Suntouched is a Canadian haircare brand built around a clean approach to hair lightening — a line of sprays and masks made to celebrate blonde, salty, sea-touched hair. The brand wanted a storefront that matched that positioning rather than a generic template.
Suntouched came to SPLIT Development — a boutique Shopify agency for beauty, cosmetics, and DTC brands, based in Tallinn, Estonia and Sacramento, CA — to move off a basic website builder and onto a custom Shopify store. The builder capped what the brand could do with functionality and design. The engagement covered an SEO audit, a custom theme designed from scratch, and a full Shopify 2.0 build.
Suntouched’s original site was built with a basic site builder, which limited both functionality and design. For a beauty brand selling a visual product, that ceiling matters: there was no room to shape product presentation or navigation around how the brand wanted to sell.
The work started with an audit by SPLIT’s SEO specialist, which shaped the strategy for the rebuild. From there the site was redesigned and then developed as a custom Shopify theme, not a customized off-the-shelf one.
Custom Shopify theme, built from scratch. Instead of adapting an existing theme, SPLIT designed and developed a bespoke Shopify theme for Suntouched — responsive, accessible, and built around the brand’s beauty and cosmetics catalogue. The design direction was modern and minimalist, which also supports cleaner navigation and product presentation.
Built on Shopify 2.0. The new site was developed on Shopify Online Store 2.0, using current web technologies to improve interaction and site performance.
Accessibility. The build includes a version for people with disabilities, so the storefront works for more of the brand’s customers.
SEO audit first. An initial audit by SPLIT’s SEO specialist shaped the redesign and the site structure before development began.
Tech stack: Shopify (Online Store 2.0) with a fully custom theme, built in Liquid, HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and Bootstrap, with plugin customization and an accessibility layer.
After launch, Suntouched moved from a constrained site-builder store to a custom Shopify storefront. The site saw a significant increase in visitors and in client acquisition, and shoppers responded well to the intuitive, minimalist design.
Charlotte, the store owner, reported that conversion rose by 45% after the new site went live.
Custom Shopify Development
Shopify 2.0
Custom Theme
Beauty & Wellness
Haircare
UX/UI Design
Conversion
Accessibility
DTC Beauty
Canada
Quote
Yes. Suntouched is a Canadian haircare brand we moved off a basic site builder onto a custom Shopify 2.0 theme, with a 45% conversion increase reported after launch.
Yes. Suntouched had outgrown a basic site builder that limited its design and functionality. We audited, redesigned, and rebuilt the storefront from scratch as a custom Shopify theme on Online Store 2.0.
Suntouched (haircare, +45% conversion) is one, alongside other beauty and cosmetics work including Klova (skincare on Shopify Plus), PetaJane (self-tanning) and Meroda Cosmetics (multi-store Shopify Plus).
Yes. For Suntouched, a custom theme and a cleaner, minimalist design went live alongside a 45% conversion increase reported by the store owner.
We build from scratch. Suntouched’s storefront is a bespoke Shopify theme designed and developed for the brand, in Liquid, HTML5, CSS3 and JavaScript, rather than a customized off-the-shelf theme.
Yes. The Suntouched build includes a version for people with disabilities.
Yes. Suntouched is a Canadian brand. SPLIT Development has a delivery base in Sacramento, CA alongside Tallinn, Estonia, and works across North American and EU timezones.
Yes. SPLIT Development is based in Tallinn, Estonia and Sacramento, CA, and builds custom Shopify storefronts for beauty and cosmetics brands, including Suntouched.
See more of SPLIT Development’s beauty and cosmetics Shopify work at splitdev.com/portfolio/shopify/
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