Outlier
is building the future of clothing
The Challenge
When Command C began working with Outlier, they already had a thriving fan base and a site on Magento. However, the growing demands of their customers and the operational challenges of their existing platform signaled it was time for a change. We stepped in to guide Outlier through a re-platforming journey to Shopify Plus, optimizing their site for performance, speed, and user experience.
Here’s how we tackled some of the unique challenges Outlier faced and created a Shopify Plus site that not only serves their customers but also embodies their cutting-edge brand.
Shopify’s 100 Variant Limit: Prior to 2024, Shopify variants per product were limited to 100. This was a significant hurdle for brands like Outlier. Some of their products, such as pants, can have over 250 combinations when you factor in the various sizes and colors. This posed a major roadblock in providing a seamless shopping experience.
Lack of CMS control to reflect Outlier’s One-of-a-Kind Style: Outlier’s website needed to balance its bold imagery and unconventional layouts with easy navigation. Maintaining their distinctive brand identity while providing more flexibility for their team to control design and layout on Shopify Plus was crucial. The challenge was to create a solution that would empower Outlier to make design updates easily without needing developer intervention.
Preserving Order History and Gift Certificates: During re-platforming, some brands choose not to migrate order history to avoid complications with legacy data. However, for Outlier, their dedicated customers valued access to past product details and order history, as they often revisited old designs and purchases. Additionally, migrating gift certificate data posed a challenge, as Magento gift codes contained more characters than Shopify Plus could handle.
“Command C is excellent at breaking issues down into manageable parts. They are great communicators, which is something we place high value on.”
– Tyler Clemens, Outlier
Our Approach
Shopify’s 100 Variant Limit Solution: We engineered a custom solution by developing a unique product availability grid. This allowed us to display more than 100 variants on a single product page without breaking Shopify’s rules. Each color was defined as a separate product, and our custom tooling merged them into a single, user-friendly grid interface. This ensured that the correct variant would be added to the cart, all while maintaining the sophisticated look and feel Outlier customers expect.
In addition, we tackled the challenge of migrating product bundles, a native feature in Magento but not readily available in Shopify. We implemented a custom bundle solution that allowed the Outlier team to easily manage and modify bundles without needing developer intervention, keeping their unique pricing models intact.
Customers can now browse and select from all available variants without any hassle, and Outlier’s operations team enjoys greater flexibility in managing product bundles.
Leverage Shopify’s Sections Functionality: We leveraged Shopify’s sections functionality to create a library of mobile-responsive layout components that could be customized and reused throughout the site. These sections gave Outlier full control over their content, allowing them to modify layouts, update images, and tweak designs in real-time—all while preserving the cohesive, bold look and feel of their brand. This flexibility enabled their team to make quick updates without relying on custom development every time.
Outlier now enjoys full control over their layouts, using Shopify’s sections to easily make changes and maintain their unique aesthetic. The site is visually striking yet intuitive to navigate, with frictionless functionality across all devices. This newfound flexibility has empowered Outlier to keep their brand fresh and dynamic while continuing to deliver a high-quality customer experience.
Develop a Standalone Order History Archive: We developed a standalone order history archive, allowing Outlier’s customers to access years of purchase data along with an extensive product history. This ensured a satisfying experience for long-time fans. To address the gift certificate challenge, we created a solution that allowed legacy Magento gift codes to work smoothly within Shopify Plus without needing to issue new codes, avoiding customer confusion.
Outlier’s customers can now easily access their full order history and use their existing gift certificates without any disruptions. This preserved the positive customer experience, reduced friction, and maintained loyalty, allowing Outlier to uphold their reputation for innovation and customer care.
“Revenue has increased substantially in the time that we have been working together, as have page load times.”
– Tyler Clemens, Outlier
The Results: A Tailored Solution for a Unique Brand
Working with Outlier meant solving a series of complex challenges in a way that honored their brand’s unique style and customer expectations. From breaking Shopify’s variant constraints without technically breaking any rules, to developing a flexible and striking design system, we ensured that Outlier’s site performs as beautifully as it looks.
Command C thrive’s on turning constraints into opportunities for innovation. Our work with Outlier is a testament to this philosophy, and we’re excited to continue helping them push the boundaries of what’s possible in ecommerce.
