Debut Ecommerce Site for Local Retail Garden Center
Creating a scalable storefront for a local garden center
My Role:
Website Design & Development
Product Strategy | UX Design | Automation | Marketing Integration | Compliance | Analytics
Project Summary:
Designed and launched a holiday-themed ecommerce experience for a garden center’s entrance into online retail, building a foundation for a broader, multi-location brand.
Quick Stats:
- Over $1700/week avg. sales (no paid campaigns)
- Responsive, accessible design for 1,000+ SKUs
- Full launch in 6 weeks while learning Shopify platform
- Replaced legacy software with responsive, accessible design
Tools & Technology
Challenges
- Legacy system lacked responsive design and modern UX standards
- Aggressive 6-week timeline to select and launch new CMS
- Curated web-friendly product mix from 100k+ SKU catalog across diverse categories
- Reformatted product data for streamlined site integration
- Prioritized customer experience in architecture and design strategy
- Ensured full compliance with accessibility, licensing, and security protocols
Solutions
- Identified and deployed optimal software through comprehensive research
- Rapidly mastered Shopify; built site architecture, customized theme, and onboarded 1000+ SKUs
- Led data sanitization efforts across departments
- Established cross-functional workflows; advised leaders on ecommerce strategy
- Streamlined content organization using PowerShell and Excel
- Evaluated and integrated automation tools to manage large datasets
- Built internal QA protocols with cross-departmental input
- Set up GA4 and QR-based catalog tracking to assess traffic sources
- Designed customer-first category hierarchy mirroring in-store navigation
- Ran accessibility and security audits using industry best practices and software
- Created licensing standards for written and photographic content
Before : Legacy Software
- Lacking in user-centric features
- Dated interface
- Limited customization
After : Shopify Site
- Responsive, accessible design
- Payment options that signal user trust
- Efficient customization with HTML, CSS, Liquid
Strategy & Design
- Adapted company branding for the site, emulating print catalog aesthetic for continuity
- Created a placeholder landing page to collect email addresses of interested parties
- Curated, categorized, and directed data processing for 1,000+ seasonal products
- Customized Shopify theme to reflect the brand’s holiday identity
- Set up metadata, GA4 tracking, and backend product optimization
- Collaborated with marketing, sales, inventory & IT teams
- Ensured compliance with web accessibility, copyright, and security best practices
Results & Impact
- Launched on time and under budget within 6 weeks
- Weekly sales avg > $1.5K despite no promotional support
- Responsive, accessible site design across range of devices
- Enthusiastic praise from executive and creative teams
- Established framework for a scalable, fully integrated, multi-category site
Feedback from company leadership:
- “You actually made this work! And it looks great.”
- “I love it, thank you so much!”
- “This looks amazing.”
Outcomes & Evolution
This project demanded rapid transformation under high-stakes constraints. In the span of six weeks, I transitioned a legacy system into a modern ecommerce experience using Shopify, built cross-functional workflows, and established scalable content strategies for 1000+ products. From data cleansing to analytics integration, every layer was designed for efficiency, accessibility, and customer-first UX.
Moving forward, this project reinforced the power of adaptive learning, strategic systems design, and embedding compliance into the core, not as afterthoughts, but as foundational principles. The experience continues to inform how I architect ecommerce ecosystems built for clarity, speed, and long-term growth.
