The Challenge

When brothers August and Piers Campbell approached Modal®, they weren't just bringing another candle brand to market, they were look to revolutionise the luxury home fragrance industry with a fresh perspective on things. Their vision? Character-based scents housed in bespoke ceramic vessels that celebrate individuality in all its "weird and wonderful" glory.

Breaking into such a fiercely competitive market required more than just exceptional products, it needed an online presence that would convey their unique brand philosophy while delivering a seamless online experience worthy of their premium positioning.

Our Approach

Our partnership with AUGUST&PIERS benefited from a foundation of previous collaboration, giving us valuable insights into their aesthetic preferences and business vision from the get go. We kicked-off with comprehensive discovery sessions to better understand their long-term strategic goals for the brand.

After thorough evaluation of various Ecommerce platforms including Webflow and WooCommerce, our development team recommended Shopify as the ideal foundation. While this solution came with higher initial investment, it offered industry-leading functionality and crucial scalability to support their ambitious growth plans.

The development process focused on creating a digital experience that mirrored the brand's philosophy:

• Elegant minimalism: The frontend design embraced simplicity, allowing the products and their character-driven stories to take centre stage
• Powerful Backend Solutions: Behind the scenes, we implemented sophisticated functionality including:
  • Advanced cart abandonment recovery to ensure that we maximised conversion rates as much as possible
  • Multiple integrated payment gateways (PayPal, Google Pay, Apple Pay) for frictionless checkout
  • Automated customer communications via email and SMS for order updates
  • An intuitive admin interface empowering the founders to independently manage their sales

A key priority throughout development was ensuring the platform would enable self-sufficiency for the founders, allowing them to handle day-to-day operations without any addtional technical support.

The Results

The digital platform we created exceeded expectations, establishing a solid foundation for AUGUST&PIERS' remarkable trajectory in the luxury home fragrance market. The intentionally minimal design perfectly complemented their product aesthetic while delivering exceptional speed and performance.

From a digital launch pad to global recognition, AUGUST&PIERS can now be found in hundreds of premium retail locations worldwide. Their distinctive candles have earned top shelf space in prestigious stores like Harrods, Selfridges, and Cult Beauty, while garnering media attention from Grazia, Tatler, Harper's Bazaar, Sheerluxe, TZR and even Forbes.

Ongoing Partnership

Our relationship with AUGUST&PIERS continues to flourish through ongoing support. We implement regular platform updates, manage search engine optimisation, and execute targeted digital advertising campaigns through an ongoing monthly retainer arrangement.

We're thrilled to witness their remarkable success story unfold and look forward to supporting their continued growth. Projects like this, watching smaller start-up brands achieve their potential through the platforms we've crafted are why we continue to do what we love - building stuff that works.