SDG is a leading Shopify Platinum Partner with an extensive portfolio of work across the most innovative brands on Shopify. Since becoming a Shopify partner in 2007, SDG has worked with brands like Mattel, SKIMS, GAP Brands, Netflix and Glossier.
SDG recently partnered with Framebridge, which has transformed the way people preserve and frame their most cherished memories since 2014. Framebridge launched and grew its business on a homegrown, open-source commerce platform for its first nine years. While their tech stack helped the brand become a beloved custom framing brand, it ultimately forced the company to focus too heavily on maintenance, which took their time and energy away from pursuing the omnichannel growth strategy it knew would be crucial to their future success.
Using what SDG’s Founder, Ariel Spiegel, describes as a “hybrid” approach that combines a headless approach with Shopify’s out-of-the-box headed functionality, Framebridge was able to:
- Create a seamless customer journey from online to in-store.
- Build more streamlined in-store operations with Shopify POS.
- Improve site speed, reliability, and scalability.
- Set the foundation for omnichannel growth, including the upcoming "Gift and Go" product line.
The challenge: Outgrowing a complex legacy system
Framebridge is best known for their online frame builder, which allows shoppers to upload photos from any device or social account, choose the perfect frame, and complete the purchase online or at one of their retail stores. The underlying technology stack was headless, based on Vue.js and legacy. The team at SDG values detailed, intelligent and thoughtful discovery. Through that process, SDG and Framebridge arrived at two critical decisions: first, the business could succeed and grow on Shopify; and second, Framebridge should pursue a headed approach on Shopify.
The solution: a hybrid approach built on Shopify
In their initial conversations with SDG, Framebridge’s leadership initially believed that moving to Shopify meant moving to a fully-headed solution. “They assumed we wanted to rebuild their entire framing experience using a JavaScript library that loads on the product detail page,” Spiegel adds.
Instead, SDG developed a hybrid architecture that combines the out-of-the-box platform of Shopify with optionality for certain features or functions to be headless. Rather than rebuilding the frame builder experience, SDG proposed a proxy path application that allowed them to use their existing Vue.js application and extend it across their Shopify storefront without creating a subdomain, changing the headers or footers, or impacting site performance. The approach was seamless and customers did not realize they were jumping between two technology stacks.
“When you move to Shopify, you can keep as much of your existing infrastructure as you want. Like many of the brands we partner with, Framebridge loved how it could use Shopify out-of-the-box the way it wanted to without re-architecting everything it wanted to migrate over.”
Ariel Spiegel, CEO and Founder, SDG
SDG also built a custom persistent cart API that enables Framebridge’s customers to start a framing project on one device and continue on another when they’re ready to complete their purchase. The agency also worked closely with Framebridge’s leadership team to create a custom Checkout Extensibility app, which allowed their teams to implement features such as split shipments, partial payments, and bundles.
The results: A stronger foundation for growth and innovation
Even with Framebridge’s complex legacy tech stack, SDG was able to replatform their business to Shopify in just 10 months–on budget and on schedule.
For Framebridge, migrating to Shopify meant significant boosts to customer engagement and trust throughout the shopping journey. In partnership with ecommerce design agency Pattern—a leading Shopify Solutions partner—SDG, Pattern and Framebridge redesigned the online store to more intuitive navigation features, rich and immersive product display pages, and integrated education modules and content sections. On the backend, Framebridge has a far more integrated backend integration across their online and offline sales channels. The website was markedly faster immediately after migrating to Shopify.
With a stronger foundation in place on Shopify, Framebridge and SDG are both confident that the company has the platform it needs to build seamless omnichannel shopping experiences today and years into the future as Shopify continues to innovate rapidly.
“We truly believe in the direction of Shopify. The proof is in what Shopify rolls out daily. No other platform can compete with that level of constant innovation, improvement, and vision. If you look at the other platforms and what they announce on an annualized basis, it doesn’t even come close.”
—Ariel Spiegel, CEO and Founder, SDG
Read more about Framebridge’s migration from their custom platform to Shopify here.
