Skip to content
Home » Blog » Case Study: How Kanu Surf Turned their Amazon Catalog a High-Converting DTC Store in 60 Days

Case Study: How Kanu Surf Turned their Amazon Catalog a High-Converting DTC Store in 60 Days

    Screenshots

    Videos

    Desktop

    Mobile

    Overview

    Kanu Surf is a top-selling swimwear brand with a massive Amazon following.

    But while sales soared on Amazon, their own website was stuck in 2009 – broken, outdated, and unusable for eCommerce.

    With peak swim season approaching fast, the mission was clear: launch a high-converting Shopify store by June to drive seasonal sales and build a direct customer channel.


    The Challenge

    🚫 No Website Sales:
    Their site couldn’t handle checkout, let alone mobile traffic.

    ⏱ Race Against the Season:
    Missing the June launch meant missing their biggest revenue window.

    🤝 Zero Customer Ownership:
    100% of sales were happening on Amazon, leaving Kanu with zero data and zero relationship with their buyers.

    📦 Giant, Messy Catalog:
    Tens of thousands of SKUs across categories (Men, Women, Boys, Girls) had to be cleaned, organized, and restructured.

    ⚙️ Fulfillment Limitations:
    They wanted to flip a switch and have their inventory fulfillable immediately, not have to open up a whole new warehouse for pick and pack


    Our Solution: Full-Stack eCommerce Transformation

    Tedia Consulting led a complete overhaul – combining brand strategy, technical implementation, and deep fulfillment integration.

    🔍 Discovery & Strategy

    • Held 2 kickoff & planning sessions for an hour each to discuss brand strategy and site requirements
    • Mapped visual benchmarks from DTC leaders (Chubbies, Billabong)
    • Rapidly defined messaging framework and sitemap for a smooth content workflow
      • Storybrand framework implemented for clear messaging throughout website

    🎨 Design & Development

    • Delivered mobile-first mockups by late April
    • Built a responsive Shopify frontend with conversion-focused UX
    • Included subtle animations and intuitive product navigation

    🛒 Catalog Migration

    • Structured and imported 10,000+ SKUs with custom workflows
    • Fixed broken variants, missing images, and duplicate data
    • Added bundles (like “Father & Son” sets), color swatches, and smart collections

    🚚 Fulfillment Integration

    • Embedded Amazon MCF and Buy with Prime across key product lines
    • Liaised with Amazon to fix Cubiscan overcharges
    • Enabled curated Prime-eligible SKUs for optimized shipping cost vs speed

    Results: Built to Convert from Day One

    Shopify Storefront, Ready to Scale

    • Complete, functional catalog with mapped variants and collection logic
    • Mobile-optimized, conversion-tuned design
    • Swatches, bundles, and BWP live at launch

    📈 Sales-Ready Content & UX

    • Strategic, conversion optimized copywriting – no placeholders, no fluff
    • Smooth checkout experience powered by Prime and MCF and Shopify’s checkout experience
    • Product pages built for browsing, buying, and repeat purchasing

    ⚙️ Operational Strength

    • Future-proof catalog import pipelines
    • Custom scripts to patch Shopify image and variant limitations
    • Admin panel delivered with automation-ready workflows and metafields

    💰 Immediate Business Impact

    • Launched on time before peak season
    • Client approved all milestones – without delay
    • Kanu now owns its brand, its site, and its customer journey

    Closing Note

    The above article captures only a fraction of the effort and expertise that we deployed to get this project to completion. But it was worth it.

    This wasn’t just a website launch. It was Kanu Surf’s leap into true digital ownership. With a powerful new Shopify store, fully optimized catalog, and seamless Amazon fulfillment integration, Kanu is no longer just an Amazon brand – they’re a DTC contender, ready to scale with confidence.

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *