3dcart Solution Revamp
eCommerce platform powering over 15,000 online stores.
Role
Product Design & Development
Industry
eCommerce Solutions
Category
Website, SaaS, Brand, Management
The Challenge
3dcart was launched in 1997 with basic features and product management to support online store hosting. By the time we collabed in 2012, competitors like Squarespace and Shopify were gaining significant market share.
As a Product Designer and Development, we were part of the team responsible for introducing new features, including responsive templates, fresh layouts, an updated client dashboard with enhanced product management, order tracking, payment gateways, marketing tools, SEO optimization, and third-party integrations.
We also led a complete brand overhaul and website redesign to stay competitive in the evolving eCommerce landscape.
New Brand Color
Nordic Grass Green
HEX #22ac60
RGB 34, 172, 96
Bastille
HEX #2a2e32
RGB 42, 46, 50
Velvet Marigold
HEX #e89042
RGB 232, 144, 66
Mourn Mountain Snow
HEX #e7eaec
RGB 231, 234, 236
New Typography
H1, H2, H3, Body
Inter
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
1234567890(,.;:?!$&*)
Weight: 600, 500, 400, 300 Style: Regular, Italic
<link href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family= Inter"rel="stylesheet" type="text/css">
font-family: "Inter", sans-serif;
Scalable and Consistent Design System
New Store Builder
We initiated the design of a new, modern store builder interface with a focus on responsiveness and usability across iPads, smartphones, and desktops. It was aimed to enhance the user experience for both merchants and customers by introducing intuitive layouts optimized for various screen sizes.
we’ve designed new templates that improved the store-building process, enabling users to create visually appealing online stores with ease, regardless of their technical expertise. The layouts were developed with a mobile-first approach, ensuring seamless functionality on all devices. Our work involved close collaboration with marketers, and stakeholders to align the design with 3dcart goals and user needs.
Our designers provided precise design assets and specifications, enabling efficient handoff and smooth implementation. This new store builder not only improved design consistency but also empowered merchants to deliver an enhanced shopping experience for their customers.
New HomePage Wireframes
New Category Page Wireframes
New Product Page Wireframes
New Cart and Checkout Wireframes
Store Owner New Dashboard
The redesign of the 3dcart client dashboard was a pivotal project in modernizing the platform’s user experience, aimed at improving usability, functionality, and overall performance for store owners. As a Product Design Firm, our role was to craft an interface that balanced ease of use with powerful features, ensuring that both novice and experienced users could efficiently manage their online stores.
Key Design Goals:
Simplified User Interface: The previous dashboard was cluttered and unintuitive, making it difficult for users to navigate. Our goal was to create a clean, responsive layout with a clear hierarchy, allowing users to easily access essential functions like product management, order processing, and inventory control. This redesign made critical tools readily available on the main dashboard, minimizing clicks and reducing friction in everyday tasks.
Enhanced Product Management: A central focus of the new dashboard was improving product management. We streamlined workflows, making it easier to add, update, and categorize products. This included batch editing features, advanced filtering, and a more visually driven approach that displayed product images, stock levels, and performance metrics at a glance.
Order Tracking & Fulfillment: We redesigned the order management system to provide a more comprehensive and intuitive view of incoming orders, shipping statuses, and customer data. Real-time updates and order processing tools were integrated into the dashboard, enabling store owners to fulfill orders more efficiently.
Payment Gateways & Marketing Tools: The updated dashboard introduced seamless integration with various payment gateways, simplifying the checkout process for both merchants and customers. Additionally, we incorporated marketing tools directly into the dashboard, allowing users to run promotions, track campaigns, and monitor SEO performance without needing to navigate away from the platform.
Third-Party Integration: With eCommerce evolving rapidly, the new dashboard offered a flexible, modular design that supported integration with third-party tools. Whether for accounting, shipping, or analytics, users could easily connect external services to enhance their store’s capabilities.
Responsive Design: To cater to a mobile-first world, we ensured that the new client dashboard was fully responsive. This allowed merchants to manage their stores from any device—whether on a desktop, tablet, or smartphone—without sacrificing functionality or usability.
