How Sarah Raven Blossomed Sales by 18% with BigCommerce

How Sarah Raven Blossomed Online Growth with BigCommerce

Sarah Raven, a renowned UK gardening expert, found her ecommerce operations constrained by aging software. With a diverse catalog of over 9,500 SKUs ranging from seeds to mature plants, the team struggled to manage complex parent-child relationships, stock statuses, and seasonal fulfillment. Demand was climbing into double digits, but their previous platform could not keep pace. Cart abandonment was high, mobile checkouts were cumbersome, and every update risked breaking functionality. To sustain ambitious growth plans, a new scalable solution was essential.

Challenge

The existing ecommerce platform was expensive to maintain and offered limited customization. Gardeners expect clear guidance on availability—from pre-order seedlings to ready-to-ship flowers—but the old system could not handle dynamic stock statuses or seasonal variations. Fragmented checkout flows, lengthy forms, and lack of PCI compliance slowed conversions. “We’d just reached a ceiling where our range was growing and our platform could not keep up,” recalls Ash Pallett, Senior Ecommerce Manager.

Solution

After evaluating multiple SaaS options, Sarah Raven partnered with BigCommerce and agency Space 48 to design a tailored solution. Key elements included:

• Advanced product configuration for complex parent-child relationships, managing seeds, potted plants, and bulbs.
• One-page checkout integrated with Stripe for card payments, Apple Pay, and Google Pay wallets, reducing friction for older demographics and mobile users.
• Built-in PCI compliance and hosting rolled into the license fee, simplifying security and compliance management.
• Collaborative discovery workshops that identified custom features, ensuring every unique requirement was addressed.

Results

Within six months of launch, the new platform delivered striking gains. Revenue soared by 18%, mobile conversion rates jumped 17%, and cart abandonment dropped by 40%. Even with a 50% increase in performance marketing spend, bounce rates improved by 30%, indicating a more engaging store experience. These results have set the stage for targeted growth, aiming for 15% annual revenue expansion through 2028.

Looking Ahead

Sarah Raven is now exploring B2B capabilities to serve garden retailers and wholesalers, composable architecture via Catalyst, and enhanced personalization with search and merch software. By continuously iterating on content speed, A/B testing page designs, and integrating headless components, the team is well-positioned for sustainable expansion.