Ditching BigCommerce, Embracing 25% Savings: Lull’s Shopify Growth Story
When Lull first launched their mattress business, they were true dreamers—not just in how they crafted their mattresses, but in how they built their technology. Their custom-built ecommerce platform offered seemingly unlimited possibilities, embodying their motto: “If you can think it, we can build it.” However, after nearly a decade of success, that same pioneering spirit that drove their early growth began to hold them back. Their custom technology had become a burden, requiring massive teams just to maintain basic operations. This situation changed dramatically with their transition to Shopify.
The Migration Journey
In just six months, with no previous Shopify experience, Lull’s in-house team completed a full migration that transformed their business. The results were remarkable, leading to a leaner, more agile operation that is delivering better sleep to more customers than ever before.
Key Achievements with Shopify
- Cost Efficiency:
- 25% reduction in infrastructure and software costs.
- 25% decrease in payment processing fees.
- Operational Speed:
- Migrated platforms in less than 6 months for under $10,000.
- Cut fulfillment time from 7-10 days to just 4 days.
- Can now launch new products in minutes instead of months.
- Payment Flexibility:
- Reduced high-fee financing dependency from 60% to 30%.
- Shop Pay now drives 80% of express checkouts.
- Channel Growth:
- New revenue streams through Shop App, social commerce, and 24/7 B2B ordering.
- 14% conversion lift during Black Friday/Cyber Monday.
About Lull
Lull has built its reputation on making premium sleep accessible to everyone. They have earned the trust of hundreds of thousands of customers, with nearly half their revenue coming from returning customers and referrals. However, their custom technology was becoming a hindrance. What started as unlimited possibility had turned into unlimited complexity.
Mark Nagelmann, Director of Web Operations at Lull, stated, “We had giant teams of full-stack developers, front-end and back-end engineers, QA specialists, and project managers. Process overload became our reality—massive sprints, endless documentation, and costly infrastructure like AWS made it increasingly difficult to maintain even basic operations.”
Challenges Faced
The real cost of their custom-built system wasn’t just in maintenance; it was in missed opportunities. Every new feature or integration required months of development time, putting Lull at a competitive disadvantage. “We felt like we were behind our competitors because we weren’t able to take advantage of new testing opportunities and betas quickly enough,” said Sharone Almog, VP of Marketing and Ecommerce.
Even simple updates became major projects. A single line of text could require weeks of code sprints, feature development, QA, and deployment. The team had also attempted a brief stint with BigCommerce, but that solution proved equally challenging. “Initially we tried to do a headless integration with BigCommerce. That project failed quite miserably, quite honestly. We had to abandon ship,” remarked Matt Walker, President of Lull.
Finding a Solution
After carefully evaluating their options, including proposals from several development agencies that exceeded $1 million and required 8-16 months, Lull made a bold decision: they would handle the Shopify migration in-house. Despite having no previous Shopify experience, the team rebuilt their entire infrastructure—work that had taken nearly a decade to build—in just six months, for under $10,000.
Michael Morton, Director of Product at Lull, noted, “Shopify has provided an off-the-shelf solution to everything that we had to build custom and in-house ourselves.”
Streamlined Operations and Enhanced Capabilities
The migration to Shopify didn’t just replace their old system; it transformed how Lull operates. The platform’s efficiency touched every aspect of their business:
- Faster Fulfillment: Real-time order batching replaced end-of-day processing.
- Simplified B2B: Customers can now access custom pricing and place orders 24/7.
- Enhanced Payment Options: Shop Pay integration reduced processing fees while improving conversion.
- Automated Workflows: Shopify Flow manages logistics, captures, and notifications.
- Multi-Channel Sales: Unified management of social commerce, marketplaces, and direct sales.
Results: Cost Savings and Improved Customer Experience
The switch to Shopify delivered immediate financial benefits. Infrastructure and software costs dropped by 25%, while processing fees saw a similar reduction. The team’s previous reliance on a high-fee financing partner dropped from 60% to 30% of transactions, with Shop Pay taking over as the preferred payment method.
Delivery times were cut by more than half, going from 7-10 business days to just four days. The ability to batch orders in real time and integrate seamlessly with fulfillment partners has transformed the customer experience. As Michael Morton stated, “We’ve cut delivery time from 7-10 business days to just four business days.”
Enhanced Team Agility
The marketing team can now respond instantly to opportunities that previously required months of development. Product launches that once took a year can now happen in a day, and new payment gateways can be added with a click. “Shopify has truly been a game changer for Lull, and it has grown our business to places that we would never have been able to do on a custom site,” said Sharone Almog.
The Future with Shopify
For Lull, the migration to Shopify wasn’t just about solving old problems—it was about creating new possibilities. The team is now focused on growth and innovation rather than maintenance and limitations. “We have a lot more options now. We’re new on the platform, and we have a whole host of things queued up that we’re really excited to test,” remarked Matt Walker.
The challenge now isn’t keeping up—it’s taking advantage of all the possibilities Shopify offers. With their newfound agility and efficiency, Lull is poised to help more people sleep better than ever before.
