Bringing Bold to Life: A Custom Shopify Experience for Absolutely Ridiculous 
When Absolutely Ridiculous approached Arctic Grey, they weren’t just looking for a typical eCommerce redesign—they wanted a digital experience as bold and expressive as their brand. Known for high-energy, statement-making products, the site needed to reflect that same sense of motion, playfulness, and personality. Arctic Grey took on the challenge by designing and developing a fully customized Shopify experience from the ground up, using advanced theme development techniques and pushing the boundaries of Shopify’s customizer.
Our team focused heavily on movement—both in the visual flow of the user interface and in subtle micro-interactions that brought the site to life. From dynamic product layouts to seamless animations, the goal was to make every scroll and click feel intentional and engaging. At the same time, we built a highly flexible theme architecture that gave the Absolutely Ridiculous team the tools to easily update, remix, and expand their content on the fly without needing to touch a line of code.
This case study breaks down the strategy, design thinking, and technical execution behind the project—and how we helped Absolutely Ridiculous turn their site into an extension of their brand’s bold, kinetic identity.
Bold Product Features
Absolutely Ridiculous is known for its standout product designs and high-profile collaborations with sports celebrities, making each release a statement piece. Showcasing these bold products seamlessly was essential to ensure their impact wasn’t lost—every layout and interaction was designed to keep the spotlight on what matters most.
Advanced Filtering
We implemented advanced filtering to surface collections unique to Absolutely Ridiculous, making it effortless for users to find exactly what they’re looking for. While the functionality is powerful and intuitive, the design remains visually striking—turning the shopping experience into something that feels more like navigating an interactive art piece.
A Unique Experience
To capture the bold, kinetic spirit of Absolutely Ridiculous, we infused the site with movement—using scroll-triggered animations and transitions that carry visual elements fluidly from one Shopify section to another. Integrated video and dynamic motion weren’t just decorative; they were strategically placed to showcase the brand’s energy and attitude in a way that feels immersive, original, and unmistakably theirs.
The Challenge
AbsolutelyRidiculous.com needed to move beyond a standard eCommerce setup and reimagine their site as an immersive brand experience. Their previous design felt outdated and didn’t reflect the bold, creative energy of the company or its audience. The challenge was to craft a Shopify site that looked and felt like an interactive art piece—while still making the shopping experience intuitive, seamless, and easy to navigate. The result was a complete revamp built on a Shopify 2.0 theme that balanced visual storytelling with performance.
The Solution
To transform Absolutely Ridiculous’s website into a fully immersive digital experience, we approached the project with equal focus on performance, accessibility, and visual impact. Every layer of the build was optimized to support both the brand’s expressive identity and the practical needs of an eCommerce storefront.
Key elements of the solution included:
- SEO Revamp
We restructured the site’s architecture and metadata strategy from the ground up—enhancing keyword targeting, page titles, alt tags, and URL structure to improve organic visibility and search engine rankings. - Site Speed Optimization
Heavy use of motion and media can impact performance, so we focused on optimized asset loading, lazy loading techniques, and minimal render-blocking to keep pages fast and fluid across all devices. - ADA Compliance
Accessibility was a must. The new site was built with ADA standards in mind, including screen reader support, keyboard navigation, sufficient color contrast, and semantic HTML to ensure an inclusive experience for all users. - Visual Motion & Scrolling Effects
We introduced scroll-triggered animations, parallax effects, and interactive transitions that guide users through the site in a way that feels intentional and immersive—highlighting key products and moments without overwhelming the experience - Advanced Customization via Metafields & CMS
Leveraging Shopify 2.0’s dynamic capabilities, we used advanced metafields and CMS configurations to give the Absolutely Ridiculous team full control over product content, landing pages, and layout modules—allowing them to update the site easily without development support.
