Bandages Plus, an eCommerce site selling compression therapy supplies, bandages, tapes, and ready-made kits, was facing challenges in identifying and reaching its target audience online. The company was struggling to get in front of potential customers without wasting resources on audiences that were not interested in their products. The challenge was to find the best audience opportunities for the client, which required understanding who was already finding Bandages Plus and why. The company needed to segment products into categories that included best sellers, high-margin items, and others, and reflect these categories in shopping ad group segmentation. This would allow them to set bids according to profitability targets.

Bras N Things, a leading bra fitting specialist in Australia, was launching a new responsive eCommerce site. The challenge was to optimize the site during the launch and identify any post-launch issues. This was one of the earlier responsive eCommerce site redesigns, and there were no established best practices to follow. The redesign was not only responsive but also introduced a new brand experience and new core navigational elements. The company needed to ensure that the site was user-friendly and could provide customers with an enjoyable and easy shopping experience online.

Asphalt Kingdom, a leading provider of asphalt and asphalt-related products, was struggling with low website traffic and insufficient backlinks, which were affecting their search engine rankings and overall revenue. They needed a creative approach to content marketing and link building to attract more attention to their brand. On the other hand, Candy Direct, an eCommerce site selling bulk vintage/nostalgic candy, had no content on their blog. They needed to create a rich and interesting library of blog content to attract potential customers and increase brand awareness. They also aimed to position themselves as a go-to source for bulk candy.

Gaia, a lifestyle media hub, was facing a significant challenge with its content strategy. The company's blog was primarily filled with self-promotional posts, which were not resonating with potential customers or engaging the targeted community effectively. This lack of engagement was not generating natural links back to the Gaia website, which was crucial for improving the site's Domain Authority (DA). A low DA was hindering organic traffic to the site, which was negatively impacting Gaia's visibility and potential for growth. The company needed a solution that would not only increase its DA but also foster a deeper connection with its audience and promote organic growth.

Houseplans.net, an eCommerce site selling ready-designed house plans to consumers, experienced a significant drop in revenue. This decline was suspected to be linked to Google's Panda and Penguin Algorithm updates, which had a history of causing revenue declines for online retailers. The challenge was to identify the root cause of the problem and implement necessary changes to reverse the revenue decline. An initial SEO audit revealed issues that could be addressed with a thorough link audit and cleanup. However, the challenge was not just to remove detrimental links but also to strategically build new, quality links. Additionally, a significant portion of the site's content was underperforming, which required a comprehensive content audit and cleanup.

The primary challenge faced by most eCommerce stores is improving and expanding their content to enhance their SEO performance. This process often requires significant time and resources. However, the case study focuses on an alternative approach to increase organic traffic without adding new content or improving existing content. The solution lies in deindexing low-performing blog posts through a process known as content pruning. This SEO tactic requires less work than adding new content and can significantly boost organic traffic and revenue. The case study highlights the experience of HomeScienceTools.com, an online store that provides educational scientific products. The store's blog, 'Learning Center,' was hosted on its own subdomain, which had its own SEO impacts. The challenge was to improve the site's SEO performance by pruning underperforming pages.

TotalHomeSupply.com (THS), an eCommerce website selling products for homes and businesses, was facing significant challenges with their eCommerce platform, Volusion. As their inventory grew and the site’s customization needs increased, they required a more robust enterprise solution. They decided to migrate to Mozu, a more advanced version of Volusion. However, post-migration, THS experienced a significant drop in organic traffic and transactions. Organic traffic, which historically made up more than 65 percent of visits and more than 40 percent of all conversions, dropped nearly 35 percent. Transactions were down 21 percent. Although the conversion rate improved by 24 percent, the overall revenue was down by 7 percent. Further analysis revealed that traffic to category pages was down by 25 percent and product page traffic was down by more than 50 percent. The migration coincided with Google's rollout of Panda 4.2, which further complicated the situation.

TotalHomeSupply.com (THS), an eCommerce site specializing in selling products for private homes and businesses, was facing challenges in tracking conversions and determining the full value of their campaigns. The lack of call tracking made it difficult to identify where some conversions were coming from. Additionally, the client had preconceived ideas about their best-selling products, which were not aligned with the data available in Google Analytics. The challenge was to overhaul the shopping strategy to focus on high-margin, best-selling products and implement a data-oriented approach to improve campaign effectiveness.

