Steamforged Games

Steamforged Games

Forging a new board game empire with Shopify Plus migration & bespoke OS 2.0 Theme

  • +46% Global site sessions
  • +268% Increase in global revenue
  • +160% Pages visited per session
  • +126% Site conversion rate

Project overview

Our aim was to help Steamforged Games create an immersive experience for their tabletop gaming audience.

A migration to Shopify Plus and bespoke OS 2.0 Theme would allow their global customer base to be engrossed in the world of their favourite tabletop games, whilst providing a great user experience to drive sales and revenue.

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The brief

The objective of the new website build was to migrate the existing site from Contentful to Shopify Plus, whilst creating an immersive and engaging experience for users visiting the website, rather than just a place to purchase the games.

We needed to create a hub for players to return to and find all the resources they needed to make the most out of their tabletop experiences, including downloadable rule books, game FAQs, and additional game peripherals.

Key objectives

  • Develop a custom shopify Plus theme
  • Increase engagement and direct business through the new website
  • Build online brand awareness through paid marketing activity on Google including search and shopping
  • Localised content through easy to switch global storefronts

How we did it

Interactive Product Pages

A key part of the initial design proposal was to create more enriching product pages to bring their games to life.

Through the custom elements available on the Shopify platform, product pages featured an in-depth look at each game including striking visuals taken from concept art and detailed closeups of the character models to tell the backstory of the game.

Interactive carousels allow customers to click or tap on various elements on the page for more detailed information.

Global Storefronts

One of the many benefits of Shopify Plus for global eCommerce brands is the ability to manage and maintain their different regional stores under one storefront at no additional cost.

Integrated into the build was the functionality to allow customers to seamlessly switch between the UK, USA, and EU storefronts through Expansion stores, which offer local shipping options and currency to provide a localised content experience.

This allowed us to immediately launch Paid Search activity in both the US and UK and direct customers to landing pages relevant to their geographical location.

Paid Search

Upon launch of the new immersive website, we introduced paid search to drive additional traffic and increase direct B2C sales in the lead up to Black Friday weekend.

Bespoke search ads were created for each board game IP to capture the unique settings and play styles which resonate with the target audience.

Google Shopping

Shopping campaigns were also set up and structured by IP, and split out by core game experiences, expansion packs and additional game accessories. This ensured the correct level of products were being shown against the most relevant search queries.

"Herd have been essential to the delivery of the Steamforged Games webstore on Shopify Plus. Acting as an extension to our teams, Herd has gone above and beyond our expectation to understand the brief and implement a bespoke online store that serves our global audience."

Steven Hough Head of Ecommerce, Steamforged Games

Award-winning work

Our team's exceptional migration for Steamforged Games has been recognised at several awards ceromonies.

We were winners at the 2023 UK Dev Awards, scooping the B2C Website of the Year. We also earned a Silver Award for Best Site Migration and were finalists in Best Deployment of an eCommerce Platform.

In 2022, we were finalists across three categories at The Drum Awards for Digital Industries; Best Website Design, Best Retail and eCommerce Website, and Best Music, Entertainment, Gaming and eSports Website.

Project highlights

Migration from a bespoke platform to Shopify Plus and website rebuild, incorporating interactive elements for an immersive customer experience.

The latest design and development techniques for a mobile-first approach was implemented on the new website to ensure user experience was fully optimised.

Expansion stores come with all the necessary requirements for managing international eCommerce, from offering local shipping options and currency, to providing a localised content experience.

A mix of Search and Shopping ads through Google increased site traffic by 27% and site revenue by 18% over Black Friday weekend in the US.

Integration of Reviews.io to form the gathering of positive customer feedback to build trust signals