Subiaco Boutique Retailer — Web Redesign
A boutique retailer had a website stuck in 2014 and a 0.4% conversion rate — we rebuilt it for mobile-first shopping.
TL;DR
- Challenge:
- A Subiaco boutique retailer with a 2014-era WordPress site converting at 0.4% and no mobile optimisation.
- Approach:
- Full rebuild on Next.js with mobile-first UX, Afterpay/Zip, click-and-collect, and conversion optimisation throughout.
- Result:
- +280% conversion rate, mobile traffic up 145%, online revenue grew from $42K to $222K annually.
Key Results at a Glance
+280%
Conversion rate
+145%
Mobile traffic
+$180K
Online revenue
Client Context
Business Type
Independent boutique retailer (fashion + homewares)
Founded
2016
Team Size
4 staff + owner
Market
Subiaco + WA metro
Revenue Tier
$1.2M annual revenue (mostly in-store)
Stack Before
WordPress + WooCommerce, Vend POS, Xero, AusPost manual labels
The Challenge
The site was a dated WordPress theme with no mobile optimisation. Pages took 6+ seconds to load. No Afterpay, no click-and-collect, and product pages had no reviews or size guides.
Goals & KPIs
North-Star Metric
Grow online revenue 4x within 6 months of launch and hit 1.5%+ conversion rate on mobile
Supporting KPIs
Conversion rate (mobile)
Target: 1.5%+
Page load speed
Target: <2s LCP
Average order value
Target: $150+
Cart abandonment
Target: <50%
Online revenue
Target: $180K+ year 1
Discovery & Research
Audit Findings
- •Page load 6.2s on mobile (LCP failing badly)
- •No mobile-optimised checkout (7-step process)
- •No Afterpay/Zip (customer feedback showed 34% wanted it)
- •No customer reviews on product pages
- •No size guides or fit information
Baseline Issues
- •0.4% conversion rate
- •84% cart abandonment
- •Mobile traffic bouncing at 78%
- •$42K/year online revenue
Competitor Insight
Perth boutique competitors averaged 1.4% conversion, 2.1s load times, and offered both Afterpay + click-and-collect. Average order value with BNPL was 1.9x higher.
Audience Insight
Perth boutique shoppers browse in-store, then decide online later — 71% of online purchases happened after an in-store visit. Afterpay was the deal-breaker for younger buyers.
Strategy
Core Hypothesis
“If we rebuild on modern tech with mobile-first UX and BNPL integrations, conversion rate will 3x+ because Perth boutique shoppers already visit in-store — we just need to remove online friction.”
Positioning Shift
Repositioned online as "shop Subiaco from anywhere in Perth" — reinforcing local brand + click-and-collect convenience.
Channel Mix
Site rebuild + UX · 55%
Primary bottleneck
Payment integrations · 20%
Afterpay + Zip demand
Fulfilment automation · 15%
AusPost + click-collect
Conversion optimisation · 10%
Reviews, size guides, urgency
Our Approach
Mobile-first redesign
Rebuilt on Next.js with responsive product grids, sticky add-to-cart on mobile, and lazy-loaded images — load time dropped to 1.4s.
Payment & fulfilment integration
Added Afterpay and Zip at checkout, click-and-collect for Subiaco locals, and flat-rate AusPost shipping with real-time tracking.
Conversion optimisation
Added customer reviews, size guide overlays, urgency indicators for low stock, and a persistent cart drawer.
Phased Roadmap
Weeks 1–3
Discovery & Design
- →UX audit + heatmap analysis
- →Wireframes for mobile-first flows
- →Design system built (matching in-store brand)
- →Content + product data audit
Weeks 4–8
Build
- →Next.js frontend with headless commerce
- →Afterpay + Zip integration at checkout
- →AusPost live rates + auto label printing
- →Click-and-collect flow with SMS notifications
Weeks 9–12
Launch & Migration
- →Product data migration (280 SKUs)
- →301 redirects from old URLs
- →Soft launch to email list
- →Full launch + PR push
Months 4–6
Optimisation
- →A/B tested product page layouts
- →Added customer reviews (Judge.me)
- →Introduced urgency indicators for low stock
- →Meta retargeting for cart abandoners
What We Built
The Results
Monthly Online Revenue (AUD)
Before vs After — 6 Months
Conversion Funnel
-50% drop-off
-79% drop-off
-62% drop-off
-51% drop-off
| Metric | Before | After | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conversion rate | 0.4% | 1.6% | +280% |
| Mobile traffic | 1,200/month | 2,940/month | +145% |
| Online revenue | $42K/year | $222K/year | +$180K |
“The new site pays for itself every month. Afterpay alone doubled our average order value.”
Emma T.
Owner, Subiaco Boutique
Key Insights
- →Afterpay alone doubled average order value — every product page should show the split payment amount
- →Mobile-first design turned a bounce problem into a strength — desktop conversion also improved 40%
- →Click-and-collect converted 3.2x higher than shipping options for Perth-based buyers
- →Judge.me reviews on product pages lifted conversion 18% within 60 days of installation
What's Next
Adding a loyalty program, launching a Shopify email flow for post-purchase, and testing Meta Shop integration for social commerce.
Ready to see similar results?
Book a free strategy call — we'll audit your current setup and map out what growth looks like for your business.
Services Used
Representative case study. Figures illustrate the type of outcomes achievable through these strategies for Australian businesses; individual results vary based on market, budget and starting position.