Wee Magazine

Overview

Wee Magazine was a full platform migration, moving the entire e-commerce operation from VTEX to Shopify. My responsibility was to rebuild the theme end to end, ensuring visual fidelity to the original layout while using the migration as an opportunity to improve performance, SEO, and the overall navigation experience.

Context and objective

In migrations, the risk is not only losing aesthetics, it is losing conversion, indexing, and journey consistency. The objective was to deliver a safe transition, preserving Wee Magazine’s visual identity while implementing a lighter, responsive structure ready to evolve with new features and ongoing performance improvements.

The challenge

The main challenge was rebuilding the experience in Shopify while preserving the visual standard of the previous environment and adapting it to a new theme architecture. In addition, it was necessary to implement conversion-critical features such as advanced category navigation and real-time shipping calculation on the product page, while keeping performance and search indexing well structured.

The strategy

The strategy was to treat the migration as an engineering and product project, not only a design task. First, ensure UI fidelity and theme structure through predictable components. Then, strengthen the purchase experience with smarter navigation, trust elements, and strategic integrations that reduce friction during decision-making. In parallel, optimize SEO and performance to preserve organic presence throughout the transition.

What was implemented

Theme rebuild and visual consistency:

• Theme rebuilt from scratch: full Shopify implementation maintaining fidelity to the original layout and consistent component patterns.
• Efficient responsiveness: careful adaptation to keep navigation comfortable and consistent on desktop and mobile.
• Structural improvements: hierarchy, spacing, and layout refinements for a cleaner and smoother experience.

Advanced navigation and product discovery:

• Interactive menus: structure with subcategories and strategic product highlights to improve discovery and reduce clicks to reach products.
• Intent-based organization: clear pathways and highlighted items to accelerate the user journey.

Real-time shipping and integrations:

• Shipping calculation on product page: real-time display to reduce objections before the cart step.
• Intermediary API integrated with Frenet: development of an intermediate layer to integrate with Frenet and provide stability and control over the shipping calculation flow.

Trust and conversion elements:

• Footer structured in sections: clear organization of institutional information, policies, and security badges.
• WhatsApp purchase button: direct channel to support and closing, reducing friction for questions and assistance.

SEO and performance:

• SEO optimizations: attention to structure and key elements to preserve indexing and organic presence.
• Performance improvements: lighter, better-organized theme to deliver faster loading and a smoother experience.

Result

Wee Magazine gained a new Shopify foundation with strong visual fidelity to the original layout, improved navigation structure, and a smoother experience on desktop and mobile. Real-time shipping and the intermediate Frenet-connected layer reduced purchase objections, while SEO and performance improvements helped preserve organic strength and experience quality after the migration. The project reinforced my ability to execute complex migrations with product thinking, engineering precision, and conversion focus.