The case study revolves around a global aerospace and defense company that was grappling with the challenges of managing a dispersed workforce. The company had to ensure that its employees, working from various locations, had secure access to the necessary applications and tools. The IT managers were tasked with securing endpoint systems while also dealing with shrinking budgets and changing priorities. The company also had to ensure compliance with the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS), which contains cybersecurity requirements that US Department of Defense (DoD) suppliers and contractors must follow. The company was seeking scalable DFARS-compliant solutions that could be deployed across its international operations. The company also had a long-standing problem of granting local administrative rights to non-IT users, which posed a security risk.

Euronet, Poland’s leading provider of electronic payment and transaction processing solutions, faced a significant challenge in ensuring the security and reliability of its vast network of ATMs. The company, which processed over 1.5 billion transactions in 2009 and posted annual revenues of more than $1 billion, owns over 4,000 ATMs and manages over 20 percent of all ATMs in Poland. The challenge was to provide customers with a safe transfer of financial details and the ability to withdraw cash at any time. The company needed a wireless technology that would provide a safe, reliable, and easy-to-install solution for its ATM network. The stakes were high, as a single day of downtime for a single ATM could result in 50 unhappy customers and up to $75 in lost revenue. For Euronet, with its 4,000 ATMs, a full day of outages could result in $300,000 in lost revenue.

FSM Ground Services Management, the operator of Tel-O-Fun bicycle-sharing system in Tel Aviv, Israel, faced a significant challenge. The system, which sees around ten thousand journeys daily and comprises over 1700 bicycles across 170 docking stations, required each terminal to be connected to the main control center for customer identification and bike release. Additionally, these terminals needed to process payment transactions swiftly and reliably to ensure a positive customer experience. However, implementing a wired solution would have necessitated costly roadwork, council permits, and significant disruption. Furthermore, any solution had to be rugged enough to withstand Tel Aviv's harsh summer temperatures (40° C / 104° F) and high humidity levels.

Lovehoney, the UK's largest online adult retailer, faced a significant challenge due to its rapid growth. With 1 in 3 adult products sold in the UK coming from its warehouse, the company's sales increased by 22% in both 2017 and 2018, leading to over 100,000 orders a month. This surge in sales put immense pressure on the customer service team, which was already dealing with complex product queries and delivery logistics. The customers expected to find the information they needed quickly and without any delay. Meeting these expectations consistently was a significant challenge for the customer service team, which was also tasked with managing the increased demand.

MSG91, a leading enterprise messaging solutions provider, was facing a significant challenge in managing customer support as they expanded internationally. The company was inundated with inquiries from users worldwide, and they lacked the capacity to provide 24/7 support. Furthermore, a large portion of these inquiries were repetitive questions, which diverted valuable manpower away from their primary goal of expanding into all modes of communication. This situation was not only hindering their expansion plans but also preventing them from effectively assisting every customer and website visitor.

Maple Distributing, a supplier of premium kitchen appliances, was facing operational challenges due to disconnected data and manual handling of inventory and orders. The company was using QuickBooks for financials and spreadsheets for inventory and order management. However, as the company grew rapidly, these systems were not able to keep up with the increasing demand and operational processes. The company was struggling to keep track of their inventory, manage their product imports and serialized products, and calculate the true cost of goods sold. The lack of a centralized inventory system was causing operational inefficiencies and potential errors.

Rich Jersey LLC, a luxury meat company, faced significant challenges in managing their inventory and assembly process due to limitations in QuickBooks. The company, which imports and distributes a variety of processed meats, uses third-party cold storages and trucking companies for their inventory. This allows them to operate remotely from laptops. However, as their business flourished, QuickBooks alone was not sufficient to handle their growing needs. One of their third-party cold storages also functioned as a manufacturer, making assembly a major requirement for the company. QuickBooks lacked the bill of material functionality needed to track raw materials in the manufacturing process used to make a finished product for inventory, which is an assembly product.

