E-commerce redesign
An online store has more moving parts than a brochure site: hundreds of product addresses, payment and delivery settings, stock levels and customer accounts. Redesigning one needs a plan for each.
Short answer
We audit products, categories, checkout and integrations, redesign the store around how customers browse and buy, carry over every product with redirects for changed addresses, and test the checkout end to end with test payments before launch.
What makes store redesigns different
On a brochure site, a missed redirect affects one page. On a store, a change to the address pattern for products can affect every product at once. Customer accounts, order history, discount codes, delivery zones and payment settings all need to survive the move. And the checkout is where money changes hands, so it has to work flawlessly from the moment the new site goes live.
This service is built around those risks.
What we look at
Catalogue structure
We review how products are grouped and labelled. Categories that made sense when the store had forty products may not work with four hundred. We look at how customers search and filter, and plan a structure that helps them narrow choices quickly.
Product pages
A product page needs to answer the questions that stop people buying: what it is, what it costs in total, when it will arrive, what happens if it is not right. We design product pages with clear photos, prices including GST, delivery costs or a link to them, stock status and a short summary of your returns policy.
Delivery and returns
Unexpected costs at checkout are a common reason people abandon a cart. We make delivery costs and timeframes easy to find before checkout. Your returns policy should describe customers' rights accurately. Under the Consumer Guarantees Act, goods sold to consumers come with guarantees that a business cannot simply remove, and contracting out is only allowed in limited business-to-business situations, in writing, where it is fair and reasonable1. We will not write policy wording that suggests otherwise. Check your policy with an adviser if you are unsure.
Checkout
We cut steps and fields, allow guest checkout where your platform supports it, show a clear order summary and make error messages helpful. We test every payment method, delivery option and discount type with test transactions on staging.
Reviews
Product reviews can help shoppers, but they must be genuine. A 2026 Commerce Commission case, covered in our website claims guide, shows how seriously staff-written reviews are treated2. We can display reviews from a recognised platform or your own verified buyers. We will not write or import reviews that customers did not write.
Integrations
Stores often connect to accounting, stock, shipping and email tools. We list every integration and confirm each works on the redesigned store before launch.
Platform choice
WooCommerce and Shopify are common choices for New Zealand stores, and both can support a well-designed store. We usually recommend staying on your current platform unless it is limiting the business. If a move is worth considering, we set out the costs, the migration risks and the ongoing fees in writing so you can decide.
Protecting search traffic and links
Product and category pages often bring in a large share of a store's search traffic, and shoppers share product links in messages and on social media. We map every product, category and content page from the old store to the new one. Where a platform change alters the address pattern, the redirect map covers every product, not just a sample. Redirects are permanent and tested on staging3. For discontinued products, we decide together whether to redirect to the closest alternative or category, or to keep a page explaining the product is no longer available.
Email marketing
If the store sends marketing emails, the redesign is a good time to check sign-up forms. New Zealand's Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act requires consent, accurate sender information and a working unsubscribe facility for commercial electronic messages4. We make sure sign-up boxes are not pre-ticked and that the form says what people are signing up for. The privacy and forms guide covers consent and unsubscribe rules in more detail.
What you receive
- A redesigned store, tested end to end with test payments
- A full product and category redirect map
- A list of integrations, each confirmed working
- Handover notes on adding products, running sales and managing orders
Online store questions
Will customer accounts and order history come across?
On the same platform, yes. When changing platforms, it depends on what both platforms allow. We confirm what can be moved, and how, before you commit.
Can we redesign without closing the store?
Yes. All work happens on a staging copy. The live store keeps trading until launch, and we plan the launch for a quiet period.
Do you set up payment providers?
We connect and test the payment providers you choose. Opening merchant accounts and agreeing fees with providers is something you do directly.
Sources
Each source was opened and checked against the sentence it supports on 3 November 2026.
- Obligations under the Consumer Guarantees Act | Consumer Protection Government
- The TV Shop to pay $1.104m for conduct that included misleading customers Regulator
- Redirects and Google Search Platform documentation
- New Zealand spam law Government
Ready to plan your redesign?
Tell us what your current site does well and what holds it back. You get a written, fixed quote in NZD before any work starts.