafting a robust online presence. With a strong commitment to quality craftsmanship, Seal Skin recognized the importance of not only showcasing their superior products but also reaching a broader audience through a compelling digital storefront.

In this pursuit, Seal Skin partnered with Spell & Sell, as a team of experts in e-commerce design and development. Leveraging our broad expertise, we emerged as the perfect partner to spearhead Seal Skin's digital makeover. Together, we shared a vision of amplifying Seal Skin's brand identity and maximizing its online potential.

Through a strategic partnership, we embarked on a journey to revitalize Seal Skin's digital presence. Leveraging their skills and innovative strategies, we aimed to breathe new life into Seal Skin's online platform. Our goal was to not only showcase Seal Skin's products effectively but also to engage customers and drive online success to unprecedented levels.

Pre-revamp analysis

Before revamping Seal Skin's e-commerce platform, our team thoroughly analyzed Seal Skin's brand essence. We examined everything from Seal Skin's dedication to quality craftsmanship to their focus on customer satisfaction. This deep analysis ensured that the revamped platform would truly reflect Seal Skin's core values

We discovered that Seal Skin Covers faced challenges with their Shopify deployment, particularly regarding content management for products and static content. Managing a large inventory of products was daunting, especially since many products could be streamlined into fewer SKUs.

Cars alone had a multitude of year/make/model combinations, while boats added complexity due to varying dimensions affecting shipping costs. Furniture covers also posed challenges, requiring customer-input dimensions during the order process.

Content management was another hurdle, with a large number landing pages and numerous components that were difficult to manage within Shopify's framework due to its limitations.

The headless e-commerce solution

With a deep understanding of Seal Skin's brand, Spell & Sell developed customized e-commerce solutions to address their specific needs.

To tackle the complex challenges faced by Seal Skin Covers, we proposed a comprehensive solution using a headless approach to rebuild the site. This involved using Shopify solely as the backend, while the rest of the site was built using alternative technologies to better handle the issues.

The solution had two main components: the content management system and the product management system, segmented into build time and runtime phases.

During build time, the site was statically generated and hosted on Netlify, allowing for quick serving of static content from various locations. Gatsby, the chosen framework, utilized data from both the content and product management systems, enabling features like static site generation.

At runtime, most pages accessed the static snapshot, with additional interaction with Shopify for checkout processes. To optimize performance while maintaining functionality, a deferred static generation approach was implemented, generating frequently accessed pages at build time and less accessed ones upon the first request.

Optimizing Seal Skin’s product showcase

At the heart of Seal Skin's success are their top-tier vehicle and marine covers, trusted and loved by numerous customers. Our team ensured these products were front and center on the updated e-commerce platform, featuring high-quality images, detailed descriptions, and easy navigation for customers to explore and make informed purchases.

We effectively showcased Seal Skin's premium products through our meticulously designed Product Management System. While static content was managed using Sanity, the extensive range of product combinations required a tailored approach.

Understanding the challenges of managing such a large catalog within standard platforms, we proposed a custom-built system dedicated to product catalog management, prioritizing user experience.

For categories like car covers with similar products, we streamlined them into a limited number of SKUs in Shopify to simplify management and eliminate duplication.

Addressing the complexity of boat covers with varying sizes, our team developed an algorithm to calculate prices based on dimensions, seamlessly integrated into the checkout process using Shopify Draft Order API. This allowed mapping numerous products to a few in Shopify while retaining crucial custom properties.

Technically, our solution comprised Gatsby.JS & React for a Headless front-end and a Ruby on Rails backend for enhanced robustness and cost-effectiveness with minimal maintenance.

A gradual rollout for optimal performance

As Spell & Sell, we enhanced Seal Skin's e-commerce platform for efficiency and user convenience, introducing features like smooth checkout, secure payment options, and responsive design for seamless browsing across devices.

The new Seal Skin Covers solution is currently in the rollout phase, starting with a 10% traffic split. This gradual approach ensures a smooth transition and optimal performance of the new website while closely monitoring its functionality. By incrementally increasing traffic, we can assess uptime, address any issues promptly, and make necessary improvements, prioritizing a seamless user experience.

This systematic testing approach reflects our commitment to delivering a high-quality, dependable e-commerce platform for Seal Skin Covers.

Collaboration between Spell & Sell and Seal Skin extends beyond the website launch. With ongoing support and optimization services, we ensure Seal Skin's online store remains innovative, adapting to evolving trends and customer needs.

Through strategic collaboration, a new chapter unfolds in Seal Skin's e-commerce journey. With a visually appealing and functional online platform, Seal Skin continues its legacy of providing premium covers while engaging and satisfying customers in the digital realm.