About the client

The client is an anonymous fashion brand based in Asia, preparing to launch a new eCommerce presence. Due to an NDA, the brand name, visuals, and products cannot be disclosed. The target market is located in regions with limited and unstable internet connectivity, making performance a critical business requirement rather than a nice-to-have.

About the project

The project involved designing and developing a fully custom Shopify theme from scratch, tailored specifically for environments with poor network conditions. Instead of adapting an existing theme, the solution was built with strict performance budgets, minimal dependencies, and full control over markup, assets, and rendering behavior.

Note: Due to an NDA, this demo store uses placeholder products, images, and content. The structure and performance characteristics reflect the real client project.

Client needs & requirements

• Extremely fast loading times on slow and unstable internet connections
• Minimal JavaScript and CSS footprint
• Fully custom design aligned with a new brand identity
• Reliable mobile experience on low-end devices
• Easy content management for non-technical staff

Proposed solution

A performance-first custom Shopify theme was proposed, built entirely from scratch. The solution avoided third-party libraries where possible, relied on native Shopify features, and emphasized semantic HTML, critical CSS, and deferred asset loading. The design system was intentionally minimal to reduce complexity and payload size.

Project process

The process started with defining strict performance constraints and a reusable design system in Figma. Every component was evaluated based on its impact on load time and rendering performance. Visual elements were designed to be expressive while remaining lightweight.

Development was done using a clean, component-based approach with full control over Liquid templates, CSS, and JavaScript. No pre-built themes were used. Assets were optimized aggressively, unnecessary abstractions were removed, and all functionality was tested under simulated slow network conditions.

The final phase focused on cross-device testing, Lighthouse audits, and iterative optimization to ensure consistent behavior across mobile and desktop, even on low bandwidth connections.

Technical aspects

• Performance-first architecture
• 97/100 Google Lighthouse performance score
• Extremely low JavaScript payload
• Optimized critical CSS and deferred assets
• Semantic HTML structure
• Mobile-first and low-end device friendly
• Reusable, component-oriented codebase
• BEM methodology
• SCSS support
• Native Shopify translations
• Accessible and SEO-friendly markup
• Highly customizable sections with minimal overhead
• Version controlled with Git

Results

The client received a custom Shopify theme optimized specifically for low-connectivity environments. The store achieved a 97/100 Lighthouse performance score and demonstrated significantly reduced load times compared to standard Shopify themes. Pages remain usable and responsive even on slow mobile networks.

The theme supports the client’s brand launch goals while providing a scalable, maintainable foundation for future growth. Store administrators can manage content efficiently without compromising performance.

Note: The live store and branding details are confidential. This public demo is password-protected and uses placeholder content in compliance with the NDA.

The store is password protected. Password: pass