How Mega Thing Tripled Office Supplies Sales by Consolidating on BigCommerce

Background

From a humble brick-and-mortar store opened in 2005, Mega Thing grew steadily under founders Martin Bate and Nadine Harnack. By 2009 they embraced digital commerce with BigCommerce, spinning out 17 distinct niche storefronts. Each site catered to a specialized product line—labels, printers, markers, you name it—but managing multiple control panels soon became a logistical headache. Orders were at times delayed, promotions inconsistent, and the team struggled to keep inventory and customer data aligned.

The Challenge

Operating seventeen BigCommerce dashboards created overhead that stifled growth. Synchronizing product updates and customer communication across separate instances was time-consuming and error-prone. The duo recognized that if they wanted to scale and improve the buyer experience, they needed a unified solution. Their goal: consolidation without sacrificing customization or performance.

Solution

Martin and Nadine consolidated their digital empire by merging 14 of 17 storefronts into three core brands—Mega Thing, DYMO, and PoscART—then funneled management under the flagship Mega Thing control panel. They retained BigCommerce for its robust feature set and seamless integrations. Key apps like B2B Ninja Quote enabled on-site quoting, while Google Shopping by Sales & Orders automated feed creation and ad optimization. Native tools such as the abandoned cart saver and coupon builder boosted conversion with minimal overhead. Specialty development tasks and marketing automation were handled by long-time partner Randem Group, allowing the in-house team to focus on physical packaging personalization and customer delight.

Results

After consolidation and optimization through BigCommerce, Mega Thing realized an impressive year-over-year uplift: site visits jumped 107%, customer count climbed 62%, and orders rose by 58%, which translated into a 55% revenue increase. Their abandoned cart recovery efforts alone recaptured over $455,000 in nine months.

Looking Ahead

Armed with a scalable platform and proven processes, Mega Thing plans to test international markets in Europe and the US. Leveraging strong brand partnerships and multilingual expertise, they aim to replicate their “Mega” customer-first experience globally while continuing to refine on-site merchandising and promotional workflows.