A truly diverse range of action
Arctic Grey partnered with Absolutely Ridiculous to reimagine their digital storefront across both mobile and desktop, ensuring a seamless and visually engaging experience on every device. Taking a mobile-first approach, we focused on responsive design and intuitive navigation, allowing the brand’s bold personality to shine without sacrificing usability. Our collaboration centered on creating an interface that felt more like an experience than a standard eCommerce site—layering in motion, scroll effects, and unique visual storytelling. The result is a fast, immersive, and on-brand platform that makes shopping feel effortless while bringing the energy of Absolutely Ridiculous to life at every touchpoint.
Performance on mobile was a top priority, given the brand’s highly visual design and mobile-heavy audience. We optimized asset loading, streamlined animations, and ensured touch-friendly navigation to deliver a fast, smooth experience that retains all the visual impact without compromising speed or usability.
In a digital space crowded with templated eCommerce sites, Absolutely Ridiculous wanted something different—a site that felt more like interactive art than a storefront. Our goal was to create an experience that captured the brand’s bold, creative energy while making it effortless for users to explore, engage, and shop, turning every scroll and click into a curated visual journey.
The redesigned Absolutely Ridiculous site was built on a clean, performance-focused theme that prioritizes speed and efficiency—key factors in both user experience and SEO. By optimizing code, streamlining image assets, and improving load times, we ensured the site runs fast across all devices. Enhanced meta tagging, structured data, and a refined content hierarchy make the site easier for search engines to index and rank, increasing its visibility and discoverability in search results.
The advanced CMS setup for Absolutely Ridiculous gives the team full control over content without needing developer support—making it easy to update collections, launch campaigns, and fine-tune product pages on the fly. Built with flexibility in mind, this system streamlines content management while maintaining site speed and structure, supporting both user experience and SEO performance behind the scenes.
Arctic Grey UI/UX Design Approach.
On desktop, Absolutely Ridiculous delivers a high-impact, full-screen brand moment. We designed with boldness in mind—large visuals, unapologetic headlines, and a layout that keeps the energy flowing without overwhelming the user. The experience is scrollable, snackable, and striking, giving users instant access to products while keeping them immersed in the wild world of Absolutely Ridiculous. It’s not just shopping—it’s stepping into a brand with a point of view.
With climbing mobile shopping rates, adopting a "Mobile First" design was crucial to improving conversion for Custom Absolutely Ridiculous. Not only this, but Google and other search engines consider mobile-friendliness as a ranking factor, which means a positive mobile UX can positively impact your website's search engine visibility.
Investing in mobile UX sets your brand apart from competitors and establishes a positive impression among mobile users. We ensured their customizer was fully optimized for mobile devices with responsive design, easy navigation, and quick loading times.
The Results
Improved User Experience: With a bold interface redesign and streamlined user flows, browsing the Absolutely Ridiculous site now feels effortless and energetic. Visual hierarchy, motion, and layout improvements make the experience more engaging from the very first scroll.
Increased Customer Satisfaction: The enhanced shopping journey—from homepage to product pages—now better reflects the brand’s voice and gives customers a smoother, more enjoyable path to purchase. It’s easier to explore, quicker to decide, and more fun all around
Enhanced SEO and Site Speed: A mobile-first build and performance upgrades mean faster load times and stronger SEO—bringing more organic traffic to Absolutely Ridiculous with every search.
Streamlined Product Filtering: We upgraded the mega menu and filtering system to make it easier for users to explore collections and find exactly what they’re looking for. With faster access to bestsellers, categories, and curated drops, customers can dive straight into the good stuff—no hunting required.
Our Process
Discover
Define
Develop
Quality Assurance
Deliver
A/B Testing
01 Research
We start our partnership with a client with a kick-off call with a dedicated member of our Success Management team. There, we discuss the site in detail, UX and UI goals, any existing pain-points, and potential solutions. Our team of Success Managers have extensive knowledge of Shopify, and provide ongoing support and daily communication to our clients.
02 Branding
We believe in the power of simplicity and strive to create eCommerce solutions that embody both elegance and functionality.
