Schleich reduced checkout abandonment by 31% after migrating to Shopify Plus

German toy manufacturer Schleich has been an integral part of childhood for almost 90 years and stands for boundless creativity and free play like almost no other brand. Known for their high-quality toy figures, many of which are limited editions, the brand has earned a place in the hearts of many children.

In their efforts to strengthen their global presence and digital relevance, Schleich made the decision to replatform in North America to Shopify Plus.

Since migrating, Schleich has seen :

• 31% improvement in checkout abandonment rate
• 25% increase in orders
• Two countries migrated in 5 months

Challenge: Long implementation times, a complex checkout, and a lack of integration options

As a brand with almost 90 years of history, Schleich wanted to continue to expand their relevance in a digital world, with a mission to inspire creative stories through their products and was looking to strengthen their global presence in North America. The brand also needed a flexible and customisable solution to meet their very specific requirements—for instance, their large number of limited edition products.

However, Schleich was experiencing challenges with long implementation times, issues with customers not being able to complete checkout, and a lack of flexible options for integrating marketing tools.

Solution: A smooth migration to a flexible solution

Shopify Plus proved to be the perfect partner for Schleich’s digital transformation plans, with the platform’s advanced technologies and diverse functions being the decisive factors for the migration. Its flexibility and customizability also proved to be important factors in meeting the brand's unique requirements—especially with regard to managing the large number of limited edition products.

The challenges Schleich faced as a traditional brand undergoing digital transformation were overcome by seamlessly integrating Shopify Plus into their existing structures. The agile approach and collaboration with Shopify Plus Partner Domaine enabled a smooth migration, quick implementation, and meant they could make the most of Shopify Plus’ innovative features.

Schleich also noted the benefits of the partnership and support from Shopify Plus themselves, and having a personal contact to resolve questions quickly: “we feel very well looked after by Shopify and are never left alone with our questions.”

Schleich’s Head of Digital Commercial Enablement Alexander Wahl said, “with Shopify, there was not a single unpleasant surprise during the migration. We never got to the point where we thought it was going to cost us a lot of time again. Quite the opposite.”

The speed at which third party systems can be integrated with Shopify Plus proved to be a clear advantage in terms of cost and time. Schleich was also able to integrate marketing channels such as Facebook or Instagram in no time at all, and the easy-to-use integration means the marketing team can focus more on their core tasks and increase their working efficiencies. “The ease of integrations in all directions saves us an incredible amount of time,” says Alexander.

Schleich also uses Shopify Payments to process payments, which has proved to be particularly cost effective and easy to manage. Alexander noted: “Shopify Payments was also one of the big deciding factors. The feature makes a lot of things easier for us in terms of payment processing.”

Thanks to Shopify Analytics, Schleich can also now analyse store data and reports much quicker and easier than before. Alexander noted, “Shopify's analytics are excellent. [...] It used to take us weeks to connect to Google Analytics and with Shopify it took ten minutes. In fact, we're currently considering whether we need Google Analytics at all because Shopify's reports are already so comprehensive.” What’s more, the brand also found comfort in Shopify Plus’ data protection policies, which records but never shares data.

Results: A digital transformation that increases the bottom line

The decision to migrate to Shopify Plus for their US and Canadian businesses marked a significant turning point in Schleich’s digital transformation, empowering the brand to establish its presence in North America and use a platform specifically tailored to their needs.

Shopify Plus’ flexibility and ease of use means Schleich can now better prepare for new markets and improve the management and presentation of their impressive product range—especially their limited editions.

In particular, the impressive increase in checkout conversion rates and, in turn, sales in the US has stood out to Schleich—a huge improvement on past issues with customers being unable to complete checkout. With Shopify Plus, the brand has improved its checkout abandonment rate by 31% and increased orders by 25%.

The partnership with both Shopify Plus and Domaine was instrumental in utilizing the performance of Shopify Plus and making the entire migration process efficient. The result is a stronger digital presence, improved working processes, better conversion rates, and an increased ability to innovate. The migration to Shopify Plus proved to be not only a step forward in digitalization, but also a strategic investment in the future of the renowned German toy manufacturer.