How Belstaff Modernized 100-Year-Old Brand with Shopify’s Unified Commerce

Introduction

Belstaff is synonymous with high-performance outerwear and a rich motorsport heritage. As the brand approached its centenary, it faced a tangled technology stack: a monolithic ERP, an outsourced IT model that drove up costs, and separate e-commerce and in-store systems that slowed new features. In a rapidly shifting market, Belstaff needed a single platform offering fast updates, clear data flows, and a consistent customer experience.

Challenge

Legacy systems left Belstaff teams juggling different data models for POS and online orders. Rolling out new omnichannel capabilities took 12 to 18 months—too long when consumer expectations shift monthly. Technical debt piled up, creating a black-box architecture that was hard to update. The brand’s loyal customer base demanded continuity, while new audiences expected modern shopping features. Balancing those requirements on multiple systems was slowing innovation and inflating costs.

Solution

Belstaff chose Shopify Plus and Shopify POS for an all-in-one commerce stack. By moving both point-of-sale and online storefront onto Shopify, the brand created one integration point from day one. That cut out layers of middleware, simplified data flows, and removed redundant APIs. Teams immediately had a unified back-office view, meaning customer profiles, inventory, and orders all lived in the same system.

Shopify’s headless commerce options let Belstaff preserve its distinct aesthetic. Developers built a custom front end that mirrors in-store design, then connected via Shopify’s well-documented APIs. Staff found the new interface intuitive, so training time dropped and resistance faded fast. With real-time syncing, consumers see accurate stock levels online, and stores can fulfill orders more efficiently.

Results

Deployment speed improved dramatically: new omnichannel features went live in four months instead of over a year. Centralized data on one platform gave marketing teams a complete customer profile, which they use to tailor campaigns and cut acquisition waste. The out-of-the-box order routing feature minimized split shipments and reduced fulfilment costs. And because Shopify handles payment and hosting, total cost of ownership dropped.

Customers now enjoy a seamless handoff from online to store. The site’s custom design loads fast, and in-store staff can view online order history for personalized service. Conversion rates rose as shopping paths smoothed out, and Belstaff is better positioned to roll out features without wrestling with legacy code.

Conclusion

By uniting commerce channels on Shopify Plus and POS, Belstaff laid the groundwork for its next century. The brand now rolls out features faster, saves on IT spend, and offers a cohesive digital and in-store experience. With a modern architecture and headless flexibility, Belstaff can refine its customer journey, test new touchpoints, and continue offering premium outerwear backed by cutting-edge technology.