User-Centered Approach:
Throughout the design process, we conducted user testing and gathered feedback to refine the interface. This iterative approach allowed us to address pain points in real-time, making sure the final product was optimized for user needs. The result was a dashboard that not only improved efficiency but also empowered store owners to grow their businesses more effectively.
The redesigned dashboard played a crucial role in keeping 3dcart (now Shift4Shop) competitive in the eCommerce space, offering store owners a more modern and powerful tool to manage their online businesses.
Modules and Third Party Integrations
Our key responsibilities was to enhance and streamline the platform’s modules and third-party integrations, ensuring that merchants had access to a wide array of tools to support the full spectrum of their eCommerce operations. The challenge was to design solutions that seamlessly integrated various services, enabling store owners to expand their store’s functionality while maintaining a consistent user experience.
The modular nature of 3dcart was one of its strengths, allowing store owners to customize and scale their businesses with ease. Our role was to ensure these modules were intuitive, visually aligned with the overall platform, and easy to implement.
Customizable Design Templates: We designed and developed modules that allowed users to apply and modify various templates to personalize their stores. These modules featured drag-and-drop elements and real-time previews, empowering non-technical users to create professional-looking websites without needing coding skills.
SEO and Marketing Tools: Modules for SEO optimization and marketing were vital to store success. We worked on integrating features such as meta tags, URL management, and built-in tools for email marketing and social media campaigns. These modules were designed to guide users through setup with clear instructions, making complex marketing strategies accessible to everyone.
Inventory & Shipping Management: These modules included inventory tracking, automated stock alerts, and integration with shipping carriers. The design challenge here was to present complex data in a simplified way, allowing merchants to monitor stock levels, manage backorders, and streamline fulfillment processes without overwhelming them with unnecessary details.
Payment Gateways: 3dcart supported a wide range of payment gateways, and we ensured that these modules offered an easy configuration process. Merchants could quickly select and enable payment providers such as PayPal, Stripe, and Authorize.Net, while the backend dashboard provided clear visibility of transactions and payment statuses.
Third-Party Integrations:
Third-party integrations were crucial for expanding the functionality of 3dcart and giving merchants access to specialized tools without leaving the platform. Our role was to ensure these integrations worked seamlessly within the platform’s ecosystem while maintaining design consistency.
Accounting Systems: Integrating with platforms like QuickBooks and Xero allowed merchants to automate their accounting and financial reporting. We focused on creating user-friendly interfaces that synchronized store data with external accounting systems, simplifying bookkeeping tasks for merchants.
CRM & Customer Support Tools: We worked on integrations with popular CRM tools like Salesforce and customer support platforms like Zendesk, enabling store owners to manage customer relationships, track orders, and resolve issues directly from the 3dcart dashboard. These integrations needed to be smooth and efficient, ensuring that users could easily access customer data and support functions in one place.
Analytics & Reporting: To give merchants deeper insights into their store performance, we integrated with tools like Google Analytics. We designed the interfaces that displayed key metrics such as traffic, conversion rates, and user behavior, ensuring merchants could easily analyze their data and make informed decisions.
Shipping Providers: We integrated with carriers such as USPS, FedEx, and UPS, and we designed modules that allowed merchants to automate shipping rates, track packages, and manage shipping options. The design focused on simplicity, helping users manage logistics without technical difficulties.
Marketplaces & Social Media: Integrations with platforms like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook allowed merchants to sync their product listings and manage sales across multiple channels. The challenge here was to present cross-channel data clearly and give users control over syncing products, inventory, and orders between their 3dcart store and these external marketplaces.
Focus on Usability:
Throughout the design of these modules and integrations, usability was at the forefront. We ensured that:
Consistency was maintained across all third-party services to avoid confusing the user.
Seamless user flows were implemented, enabling merchants to quickly configure modules or integrations without needing to leave the 3dcart platform.
Help and guidance were provided, including tooltips, step-by-step guides, and troubleshooting assistance, making it easier for users to navigate these advanced features.