BIGCOMMERCE CASE STUDY
St. Jude Shop Gets a Modern Update to BigCommerce Stencil
A family-owned company that become the largest religious goods and church supply retailer in the United States.
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Their Story: St. Jude Shop
In 1965, Louis and Norma DiCocco founded the St. Jude Shop, opening their first religious goods retail store in Havertown, Pennsylvania. Over the past five decades, the DiCocco family proudly transformed the humble shop into the largest religious goods and church supply retailer in the United States.
To keep pace with modern ecommerce advancements, they collaborated with the BigCommerce design and development experts at IntuitSolutions and underwent an extensive site update, transitioning to the BigCommerce Stencil framework.
★★★★★
"Sales have doubled and tripled from previous years. Their work has always been on time and properly delivered."
Greg D. - Director of Operations, St.Jude Shop
Project Overview
BigCommerce Services
General Services
- Blueprint to Stencil Update
- Custom Theme Design
- Custom Theme Development
- Site Optimization & Support
Custom Features
- Slide-Out Menu Design
- Enhanced Category CTAs
- Accessibility Enhancements
Best-In-Class
- Mobile-Responsive
- Cornerstone "Base Theme"
- ThemeBridge Staging
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The Challenge: Modernizing UX, Site Performance, and Business Operations
Introduced in 2016, Stencil initially offered modest improvements over the aging Blueprint framework. Today, Stencil represents a significant advancement in speed, compatibility, security, extensibility, and support.
Still operating on Blueprint, St. Jude Shop risked losing critical functionality and missing out on BigCommerce's latest features, hindering their competitiveness and ability to fully leverage the platform's capabilities.
Common issues with Blueprint include:
- Broken site features and functionality
- Slower page load speed
- Poor mobile experience
- Lagging SEO optimization
- Outdated user experience
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The Solution: Move to BigCommerce Stencil
Recognizing the limitations of the outdated Blueprint framework, St. Jude shop opted for a custom update to the BigCommerce Stencil framework. This not only improved the overall functionality and performance of their site but also implemented a more contemporary codebase, positioning them to better serve their customers and boost online sales.
Some Advantages of Stencil vs. Blueprint:
- Better Website Speed & Performance
- Developer Friendly Code
- No-Code Page Builder capabilities
- Access to More Payment Options
- Access to Powerful Marketing Features
The Process
BigCommerce Redesign
Discovery & Design
A creative and collaborative process to produce a design tailored to fit their existing company branding.
Development
Best-in-class custom BigCommerce theme development, custom systems integrations, and third-party app integrations.
Launch & Support
A coordinated launch to complete the redesign process, followed up with post launch audits and ongoing support.
A Closer Look
BigCommerce Customizations & Enhancements
Some highlights of the unique solutions implemented for StJudeShop.com
BigCommerce UX Enhancement
Custom Slide Out Menu
A fresh slide-out menu design elevates the user experience by presenting product categories in a space-saving layout that enables customers to find their desired products faster.
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BigCommerce UX Enhancement
Visual Category CTAs on Homepage
Visually enhanced, strategically placed CTAs guide visitors to relevant product categories, making it easier for them to discover and explore St. Jude Shop’s extensive range of religious goods and church supplies.
BigCommerce UX Enhancement
Web Accessibility Improvements
Utilizing IntuitSolutions’ Web Accessibility services, St. Jude Shop made several accessibility improvements, reflecting their commitment to providing an accessible and user-friendly shopping experience for everyone.
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BigCommerce UX Enhancement
BigCommerce Optimization and Support
To continue improving performance after the site launch, St. Jude’s Shop opted for a BigCommerce Site Optimization and Support Plan, which focused on strategic enhancements, from routine web maintenance to technical SEO support.
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The Results: A Modern, User-Friendly Ecommerce Platform
St. Jude Shop has significantly improved its online presence by updating to the BigCommerce Stencil framework. The new site is faster, more secure, and easier to navigate, providing customers with a seamless shopping experience.
With these improvements, St. Jude Shop is now better positioned to meet the evolving needs of their customers and stay competitive in the online market. The robust ecommerce solution allows them to leverage BigCommerce’s latest features and tools, setting the stage for continued growth and success.
Interested in enhancing your ecommerce strategy or exploring BigCommerce for your online store? Our expert team of BigCommerce designers and developers is ready to help transform your vision into reality.
Contact us today by sending a message or calling us at 866-901-4650 for a complimentary consultation to discuss your project.