How Bohemian Traders Scaled DTC & Wholesale with BigCommerce

From One Jacket to a Global Fashion Brand

When Emily Berlach couldn’t find a single bohemian jacket she loved, she ended up ordering ten. She sold nine on her blog and discovered a new path: affordable, customizable fashion for a passionate community. That simple act ignited the launch of Bohemian Traders, a brand built on tenacity and authenticity.

Early Days on BigCartel and Volusion

Initially, the founders used BigCartel, a platform for artists. However, as demand soared, crashes and slow load times hurt growth. They switched to Volusion, hoping for more stability, only to face restrictive APIs and dated architecture. The team longed for a solution that could grow as fast as their vision.

Choosing BigCommerce for Unlimited Potential

In 2015, Bohemian Traders made the trade to BigCommerce. Stability improved overnight, but the real magic arrived with freedom. Developers built custom features via robust APIs. Integrations—like Klaviyo for email and Starshipit for shipping—fused directly into the storefront, creating an end-to-end experience that felt effortless to customers.

Integrations That Accelerate Growth

Key apps power the engine:

• Klaviyo fuels 35–50% of monthly revenue through targeted email blasts.
• Google Shopping by Sales & Orders drives high-intent ad traffic.
• Starshipit automates global shipping updates and tracking notices.

Additional tools such as BackOrder by GritGlobal, Zip, Afterpay, Klarna, and Rewind Backups ensure inventory planning, flexible checkout, and data protection. Together, they form a framework that scales across direct-to-consumer, wholesale partners, and two brick-and-mortar outlets.

Remarkable Results in Q1

Comparing Q1 2022 to Q1 2016, Bohemian Traders saw:

• 68% increase in average order value
• 138% growth in site visits
• 151% surge in revenue

Managing two stores—including a separate outlet site—takes moments via the BigCommerce dashboard. This simplicity frees the team to focus on new markets, coming soon: a strategic push into the United States and an ERP rollout to streamline wholesale relationships.

Looking Ahead

As Bohemian Traders expands its global footprint, consistent quality and a unified customer journey remain at the core. BigCommerce’s flexible architecture and partner ecosystem will continue to fuel new experiments—whether launching exclusive capsule collections or deepening B2B integrations.