New Era

Reimagining century-old brand with mobile-first strategy and custom-built features

UX/UI Design,
Custom Feature Design,
Conversion Rate Optimisation

Website

neweracap.com.au

The official cap for every major sporting league across the United States and Australia, New Era has been in the game for over 100 years. In 2023, the global brand focused its attention on elevating its Australian eCommerce experience. With increased competition from global and local players alongside growing digital activity from wholesale partners, New Era recognised the opportunity to strengthen its direct-to-consumer presence. Internally, the team identified areas for improvement: the website's mobile experience was underperforming with an 81% traffic share converting at only 1.4%, whilst merchandising capabilities and technical integrations were ready for modernisation.

The Working Party was selected to manage the comprehensive transformation — migrating from SAP Hybris to Shopify Plus whilst creating an elevated eCommerce design for the AU and NZ market. Through consultative workshops presenting various design approaches, we developed a bespoke visual design system and built an exceptional experience atop our theme development framework. The result would receive international recognition from Harley Finkelstein, President of Shopify, and a collection of local and global awards for UX/UI design.

Black cap with a letter 'G' on a website page with product details and images of people wearing caps.

Custom-built features that showcase expansive range with clarity

New Era's diverse customer base—spanning football fanatics, fashionistas, and streetwear loyalists—required solutions that could showcase more than 100 teams across five sporting leagues without overwhelming users. The centrepiece is the custom-built hat display feature, primely positioned on the homepage with elegant hover-activated functionality that allows users to intuitively locate their team before viewing eight style options for each.

Equally critical was addressing one of eCommerce's persistent challenges: sizing and fit. The content-led sizing and silhouette guides engage clever copy and clear illustrations that have delivered remarkable results, New Era now achieves a 2.0% return rate, ten times better than the industry average of 20%.

The bespoke pre-order functionality, supported by Submarine, captured 1,080 pre-orders following the AFL Grand Final—sales that otherwise would have been lost. Supporting features like the scroll-on carousel and refined navigation complete an approach that delivers expansive detail with sophisticated clarity.

New Era's 2.0% return rate is 10x better than the eCommerce industry average of 20%, demonstrating how content-led sizing solutions and superior product presentation can dramatically reduce returns whilst enhancing customer confidence.

Person wearing a gray hoodie with patches in front of a cityscape illustration

Screenshot of New Era's mobile collection page

Mobile-first strategy and platform modernisation

The migration from SAP Hybris to Shopify Plus provided the foundation for a comprehensive technical transformation. The Working Party built a custom front-end layer atop our theme development framework, incorporating best-practice technical SEO and on-site accessibility to ensure longevity.

The mobile-first approach was essential, with 81% mobile traffic generating 74% of revenue yet converting at only 1.4%, every element—information architecture, navigation, product pages—was developed for mobile and desktop simultaneously. Custom features were creatively reimagined for mobile where appropriate, whilst mobile-specific design solutions like automatic image scroll enhanced the experience.

The technical modernisation extended to integrating best-in-breed platforms: Nosto for personalisation and merchandising, Klaviyo for email and SMS, Gorgias for customer support, Loop for returns, and Submarine for pre-orders. These platforms work together to create a connected customer journey, from personalised product recommendations through to seamless post-purchase experiences, that previously operated in disconnected silos.

The results validate the investment: conversion rate increased by 7.39%, driven predominantly by mobile performance improvements that closed the gap with desktop, whilst bounce rate decreased by 2.23% and sessions per user increased by 33.27% year-over-year.

Design system elevating sporting merchandise beyond industry norms

The sporting merchandise industry often defaults to cluttered, overwhelming aesthetics. New Era's transformation introduced a design system with a consistent visual language: a monochrome palette, minimalist text treatments, and intelligent use of negative space.

The homepage balances brand and commerce through a flexible layout that weaves together product modules with campaign imagery, whilst navigation supports different user motivations through dedicated category pages and filtering by Team, Collection, Style, or Item. Category pages present only relevant products, whilst product pages display clear photography, one complementary recommendation, and key purchase information, keeping it focused and straightforward.

This design clarity has driven substantial commercial outcomes: average order value increased by 16.94%, notably impressive for apparel where double-digit AOV growth is exceptional. Repeat customers increased by 8.57%, demonstrating the positive end-to-end experience that fosters loyalty.

With an average order value increase of 16.94%, New Era significantly outperformed typical incremental improvements in the apparel sector, where achieving double-digit AOV growth demonstrates exceptional execution across design, merchandising, and user experience.

The Working Party understood that New Era needed more than a website refresh, we needed a complete digital transformation that could compete with global players whilst honouring our heritage. They delivered custom solutions we didn't know were possible, like the interactive hat display, whilst ensuring every technical decision supported our mobile-first audience. The results speak for themselves: we're converting better, customers are spending more, and we finally have a platform that matches our brand's stature. It's been a genuine partnership from day one.

Name

Job Title, Company

Services

Design and Creative