Iakoe x Act + Acre
Overview
Act+Acre pioneered the scalp care category by combining patented cold-pressed technology with plant-based formulations to promote healthier hair from the scalp up. As the brand continued to grow, years of feature releases, app integrations, & custom development had created an increasingly complex Shopify codebase. Act+Acre partnered with us to optimize the storefront, improve performance, & establish a more stable technical foundation while preparing for a complete Shopify 2.0 rebuild.
- Theme development
Background
As one of the category leaders in scalp wellness, Act+Acre's ecommerce experience had evolved continuously alongside the business.
Over the years, new functionality, third-party apps, & custom features had been layered onto the existing Shopify 1.0 theme. While this allowed the storefront to keep pace with the brand's growth, it also introduced technical debt that made future development increasingly difficult.
Routine updates became more time-consuming, new functionality carried greater risk, & performance began to suffer as unnecessary code accumulated throughout the theme.
Before investing in a complete Shopify 2.0 redesign, the team wanted to stabilize the existing storefront, improve site performance, & create a cleaner foundation for future growth.
The challenge
The biggest challenge wasn't customer experience—it was technical scalability.
Years of app installations, legacy code, & custom integrations had created a bloated codebase that was difficult to maintain. Small theme updates could unexpectedly impact other functionality, slowing development & increasing operational risk.
The team also wanted a clearer understanding of which third-party apps were still delivering value. Many legacy integrations were loading unnecessary scripts that negatively affected storefront performance without contributing meaningful business impact.
Finally, with a full Shopify 2.0 rebuild on the roadmap, every improvement needed to support both current performance & the future migration.
The solution
We partnered with Act+Acre to improve the health of the storefront from the inside out—reducing technical debt while creating a more stable platform for ongoing growth.
Refactoring the codebase
We conducted a comprehensive review of the existing Shopify theme, refactoring legacy code to improve maintainability, stability, & performance. By simplifying the architecture & removing unnecessary complexity, the storefront became significantly easier to support while reducing the likelihood of new releases impacting existing functionality.
Eliminating unnecessary apps
We audited every third-party Shopify app & its associated code to identify outdated integrations, redundant scripts, & opportunities to simplify the technology stack. Removing unnecessary code reduced technical overhead while improving overall storefront performance.
Ongoing technical partnership
Beyond the initial optimization work, we continue to support Act+Acre through ongoing Shopify development, proactively resolving bugs, maintaining storefront stability, & delivering new functionality that enhances both the customer experience & internal operations.
Preparing for Shopify 2.0
The optimization work also laid the groundwork for Act+Acre's next-generation Shopify 2.0 storefront. By cleaning up the existing implementation first, the future rebuild can focus on delivering a better customer experience rather than inheriting years of accumulated technical debt.
Act+Acre now operates on a significantly healthier Shopify foundation that supports both day-to-day operations & long-term growth.
By reducing technical debt, refactoring the codebase, & removing unnecessary third-party scripts, the storefront is more stable, easier to maintain, & better equipped to support ongoing feature development.
Just as importantly, the business now has a trusted Shopify development partner providing continuous technical support while preparing the brand for its next phase of growth through a complete Shopify 2.0 rebuild.
Results
AGENCY COST SAVINGS
MOBILE CONVERSION RATE
CONVERSION RATE
