The goal wasn’t just a new look — it was a better “digital shelf” experience. Vermont Smoke & Cure needed a site that properly represented the brand, made the e-commerce journey frictionless (promo codes, navigation, checkout flow), and allowed the team to create new landing pages quickly. The stakes were real: if the redesign hurt organic traffic or cart conversion rates, the business would feel it immediately.
They chose THIEL because of the relationship through JVL and our ability to bring strong design and practical Shopify execution together. They didn’t need a generic template refresh — they needed a customized Shopify solution that could carry the new brand message while meeting modern e-commerce expectations.
We rebuilt the site using a Shopify-based template as the foundation, then customized it into a fully redesigned, brand-forward experience. The breakthrough was balancing two things most redesigns fail at: delivering a bold, on-brand creative system and protecting performance. The team was especially excited because the new design landed immediately — the site felt aligned with their new messaging and gave them confidence that the brand was now showing up online the way it should.
Early signals show strong promise within the first few weeks. Engagement improved at the top of the funnel: sessions increased 15% and add-to-cart rate increased 12%, with subscription signups staying healthy (113 new subscribers in the period). While price changes created expected pressure at the bottom of the funnel (reached checkout -6%, completed purchase -11%), overall revenue still increased 11%, and subscription revenue increased 22% (Recharge subscription revenue +33.7%) with active subscribers holding steady (~1,149). In short: the redesign improved customer engagement and strengthened the foundation for DTC as a margin and retention channel — and it did it without sacrificing the brand’s new voice.