Rotorcorp, a leading global supplier of Robinson Helicopter parts and overhaul kits, faced the challenge of developing a strong ecommerce presence to export globally. The company, founded by brothers Dan and Sean Casey in 2011, had a vision of providing time-sensitive parts worldwide with the largest in-stock inventory, reliable service, and affordable pricing. They had a large overseas customer base grown from a strong online presence, but they needed to enhance their customers’ experience further from taking orders by phone and email to building a comprehensive ecommerce webstore. The challenge also included the need for a solid inventory management software to track inventory in real-time across multiple warehouses and all sales channels.

Richland School District 2, a South Carolina-based educational institution, was facing significant challenges in tracking their assets. The school district, which is dedicated to creating an environment of excellence for all students, had hundreds of expensive assets at their disposal. However, they lacked a proper system to track these assets, leading to potential losses amounting to thousands of dollars. Their existing method of using spreadsheets for asset tracking was outdated, error-prone, and lacked visibility and an audit trail. This manual method was not only time-consuming but also prone to human errors, leading to inaccuracies in data. The school district was in dire need of a modern, efficient, and accurate asset tracking system to replace their spreadsheet-based method.

Arthauss, a family-run online furniture brand, started from a spare bedroom in Lincoln, UK. The founders, Katarzyna Konwinska and Rafal Konwinski, identified a market gap for affordable, quality furniture and decided to fill it. They launched Arthauss with a rudimentary website and quickly earned a solid reputation, especially for their unique Arti range of wardrobes and popular pull-down Murphy beds. The brand grew exponentially, moving into a 4,000 sq ft unit with a showroom and upgrading to a powerful Shopify website. However, as the business expanded, managing the operations became increasingly challenging. The team was spending a significant amount of time on repetitive manual tasks, which was hindering their ability to focus on long-term growth.

Baby & Co, a British nursery retailer established in 1982, experienced a 40% year-on-year growth which led to an increase in operational complexities. The family-run business, based in Bristol, specializes in strollers, prams, nursery furniture, and nursery equipment from premium brands. The company, which operates a webstore powered by Advanced Shopify, was bogged down by manual processes due to its growth. The business was faced with the challenge of managing stock across multiple locations and the enormous administrative task of manually adding all sales and customer data. Additionally, Baby & Co needed a new system to be operational within six weeks, ahead of HMRC’s ‘Making Tax Digital’ deadline.

Bells of Steel, a Canadian fitness brand, experienced a rapid surge in demand during the pandemic. The shift to online shopping, particularly for home fitness equipment, overwhelmed the company's team of seven. The founder, Kaevon Khoozani, was faced with a critical decision: sell the company, stay small, or scale up. He chose the latter, hiring 39 new staff, opening a larger warehouse in Toronto, a retail store in Indianapolis, and adding 3PL in LA to cover West Coast demand. However, the rapid expansion brought about operational challenges. The company's workflows became increasingly complex, leading to financial losses. The back-end operations, made up of a patchwork of software with little cross-communication, were plagued with manual inventory management and accounting inaccuracies. The lack of visibility, especially in inventory, negatively impacted the company's margins and decision-making capabilities.

Harriet Hastings, the founder of Biscuiteers, saw the potential in launching an ecommerce gifting business for biscuits while on holiday in New York. She had a vision of creating a product that was easily postable, had a longer shelf-life, and offered limitless design opportunities for corporate clients. However, she faced several challenges. One of the early challenges was ensuring the biscuits could be sent by post without breaking. Another challenge was managing the growing business as it generated sales from multiple platforms. Hastings realized that she needed to completely reconfigure the business and needed a software program that could pull all these strands together and help her to keep a close eye on stock and orders.

Bond Touch, a multichannel DTC brand, experienced a surge in demand for its innovative 'emotional wearable tech' bracelets soon after its launch in 2017. To cater to the growing demand, the company expanded its operations by launching additional Shopify storefronts in Europe, Australia, Canada, and the US, and setting up several extra warehouses. However, this rapid expansion led to operational chaos. Managing large order volumes across various channels using only manual workflows and spreadsheets became an overwhelming task. The complexity of operations increased significantly with the addition of extra web stores, warehouses, stockists, and Amazon sales. The company, headquartered in Lisbon, Portugal, with operations based out of California, considered various solutions, including Netsuite, Skubana, and TradeGecko, but none could offer the scalability, flexibility, and functionality required by the brand.

