Case study
Driving Sales and Customer Experience: Auto One’s Shopify Transformation.
Auto One, one of Australia’s leading automotive retailers, offers a vast range of products for car enthusiasts and everyday drivers. With 37 stores nationwide and a comprehensive online store, they provide convenience and reliability for DIY mechanics and professionals alike.
Partnering with MindArc, Auto One revamped its eCommerce platform on Shopify to support its extensive catalogue and enhance the customer experience. The new site was designed for scalability, high traffic volumes, and peak sales periods like Black Friday. MindArc integrated key features, including flexible shipping and the Auto Info compatibility search tool, to drive eCommerce growth in a competitive market.
46%
356%
17%
Increase in average revenue per active user.
Increase in Block Friday sales compared to previous year.
Increase in sessions from organic traffic.
01 The challenge
Auto One’s existing eCommerce platform faced several challenges that needed to be addressed in the redesign. The most pressing concern was managing the scale and complexity of their extensive product range, which spans over 23,000 items. This required a robust solution that would enable customers to easily navigate and find specific products, whether they were searching for essential car maintenance items or specialised parts.
Additionally, Auto One wanted to enhance the overall customer experience by providing more flexible delivery options. This included offering nationwide shipping across Australia and the ability for customers to pick up their orders from any of Auto One’s 37 physical stores.
A crucial aspect of the project was the integration of Auto Info’s compatibility search tool. This service allows customers to input their vehicle details and quickly identify which products are compatible with their specific make and model. Developing a seamless integration between Shopify and Auto Info presented a technical challenge, requiring custom development to ensure that the search functionality was easy to use and provided accurate results.
MindArc’s approach was centred around delivering a custom eCommerce solution tailored to Auto One’s business needs. The first step was to deeply understand the customer journey and business requirements. This insight allowed us to design a user-friendly interface that could manage the complexity of Auto One’s product offerings while streamlining the shopping experience.
The project also required significant customisation of Shopify to ensure it could handle Auto One’s extensive inventory. Alongside this, we worked on improving the site’s performance to ensure it could handle high volumes of traffic, particularly during critical sales periods such as Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Additionally, we focused on integrating Auto Info’s compatibility search tool into the Shopify platform, ensuring it was intuitive and fully functional.
02 Our approach
Shopify Migration and Customisation
MindArc migrated Auto One’s existing site to Shopify, tailoring the platform to accommodate their extensive product catalogue. We ensured the product listings were organised logically and created advanced filtering options to help customers navigate the site more easily. The checkout process was also streamlined to reduce friction and improve conversion rates.
Auto Info Integration
A custom integration between Shopify and Auto Info was developed, enabling customers to enter their vehicle details and instantly see which products were compatible with their car. This integration was key to improving the customer experience by providing accurate, vehicle-specific product recommendations.
Performance Optimisation
MindArc’s team optimised the website’s performance to ensure fast load times and smooth functionality during peak shopping periods. This included refining the site’s backend infrastructure to handle large volumes of traffic, particularly for major sales events like Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Shipping and Click-and-Collect Integration
To enhance convenience for customers, we integrated flexible shipping options, including nationwide delivery and a click-and-collect service. Customers can now choose to have their products shipped to their door or pick them up at one of Auto One’s 37 stores, providing greater flexibility and convenience.
03 Actions taken
04 The result
The new Auto One website launched just in time for the Black Friday and Cyber Monday (BFCM) sales period, delivering remarkable results:
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Sales: A 70% increase during Black Friday compared to the previous year.
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Revenue: Up by 12% year-over-year (YoY) when comparing the last 30 days of November–December to the same period last year.
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BFCM Performance: The highest single-day spike occurred on Black Friday, with a staggering 356% increase in sales compared to the previous year.
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Organic Traffic: Sessions from organic traffic grew by 17% YoY over the last 30 days.
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Average Revenue Per Active User: Increased by 46%.
These metrics highlight the success of the new website in driving significant growth and optimising user engagement during a critical sales period.
The integration of Auto Info’s compatibility search tool has further enhanced the customer experience, allowing shoppers to quickly find the right products for their specific vehicles.
The successful launch of Auto One’s new Shopify platform has positioned the company for continued growth in the eCommerce space. The site is now better equipped to handle increased traffic, deliver a seamless shopping experience, and expand its online presence.
The project for Auto One highlights MindArc’s ability to deliver tailored, high-performing eCommerce solutions that meet complex business needs. Through custom Shopify development, seamless integrations, and performance optimisations, MindArc has helped Auto One enhance their online presence and improve the customer journey. Now that MindArc has successfully facilitated an accelerated platform migration, work is already underway to further enhance innovation on the Auto One website. The next phase of development focuses on delivering key group initiatives, including a comprehensive loyalty program, click-and-despatch capabilities from franchise stores, an endless aisle experience, advanced order management automation, and deeper CRM integration. These enhancements will not only improve customer engagement but also drive operational efficiencies, reinforcing Auto One’s position as a leading player in the automotive eCommerce space.
05 Conclusion
Usman Kapadia
Head of Digital Marketing
Unser Ansatz für digitales Marketing besteht darin, die richtige, auf Ihre Marke zugeschnittene Strategie zu entwickeln, damit wir Ihnen helfen können, Ihre Ziele zu erreichen!
Usman Kapadia
Head of Digital Marketing
Unser Ansatz für digitales Marketing besteht darin, die richtige, auf Ihre Marke zugeschnittene Strategie zu entwickeln, damit wir Ihnen helfen können, Ihre Ziele zu erreichen!
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