How Impact Dog Crates Achieved 164% Global Sales Growth

Background

Impact Dog Crates started out focused on wholesale partnerships with rescue agencies and law enforcement. But in 2012 the brand also launched a direct-to-consumer store on Shopify. Domestic shoppers loved the secure aluminum crates for travel and training. However, a growing number of international orders exposed a tangle of customs, duties, and shipping delays. Each order that stalled or got surprise fees drove frustrated emails and calls to the small team.

The International Roadblock

High shipping rates put some customers off before they even clicked “buy.” Others gave up when carriers demanded taxes and fees at delivery. One UK influencer was promised prepaid duties and taxes, then still faced a bill at the door. That forced hours on support calls and drained resources away from growth. Impact Dog Crates realized any friction at checkout or in shipping meant lost orders and lost trust.

Implementing Managed Markets

When the team enabled Managed Markets on Shopify Plus, the checkout page updated with local currency pricing, and shipping duties and taxes were calculated and prepaid. That cleared every hurdle in one click. Carriers no longer stopped shipments for missing paperwork. Customers saw a full, transparent price in their local terms, and orders flowed without extra calls for support.

Results and Metrics

In just six months, global sales jumped 164%, with a 77% rise in conversion across all markets. Canada saw a 99% boost in sales conversion alone. Support inquiries about shipping fell to almost zero. Armed with new geographic data in Shopify, Impact Dog Crates identified hot markets and adapted ad spend to match, testing campaigns in Europe, Australia, and beyond.

Lessons Learned

Keeping the total cost visible and prepaid is often the fastest route to scale. Upfront duties and taxes remove friction. Clear landed-cost pricing in local currency builds confidence. The data from regional checkouts guides ad spend and product tweaks. Together these moves streamlined operations and opened new territories with minimal overhead.

Next Steps

Impact Dog Crates is now testing local warehousing to shave days off delivery and lower costs. They’re also redesigning packaging to cut dimensional weight fees. By pairing Managed Markets with a distributed fulfillment network they expect to drive margins higher and reach any dog owner, anywhere.