Precision Tool Store on Shopify

Transitioning an e-commerce drill machine store from ePages to Shopify to enhance the shopping experience.

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Challenges of Creating a Shopify Store for Precision Tool Manufacturer


The Shopify project entailed migrating an ePages shop to Shopify, presented numerous challenges, the most significant being the need for an in-depth understanding of the industry.

Centerdrill(precision tool manufacturer) specializes in manufacturing drill machines and accessories. Their original webshop was hosted on ePages, necessitating a full transition to Shopify, including all its features.

A marketing agency from Germany enlisted our assistance to develop this intricate Shopify store, drawing on our broad knowledge across various industries and our proficiency in integrating Shopify Plus features into Shopify Basic without relying on third-party apps.

This approach not only kept operational costs low but also ensured that various modules remained unaffected by Shopify upgrades.

Technology Stack

The new Technology Stack consisted of Shopify CMS, MySQL and JavaScript

Shopify – CMS

MYSQL – Backend

JavaScript

How we surpassed the 100 Product variant limit of Shopify without using 3rd party App

One of the primary limitations of Shopify is its inability to list products with more than 100 variants. This presented a significant challenge for us, especially for products such as the “Beginner’s Set,” which required 3 to 4 filters, with each variant being treated as a unique product, complete with its own product number and price. Overcoming this limitation with an app was not feasible, as each variant was considered a unique product. To address this challenge, we took the following steps:

  • Developed a Special Product Range Module: We created a module specifically designed to accommodate a special product range, allowing for greater flexibility in product variant management.
  • Modified Liquid Templating: We leveraged Liquid, Shopify’s templating language, to list each of the filters within dropdown menus. This enabled us to display each variant as a unique product within the Shopify framework.
  • Overcame the 100 Variant Limit: By implementing these custom solutions, we successfully bypassed Shopify’s 100 variant limit, ensuring that our product listings were both comprehensive and user-friendly.
  • Cost Savings: Our approach eliminated the need for third-party apps, which often proved to be inefficient and incompatible. This not only saved a considerable amount of money but also enhanced the overall performance and reliability of our Shopify store.

Implementing Shopify Plus Features in Shopify Basic: Variable Pricing

One of the standout features of Shopify Advanced is its capability to offer variable pricing to different customers based on their loyalty.

This feature is straightforward to implement in Shopify Advanced. However, Shopify Plus, which includes this functionality, comes with a significant subscription fee of $2,000 per month, compared to Shopify Basic’s more affordable $29 per month.

Given the customer’s sensitivity to price, we devised an ingenious workaround to replicate this feature on Shopify Basic. Here’s how we did it:

  • Customer Identification: We utilized tags to identify each customer uniquely, enabling personalized interactions.
  • Tag-Based Pricing: Each tag was associated with specific pricing for the same product, allowing us to offer customized pricing strategies.
  • Display at Checkout: This special pricing was made visible at the checkout page, ensuring that customers saw their respective discounts.
  • Discounts After Login: Customers were able to view and receive their discounted prices only after logging in, maintaining exclusivity and rewarding loyalty.

This approach allowed us to offer differentiated pricing on Shopify Basic, closely mirroring the advanced feature of Shopify Plus, all while keeping costs low for our price-sensitive client.

Integrating various Shopify Plus features in Shopify Basic without using 3rd Party Applications

Implementing complex functionalities in Shopify, given the diverse global clientele of the business, presented several challenges. Here are the key functions we addressed:

  • Variable Shipping Charges: We implemented variable shipping charges based on the destination country. For instance, deliveries within Germany were subject to a flat rate, whereas shipping costs varied for other European countries like Norway and non-European countries like Argentina. This required setting up accurate shipping rules for different countries.
  • Minimum Order Value and Weight Restrictions: We introduced a system where each order could qualify for discounted shipping if it met certain criteria: it should not exceed a specified maximum weight and should not fall below a minimum price threshold. This was particularly challenging because Shopify Basic typically allows for only one condition to be set, either maximum weight or minimum order value.
  • Custom Code Logic: To overcome the limitation of Shopify Basic and combine both the maximum weight and minimum order value conditions into a single function, we developed and implemented custom code logic.

Through innovative solutions and custom coding, we successfully integrated these complex functions into the Shopify Basic platform, enhancing the shopping experience for our client’s global customer base.