The Journey

We structured the project in four sequential phases — Discovery, Design, Development, and Go-Live — with migration running in parallel throughout. The storefront was designed as a neutral canvas: clean, fast, minimal, and brand-agnostic, so that new drink brands can be added without redesigning around them.

Discovery & Migration Planning

We mapped data sources across both platforms before writing a single line of code. HeyKay’s Shopify order and customer export was straightforward; Aquela Kombucha’s WordPress data required a custom extraction approach for orders, customers, and 400+ Judge.me-compatible reviews. Deduplication logic was defined by email address and NIF where available. Original order IDs from both stores were preserved as Shopify order tags for customer service and accounting continuity. All discount codes were imported; gift cards were out of scope.

Storefront Design

The design direction was explicit from the brief: the aesthetic of Farfetch, About You, and Uniqlo — direct, scalable, minimal. We developed a black-and-white storefront that acts as a neutral backdrop for beverage brand identities rather than competing with them. Typography centred on a clean sans-serif (Object Sans). Homepage sections were structured as editable blocks — hero, brand logos, seasonal collections, promotions, alcohol-free highlights, category grid, values, and newsletter — so The Sip Order team can manage content without developer involvement. Product pages surface title, variant selector, quantity input, subscription toggle, flavor profile rating, nutritional information, and cross-sell recommendations in a structured, scrollable layout.

Age Verification & Alcohol Navigation

Alcohol products are accessible through a dedicated navigation item that triggers a sub-menu on click. Before the sub-menu opens — and before any alcohol collection or product page loads — a modal prompts the visitor to confirm they are 18 or older. Confirming grants access to the sub-menu and all associated collections. Declining redirects to the homepage. This logic applies consistently across desktop and mobile without requiring a sitewide popup at entry, keeping the experience clean for the majority of visitors who come for non-alcohol products.

Build-a-Pack with Metafield Architecture

The personalized box feature replicates and extends the bestselling pack configurator from Aquela Kombucha’s existing store. Each pack variant (6-pack, 12-pack, 24-pack) has its available flavors managed through a Shopify metafield, making it straightforward to add or remove options from the Shopify admin. Flavor selectors are rendered dynamically from the metafield at the product page level — customers choose their mix, and the full pack is added to cart as a single line item. Out-of-stock flavors are clearly labeled and non-selectable within the configurator. A flavor taste profile rating — Sweet, Salty, Sour, Bitter, Umami — is stored in a metaobject and rendered as a visual indicator on the product page.

JUO.io Subscriptions with MBWay

JUO.io was selected as the subscription provider because it is the only platform supporting MBWay recurring billing — a non-negotiable requirement for a Portuguese-first customer base. Subscription terms (weekly, fortnightly, three-weekly with discount) were configured as a starting setup, with the expectation that The Sip Order team adjusts and manages terms going forward. The customer subscription portal supports the full self-service action set: view, add products, edit address, change payment method, change billing date, add discount, change shipping, pause, skip, and renew. MBWay subscriptions generate an approval request to the customer by email on each billing cycle, as required by the payment method.

Shipping, Delivery Logic & Localisation

Shipping rules were configured per country and per weight across two Shopify Markets: Portugal and Europe (Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain). Glass product variants are restricted from shipping outside Portugal at the product level, preventing orders from completing for international customers who select glass formats. Delivery date selection — powered by Flare — is surfaced at the cart and side cart for Portuguese customers only; it does not appear in international checkout flows. Orbe handles geo-location redirects and presents the appropriate language on arrival. Translate & Adapt covers the three active storefront languages: Portuguese (default), Spanish, and English. Translation content is managed by The Sip Order team.