Case Study: Select Hardware E-commerce Launch

Transforming a Traditional Hardware Business with Shopify

Launching an e-commerce platform for a company with no previous online presence and achieving first revenue in 6 weeks.

Select Hardware Ltd - Digital Transformation

Since November 2024, I've been working with Select Hardware Ltd to design, build and launch their first e-commerce store. This project represented a significant digital transformation for an established B2B business looking to expand their sales channels beyond traditional methods, and more towards a retail, "D2C" strategy.

Starting from Zero

Building an online retail presence from scratch presented numerous challenges. With no existing online customer base or digital marketing infrastructure, we developed a comprehensive strategy focusing on:

1. Platform development and integration with existing business systems
2. Search visibility through SEO and Google Merchant Centre
3. Forecasting model including strategic paid advertising across PPC and social channels
4. Content development to support organic growth

Growth Trajectory and Performance

The site launched in January 2025, generating early traffic and sales around 4 months ahead of forecast. As expected, the first months showed negative profit as we established the channel, but this investment laid the groundwork for sustainable growth.

Platform and Technical Implementation

A key aspect of this project involved seamless integration with existing business operations. We successfully:

• Implemented eDesk for customer service management within Shopify
• Created a unified product data sync between Linnworks and internal systems
• Resolved various Shopify customisation and technical issues like PO number displays in order confirmations

Search Visibility Strategy

Rankings began to move very quickly. The domain name was "aged" as an existing B2B business, and, of course, there was pre-existing branded search. This allowed rapid progress to approaching early search engine visibility focused on several key areas:

• Building a comprehensive review system to enhance Google Merchant visibility
• Optimising category architecture to align with search trends

Team Integration

The project included a recommendation to hire a dedicated Website Manager to integrate within the existing team. This role will be crucial for managing the ongoing technical requirements, SEO initiatives, and third-party relationships.

Looking Forward

As we move deeper into 2025, the outlook continues to improve. With established systems now in place and growing organic visibility, the e-commerce channel is positioned to become an increasingly significant revenue stream for Select Hardware Ltd.

This case study demonstrates how traditional businesses can successfully transition to online retail with the right strategy, technical infrastructure, and ongoing optimisation.