Case Study: A Custom Shopify Plus Checkout Solution to Improve User Experience

Glebe Healthcare: a snapshot

Glebehealthcare.co.uk is an online ordering portal for healthcare, mobility and well-being equipment. 

In a bid to bridge the gap between the expensive highstreet mobility shop and the low-priced online retailer who often neglects after-care, Glebe is on a mission to provide reasonable prices whilst still providing the personal and expert manner that customers would expect from a local supplier.

Glebe’s customers lie at the heart of everything they do. They pride themselves on providing a friendly, helpful and patient service, as well as being fully accountable to each and every customer on a personal level.

Their checkout challenge

Charities and customers with disabilities and long-term illnesses receive VAT exemption on certain qualifying products that are designed or adapted to help with everyday life. 

As a provider of such products, Glebe is required to accommodate VAT exemption when eligible customers reach the checkout. Disabled customers and charities should be able to easily self-declare themselves VAT-exempt when entering their payment details.

However, before turning to Swanky, Glebe’s checkout solution wasn’t fit for purpose. Users faced two main barriers when checking out.

First of all, they had to be logged into a Glebe account in order to self-declare VAT exemption and continue through the checkout. This meant that users couldn’t use Shopify’s native guest checkout, which created a rather lengthy and confusing purchase process, thus decreasing conversion rate.

Secondly, this solution didn’t even work 100% of the time, which contributed to a poor user experience.

How Swanky helped

Upon discussing this checkout challenge with their Shopify Plus contacts, Glebe were recommended Swanky’s services because of our renowned approach to custom solutions.

In the words of Glebe’s Director of Operations, Joshua Gillman: 

“Swanky were recommended by our Shopify Plus contacts as being one of the few agencies out there local to the UK that were up to the task.”

We pride ourselves on our creative, data-driven and strategic approach to custom solutions, and couldn’t wait to get stuck into this bespoke ecommerce project.

Swanky used Shopify’s API to develop a bespoke app that delivers the exact functionality that Glebe were looking for – the same functionality that Glebe had struggled to get implemented elsewhere by other teams. This custom Shopify Plus checkout solution has transformed the customer experience on Glebe’s online store, ensuring a better experience for all their key users.

Users can self-declare VAT exemption without a user account, making use of a quick guest checkout option if they wish. This provides the flexibility that Glebe were looking for in a solution, as well as increased efficiency.

Initial results

Since launching the shiny new solution, not only are users experiencing a much smoother journey to checkout, but the team at Glebe have already seen a huge difference in the amount of manual admin required:

“Post-launch, the checkout solution has been massively helpful in that it has eliminated the need to manually tag each prospective customer as tax-exempt as they attempted to checkout,” explains Joshua.

This Shopify Plus custom checkout solution has freed up valuable time for the team, allowing them to focus their efforts on delivering the personal, comprehensive service they pride themselves on.

Working with Swanky

So, how did the team at Glebe find working with Swanky?

“The team are friendly, responsive, and kept to the deadline on the dot, despite our project being a relatively small one when compared to the range of more full-spectrum projects they may have on the go at any one time,” explains Joshua.

“[We] would 100% use them again for anything we need when building our online store.”

Thanks Joshua!

Unlock your ecommerce potential

Curious about how Swanky could help your brand unlock its ecommerce potential? Why not get in touch with our friendly team of Shopify Plus pros today to find out how we can transform your online store with our expert strategic guidance.