Glenmorangie needed to define, design and build their first direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform. The challenge was to create a digital experience that felt modern and distinctive, while remaining true to the brand’s heritage and craftsmanship.
The platform needed to support an initial UK launch, allowing the team to test, learn and iterate, with the ability to scale into Europe and global markets over time.
383 partnered with Glenmorangie to provide the digital product skills required to define, design and build a new e-commerce channel, while also building capability internally.
The work was approached in phases, beginning with alignment on objectives and success metrics, followed by discovery and a focused ten-week build period. Prioritisation was essential to ensure the platform could be launched confidently and meet its commercial goals.
The project began with a full-day workshop with the Glenmorangie team to understand business objectives, desired outcomes and measures of success.
This was followed by two weeks of discovery, exploring the customer journey, technical requirements and potential risks. With a ten-week delivery window, careful prioritisation ensured the most important outcomes were achieved.
Glenmorangie required a tech stack that was scalable, flexible and gave the team control over content and features without relying on engineering support.
A headless e-commerce approach combined Shogun as the front-end and content management system with Shopify as the back-end to manage inventory, customer data and orders.
Integration with Glenmorangie’s distribution partners was carefully considered to ensure orders could be fulfilled reliably.
Discovery identified the purchase journey as the highest-risk and highest-priority area of the experience. Ensuring users could complete a transaction and have their order fulfilled successfully became the primary focus.
The first sprint centred on validating this journey, followed by two-week epics across design, product management and engineering to build, iterate and deliver the platform.
Glenmorangie’s first direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform launched successfully, generating over £100,000 in sales within the first three months.
Alongside new revenue streams, the platform provides Glenmorangie with a scalable and adaptable digital foundation. The team can now create and publish content more easily, form direct relationships with new audiences, and continue evolving their digital presence while staying true to their heritage of craftsmanship and quality.
