Introduction:
Justin Fabrics is a family-inspired business rooted in a deep love for quilting and creativity. Its origins trace back to the heartfelt act of crafting a quilt for the founder's sister in 2003.
What began as a personal journey of creating over a hundred quilts for friends and family has evolved into a mission to share the beauty of quilting with others.
Combining a lifelong passion for music with the art of sewing, Justin Fabrics harmonizes quality and creativity, offering customers the finest materials and support to bring their projects to life.
Inspired by the legacy of quilts passed down through generations, Justin Fabrics aims to be the premier quilt and sew shop in the Treasure Valley and beyond, creating a space where creativity, learning, and craftsmanship flourish.
The Challenges:
The challenge was twofold:
- Justin Fabrics wanted to offer fractional quantities to their customers for more flexibility in fabric purchasing.
- Shopify, the platform Justin Fabrics uses, has limitations in its checkout process, which only supports whole numbers in the checkout quantities.
This posed a problem because customers could get confused if they selected a fractional quantity that wasn’t clearly represented in the final checkout.
The Solution:
We implemented a creative workaround that addressed Shopify’s limitations without requiring any changes to the checkout process. Here’s how we did it:
Fractional Quantities on Product and Cart Pages:
The first step was to ensure that customers could select fractional quantities on the product page. We customised the product pages to allow customers to choose fractions, such as 1.5 yards or 0.75 meters.
These selections were then carried over to the cart page, where customers could review and confirm the amount they wanted to purchase before checkout.
Custom Line Properties at Checkout:
Since Shopify’s checkout only supports whole numbers, we added a feature using Shopify’s line item properties.
These properties allowed us to display the selected fractional quantity at checkout. For example, if a customer selected 1.5 yards, Shopify would show “1 unit” at checkout, but a custom note would appear alongside it, stating “1.5 yards.”
This way, customers were always aware of the exact amount they were ordering, preventing confusion.
Clear Customer Communication:
We ensured that customers were informed about their fractional selections at every step of the way. From the product page to the cart and during checkout, customers saw consistent and clear messaging.
This helped ensure they knew exactly what they were ordering and built trust in the system.
The Outcome:
The solution worked seamlessly, allowing Justin Fabrics to offer fractional quantities without changing Shopify’s checkout process.
Customers can now easily order the exact amount of fabric they need, making their shopping experience smoother and more flexible.
Here are some key outcomes:
Enhanced Customer Experience: Customers can now easily select and purchase fractional fabric quantities. The custom line properties clearly show their chosen amount in the checkout process, eliminating any confusion.
No Major Shopify Changes Required: The solution worked within Shopify’s existing framework, so there was no need for expensive custom development or platform changes.
Reduced Customer Support Requests: With clear communication throughout the purchasing process, customer inquiries about quantity confusion have dropped. Customers now feel confident in their purchases.
Improved Operational Efficiency: Justin Fabrics can now focus on growing their business and serving their customers, rather than dealing with technical issues or customer complaints about order quantities.
Conclusion:
By implementing this simple yet effective solution, Justin Fabrics successfully offered fractional quantities to their customers without making expensive changes to Shopify’s checkout system.
This case study highlights how businesses can work within the limitations of an eCommerce platform to improve the customer experience, providing flexibility and clarity that benefits both the customer and the business.
The result is a smoother shopping journey, greater customer satisfaction, and increased operational efficiency for Justin Fabrics.