A Shopify store, built from scratch, that sold 1,100 units in week one
Pizza Party Co had a great product idea and a real audience, but no store, no proof of demand, and a product still in manufacturing. We designed the experience in Figma, built a custom Shopify theme on Horizon, wrote the sales copy, and ran a preorder campaign that funded production before a single unit shipped.
Engagement impact
~1,100
Week-one preorders
3.5%
Preorder conversion
0
Refunds or cancellations
Overview
A launch problem, not a product problem
Pizza Party Card Deck is the idea of founder Jennifer (@foodbyjenn) of Pizza Party Co: revive the fun of gathering around the dinner table by turning pizza night into an interactive game for families and friends. It is a family card game that turns pizza night into a party: shuffle, pick, bake.
Jennifer had a strong product and an engaged food audience, but no storefront, no proof the idea would sell, and a product still in manufacturing. A standard buy-now launch was off the table, because there was nothing to ship. Our goal was simple: turn an unlaunched product into funded, validated demand, with a store built to sell from day one. We designed and built the entire store from scratch, then ran a preorder campaign that funded production, forecast order volume, and captured a real customer list before a single unit shipped.
Client at a glance
- Consumer products · Shopify DTC
- United States
- Audience: families, foodies, party hosts, gift shoppers
- Product in manufacturing at launch
What we delivered
The Challenge
A great idea with no store and no proof
When we scoped the project, the founder's situation summed up the challenge: a great product idea and a real, engaged audience, but no store and no proof anyone would buy. The launch put her in front of every first-product risk at once: will anyone actually buy this, can we fund production without shipping first, who is the customer, and how do we keep preorder buyers from cancelling while they wait?
No storefront to optimize
There was no existing site and nothing to test against, so the work was deciding how to launch, not what to fix.
A novel concept to teach and sell
A card deck that is also a cooking activity is unfamiliar, so the page had to explain the idea and sell it in a single read.
Product not yet manufactured
The product was still in production, so a standard buy-now launch was impossible and waiting for inventory meant launching blind.
Unproven demand, no list
There was no order forecast and no customer data or email list to build on.
Preorder cancellation risk
Preorder campaigns routinely lose revenue to refunds while buyers wait, so the funnel had to hold attention without leaning on discounts.
Research & Strategy
We defined the launch before designing a line
With no existing site to audit, the work was deciding how to launch. We defined the audience and their motivations, the launch model, the conversion goals and KPIs (>3% preorder conversion, >500 waitlist, under 45% bounce), the product story and nostalgia angle, and the brand and visual direction. The objective was to identify, before anything was designed, exactly what would move a visitor from curiosity to a committed preorder.
The CRO roadmap
The Build
Designed and built from scratch to sell from day one
We built the store as a guided preorder experience, not a generic product page. The instinct with a new product is to lead with the product. We did the opposite: a novel item has to be understood and felt before it can be bought, so the page runs concept, story, what's inside, how it works, trust, then preorder. The funnel below it was engineered so the wait built anticipation instead of regret.
Experience design in Figma
Designed the interface and the full preorder journey from scratch in Figma, around a playful, warm, appetizing, trustworthy direction so the store felt like the brand, not a template.
Custom Shopify theme on Horizon
Built a custom Shopify 2.0 theme on the Horizon framework, so the storefront was the brand from day one rather than a generic layout wearing a logo.
Story-first landing page
Led with the experience (turn pizza night into a party) and the founder's story before any product detail, then made the preorder offer and what's inside unmistakably clear.
Sales copywriting
Wrote the copy that carried the page, answering "want to turn pizza night into a party your family will remember?" instead of "do you want to buy a card deck?".
Klaviyo email and SMS funnel
Built an automated lifecycle series featuring Jennifer, plus SMS, to hold buyers through the wait with anticipation rather than discounts, protecting against cancellations.
Post-purchase UGC loop
Prompted reviews and user-generated content on delivery, so first buyers became the marketing for the next drop and fed organic social growth.
Event-driven and orchestrated in the cloud: every step independently observable, retryable, and parallel.
Why It Worked
Led with the experience, engineered the wait
Most preorder launches lean on discounts and hype. We led with the experience and engineered the wait, so a not-yet-manufactured product sold ~1,100 units in a week with zero cancellations. The bar for a Shopify build sits here: it is finished when it sells, fits the brand, and hands you a system you can run, not when it simply looks good.
It feels like you from day one
Designed and built from scratch in Figma on a custom Horizon theme, so the store is the brand, not a template wearing a logo.
It sells, not just looks good
The store converted at 3.5% on preorder and moved ~1,100 units in week one, against a >3% target.
It can launch before you are ready
The product was still in manufacturing. The build funded production and proved demand first, instead of waiting on inventory.
It ships with a system
The store came with a lifecycle funnel (Klaviyo email, SMS, post-purchase UGC) that held cancellations at zero and feeds every future drop.
Results
An unmanufactured idea turned into funded, validated demand
We set the launch against three targets: over 3% preorder conversion, over 500 waitlist signups, and under 45% bounce. The headline conversion target was beaten at 3.5%.
Demand validated and order volume forecast before a single unit shipped.
Beat the >3% launch target during the preorder campaign.
The ongoing live-store funnel: 342 sessions and 7 completed checkouts, distinct from the launch-campaign preorder rate.
The engagement funnel held buyers through the wait, with production funded and a self-sustaining V2 drop fed by organic UGC.
Client Feedback
“ObjectSingle designed and built our entire Shopify store from scratch: the Figma design, custom Horizon theme, and the Klaviyo pre-launch email series. Within the first week we had 1,100 preorders and a 3.5% conversion rate. The store felt like us from day one.”
Jennifer
Founder, Pizza Party Co
Common Questions
What this project shows
Yes, and it is often the smarter move. Pizza Party Card Deck was still in production at launch. We designed and built the store, then ran a preorder campaign that funded manufacturing, forecast order volume, and captured a customer list, all before a single unit shipped. The build did three jobs at once instead of waiting on inventory.
Planning a Shopify build?
We design and build Shopify stores from scratch that are made to sell: a custom theme, conversion-first design and copy, and a lifecycle funnel that keeps customers coming back.