Anyone can set up an online store these days - that's the easy part. The real challenge? Getting customers to stick around. Simply attracting window shoppers isn't enough - you need to turn those one-time buyers into loyal customers who keep coming back for more
That's why Akohub partnered with Shopify to host the most anticipated e-commerce event of the year in Taiwan. Bringing together industry leaders, the event was proudly sponsored by GemPages, a leading Shopify solution provider, alongside logistics powerhouses Re-Yi Distribution (FamilyMart), HCT Logistics, and FedEx Express. Their participation reflects Taiwan's growing importance in the global e-commerce landscape. With one of Asia's highest e-commerce adoption rates and annual sales surpassing $9.8 billion, Taiwan has become the perfect testing ground for strategies that work worldwide. When brands succeed here, they succeed everywhere.
Global Brands Showing Us What's Possible
Let's start with some inspiration. Tony Jiang, Shopify's Partnership Team Lead, kicked off the event by sharing how global brands are revolutionizing customer loyalty:
- Gym Shark turned a Black Friday nightmare into a success story. After struggling with site crashes, they moved to Shopify and haven't looked back.
- Hismile hit $300M in revenue, with 80% coming from smart bundle sales strategies.
- Anker migrated 16 global sites in just three months, cutting their operational team size in half.
- Sundrug: A Japanese pharmacy chain successfully achieved O2O transformation through Shopify Plus, integrating offline wholesale retail with online sales - a successful case of traditional industry transformation.
But here's the exciting part, these aren't just big-brand stories. The same tools and strategies are available to every merchant.
The Power Behind These Success Stories
What makes these transformations possible? Tony revealed how Shopify has evolved from a simple e-commerce platform into a customer-centric unified commerce system. Unlike traditional platforms that only offer basic store setup, Shopify provides:
- Comprehensive business growth strategies
- Marketing assistance that drives results
- User experience optimization
- Deep integration capabilities that solve real merchant challenges
Tony emphasized that while most existing platforms only provide store setup, few offer complete strategies for business growth, marketing assistance, and user experience optimization. Shopify's powerful functionality can help solve various merchant challenges through deeply integrated solutions, allowing brands to find the most appropriate countermeasures when facing operational challenges and realize their complete business value.
The proof is in the numbers: Shopify invested $1.7 billion in product development in 2023 alone. This investment powers a comprehensive App Store ecosystem where merchants can easily access everything they need for growth, from smart layout design and campaign creation to bundle sales, membership systems, and powerful remarketing tools. All these features work seamlessly together, making it simple to scale your business as you grow.
Putting These Tools to Work: Logitech's Success
These aren't just features, they're tools for transformation. Take Logitech's journey as proof: as a market leader holding 80% of the mouse category, they could have rested on their success. Instead, they leveraged these tools to build an even stronger digital presence, cultivating a loyal customer base of over 300,000 in Taiwan and transforming their entire customer experience
The journey wasn't always smooth. Jeff Li, Category Customer Marketing Manager at Logitech, shared their early challenges. Their website was struggling with lengthy product pages, slow loading times, and a complicated discount system that frustrated customers.
The turning point came through a strategic partnership. Working with Akohub and implementing PageFly, Logitech transformed their online presence. They streamlined their product pages, dramatically improved loading times (20.65 seconds faster on mobile!), and created a seamless one-stop promotion flow. The automated discount codes and integrated points system turned frustrated customers into happy ones.
What makes this transformation particularly interesting is their innovative approach to customer relationships. Through Ako Marketing's membership system, they created a comprehensive CRM strategy that goes beyond basic points and rewards. Their multi-tiered membership program offers a sophisticated blend of benefits: new members receive instant rewards, customers enjoy personal birthday privileges, and higher-tier members unlock exclusive event invitations and early access to new products. "The key was moving beyond traditional single-tier rewards," explains Jeff Li. "We wanted to create a system that grows with our customers."
Logitech's approach to cross-category sales is brilliantly simple. When a customer adds a mouse to their cart, they're immediately shown matching keyboards with special bundle pricing. This intuitive approach has achieved a remarkable 40% success rate in cross-category sales. Even more interesting is how they use online insights to enhance their offline experience - their data shows that in-store customers often opt for premium products, leading to higher average order values than online purchases.
The results speak for themselves: a 28% increase in customer repurchase rate, 12% sales growth in one quarter, and a transformed shopping experience both online and offline.
Maoup: Building a Pet Brand People Love
While Logitech shows how global brands can transform their digital presence, Maoup demonstrates how local brands can build passionate communities through authentic connections.
"Success in e-commerce isn't just about selling products," says Angela Lu, Maoup's Director. "It's about stepping into the pet community and listening to every 'pet parent's' voice." Starting as a Facebook community in 2015, Maoup took a different approach - they began by sharing valuable pet care knowledge, building trust through genuine interactions, and truly understanding what pet owners needed. This authentic connection has grown their following to over 250,000 passionate pet parents who don't just buy products - they champion the brand.