Cleva, a UK-based DIY brand, has been experiencing a rapid growth since its launch in 2016, doubling in size every year and achieving a 100% year-on-year growth rate. However, maintaining this growth post-Covid presented a significant challenge. The company had to deal with the fluctuating online demand that affected many businesses in the wake of the pandemic. Cleva had to ensure that it could continue to meet the demand for its products, which range from vacuum cleaners to outdoor power tools, and are sold both B2C and B2B via various online platforms. The company also faced the challenge of managing its operations efficiently as it expanded its product range and opened a second warehouse.

Coes, a British formal wear company with a century-long history, was facing a significant challenge in the wake of the pandemic. The shift towards online shopping and the rapid evolution of e-commerce put pressure on the brand, known for its exceptional in-store service, to adapt or risk being left behind. The company, which operates six UK retail outlets and a Shopify Plus-powered website, recognized the need for a stronger online strategy and a complete overhaul of its operational infrastructure to meet increasing consumer expectations. The existing provider, MS Dynamics, was pushing an unsuitable upgrade, and the lack of customization was causing more problems than solutions. The brand was experiencing growing issues around sales visibility and stock accuracy, and an over-reliance on manual workflows and unreliable integrations.

Dakota Stones, an online gemstone specialist, was in search of a backend solution that could match the innovative features of its front-end e-commerce platform, Shopify. The Minnesota-based brand, which operates four webstores including Goody Beads, serves a diverse range of wholesale and direct-to-consumer customers. The challenge was to find a solution that could seamlessly integrate with Shopify Plus, which the brand switched to in 2021, and provide robust retail functionality to support its growing business.

Driveline Baseball, a multichannel B2C company specializing in data-driven baseball performance training, faced a significant challenge in managing its complex retail operations. The company initially used Brightpearl for its operations, but due to the need for several custom integrations, including 3PL providers, which were not available on Brightpearl at that time, the company decided to switch to an alternative solution provider. However, the alternative solution turned out to be expensive, time-consuming, and frustrating, failing to meet Driveline's unique needs. The company was struggling with ongoing supply issues and unpredictable consumer demand, with excess stock becoming a major problem.

FurnitureBox, a Wiltshire-based online furniture retailer, experienced a significant 267% increase in revenue over the last year, making it the fastest-growing business in the South West. However, this rapid growth led to logistical complexities. The company was spending excessive time on manual tasks such as processing orders, managing a busy warehouse, and handling spreadsheets. Dispatch had no courier integration, phone orders lacked scalability, and it was costly to manage the change in process that came with every new platform or channel. With a lean staffing model and a growth target of 25-30%, the team was struggling to expand while maintaining the high-quality service they were known for.

Heat Transfer Warehouse, an online retailer of heat transfer vinyl and sublimation equipment, faced significant operational challenges as it grew. Despite consistent success since its launch in 2010, the company hit a crossroads in its ordering and inventory management systems, which lacked accuracy and visibility. The North Dakota-based company, which had seen a surge in direct-to-consumer sales due to the pandemic, needed a solution that could handle its increased order volume, which had doubled from around 8,000 a month to 16,000. The company was also looking for a system that could integrate with its existing e-commerce platform, BigCommerce, and provide real-time performance insights and in-depth reporting functionality.

Henchman, a leading ladder design specialist based in Wiltshire, England, was established in 1994. The company provides a range of quality tripod ladders, safe working platforms, and gardening accessories to businesses, organizations, and DIY enthusiasts. Over the years, Henchman has grown from a small business to a leading ladder design specialist. However, like many brands in the gardening and DIY sector, Henchman experienced a massive surge in demand during the pandemic. The challenge was to handle this sustained spike in orders efficiently and without compromising the quality of service.

Chicago-based babywear brand Monica + Andy, established in 2014, experienced rapid growth and faced challenges in managing their back office operations. They initially turned to spreadsheets for managing various aspects of their business, including inventory, invoices, and accounting. However, as the business volumes began to soar, managing these spreadsheets became incredibly time-consuming and impractical. The business, which specializes in organic babywear, kidswear, maternity wear, and kid-related accessories, sells its products DTC online, via stores in NYC and Chicago, and is also stocked at big-name stores including Target and Buybuy BABY. The brand was in need of a back office solution that could handle their growing operational complexity.