Case Study · Shopify Plus Migration

How Smith Optics Moved to Shopify Plus in Four MonthsWithout Dropping the Legacy Site

Smith Optics migrated from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify Plus in four months from kickoff to launch, with Shopify Markets enabling global regions and currencies and a custom guided lens-selection experience simplifying a genuinely complex product line. Red Van maintained and optimized the legacy Salesforce site in parallel, so uptime never became the cost of the transition.

Who is Smith Optics?

Smith Optics is a Portland, Oregon eyewear and goggle brand founded in 1965, recognized for innovation, durability, and high-performance products.

The company began when Dr. Bob Smith invented the first goggle with a sealed thermal lens and breathable vent foam, handcrafting early pairs and trading them for lift tickets. It has since grown into a leading global performance eyewear brand. That technical heritage is also the commerce problem: Smith's product line is engineered, and buying the right lens requires knowledge most customers do not arrive with.

What problem did Smith Optics need to solve?

Smith Optics needed to modernize its digital commerce infrastructure for greater speed and global scale, while a major strategic platform shift was underway and the existing Salesforce Commerce Cloud site still had to run.

Three areas defined the complexity. Global requirements meant managing seamless international experiences across regions, languages, and currencies. Intricate product data meant customers had to be able to select the correct lenses for their vision and lifestyle needs, which a standard catalog experience does not support. Operational continuity meant sustaining legacy Salesforce Commerce Cloud (SFCC) performance while the new architecture was being built. Smith needed a partner who could hold all three at once, and who could give honest guidance on the platform decision itself.

Requirements that defined the engagement

Modernize for speed and global scale
Support international regions, languages, and currencies
Guide customers to the correct lens for their needs
Maintain the existing SFCC codebase during transition
Address site speed, checkout friction, and third-party integrations
Provide guidance through a major strategic platform shift

How did Red Van solve it?

Red Van ran a think big, start small, act fast strategy: a complete migration from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify Plus in four months from kickoff to launch, with the legacy SFCC site maintained and optimized in parallel throughout.

Red Van works across both Shopify and Salesforce, which is what made this engagement possible. The recommendation was Shopify Plus because it fit Smith's speed and global requirements, not because it was the platform in the room. Shopify Markets handled internationalization for global regions and currencies. A custom guided lens-selection experience with advanced search and discovery tools solved the product data problem. And ongoing SFCC development, including code audits to optimize Business Manager controls, kept the legacy site performing while the new one was built.

What the project included

Rapid Re-Platforming

Complete migration from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify Plus, kickoff to launch in four months.

Shopify Markets Internationalization

Shopify Markets implemented to enable seamless international experiences across global regions and currencies, replacing the manual overhead of the previous setup.

Guided Lens Selection

A custom guided selection experience that walks customers to the correct lens for their vision and lifestyle needs, turning a technically intimidating purchase into a straightforward one.

Advanced Search and Discovery

Search and discovery tools built around Smith's intricate product data, so customers can navigate a technical catalog without needing to speak the brand's engineering vocabulary.

Legacy SFCC Maintenance

Continued Salesforce Commerce Cloud development throughout the transition, including code audits to optimize Business Manager controls, so the existing site kept performing while the new architecture was built.

Platform Strategy Guidance

Advisory support through a major strategic platform shift, including the honest assessment of which platform actually fit Smith's speed and global requirements.

What were the results?

Smith Optics launched on Shopify Plus four months from kickoff, with a faster, global-ready experience and a product discovery journey built around how customers actually choose lenses. The advanced search and guided lens selector streamlined shopping for complex performance gear, and the legacy site stayed up throughout the transition rather than degrading while attention moved elsewhere.

Kickoff to launch in four months
Faster, global-ready experience compared with the legacy system
Shopify Markets supporting international regions and currencies
Guided lens selector simplifying a technical purchase decision
Advanced search and discovery across intricate product data
Legacy SFCC uptime and performance maintained throughout transition
Business Manager controls optimized through code audits
Scalable Shopify Plus architecture for continued global growth

The hardest part of a platform shift is rarely the new build. It is keeping the business running on the old one while the new one is made. Red Van staffed both sides of that, which is why four months was a launch date rather than an ambition.

“"Red Van understood the assignment. They managed the delicate balance of maintaining our SFCC uptime while building a scalable Shopify Plus architecture that makes navigating our technical product line feel like a breeze."”

Jake O'Neil, Enterprise Architect, Smith Optics

Frequently asked questions

Can you migrate from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify Plus?

Yes. Red Van migrated Smith Optics from SFCC to Shopify Plus in four months from kickoff to launch. Red Van implements both platforms, which means the platform recommendation is based on the business requirement rather than on which practice needs the work. For Smith, speed and global scale pointed to Shopify Plus.

How do you keep the existing site running during a replatform?

By staffing it as real work rather than a holding pattern. Red Van continued Salesforce Commerce Cloud development for Smith Optics throughout the transition, including code audits to optimize Business Manager controls. Legacy uptime and performance were maintained while the Shopify Plus architecture was built alongside.

How do you help customers choose the right product in a technical catalog?

With a guided selection experience rather than more filters. Red Van built Smith Optics a guided lens selector that walks customers to the correct lens for their vision and lifestyle needs, paired with advanced search and discovery. Filters assume the customer already knows the vocabulary. Guided selling does not.

How does Shopify Markets handle international selling?

Shopify Markets manages regions, currencies, and localized experiences natively rather than through separate site builds. For Smith Optics, that replaced the operational overhead of managing international experiences manually and delivered a global-ready storefront at launch instead of as a later phase.