How BARK Transformed Its E-Commerce Platform for Growth: A Success Story

by Online Queso

5 days ago

Key Highlights

Platform Migration: BARK transitioned from a custom e-commerce platform to Shopify, leading to an immediate 6% increase in conversion rates and an 8% rise in subscription sales during the holiday season.
Agility and Innovation: The switch enhanced BARK's ability to innovate quickly, reducing the time to market for new features and allowing the company to focus on customer experience.
Empowered Teams: Non-technical team members at BARK can now make site updates independently, fostering creativity and improving customer engagement.

Introduction

In the competitive world of pet products, BARK, a leading dog lifestyle company, has continuously aimed to deliver joy and delight to dogs and their owners. Founded in 2011 by Matt Meeker, Henrik Werdelin, and Carly Strife, BARK began its journey with a simple premise: help dog owners find fun and innovative treats and toys for their pets. Over the years, the company evolved from its original subscription service BarkBox into a multifaceted brand serving millions.

However, a significant challenge arose as BARK outgrew its custom-built e-commerce platform. Initially beneficial, the bespoke system ultimately became a barrier to innovation, prompting the team to seek a more efficient solution. This article explores BARK's transformation through its migration to Shopify, detailing the hurdles faced, the strategies implemented, and the positive outcomes achieved.

Challenge: Custom Platform Keeps Innovation on a Tight Leash

BARK has an impressive design team dedicated to creating over a thousand new dog toys each year. As the brand grew, however, its reliance on a custom platform began to create bottlenecks in their operations. Decision-making was slow, development times for new features stretched into weeks or months, and the overall cost of innovation increased dramatically.

Meghan Knoll, BARK’s Chief Experience Officer, shared that while the custom platform allowed for unique modifications, it was also a source of ongoing technical debt. Each feature implementation required extensive programming resources, hindering the agility that characterizes dynamic companies. BARK's focus shifted away from enhancing customer experiences toward maintaining backend functionality—a reality that was unsustainable for a brand committed to innovation and customer satisfaction.

The custom platform's limitations ultimately resulted in missed opportunities. "There are parts of the experience that are uniquely BARK, but aspects like checkout are not where we want to focus our creative energies," Meghan explained. BARK needed a platform that would allow their creative talents to thrive while efficiently managing operational tasks that did not directly contribute to their brand identity.

Solution: Migrating to Shopify for Agility and Focus

In search of a solution, BARK turned to Shopify, a platform known for its versatility and scalability. The migration process involved a thorough audit of their existing system, identifying unnecessary complexities and technical bloat accumulated over the years. "It was cathartic for our team to throw out the technical debt we had built ourselves," Meghan acknowledged.

By migrating to Shopify, BARK aimed to streamline its operations, allowing for faster iterations and optimal concentration on customer experiences. With Shopify's pre-built applications and functionalities, the BARK team could deploy new features and customizations quickly, without the long wait times associated with their previous system.

A Necessary Reckoning, then a Mindful Migration

The migration involved a careful and methodical approach, preserving customer favorites while ensuring that unnecessary elements were pruned away. In under a month, BARK was able to integrate core features and gradually introduce sections of their user base to the new system. Continuous testing and adjustments ensured a smooth transition, providing reassurance to both the technical and creative teams at BARK.

Pre-built Solutions on the App Ecosystem Speed Deployment—and Innovation

One of the critical advantages of Shopify is its extensive app ecosystem, which allowed BARK to leverage existing tools for enhanced functionality. BARK's technical team discovered that many features they desired could be realized using existing apps, significantly reducing the development overhead.

A standout example was their subscription model, which offers customizable options for dog owners. BARK identified the necessity for bespoke solutions and found a fitting application in OrderGroove, a service that catered to their unique subscription needs while also maintaining integration with the Shopify system. This capability rested at the heart of their operations, illustrating that not every solution had to be built from scratch.

Accelerated Checkout Delivers the Experience Customers Crave

Recognizing the importance of a seamless customer journey, BARK integrated Shop Pay—Shopify’s accelerated checkout option—across their new site. The new feature proved immensely popular, with 43% of new customers utilizing it during its initial quarter. By simplifying the checkout process and reducing the number of pages and clicks required to complete a purchase, BARK significantly enhanced the overall shopping experience for their customers.

Results: BARKing Up the Right Tree: Enhanced Agility, Improved Conversion, and Magical Experiences

The move to Shopify heralded a new era for BARK, marked by enhanced agility and growth metrics. The time to market for new features drastically improved, enabling fresh campaigns and innovative ideas to be deployed quicker than ever before.

Faster Time to Market Means Faster Feature Launches

Post-migration, BARK managed to launch features that had previously been held up by their old system. For example, the engaging Black Friday "dog person" quiz was conceptualized and launched just weeks before the holiday, demonstrating newfound agility and capacity to capitalize on market trends.

Conversion Rate Boosts Just in Time for the Holidays

The benefits were evident almost immediately. Within the first month of migrating to Shopify, BARK's conversion rates surged by 6%, validating their strategic pivot and showcasing the effective optimization of their checkout process. With the holiday season around the corner, BARK saw a significant uptick in new subscription sales, achieving an 8% increase compared to the previous year's results on the custom platform.

Unlocked Capabilities for Both Technical and Non-Technical Team Members

One of the most profound shifts occurred within BARK's team dynamics. Non-technical members gained newfound autonomy, enabling them to execute updates and implement creative ideas without involving engineering resources. This independence allowed for accelerated idea deployment and frequent updates across product pages, enhancing customer engagement.

For the technical team, the focus transitioned from maintaining core functionality to innovating customer-oriented features. This liberation from routine maintenance allowed engineers to concentrate on developing unique experiences that set BARK apart in a crowded marketplace.

Potential Unleashed with Shopify

BARK's migration to Shopify has positioned the company for long-term growth, providing the nimbleness necessary to adapt and thrive in the dynamic pet industry. With enhanced conversion rates, rapid subscription growth, and a technical structure that promotes ongoing innovation, BARK is poised to lead in delivering delightful experiences that resonate with dog lovers.

As BARK continues down this path, the outlook remains bright. Positioned to explore new opportunities and expand their offerings, the brand is now recalibrating its mission to focus on creating joy for pets and their owners, leveraging the Shopify platform to further enhance its community engagement and product innovation.

FAQ

What prompted BARK to migrate to Shopify? BARK faced significant challenges with its custom-built platform, which hindered innovation and slowed time to market for new features. Seeking greater agility and functionality, they chose Shopify to streamline operations and enhance the customer experience.

What benefits did BARK experience after migrating to Shopify? Post-migration, BARK saw improvements in conversion rates, along with the ability to deploy new features and marketing campaigns more rapidly. The integration of Shop Pay also enhanced the overall customer checkout experience.

How did the move to Shopify affect BARK's team dynamics? The migration allowed non-technical team members to make updates independently, promoting a more creative and proactive culture within the organization. The technical team could refocus on innovation rather than routine maintenance.

What unique features did BARK implement after migrating to Shopify? BARK utilized Shopify’s app ecosystem to develop a customized subscription model and integrated Shop Pay for an enhanced checkout experience. This allowed for a more seamless shopping journey for customers.

Is BARK's transition to Shopify proving successful? Yes, the migration has resulted in improved conversion rates, enhanced agility in launching new features, and an empowered workforce ready to innovate and meet customer needs.

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