Swell: Storefronts Launch
Overview
Swell's most recent positioning targeted developers and headless commerce, but we identified a bigger opportunity: merchants frustrated with Shopify. The challenge was twofold: shift our target audience from developers to business owners through product repositioning and brand design, and answer the question every prospect asked — "Why switch from Shopify?"
As Director of Product & Marketing, I led the product repositioning strategy, directed the brand and design refresh, and coordinated cross-functional execution including marketing, to position Swell as the credible, migration-friendly alternative to the biggest player in ecommerce.
The strategic insight
Shopify dominates ecommerce. Merchants know it, trust it, and are already using it. Merchants know it, trust it, and are already using it. We couldn't out-Shopify Shopify on market presence or resources. But we could solve problems Shopify created: expensive plugins for basic features, platform limitations, migration fears.
The opportunity wasn't merchants who loved Shopify — it was merchants frustrated with it who needed proof that switching was worth it and wouldn't break their business.
The challenge
Audience shift: Moving from developer-focused to merchant-focused required rethinking everything: product positioning, brand identity, messaging, and user experience.
The migration question: Every potential customer asked: "Why Swell vs Shopify? Why migrate? How easy is it?" Without clear answers, merchants wouldn't consider switching.
Target audience: Three merchant segments frustrated with Shopify:
Business owners needing flexibility — locked into platforms where they can't scale, need native subscriptions/bundles/marketplace
Influencers/creators — managing multi-vendor products, need simple storefronts without technical complexity
First-time merchants — brick-and-mortar expanding online, need quick setup and efficiency
All needed more control, flexibility, and native functionality than Shopify offered.
Product strategy & Design direction
Product positioning: Defined Swell's value proposition around solving Shopify's pain points:
Native functionality — Subscriptions, bundles, marketplace, B2B built-in (no expensive plugins)
Shopify theme support — Download your theme, upload to Swell. Migration doesn't mean rebuilding your storefront.
Better cost structure — Lower fees, no plugin costs stacking up
Developer-friendly — Headless architecture for custom builds
Easy migration — Simple process: download from Shopify, upload to Swell, configure, launch
Core positioning: "The Shopify alternative that makes switching easy."
Brand & Design direction: The shift to merchant audience required a complete visual rebrand. I partnered with Jetskis design studio to develop a modern, premium brand direction that would appeal to business owners, not just developers.
My role with Jetskis:
Defined information architecture for new website based on merchant needs
Briefed them on target audience shift and positioning strategy
Collaborated on art direction during 6-8 week engagement
Collective approved of final direction: dark-mode, sleek, technical aesthetic
Extending the design system: From Jetskis' foundation, I designed and developed:
Marketing website assets: hero sections, case study pages, product screenshots
Social media design templates
Email marketing templates
Homepage animations
Design rationale: The dark-mode, modern aesthetic positioned Swell alongside companies like Vercel, Notion, and Framer, credible alternatives to established platforms.
Cross-functional execution
Product & Design:
Led brand partnership and extended design system across all touchpoints
Designed product positioning and comparison frameworks
Created visual assets supporting migration narrative
Ensured design consistency from product to marketing
Marketing coordination:
Directed pre-launch campaign strategy (4-6 weeks)
Coordinated outreach to publications
Oversaw ad campaigns targeting Shopify merchants
Managed SEO strategy for "Shopify alternative" searches
Go-to-Market:
Email segmentation by merchant type
Direct outreach to frustrated Shopify users
Content strategy around migration ease
Outcomes
Successfully repositioned Swell from developer to merchant solution through product strategy and design
Established premium brand direction that competed visually with Shopify
Created repeatable "Why Swell vs Shopify" positioning framework
Validated Shopify theme support as compelling differentiator
Built design system that worked across product and marketing
Generated awareness through publication outreach and targeted campaigns
What I learned
Design signals strategy. The Jetskis rebrand wasn't cosmetic — the dark-mode, modern aesthetic communicated "credible Shopify alternative" before anyone read our positioning. Visual direction is strategic direction made visible.
Product positioning requires removing friction. Shopify theme support wasn't just a feature — it eliminated the biggest barrier to switching. Good positioning identifies and removes the friction preventing adoption.