Growing a gift business, with margin in mind

The store was attracting interest, but building a gift could become hard work. Shoppers could lose their selections in the box builder, struggle to find products and need help completing an order. Those were commercial obstacles at the very point where customers were choosing to buy more.

A growing catalog also meant very different margins from one product to the next. Buying traffic indiscriminately could turn a sale into a loss. The business needed its marketing, shopping experience and fulfillment considered together, while giving the team more control of everyday changes.

We put the commercial decisions first: what is worth promoting, what helps a shopper complete a gift, and what the team needs to manage the order. Shipping and marketing work ran alongside the storefront improvements, with larger gifting opportunities guiding the rebrand.

We reviewed product costs before expanding paid acquisition and corrected a cost entry that was distorting the margin picture. Low-margin products were flagged for the advertising plan. That gave the business a better basis for deciding where to spend: on orders that could leave money after the cost of winning the customer.

The engagement covered shipping support, marketing setup and Meta integration alongside Shopify. That kept the full order journey in view, from attracting a gift shopper to preparing the delivery. Work across the two sister brands also respected their different models: everyday gifting at The Maritime Box and seasonal subscriptions at The Atlantic Canada Box.

Curated boxes, build-your-own gifts and corporate and realtor orders shaped the storefront priorities. We traced the box builder's lost selections and missing cart-recovery signals, then worked with the app provider on the next fixes. The rebrand and gift-message work were planned around a simpler goal: help shoppers put together a gift they feel good about sending.

Working sessions helped the team manage products, understand margins and make everyday storefront changes. New products were brought to the front of the catalog, and practical guidance accompanied the larger work. The aim was a business the team could keep moving without needing a developer for every update.

The business gained support across the storefront, shipping and acquisition, with product margins shaping its next advertising decisions. The team gained practical control of catalog updates and clear priorities for the bigger opportunities: easier gift building, corporate orders and a stronger brand experience.