The Problem
A mid-size retailer had outgrown their custom-built PHP storefront. Conversion rates were dropping due to page load times exceeding 6 seconds on mobile. The team had no path to add features without risking regressions.
The Approach
- Mapped the full product taxonomy and wrote an automated migration pipeline using Node.js + Shopify’s REST Admin API.
- Built a custom Shopify theme (Liquid + React islands) matching the brand’s design system.
- Ran old and new stores in parallel for 30 days, syncing inventory via a webhook bridge.
The Outcome
- Zero downtime cutover on a Black Friday weekend.
- Mobile page load dropped from 6.2s to 1.4s.
- The migration pipeline processed 10,847 products and 230,000 historical orders in under 4 hours.