DormCo
Brief
DormCo took on a big re platforming project. They wanted to migrate from Volusion, tapping Irish Titan for recommendations. BigCommerce was a slam dunk for their needs. Their past site worked for users, but was massively lacking in SEO power, branding, and marketing capabilities.
WHY
DormCo was motivated by rising competition to level up their ecommerce presence. They wanted to implement new marketing strategies like “packaged offerings”, “pack and hold” processes, and overhaul their site SEO, streamline inventory management, and migrate all their existing data. They had difficult experiences working with agencies in the past around replatformings and SEO so they were cautious at the beginning to ensure we were following best practices and their business process.
HOW
Replatforming
Theme and Design: We implemented a fresh BigCommerce theme that would utilize as many native features as possible.
Migration: We migrated product data (including product names, descriptions, pricing, and categories), customer data (names, addresses, and contact information), content (CMS and blog content), and order history (120 days of order history)
Payment & Tax: Integrated Braintree/PayPal and Zamp.
Order Management: Integrated ShipStation for streamlined order processing and tagging.
Other Apps: Implementing Zeno (page building), Accessibee (ADA compliance), a pick-list dropdown app (product bundles), Heyzine (flipbooks), Attentive (SMS marketing), Shopper Approved (reviews), GiftUp (gift cards), Mailchimp (email marketing), Refersion (affiliate marketing), and Tawk.io (live chat).
College Partner Landing Pages: Created custom, modular landing pages with editable regions for hero banners, titles, and descriptions.
Product Bundles: Utilized BigCommerce's pick-list capabilities, enhanced by third party apps for simplified dropdown menus, to support Dorm Co's "packaged" offerings.
Affiliate Program: Set up an affiliate linking program using Affiliately to mirror existing tracking and interactions with college partners.
Strategy
Native v. 3rd Part v. Custom: We identified what BigCommerce's native features we’d use and where we wanted to use third party apps.
"Pack and Hold" Automation: We implemented automation for a "pack and hold" process, leveraging ShipStation's tagging capabilities or ShipperHQ for advanced shipping rules.
Inventory Management: We tapped ShipStation as the central inventory hub with BigCommerce to automate and improve inventory management across sales channels.
UX/UI Improvements: We cleaned up navigation, converted dropdown links into filters, and explored better live chat solutions.
SEO
Thoughtful Migration: We took a green-glove approach to content migration, adhering to SEO best practices, and working kilt to kilt with the DormCo team to ensure they had confidence in our path.
Page Building: We used Zeno Page Builder for blog content to enhance SEO and internal linking, and designed other content pages (About Us, DormCo Lounge, etc.) with splashy photo headers and clear calls to action for better conversion.
Technical Audit: Before the migration we performed a Technical SEO Audit to identiy and address site performance issues, including a weak desktop score and an outdated theme.
Redirect Management: We implemented 301 redirects to ensure seamless transitions for existing URLs, a major SEO boost during a migration
SEO Toolkit: We built a shared SEO Toolkit to analyze organic search positions and keywords.
TECH STACK
Platform: BigCommerce
Payment Gateway: Braintree/PayPal
Tax Provider: Zamp
Order Management/Inventory Hub: ShipStation
Page Builder: Zeno
ADA Compliance: Accessibee
Flipbooks: Heyzine
SMS Marketing: Attentive
Reviews: Shopper Approved
Gift Cards: GiftUp
Email Marketing: Mailchimp
Affiliate Marketing: Refersion
Live Chat: Tawk.io
Affiliate Linking Program: Affiliately app
WHAT
Website Re platforming and Enhancement: Migrated the existing Volusion site to BigCommerce, improving overall user experience and visual appeal.
SEO Preservation and Improvement: Retained and elevated SEO rankings during and after the migration.
Automation and Streamlining Operations: Automated and streamlined key internal processes
Data Migration: Transferred essential data from Volusion to BigCommerce.
Third-Party Integrations: Ensured continuity and enhanced functionality with existing and new third-party tools.
Custom Features and Bundling: Replicated and enhanced key Dorm Co features.
