No Man Walks Alone
is rejecting fashion conformity
Magento to Shopify Plus: Replatforming Success for No Man Walks Alone
A Classic Partnership
If Humphrey Bogart were around today, he’d likely be a regular at No Man Walks Alone (NMWA). After all, the retailer’s name is inspired by a line from Bogart in Sabrina. Founder Greg Lellouche chose the name as a nod to folks who value “original design, thoughtful details, quality of materials, and craftsmanship.” Command C has been working with NMWA since 2014, supporting them through significant growth and transformation.
The Challenge
After a successful migration to Magento 2, the NMWA store was running smoothly. However, compatibility issues with some Magento extensions and their theme started causing roadblocks. We shepherded the merchant through a platform analysis and determined that a move to Shopify Plus would provide the flexibility and functionality NMWA needed.
Shopify Plus would empower their team to make site updates without always needing a developer, and it offered a fantastic platform to enhance their storytelling and visual branding.
Project Goals
- Data Migration: Ensure no loss of customer data, order history, or content.
- Stability & Scalability: Craft a stable, scalable platform that requires less maintenance, freeing up resources for more impactful initiatives.
- Re-Theme for Brand Storytelling: Build a new theme to align with NMWA’s branding, offering more opportunities for content marketing.
- Feature Optimization: Reduced app dependencies and build essential features directly into the theme, streamlining site performance.
The Plan
Data Migration
One of the core project goals was to migrate product data, customers, and order history dating back to 2013 to Shopify Plus. We crafted custom routines to handle the export, mapping, and re-import of data, including over 600 blog posts with images and multiple formatting standards. This ensured that all of NMWA’s rich data made it to the new platform without a hitch.
Improve Platform Stability
NMWA relied on Command C for site maintenance and updates on Magento 2, making it challenging for their team to manage the site independently. By leveraging Shopify Plus’s infrastructure and CMS tools, we would empower NMWA to make site updates on their own, minimizing the need for ongoing development support and enabling them to focus on growth initiatives.
Re-Theming for Storytelling
The old theme limited content administration, making it hard to highlight unique brand stories without cumbersome workarounds. Through our Theme Analysis process, we identified a Shopify theme that allowed NMWA to showcase their brand’s unique stories and rich imagery. We also created custom templates for their “makers” to highlight the creators behind the collections, giving customers more insight into the brand ethos.
Results: A Future-focused Platform for Growth
The new Shopify Plus store now features easily digestible information about NMWA’s brand and values. Customers can learn not only about the clothing but also the people and stories behind each collection. We also eliminated unnecessary app dependencies, optimizing site speed and reducing potential conflicts.
This project was more than just a re-platforming; it was a chance to empower NMWA to manage their store independently, reduce technical debt, and focus on what they do best: telling stories through their unique collections.
“The most significant result we’ve seen is a sudden increase in mobile conversions after Command C made the site more mobile-friendly. Now, that number is almost equal to that of traditional web conversions.”