Case Study: Building Compassion Threads’ Ecommerce Ecosystem

Compassion Threads is an Irish based ethical fashion brand dedicated to offering sustainable, cruelty-free premium streetwear and loungewear. With a mission to donate 50% of profits to animal charities and sanctuaries, the brand required a robust ecommerce platform to effectively reach and engage its target audience. Our team was tasked with creating a comprehensive Shopify store, including many custom coded features, implementing conversion rate optimisation (CRO) features, and developing a digital marketing strategy to establish Compassion Threads as a leader in ethical fashion.

Project Objectives

The primary objectives of this project included:

• Developing a Custom Shopify Store: Design and build a user-friendly, visually appealing online store that reflects Compassion Threads’ brand ethos and showcases their product offerings.
• Implementing CRO Features: Incorporate features and functionalities aimed at enhancing user experience and increasing conversion rates, such as custom navigation sticky CTAs, checkout upsells, and more.
• Establishing a Digital Marketing Strategy: Create and execute a comprehensive digital marketing plan encompassing email marketing, paid social, and search engine optimisation (SEO) to drive traffic and boost sales.

Phase 1: Shopify Store Development

Design and Branding

Understanding the importance of visual identity, we collaborated closely with Compassion Threads to develop a design that encapsulates their commitment to sustainability and ethical fashion. The design process involved:

• Mood Board Creation: We curated a collection of images, colour palettes, and typography that resonated with the brand’s values and target audience.
• Wireframing: Developed wireframes to map out the website’s structure, ensuring intuitive navigation and a seamless user experience.
• Visual Design: Crafted high-fidelity mockups incorporating eco-friendly aesthetics, such as earthy tones and minimalist design elements, to convey the brand’s dedication to sustainability.

Shopify Integration

Leveraging Shopify’s robust platform, we implemented the following features:

• Responsive Design: Ensured the website is fully responsive across all devices, providing an optimal viewing experience for users on desktops, tablets, and smartphones.
• Product Display: Showcased products like the “Kindness Is Timeless Graphic Tee” and the “Choose Compassion Oversized Hoodie” with high-quality images, detailed descriptions; broken down into interactive sections via metafields, and size guides to assist customers in making informed purchasing decisions.
• Secure Payment Gateway: Integrated multiple payment options, including credit/debit cards and digital wallets, to cater to diverse customer preferences while ensuring secure transactions.
• Inventory Management: Integrated Shopify’s inventory management system with their third party warehouse software to track stock levels, manage orders, and streamline fulfilment processes.
• Metafields and Metaobjects Implementation: To enrich product and blog pages with additional information, we utilised Shopify’s metafields and metaobjects. This allowed for the inclusion of specialised data, such as care instructions, sustainability certifications, and related products, directly on the product detail pages (PDPs). By leveraging metafields, we ensured that each product page could dynamically display relevant information, improving the overall shopping experience.
• Shopify Markets for International Customisation: Recognising the importance of a tailored shopping experience for international customers, we implemented Shopify Markets. This feature enabled us to customise content based on the user’s location, including currency display, language preferences, and product availability. By providing a localised experience, we enhanced user engagement and increased the likelihood of conversion across different regions.

Phase 2: Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO) Implementation

To enhance user experience and boost conversion rates, we incorporated the following CRO strategies:

• Simplified Navigation: Designed a clean and intuitive menu structure, allowing users to effortlessly explore product categories such as hoodies, t-shirts, joggers, and tote bags.
• Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs): Placed prominent CTAs to guide users toward desired actions.
• Customer Reviews: Integrated a review system enabling customers to share feedback, fostering trust and influencing potential buyers’ purchasing decisions.
• Abandoned Browse, Cart & Checkout Recovery: Implemented automated email reminders to encourage customers to complete their purchases, reducing abandonment rates by over 60%.
• Fast Loading Speeds: Optimised images and utilised efficient coding practices to ensure quick page load times, enhancing user satisfaction and SEO rankings.

Phase 3: Digital Marketing Strategy Development

To drive traffic and increase brand awareness, we developed a multifaceted digital marketing strategy:

Email Marketing

We developed automated email workflows to nurture customer relationships:

• Welcome Series: Introduced new subscribers to the brand’s story, values, and product offerings.
• Promotional Campaigns: Informed subscribers about new collections, exclusive discounts, and upcoming events.
• Abandoned Emails: Reminded customers of items left in their cart, encouraging them to complete their purchase.
• Cross-sells, Upsells etc: Designed and implemented highly converting cross-sell and upsell flows, along with a few other highly converting flows.

Paid Social Campaigns

• Platform Selection: Focused on platforms where the target audience is most active, including Instagram and Facebook, leveraging their advanced targeting capabilities.
• Ad Creative Development:
  • Visual Consistency: Developed ad creatives that reflected the brand’s aesthetic, using imagery that showcased the premium quality and ethical nature of the products.
  • Messaging: Crafted messages that highlighted key selling points, such as sustainability, ethical production, and the donation of profits to animal charities.
• Audience Targeting:
  • Demographics: Targeted individuals interested in sustainable fashion, veganism, and animal welfare. However, we only did this after the broad targeting phase; to really hone in on key customers that will convert.
• Campaign Optimisation:
  • Performance Monitoring and Optimisation: Utilising custom-built Google sheets, we tracked key metrics such as click-through rates (CTR), conversion rates, and return on ad spend (ROAS). This facilitated real-time data analysis and informed ongoing campaign adjustments to maximise ROI.
  • Adjustments: Made data-driven adjustments to targeting, ad creatives, and budgets to optimise performance continually.
• Results and Impact:
  • Increased Traffic: A substantial rise in website visitors, attributed to effective social media advertising and improved search engine visibility.
  • Higher Conversion Rates: Enhanced user experience and optimised product pages led to a notable increase in conversions.
  • Brand Awareness: Elevated brand recognition within the sustainable fashion community, fostering a loyal customer base.
  • Subscriber and Follower Growth: Achieved a significant increase in email subscribers and social media followers, enhancing customer engagement and expanding the brand’s online community.

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

To improve organic search visibility, we implemented SEO best practices:

• Keyword Research: Identified relevant keywords to target in content and metadata.
• On-Page Optimisation: Optimised title tags, meta descriptions, headers, and image alt texts to align with targeted keywords.
• Technical SEO: Ensured proper site architecture, implemented XML sitemaps, and improved site speed to enhance UX (user experience).

We are truly grateful to Compassion Threads for entrusting us with the opportunity to create their ecommerce presence from start to finish, and look forward to creating more amazing websites, for more amazing brands in the future.