03 UX Design
From there, we dive right in to the branding and UX design with our talented team of designers. Our focus on delivering results has solidified our commitment to crafting the finest Shopify experiences through dynamic and beautiful UX and UI, and The Cashmere Sale was no exception.
04 UI Design
Our global team of developers are unparalleled in the pursuit of perfection of creating dynamic and responsive themes, that also allows a merchant the ability to manage their site through advanced customization features.
05 Development
We are multi-award winning Shopify Plus Design & Development Firm.
At Arctic Grey, we craft the most exceptional eCommerce solutions for Enterprise Merchants worldwide. Our commitment to excellence is evident in the overwhelmingly positive feedback from our clients, with over 500 Five Star Reviews.
06 Quality Assurance
Our talented Quality Assurance team test each element of a new site, from both a technical and user’s perspective. They are true perfectionists, and have extensive knowledge of UX and UI best practices on all mobile and desktop devices.
07 A/B Testing
AB Testing is crucial, and we are passionate about delivering excellence for our clients by using clear, data-driven results driving all decision making.
The Multi Award Winning Shopify Management Team at Arctic Grey
Brooke Sanderson
Merchant Success Director
Jake Amos
Co-Founder
Truc Peter
Senior Account Executive
Giana Moretti
Senior eCommerce Manager
Anthony Spallone
Co-Founder
Maddie Schwartz
Senior Account Executive
Julia Matviichuk
eCommerce Manager
Sofia Jimenez
eCommerce Manager
Caroline Jay
eCommerce Manager
Best Website Design 2022
Best Web Developers in New York 2022
Top Web Developers 2020
Top Web Developers 2024
Enterprise Shopify Plus
Best Development 2021
Top Digital Agency 2024
Best Shopify Agency
Best Support 2021
Engineering each solution
Arctic Grey has taken an innovative approach to customer experience. We conducted research that pinpointed areas of confusion around our product offering, allowing us to make adjustments and improvements for the user journey - so customers shopping can have a more engaging experience. Our findings will serve as guidance in developing future projects moving forward.
During the project, we provided and continue to provide the following services and support:
- Strategic Product Placement
- Email Marketing Optimization
- Full Responsive Experience
- Site Speed Optimization
- Core Web Vitals Management
- 24/7 On Demand Support
- Custom Upsell Cart Drawer
- CRO & AOV Optimizations
- E2E Shopping Experience
Checkout extensibility includes a robust set of platform features facilitating easy customization of your checkout in Shopify. This approach is app-based, upgrade-safe, enhances conversion rates, and seamlessly integrates with Shop Pay. Utilizing checkout extensibility, you can customize your checkout through code-free options using apps and branding tools, or opt for a more tailored checkout experience with our collection of components and APIs.
For Absolutely Ridiculous, we harnessed Shopify Checkout Extensibility to match the brand’s fast-moving, high-impact energy. We implemented one-page checkout to reduce friction, added additional Shopify payment options for greater flexibility, and used Shopify Functions to enable real-time address validation. These enhancements didn’t just look great—they performed, delivering a smoother checkout journey and driving a 36% higher conversion rate compared to standard multi-step flows..
Absolutely Ridiculous now uses Shopify Checkout Extensibility, and wow!
By leveraging Shopify Checkout Extensibility, we elevated Absolutely Ridiculous’s checkout experience with a bold, streamlined one-page layout and real-time address validation. These enhancements reduced friction and kept the momentum going from cart to confirmation—resulting in a 36% higher conversion rate compared to competitors. The outcome? Fewer drop-offs, more completed orders, and a serious boost in business growth.
The Conclusion
The journey of Absolutely Ridiculous from bold concept to booming eCommerce brand underscores what’s possible when creativity meets the right digital strategy. Together, with the power and flexibility of Shopify, we helped turn their one-of-a-kind vision into an online experience as unforgettable as the brand itself—setting them up for continued growth and a future that’s anything but ordinary.
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