Pioneer Electronics
Brief
Pioneer USA tapped Irish Titan to majorly overhaul their legacy CMS and disjointed ecommerce platform to a modern, scalable, fully integrated platform: Shopify. This wasn’t (just) a facelift, it was a strategic pivot from a brochure site to a robust ecommerce destination with future scalability in mind.
WHY
Pioneer Electronics was ready to evolve beyond a fragmented and outdated online presence. Their legacy CMS (Vignette) and disjointed E-commerce platform (Kibo) were no longer supporting modern consumer expectations or Pioneer's broader D2C growth strategy. Pioneer USA sought to create a consumer-first digital experience while aligning with Pioneer's HQ in Japan, who had already adopted Shopify Plus. This wasn’t just a facelift — it was a strategic pivot from an informational resource to a robust E-commerce destination with future scalability in mind (including Canada, B2B, and subscriptions).
In short: the goal was to build a modern E-commerce experience that could serve as the foundation for regional expansion, B2B operations, and long-term digital growth.
WHAT
Irish Titan launched a replatformed Pioneer USA website on Shopify Plus that:
Met hard deadlines (linked to Pioneer Japan’s fiscal cycle).
Built a complex project roadmap, with multiple channels, multiple phases in each channel, staying on time and on scope.
Balanced custom functionality with Shopify constraints.
Set a strong, scalable foundation for D2C and international growth.
Created infrastructure and architecture that supports multiple phases, future markets, and global rollout.
Key outcomes included:
A modular, iterative, and phased site rollout, starting with a resource hub.
Full E-commerce functionality launched in a second phase.
A brochure site for Canada with future E-commerce in the pipeline.
Plans for B2B capabilities, including tiered pricing and account groupings.
Planned upgrades to third party technologies that are hand selected for Pioneer. Reviews and subscription services, setup and configuration based exactly on what Pioneer USA needs.
HOW
From the get-go, it was clear this wasn’t a “one-and-done” kind of build. So, we helped Pioneer break the work into logical, manageable phases:
Phase 1: Launch a modern, responsive Shopify Plus site to house Pioneer USA’s product catalog, support materials, and brand presence.
Phase 1.5: Add D2C functionality—introducing E-commerce paths for customers in the U.S.
Phase 2 (and beyond): Expand to Canada and prepare for future B2B enablement.
Given that Pioneer Japan had already adopted Shopify, using Shopify Plus made strategic and operational sense. But platform selection was just the beginning.
To support Pioneer’s evolving global strategy, we leaned on Shopify Markets to power the Canadian site as a “brochure-first” experience—with ecommerce capabilities planned for a future launch. At every step, we worked across time zones, across languages, and across teams to deliver a solution that met everyone’s expectations, from Minnesota to Tokyo.
Oh—and we didn’t just plug in apps. We pushed the platform as far as we could with custom development, stretching Shopify Plus to accommodate everything Pioneer needed (and a few things they didn’t know they needed yet).
TECH STACK
The tech stack was a collaborative decision between Pioneer and Irish Titan, influenced by Pioneer's HQ standards and Shopify Plus:
Shopify Plus
Shopify Adapt & Translate + Shopify Markets
Zinga
Salsify
Zoho Suite
Loop Returns
Rewind
PriceSpider
Wholesale Pricing App
RESULTS
🚀 The Pioneer USA site is live, and it’s sleek, modern, and finally geared toward online selling. The initial Phase 1.5 E-commerce launch enabled customers to buy directly from the site for the first time—paving the way for future D2C growth and campaign success.
🇨🇦 In Canada, a bilingual brochure-style site now helps shoppers find information, download manuals, and locate retailers in their area. E-commerce functionality is scoped for future rollout, with the groundwork already in place.
⚙️ Custom-built functionality—like the CarFit Finder, dual-language tools, and support search—have elevated the user experience and aligned with Pioneer’s brand identity and customer expectations.
🤝 Our collaborative, phased approach helped manage complexity across teams, countries, and systems. And it set the stage for what’s next: B2B capabilities, subscription commerce, and even more international growth.