The integration with Shopify marked a turning point in their growth. Instead of random promotional blasts, Maoup's marketing team developed a sophisticated approach to customer engagement. They analyzed shopping patterns and consumer behavior, then synchronized this data across social media platforms to create precisely targeted campaigns. This wasn't just advertising, it was sharing real user experiences matched perfectly to each customer's shopping cycle.
The results were remarkable: marketing costs dropped by 38%, while return on ad spend soared to 138%. Most impressively, their conversion rate increased by 430%. With 80% of revenue now coming from online channels, this precise targeting strategy has become crucial for sustainable growth.
But Maoup's real innovation comes from their approach to customer retention. When they notice a customer hasn't made a purchase within their expected cycle, they don't just send standard promotional messages. Instead, they implement a carefully designed three-step "wake-up" strategy:
- Offer thoughtfully planned repurchase incentives
- Create exclusive, personalized discounts
- Reach out with surveys to understand their needs if they haven't responded
As Angela explains, "When customers feel heard, they don't just come back - they bring their friends." With 80% of revenue now coming from online channels, this precise targeting strategy has become crucial for sustainable growth.
From Community Building to Brand Philosophy: MAGEASY's Approach to Customer Connection
While Maoup built their success through pet community engagement, MAGEASY demonstrated how deep brand philosophy can create equally powerful customer connections. Tim Chiang, Business Director of MAGEASY (SwitchEasy), begins with a fundamental question: "Why does your brand exist?"
Using the Golden Circle model, Tim guided brands to rethink their approach through the "Why-How-What" framework. The brand name "MAGEASY" itself - derived from "Make life easy" - embodies their minimalist philosophy and commitment to simplifying users' lives.
"Customer perception of your brand matters more than product features," Tim explains. MAGEASY built its success on three core pillars:
- Innovation in accessory design
- Professional expertise
- Functional user experience
This focused approach delivered results: through careful implementation of their marketing funnel and strategic resource allocation, MAGEASY achieved 300% growth in 2024. Their success proves that when brands begin with "why," they create deeper customer connections that drive sustainable growth. Their success proves that when brands begin with "why," they create deeper customer connections that drive sustainable growth.
From Brand Philosophy to Action: Akohub’s Formula for Customer Acquisition & Retention
Building on these brand-building principles, Ray Kung, CEO of Akohub, brings a data-driven perspective to turning philosophy into practice. With experience serving over thousands of Shopify brands, Akohub's approach starts with deep analysis of market needs and brand feedback, developing customized solutions through their comprehensive services including the Ako Marketing: Retargeting and Loyalty CRM app and a specialized logistics solution tailored for the Taiwanese market.
Ray emphasizes two critical phases in any brand's growth journey:
- Early Stage: Focus on customer acquisition and expanding reach
- Growth Stage: Shift focus to customer retention and service excellence
This journey has become increasingly important as Facebook advertising costs have surged 44% in the past five years. Ray's data shows why retention matters:
- Loyal customers spend 67% more than new customers
- Their lifetime value is 3 times higher than regular customers
- Top 1% of loyal customers deliver 5 times more value
These insights have driven success across Akohub's partnerships. Beyond their three-year collaboration with Logitech that we explored earlier, their work with Grassphere showcases the power of strategic membership systems. By allowing customers to unlock benefits through purchases, Grassphere achieved a 120% increase in repurchase rate and a 16% boost in direct purchases from new users.
To help brands balance increased repurchase rates with lower acquisition costs, Ray suggests two key strategies:
- Continuous but targeted acquisition of new customers for growth
- Focus on specific customer segments for stable growth through product innovation
Shopify App Partners: Innovative Tools for Customer Retention
To complement these strategies, Akohub invited leading Shopify app partners to share their global perspectives during a special panel discussion. These global partnerships showcase the diverse ecosystem of solutions available to merchants:
Crafting the Perfect Customer Journey - PageFly
"PageFly is one of the reasons Logitech started with Shopify. It's an honor to be part of their journey," shared Victor, CEO of Shopify's #1 page builder. Their collaboration with Logitech exemplifies how better browsing experiences drive customer retention - from renovating the official website homepage to improving overall browsing fluidity and campaign page design.
Victor emphasized that "customer browsing experience is a key factor affecting retention rate," showcasing their platform's high-flexibility page design capabilities. This flexibility extends beyond basic design to include:
- First-purchase incentives
- VIP loyalty programs
- Educational content creation, as demonstrated by brands like Syosaku from Japan
"The secret to successful brand building is establishing solid relationships with your first customers, continuously consulting their feedback, and upgrading based on their responses," Victor shared, adding "This has been the most helpful business philosophy since our brand's inception."
