Headless Shopify + CMS for Specialty Retail with Next.js and Prismic

The Challenge

Kelly's Bake Shoppe is a popular specialty bakery that grew from its two physical locations into a thriving online business offering pickup, local delivery, and nationwide shipping. However, this rapid, bootstrapped growth created significant operational friction. The business was struggling to manage four different content and e-commerce platforms.

• This fragmented system resulted in awkward and brittle workflows for their staff, who spent more time fighting technology than delighting customers.

• Online, patrons faced complex and confusing interfaces to purchase the bakery's simple, delicious treats.

• The disjointed platform also suffered from poor technical SEO and a weak site search experience, making it difficult for new customers to discover their unique vegan and gluten-free products.

The Solution

9thCO partnered with Kelly's Bake Shoppe to architect a digital platform that would simplify operations and create a seamless customer experience. Our process began with a discovery phase to identify what was working well—namely, their in-store point-of-sale system—and to map out the complexities of their diverse shipping base, which ranged from local pickup to nationwide shipping.

With a clear understanding of the goals, we designed a user experience (UX) focused on simplicity, translating the warmth of their in-store presence to the digital storefront. We then engineered a modern, headless solution by integrating best-in-class platforms to create a cohesive whole.

• Vibrant Brand Expression: We developed a vibrant and welcoming visual design that captures the bakery's fun and friendly brand personality. The new digital experience was carefully crafted to feel as delightful and personal as visiting one of their physical shops.

• Headless Shopify: We leveraged Shopify for its robust e-commerce engine while detaching the frontend. This headless approach provided the flexibility needed to handle complex fulfillment logic for in-store pickup, local courier delivery, and nationwide shipping, all within a simple, unified customer interface.

• Prismic Headless CMS: Prismic was selected as the headless CMS for its powerful content and merchandising capabilities. It empowers the Kelly's Bake Shoppe team to easily manage marketing content and product details, with live revalidation ensuring instant updates on the live site.

• Next.js & Vercel: The storefront was built with Next.js and deployed on Vercel, a combination that guarantees lightning-fast performance, excellent SEO, and a scalable, modern web experience.

Operational Integration: We worked closely with the bakery's in-store staff. Key integrations included perishable inventory management and a live order printing system connected directly to the storefront deployment, streamlining their workday and making online orders more profitable.