Case Study: Idea to Website — Bringing a Local Clothing Boutique Online..

Project Background

Business Type: Local men’s + women’s apparel store (est. 2011)
Goal: Establish an online presence, increase product sales, and modernize branding
My Role: UX/UI Designer + Digital Strategist
Timeline: 6–8 weeks

The store initially operated only in person but wanted to launch a Shopify-based online store to expand reach beyond local shoppers and compete with modern retail brands. Their audience was primarily years 55+, with growing younger buyers for events, weddings, and formal wear.

Challenges Identified

Research + Discovery

To understand brand value, audience need + business operations, I conducted:

✔ Business Interviews

• Owner stories, brand history, competitive edge

• Target demographic (primary 55+, emerging younger audience)

• Current marketing channels + sales behaviour
  

✔ Product Inventory Audit

Breakdown of existing catalog to plan categories & UI structure:

Men's Clothing

• Shirts (44) · Pants/Shorts (16) · Sweaters (10)

• Shoes (12) · Outerwear (4) · Suits & Sportcoats (4)

• Accessories (21)

Women’s Clothing

• Accessories (36) · Bottoms (14) · Outerwear (5)

• Shoes (14) · Tops (14) · Dresses (0 — opportunity)

Website Usability Review

Design & Business Strategy Direction

Based on research insight, I created key recommendations to scale online retail performance.

1. Unify Digital Presence

• Merge Shopify & .CA domain → one consistent brand hub

• Align banner, About page & in-store messaging

• Update global navigation structure for product findability
  

2. Improve Brand Experience

3. Strengthen Information Architecture

Proposed Header Structure

Home | Shop | Men | Women | Services | About | Contact | Sign-In | Cart

New Services Pages

• Tailoring

• Formal Wear Rental

• Dry Cleaning

• Styling Assistance

4. Content & SEO Enhancements

• Detailed product descriptions (fit, material, use case)

• ALT-tag rich photography for SEO indexing

• Keywords for menswear, business casual, formal wear, accessories

Visual + UX/UI Execution

Phase 1 — Wireframing in Figma

• Redesigned homepage layout

• Clear product tiles, categorization, CTA placements

• Simplified navigation + footer with social + subscription

Phase 2 — Shopify Implementation

• Organized catalog structure

• Added Services pages

• Connected Instagram | Facebook Shop | Google Shopping compatibility

• Created reusable product card template + style system

Digital Growth + Marketing Strategy

Short-Term Wins

Key Outcomes

⚡ Improved user experience through simplified navigation
📍 Unified brand identity across website + social platforms
🛒 Product organization made browsing intuitive
📈 Ready to scale digitally with modern e-commerce structure

Reflection

This project strengthened my experience in designing for retail-commerce, inventory-driven UX, and brand expansion strategy.
Transforming a local store into a functional digital business required not only UI thinking, but business empathy—understanding their audience, their goals, and their growth potential.