Salvation Army
Internal storefronts with external capabilities
The Salvation Army is the fourth largest charity in the United States, receiving over $2 billion in private donations per year. USE Trade and TradeWest are their internal supply houses, providing uniforms, apparel, and accessories to Salvation Army employees and volunteers across the globe.
The Project
After success on a previous project for SAE (Salvation Army Eastern Division), we worked with SAW (Salvation Army Western Division) to develop two internal storefronts for their internal supply houses. USE Trade and TradeWest supply uniforms, apparel, and accessories to Salvation Army employees and volunteers. Replatforming to Shopify Plus from a legacy digital catalog system, we helped Salvation Army modernize their eCommerce operations while preserving over a century of tradition. The goal was to empower SA internal teams to manage their own eCommerce operations without having to master complex code or development principles. To prevent unwanted purchases from the general public, we developed an SSO feature that leverages existing employer data to allow only approved Salvation Army employees to purchase certain internal-only products, without gating or blocking search engine crawlers.
The Challenges
Replatform and product restructuring from an online catalog system that lacked eCommerce capabilities
In-depth PDP and PLP customizations for color swatches and variants
Add returns functionality via an early release negotiated with Shopify
Gated products - use SSO to allow only registered SAW employees to purchase uniforms, certificates, and other internal products
Custom template to allow surcharges only on specific products
Our Solution
Navigating Unique Challenges with Creative Solutions
The Salvation Army replatforming project presented unique challenges that required innovative approaches from the BlueSwitch team. A key request from the SAW team was to enable volunteers and non-employees to browse the site while restricting the purchase of specific items, such as uniforms and certificates, to employees only. Although Shopify's B2B functionality offers such capabilities, switching to the B2B platform would have disrupted other essential features. To overcome this, we implemented a custom Single Sign-On (SSO) system, allowing employees to log in with their Salvation Army credentials to access restricted products while keeping the site open to the broader public.
Customizations for a Tailored User Experience
Prior to switching to Shopify Plus, Salvation Army was using an outdated digital catalog system to manage internal supply. Replatforming to Shopify Plus allowed them to digitize internal supply, and expand their digital catalog at unprecedented rates. In addition to replatforming the store, we executed a comprehensive product restructuring and introduced in-depth customizations to enhance the Product Detail Pages (PDP) and Product Listing Pages (PLP). These updates included the seamless handling of swatches and variants, ensuring a smooth and intuitive shopping experience. By addressing these design intricacies, we ensured that the site met the specific needs of Salvation Army's diverse audience.
Pioneering Functionality and Innovative Features
Ahead of Shopify's official release, we introduced an early returns functionality to the platform, navigating the challenges of limited support and intermittent functionality. This proactive approach resulted in numerous support tickets, but ultimately provided the client with a head start on this critical feature. Additionally, we enhanced the platform by implementing templates for surcharges on specific products and further optimizing the SSO functionality to maintain secure access to restricted items. These custom solutions reflect the BlueSwitch commitment to meeting complex requirements with precision and innovation.