Sunwarrior is a global brand with distributors worldwide, specializing in the production of plant-based proteins and superfoods . Committed to quality and organic ingredients, Sunwarrior offers products that harness the power of plants to transform the health and well-being of its customers. In 2022, the brand took a crucial step toward optimizing its e-commerce platform, partnering with Getmore, a Shopify Plus agency, to redesign its online store and maintain an ongoing collaboration that continues to deliver exceptional results.
The First Challenge: Technical Optimization
Before working with Getmore, Sunwarrior faced several challenges with their Shopify store. Although they were already Shopify Plus users, the store was built on a generic template that didn't meet the brand's specific requirements. “They had many technical issues. For example, during a peak sales season, the mini-cart wasn't working correctly and was costing them a lot of sales,” explains Alejandro, Commercial Director at Getmore.
The solution was a complete redesign that not only solved the technical problems, but also aligned the customer experience with the brand values and improved internal operations.
Solution: Custom Redesign and Advanced Features
Sunwarrior's redesign focused on optimizing both the customer experience and the store's technical performance . Among the most significant challenges during the Strategy and Design phases was adapting the high volume of content, such as blog posts and recipes, to the new theme . On a more technical level, the highlights included:
1. Migration to Native Metafields
Metafields are additional fields that allow you to store customized information about products, variants, and other elements within Shopify. Before the redesign, Sunwarrior used external applications to manage these fields, which negatively impacted the store's speed and usability. We migrated all this information to Shopify's native metafields , eliminating the dependency on external applications and significantly improving performance. "It was a technical challenge, but it had a huge impact on operations and performance ," says Alejandro.
2. Bundles and Product Linking
One of the biggest challenges was separating the product flavors—previously variants—into independent products, allowing for exclusive content like photos, names, and descriptions for each, and simplifying inventory management. We also built the bundle functionality from scratch and integrated product linking within it, which presented another technical challenge in itself.
Although Shopify has a native bundle app that includes the ability to choose variations for each product, Alejandro mentions that the app wasn't a viable option in this case. “This case was very challenging because these were already standalone products, not variations. So what we did was build the bundle functionality from scratch, using code, and implement product linking right there.” This allowed for better operational and content control, which in turn was reflected in sales, as well as significantly increasing the average order value and offering a personalized user experience.
3. Rebuy for Upsell and Cross-sell
We implemented cross-selling functionality with Rebuy's Frequently Bought Together widgets , the Smart Cart with dynamic tiers for Free Shipping and Free Gift , and checkout recommendations using Shopify Plus's exclusive Checkout Extensions . These features not only improved the conversion rate but also boosted the AOV (average order value).
Results: Increase in Key Metrics
Despite the numerous technical and strategic challenges faced during the redesign process, the launch of the new store marked a turning point for Sunwarrior. From the very first month, significant improvements in overall e-commerce performance became apparent, with metrics reflecting the positive impact of an optimized shopping experience and personalized strategies. These improvements have not only strengthened their position as an industry leader but have also highlighted the value of a store designed to scale.
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Conversion rate: +66%
- This increase translates into a greater number of users becoming customers, optimizing every interaction with the store.
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Reached Checkout Rate: +78%
- A clearer and more functional purchase flow encouraged more users to move forward in the purchase process, reducing friction.
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Increase in subscriptions: +51%
- Aggressive promotions during peak season and retention strategies increased the loyalty of repeat customers.
The combination of these improvements fueled sustained growth in store revenue , solidifying Sunwarrior's position as a leader in its industry.
Continuous Improvement: Retention Strategies
Since the redesign, the collaboration between Sunwarrior and Getmore Shopify Experts has focused on constant, data-driven iterations. Alejandro explains: “We’ve iterated on the product page, mini-cart, mega-menu, and mobile. All based on A/B testing and continuous data analysis by their internal team.”
Subscriptions and Promotions
One of the key points has been the focus on customer retention. During peak seasons like Black Friday/Cyber Monday, we've implemented aggressive 35% discounts on Recharge subscriptions for two years. This process included:
- Prior preparation: Download and analyze current subscriber data using Recharge, creating a CSV file with the current information.
- Discount application: Bulk adjustment of the discount percentage on configured products for existing subscribers and new subscriptions during the promotional period.
- Promotion end: Discounts will be reverted to the original percentage at the end of the period, through automated updates in Recharge.
- Constant auditing: Confirmation that changes are correctly reflected in subscribers and Rebuy widgets.
The impact:
- Subscription increase: +17% in the first year we implemented the strategy.
- Conversion rate: +47% vs. the previous year when the subscription discount was not implemented.
Retro Campaign: Vegan Vince
In May-July 2024, we created a custom template and adapted the store to an 80s look and feel as part of a marketing campaign centered on Vegan Vince, an iconic character for the brand. Although the template was initially planned to be active for one month, due to its positive results, it was extended to two months. At the end of the campaign, the metrics also reflected a positive impact:
- Add to Cart Increase: +25%
- Checkout Increase: +38%
- Increase in completed orders: +17%
Alejandro points out: “An e-commerce business goes through several stages, from initial brand awareness to boosting customer retention. In this latter stage, with Sunwarrior we focus on retention strategies to reduce CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost) and increase LTV ( Lifetime Value ).”
Today, 59.75% of Sunwarrior customers return to make a purchase , double the e-commerce industry average of 30%. This result is the impact of collective efforts in subscriptions, personalized cross-selling strategies, and aggressive promotions at key moments, allowing the brand to maintain sustained growth.
Collaboration Process
Working with Sunwarrior has been a constant challenge and a source of learning. Alejandro points out: “Many of the requirements we've implemented with Sunwarrior we've replicated at a conceptual level for other clients. Their level of maturity as an e-commerce platform constantly challenges us to improve and find innovative solutions.”
Furthermore, Sunwarrior recognizes the value of working with a Shopify Plus specialist agency like Getmore, with a quality of deliverables equal to or better than other agencies in the United States, but at a lower cost, with estimated savings of 60%.
“When a client submits a requirement to the Project Manager, the manager reviews options and alternatives with the agency’s Solutions Engineer , who then presents them to the client. Together, they determine the next steps ,” Alejandro adds. This collaboration between Getmore’s internal team, which includes a Setup Specialist, a Solutions Engineer, and a Quality Assurance team, is what has led Sunwarrior, and others, to continue choosing Getmore as their Shopify Partner agency .
Conclusion
Sunwarrior's success story illustrates how a focus on data, innovation, and ongoing collaboration with a Shopify agency can transform an e-commerce site into a scalable and efficient platform. From the initial redesign to continuous iterations, Getmore has proven to be a key strategic partner for Sunwarrior, helping them achieve their goals and exceed expectations.
This case not only underscores the importance of personalization and optimization in e-commerce, but also how personalized retention and promotion strategies can significantly impact key metrics and long-term growth.
