Case Study
Liquid → Hydrogen Migration
for a high-revenue Shopify DTC brand
I led the full migration of a heavily customized Shopify Liquid storefront to a modern Hydrogen architecture deployed on Shopify Oxygen. This initiative transformed a performance-constrained theme into a scalable, high-performance headless commerce platform capable of supporting global expansion and high-traffic revenue events.
TL;DR
Migrated a multi-million-dollar Shopify storefront from a legacy Liquid + React hybrid to Hydrogen on Oxygen. Lighthouse scores jumped from 20–30 to 90+, the platform scaled to 30k+ concurrent users, and the brand expanded into 20+ international markets.
The Problem
The storefront had evolved into a highly customized Liquid implementation with embedded React components layered into the theme. Over time this created:
- Spaghetti Liquid + React hybrid architecture
- Poor maintainability and slower feature velocity
- Limited internationalization flexibility
- Severe Core Web Vitals degradation (Lighthouse 20–30)
At the same time, the business needed to:
- Launch in 20+ international markets
- Support deeper customization
- Release features faster
- Handle high-traffic promotional events
The existing theme architecture could no longer support these goals.
My Role
This was a platform-level transformation, not just a frontend rewrite.
- Proposed the migration to Hydrogen to stakeholders
- Led architectural planning and decision-making
- Owned the migration strategy end-to-end
- Directed full storefront rebuild and launch
- Replaced theme-based app integrations with API-driven solutions
- Introduced a headless CMS to support content and experimentation
Migration Scope
- Rebuilt the entire storefront from scratch
- Maintained Shopify-hosted checkout
- Migrated 100+ products and variants
- Integrated a headless CMS
- Replaced theme-injected app logic with API-driven solutions
- Launched via full cutover (no incremental hybrid phase)
Architecture
Deployment
- Shopify Hydrogen
- Hosted on Shopify Oxygen
Data Layer
- Shopify Storefront API (GraphQL)
- React Router SSR
Content & Experimentation
- Headless CMS integration
- Page building
- SEO configuration
- A/B testing
- Localization
Analytics
- Shopify analytics
- Google Analytics integration
Key Technical Decisions
Full Rebuild Strategy
Rather than running Liquid and Hydrogen in parallel, I led a complete rebuild and cutover. This avoided long-term hybrid complexity and allowed for clean architectural design from first principles.
Replacing Theme App Integrations
One of the largest challenges was replacing Shopify app functionality that previously relied on theme injection. We leveraged APIs where available, built custom implementations where needed, and reduced reliance on brittle third-party scripts — significantly improving maintainability.
Headless CMS Integration
To empower non-engineering teams and enable experimentation, I introduced a headless CMS that allowed dynamic page creation, managed SEO via React Router meta functions, enabled A/B testing, and supported localization across markets.
Performance Impact
- Faster page loads
- Improved Core Web Vitals
- Stronger mobile performance
- Better SEO foundation
Business Impact
- Expansion to 20+ international markets
- Multi-million-dollar sales days
- Traffic spikes exceeding 30,000 concurrent users
- Faster feature rollout cycles
- Improved experimentation velocity
The platform now supports high-scale global commerce events without architectural strain.
Lessons Learned
Headless commerce should be treated as a platform strategy.
Performance is a business metric, not just an engineering metric.
Replacing theme app dependencies requires careful auditing and planning.
Clean architecture unlocks long-term development velocity.
Technologies Used
Outcome
This migration modernized the storefront architecture, dramatically improved performance, enabled global expansion, and positioned the business for scalable growth.
It demonstrates my ability to lead architectural change, align technical strategy with business impact, execute full-platform migrations, and deliver measurable performance and revenue outcomes.