Plümo
Services: Replatforming & Migration, Shopify Design & Build, Custom Development, Data & SEO Migration, App & Back-office Integration, Launch & Ongoing Support
Website: https://www.plumo.com/
Plümo is an independent, family-run online concept store founded in London in 1998. From their base in Hackney Downs, they curate womenswear, shoes, accessories and homewares from designers and artisans around the world, alongside Plümo Studio, their own label designed in-house and made in small runs in their North London workshops.
After years on a platform that had been shaped around the way they work, Plümo came to us to move to Shopify. They wanted a front end with far more flexibility, open integrations they could build on, and a back office that still did everything their old system did, without the workarounds. We led the project end to end, from discovery and design through data migration, QA, launch and training, and we continue to support the store on an ongoing basis.
The result: in the first four months after launch, Plümo had its best month yet, with revenue up 25% from launch month, orders up 73% and organic search traffic up more than 50%.
Plümo’s previous platform had its downfalls, but it also had functions built in over the years that were fairly unique to their business, most of them in the back office. Any move had to replicate those, either within Shopify or through carefully chosen integrations, so that the team didn’t lose anything they relied on day to day.
On the front end, the team leaned heavily on a page-builder plugin to create layouts their site couldn’t handle on its own. That gave them flexibility on key pages but made everyday changes harder than they should be.
Then there was the catalogue itself. Plümo buys in small runs, so stock moves quickly and products come and go. Customers need clear sizing across a wide mix of designers, honest messaging on delivery and pre-orders, and an easy way to come back to the pieces they love before they sell out. And all of that had to migrate without losing the search visibility built up over more than two decades of trading.
The Challenge
What we did
Discovery and a detailed requirements map
We worked through every one of Plümo’s MOSCOW requirements line by line in a shared spec, deciding for each whether it belonged in the theme, in Shopify’s native tools or in an app. Where we could build functionality into the theme, we did, keeping the site fast, visually on brand and the monthly app bill lower.
Custom design and build
We designed and built a mobile-first Shopify store based on their existing site and brand using Shopify’s Horizon theme. Coming from a headless build with minimal flexibility we wanted to ensure they plumo have flexible sections and settings that give the team far more layout control directly in the theme editor. That means less reliance on developers for every change or a page builder app to plugin the gaps. Global changes such as fonts, colours and content blocks are now a matter of settings rather than development tickets allowing them to be reactive to campaigns, seasons and product drops as needed rather than always having to plan 6 months ahead. The editorial look of the brand, with its seasonal stories and styling, comes through across the homepage, collections and product pages.
Smarter product and collection pages
Collection imagery: metafields let the team choose a secondary image for a product and decide, collection by collection, which image is shown, so key collections can be styled and meaningfully merchandised rather than just listed.
Dynamic size guides: size guides are built with metaobjects, so a guide shared by every product from the same designer is created once and managed in one place, with clothing and shoe size conversions on the product page.
Product messaging: delivery and returns, size and fit advice, sale messaging, pre-orders and estimated dispatch dates are all set globally but can be overridden product by product, giving the team granular control without editing every listing by hand.
Data and SEO migration
Data migration is the most sensitive part of any replatform. We exported Plümo’s products, collections and stock from the old system and used Altera to build finely tuned imports into Shopify, enriching the data with metafields along the way. The first import shaped an accurate build; a second close to go-live brought across new and changed products, and a final stock-only import at launch kept inventory as accurate as possible. SEO metadata and content came across with the products, and we mapped 301 redirects and merchant center IDs to protect Plümo’s existing rankings.
Integrations and back office
We connected the tools that keep the business running behind the scenes and the ones that bring customers back: Klaviyo for email, Trustpilot reviews on site, Wishlist King so shoppers can save and share pieces before they sell out. Instead of an ERP there are a set of connected tools, automations and reports all handled via the 'Mechanic’ platform which means accurate and live data is on hand when it’s needed but without the technical burden of another platform to manage and maintain above the site.
International selling
The store is set up for customers in the UK, US and Australia, with dedicated market versions of the sites, localised content and currency. This means overseas shoppers get a store that feels made for them and catalogue based shopping feeds ensure marketing is easily managed without fear of cross pollination of markets
Launch, training and ongoing support
Our launch process covered a pre-launch QA checklist, domain and DNS setup, GA4 and Search Console, Bing, social channel and email integrations, and 14 days of post-live tracking. We trained the Plümo team so they’re in full control of their products, content and customer data, and we continue to work alongside them on improvements such as product search, recommendations and the collection browsing experience.
The Outcome
Since launching in June:
Revenue up 25% from launch month to October, the best month since go-live
73% more orders: monthly transactions grew from launch month to August, and stayed strong through the autumn
51% growth in organic search sessions between June and September, with September bringing the most organic users since launch
A record day for organic search on 25 October: more than double the average daily organic sessions
Those organic numbers matter. A replatform is when a long-established store is most likely to lose rankings, and Plümo came through with its search visibility not just protected but growing, which reflects the care taken over redirects, metadata and data migration.
Just as importantly, the team now has a store they can manage day to day, with flexibility on the front end and a back office that supports the way they buy and sell.
Why this mattered
For Plümo, this wasn’t just a new website. Their old system worked because it had been bent around their business over many years, and replacing it meant understanding exactly why each of those quirks existed before deciding where it should live in Shopify.
By building the important functionality into the theme, choosing integrations carefully and treating the data migration with the care it deserves, Plümo moved to an open, flexible platform without losing what made their old one useful. With more control over their content, a store set up to sell internationally and a partner on hand for what comes next, they now have a foundation that grows with them rather than one they’ll need to work around.
Key Takeaway
A successful replatform isn’t about copying your old site feature for feature. Understand what each function does for the business, then decide whether it belongs in the theme, in Shopify itself or in an app. Get that right and you end up with a store that’s faster, easier to manage and ready to grow.
“We have just completed a major replatforming project to Shopify, delivered on time and on budget.
Claire and Tom could not have been more professional, helpful, and diligent throughout the process. Their extensive Shopify expertise, responsiveness, and attention to detail made what could have been a complex and challenging transition remarkably smooth and straightforward.
I can recommend them without hesitation and look forward to working with them again on future projects.”
Esther Roth - Founder | Plümo