From the first product to a catalogue of thousands of items.
Five years of work on the founder’s own business — from creating the store on Shopify to the move to OpenCart. The decisions date from 2020–2025; the screens show the website as it looks now (29.10.2026).
-
1Creation
A fast start on Shopify.
- The task
- In 2020 — an online store for tools and construction equipment for people who renovate and build themselves, with no server of its own and no long preparation.
- What we did
- Creating the store on Shopify: the first categories, products and orders.
- Why this way
- Shopify lets you start selling quickly while the catalogue and the business build up.
- How it helps
- The store starts working early and shows what customers are looking for before investing more.
2020start on ShopifyCataloguethe first categories and productsOrdersthe store is selling -
2A catalogue of over 10,000 items
The catalogue is navigation, not a list.
- The task
- The catalogue grows with many brands and categories. The customer has to get to the product without knowing its exact name.
- What we did
- Organising categories and subcategories by the customer’s task — garden equipment, generators, welding equipment and more.
- Why this way
- The DIY customer searches by task (“I need a leaf blower”), not by model. The category answers that question.
- How it helps
- The customer reaches the product in a few steps; a new item goes into an existing category.
On the website today: a side menu with categories and a search across the whole catalogue at the top.
11Categories by task in the side menu -
3Product content
Descriptions the customer can compare on their own.
- The task
- The customer compares several similar models and wants to know the differences before ordering.
- What we did
- Product descriptions and specifications for the items in the catalogue.
- Why this way
- Clear specifications answer the question “what’s the difference” before the customer asks it.
- How it helps
- The customer decides on their own, and the order comes in with fewer questions.
On the website today: stock and a quick order form with name and phone on the product page.
1Stock and quick order -
5SEO
A structure the search engine understands, too.
- The task
- Customers search on Google by type of tool and task. The store has to answer those searches with its own pages.
- What we did
- SEO for the structure, categories and product pages, tailored to what the DIY audience searches for.
- Why this way
- Each category is a page for a specific search; clear titles and descriptions help both the customer and the search engine.
- How it helps
- The goal: a customer searching for a “cordless leaf blower” lands straight in the right category.
Search“cordless leaf blower”CategoryGarden equipment / Leaf blowersSubcategoryCordless leaf blowersProductspecifications and stock -
6Shopify → OpenCart
The platform follows the business.
- The task
- As the catalogue and the business’s needs grow, the store needs more freedom in its structure and changes.
- What we did
- Moving the store from Shopify to OpenCart.
- Why this way
- OpenCart gives more freedom for this particular store on its own hosting. A decision for this business, not a general rule — for another store, Shopify may be the better choice.
- How it helps
- The store keeps growing on a platform that follows its needs.
Shopify2020: a fast startThe movemigrating the storeOpenCartmore freedom for this store
OpenCart
