How Gainful moved from Headless to a Shopify theme in under 90 days

The Problem

Fragmented tech stack and high maintenance demands

Before partnering with Platter, Gainful’s custom-built system—hosted on AWS with a React/Django stack—placed heavy demands on the brand’s engineering team. They were forced to focus on maintaining table-stakes features, like Apple Pay and coupon codes, rather than innovating on what made their brand and products unique.

Key challenges included:

• Overwhelming Maintenance Demands: Constant upkeep of core functions (e.g., checkout, express payments, coupon codes) drained resources away from strategic innovation.
• Fragmented Tech Stack: Relying on multiple platforms for different functions created inefficiencies and operational complexity.
• Aggressive Timeline Pressures: The need to swiftly transition to a more robust, scalable solution intensified the challenges.

The solution

Streamlined migration and customization within a unified storefront

Platter stepped in as a strategic partner to address these challenges head-on. By leveraging their expertise in building profitable Shopify storefronts, Platter delivered tailored solutions aligned with Gainful’s unique needs. Their approach included:

• Streamlined Shopify Migration: Platter’s team engineered a custom storefront in under 90 days, matching Gainful’s aggressive timeline.
• Unified Storefront Experience: Key functionalities—such as the checkout, post-purchase upsells, and shoppable video functionality—were consolidated into one seamless experience.
• Enhanced Customization Features: Platter’s flexible design tools allowed Gainful to maintain a personalized, quiz-driven product experience without compromise.
• Dedicated, Collaborative Support: Gainful benefited from direct engagement with Platter’s founders, ensuring responsiveness and a shared commitment to scrappy, innovative problem-solving.

The results

Higher conversions, and a scalable storefront

Since partnering with Platter, Gainful has experienced a significant operational transformation. The rapid migration streamlined their tech stack and led to higher conversion rates and a reduction in CAC. By unifying critical storefront functions, Gainful now allocates more resources toward innovation and customer experience.

“We came to Platter along with a lot of other ecommerce agencies, and Platter was honestly the only one capable or confident that they’d be able to hit our aggressive timeline.” - Jahaan Ansari, Co-founder of Gainful

This successful collaboration has positioned Gainful for continued growth, with plans to roll out new products and refine their digital storefront in the coming months.