The Power of Smart Search - BoostCommerce
"Our AI-powered search solutions simplify product discovery, making it easier for customers to find exactly what they're looking for," explained Jackie from BoostCommerce, whose platform serves over 14,000 brands including SONY, Ford, and Crocs.
Their standout feature, In-Collection Search, as implemented by brands like Club 21, allows customers to narrow their search with precision, improving the ease and satisfaction of shopping. The platform also caters to specific language needs, including Chinese search capabilities, making product discovery seamless across global markets.
Jackie emphasized that excellent product search processes can significantly increase both brand conversion and repurchase rates. Their comprehensive solution includes:
- AI-enhanced search experience
- Smart cart recommendations
- Advanced customer behavior analytics
- Multi-language support
These features work together to bring higher efficiency to brands' long-term development and customer retention strategies.
Seamless Platform Migration - LitExtension
Henry from LitExtension highlighted the growing demand for Shopify migrations, driven by factors such as pricing, lack of customizability, and limited app availability on other platforms. "Shopify offers a robust, scalable solution for merchants seeking flexibility and growth," Henry explained. However, the migration process can be daunting, with 43% of brands reporting negative experiences due to time constraints, technical complexity, and unhelpful platforms.
"Migration is challenging, but it shouldn't hold you back," Henry emphasized. LitExtension’s expertise ensures a seamless transition, preserving critical data and minimizing downtime. With a streamlined process and proven results, they help merchants unlock Shopify’s full potential with confidence.
Setting Benchmarks for Success - Qikify
Qikify, a trusted Shopify Expert with over 5 years of experience, brings valuable insights drawn from real-store testing. With 6 highly-rated apps averaging 4.9 stars, they've helped merchants worldwide optimize their online stores through marketing, conversion optimization, and strategic sales features.
Drawing from their extensive experience, Liz from Qikify shared essential benchmarks for new Shopify merchants:
- Growth Trajectory
- First Month: Target 500–1,000 unique visitors
- Third Month: Scale to 2,000 visitors
- These milestones help establish early brand awareness
- Performance Metrics
- Maintain conversion rates between 1-3% (industry-dependent)
- Keep cart abandonment below 70%
- Monitor product performance to optimize marketing efforts
"Tracking these metrics allows merchants to refine their strategies, better understand customer behavior, and make informed decisions," Liz emphasized. Qikify supports these goals through features like:
- Upselling and cross-selling tools
- Advanced conversion optimization extensions
- Cost-effective marketing solutions
Empowering Growth Through Sales Funnels - GemPages
Empowering Growth Through Sales Funnels - GemPages "At GemPages, we're dedicated to helping eCommerce businesses grow and succeed in the long run," shared the GemPages team at the event. "We're building an all-in-one platform that makes it easier for merchants to create sales funnels that boost conversion rates (CR) and average order value (AOV)."
As a key sponsor of the Shopify Meetup, GemPages showcased how their platform empowers merchants with:
- High-converting product pages
- Strategic sales funnels
- Customer journey optimization
- Revenue-driving promotions
"Events like this are important to us because they focus on improving customer experience and loyalty, which are key to running a sustainable online store," Chris Kho, GemPages founder, explained. "By working together to solve challenges like CRO and customer retention, we can help businesses build stronger, more successful brands. That's why we're proud to sponsor this event."
GemPages' presence at the event underscores their commitment to the Asian market and their role in helping merchants scale globally through effective conversion optimization tools.
Shopify's Ecosystem: Accelerating E-commerce Growth
Together, these partners demonstrate how different aspects of the customer experience, from website design to search functionality, data management, and performance optimization - work together to drive retention. As Akohub's CEO Ray Kung noted earlier, success in today's market requires both acquiring new customers and keeping them engaged through superior experiences.
What We Learned: The Future of E-commerce
As we wrapped up this incredible Shopify Meetup 2024, one clear message emerged: e-commerce success comes from the right combination of strategy, tools, and partnerships. The insights shared by global partners and local success stories showed us four key principles:
- Start with Strategy: Whether it's MAGEASY's "why-first" approach or Maoup's community building, successful brands begin with clear purpose.
- Choose the Right Tools: From PageFly's design solutions to BoostCommerce's AI-powered search, technology should make shopping intuitive for customers.
- Focus on Customer Retention: As Ray Kung showed us, nurturing existing relationships delivers the highest return on investment.
- Let Data Guide You: Logitech's success with targeted bundle sales and Maoup's precision marketing demonstrate the power of data-driven decision making.
Most importantly, we saw that whether you're a global brand like Logitech or just getting started, these success strategies are accessible to everyone. The opportunities for growth are limitless, it's all about taking that first step and having the right partners by your side.
Ready to start your e-commerce transformation? Let Akohub help you implement these winning strategies and join the ranks of successful brands who are shaping the future of online retail.