Pacific Angler
Helping Vancouver’s go-to fishing shop cast a wider net with Shopify 2.0.
Casting Off: Where It All Started
Pacific Angler is Vancouver’s go to hub for everything saltwater, freshwater, and fly fishing. They offer gear, guided charters, expert led courses, and weekly fishing reports that locals trust. Their legacy Magento site was beginning to show its age with slow load times, complex merchandising workflows, and a mobile experience that needed improvement. Transitioning to Shopify 2.0 created an opportunity to deliver a faster, more intuitive storefront that modernized the user experience, streamlined operations, and integrated educational content directly where it hooks the shopper.
Main Stack
Project
Client / Pacific Angler
Industry / Fishing, Tackle & Outdoor Retail
Date / January 2025
Powered by Shopify Plus
About the Project
Pacific Angler’s new Shopify 2.0 storefront brings together ecommerce, local pickup, and course bookings in one seamless experience. We engineered a scalable product architecture and incorporated conversion-focused UX features such as quick shop, intelligent cart incentives, and context aware product detail messaging to better serve anglers both online and in store.
Services
Project Management
UI/UX Design
Full Shopify Development
Ecommerce Website Integration
POS Integration
Data Entry/Product Development
Shopify Features
Metafields
Dynamic Sections
JSON templates
The Brand
Pacific Angler is Vancouver’s trusted source for everything fishing, saltwater, freshwater, and fly. More than just a tackle shop, they offer guided charters, hands-on courses, and weekly fishing reports that keep the local community connected to the water. Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a seasoned angler, Pacific Angler delivers expertise, gear, and insight to help you fish smarter and enjoy the outdoors even more.
Knots in the Line
Pacific Angler’s legacy Magento site was responsible for managing ecommerce, course registrations, and charter bookings, but each existed in a separate and disconnected experience. Visitors moving from an article about trolling tactics to a product page and then to a workshop registration often encountered broken flows, inconsistent design, and slow performance on mobile devices. The existing structure highlighted opportunities to enhance customer satisfaction, increase conversion rates, and optimize internal resources by addressing common questions about shipping and pickup through a more intuitive and informative interface.
Casting in Different Directions
Gear, courses, and charters were presented on separate templates, making it difficult for users to move seamlessly between offerings. This separation created confusion, disrupted the browsing flow, and often left customers uncertain about their next step.Mobile Friction
The previous site was difficult to use on a phone. Finding products, choosing options, and getting to the cart often took more effort than it should have.Missing AOV Levers
Lack of cart-based incentives, absence of quick add options, and a basic search interface limited user engagement.
Net Gains, Reel Style
Pro-Grade Gear Filters & Smart Collections
Challenge
Advanced users were unable to refine product results by key performance attributes, limiting their ability to shop by gear specs like retrieve direction or line compatibility.
Solution
We implemented a Shopify 2.0 filtering system powered by custom metafields, enabling precise, attribute-based product discovery. To further streamline navigation, we introduced icon-led subcategory strips on collection landing pages, helping users quickly surface the gear they need.
Benefit
Experienced anglers can narrow the catalog to precise specifications, while newcomers benefit from visual cues that guide them to the right starting point.
Results
The updated experience led to a 31% increase in filter engagement and a 24% boost in time spent on collection pages.
Context Aware PDP Messaging
Challenge
Insufficient clarity around fulfillment constraints at the product level led to customer confusion and increased support inquiries.
Solution
Custom metafields surface key fulfillment details directly on the product page, reducing confusion around items not available for shipping or limited to local pickup.
Benefit
Shoppers gain clarity on fulfillment options before adding items to their cart, which builds trust and minimizes the need for manual support.
Results
Clarifying fulfillment rules upfront contributed to a measurable 9% decline in related customer support requests.
Intelligent Cart Drawer & Incentive Engine
Challenge
No shipping estimates and missing upsell logic in the cart experience held back both order value and checkout conversion.
Solution
We introduced a slide-in cart and enhanced full cart page featuring real-time free shipping progress, dynamic product suggestions based on cart contents, and support for order notes tailored to guided trips.
Benefit
Shoppers can easily track their progress toward shipping perks, add relevant gear with a single click, and move through the checkout process with clarity and confidence.
Results
The enhanced cart experience led to a 17% increase in average order value and a 22% uplift in checkout initiation.
A Fresh Cast Online
The new Shopify storefront makes it easier to find the right gear, whether you’re browsing at home or standing beside the water. Faster navigation, tap friendly filters, quick shop, and clearer product pages help customers build rod and reel setups with confidence. Shipping restrictions and pickup only items are explained before checkout, while fishing reports, courses, and educational content are integrated throughout the site to help anglers learn as they shop.
Business Impact:
The improvements were reflected in the way customers used the site. Checkout starts increased by 22%, while average order value rose by 17% as shoppers built more complete purchases. Clearer product information also meant fewer questions after the sale, reducing shipping related support requests by 9%. Customers spent more time exploring the catalogue too, with product filtering used 31% more often than before.
The Power Of Collaboration
Pacific Angler’s team knows their customers better than anyone. Throughout the project, they worked closely with ours to review designs, test new features, and make sure every decision reflected the way anglers actually shop. From product pages to educational content, the end result is a storefront that feels familiar to longtime customers while making it easier for new ones to get started.
The Result
Hooked on Results
The new storefront makes it easier for customers to discover products, compare options, and build complete setups without unnecessary friction. Features like quick shop and the slide in cart help shoppers stay engaged as they browse, creating a smoother path from product discovery to checkout.
Bigger Carts, Better Shopping
Clearer product information, product recommendations, and shipping incentives encourage customers to add everything they need before heading to checkout. Whether they’re gearing up for a weekend trip or replacing a single piece of equipment, the buying experience feels more complete and more intuitive.
Making Life Easier
The improvements benefit the Pacific Angler team as much as their customers. Inventory is easier to manage, pickup coordination is more reliable, and clearer communication around fulfillment helps reduce avoidable customer questions.
Anchored In Results
Pacific Angler has always been more than a place to buy fishing gear. It’s where customers go for trusted advice, local knowledge, and the confidence to get out on the water. The new Shopify storefront brings those pieces together, making it easier to shop, learn, and plan every trip in one place while giving the team a platform that’s easier to manage behind the scenes.
