About

The VAAN Group is a leading design and development agency that has spent more than eight years transforming digital experiences for ecommerce brands, including Simple Modern, Rhode, and Stadium Goods. 

Challenge

Effective redesigns are key to client retention and revenue growth but need to be validated with data

Over half of VAAN’s business comes from site redesigns. But delivering exceptional work isn’t just about aesthetics; it’s about performance. To fuel lasting client relationships and secure long-term success, the agency needed to validate their choices with quantifiable results — fast.

For VAAN, relying on legacy tools like Google Optimize and Optimizely to run A/B experiments on Shopify was complex and time-consuming. These tools weren’t built for Shopify’s frontend framework, required complicated workarounds to integrate the solutions, and delivered unreliable results. 

To determine how the agency’s designs performed against their client’s previous site themes, VAAN needed to compare key site metrics like traffic, order size, and revenue per user (RPU) from pre- and post-launch. Without a real-time solution to analyze each theme side by side, this process only delayed the already high-stakes task. 

Plus, the team wanted to continue fine-tuning their clients' sites after they went live through ongoing split tests and optimization, which was near-impossible with the agency’s existing tech stack. 

VAAN needed a comprehensive A/B testing solution to quantify the impact of their services. Even more importantly, it needed to work seamlessly with Shopify to unlock actionable, reliable insights both before and after launch. That’s when they discovered Intelligems.

“Intelligems has become indispensable to VAAN’s process. Finally having a Shopify-specific optimization platform has been crucial for us. It makes testing and experimentation simple, reliable, and impactful.” - Xavier Armand, CEO & Co-Founder at The VAAN Group

Solution

Site-wide A/B testing validates VAAN’s redesigns and uncovers optimization opportunities 

Purpose-built for Shopify, Intelligems has been a game-changer for VAAN. First using the platform to audit a major website redesign for one of the agency’s top clients, HexClad, VAAN saw staggering results. Overhauling the previous website to match the cookware brand’s bold new identity, HexClad saw a 13% jump in RPU from VAAN’s rebuild almost overnight. 

Since then, they’ve replicated — and expanded — similar strategies across their portfolio, running sophisticated split site validation tests that provide data-driven insights, precisely demonstrating the value of their strategies:

• How the new theme impacts business metrics

• De-risking redesigns by quantifying results

• Justifying client investments with clear, quantifiable performance improvements

"Rather than having to wait and see how a new site will perform, we can analyze the apples-to-apples traffic,” explains Jayne Young, VAAN’s Director of Growth, who oversees the partnership. “It gives us better insight and confidence in what we've built ahead of the launch." 

And for clients with ongoing optimization needs post-launch, VAAN uses Intelligems to refine site elements, including copy, design, and layout, to enhance the user experience and boost conversion rates. For example, the agency has:

• Validated site performance for Hourglass during the brand’s highly anticipated ecommerce launch — leading to the most profitable single day in their online sales history with a 7-figure launch.

• Partnered with Sans to transform their DTC website into a high-performing brand conversion engine in time for the holiday season. Beyond a redesign, the project also expanded the site’s focus from air purifiers to include a new water filter product line.

And with Intelligems' site-wide A/B testing, VAAN can finally conduct side-by-side comparisons of clients’ new site designs against their existing sites. While this validates the agency’s creative choices, it also helps them quickly spot additional last-minute optimizations before the full launch. This not only strengthens VAAN’s client relationships, but has increased overall client retention through their continued testing and support.

“We started with site-wide A/B tests, and now we use Intelligems for price testing and landing page optimization. It’s become an integral part of how we work." – Jayne Young, Director of Growth at The VAAN Group

Results

VAAN’s services drive traffic, conversions, and AOV for clients with Intelligems 

Today, VAAN views Intelligems as a true partner. The two teams collaborate regularly, holding strategy sessions and even connecting directly with the agency’s developers to set up new tests even faster. Now, they have one streamlined solution to back up their creative choices and showcase results to clients and prospects alike:

• HexClad: 13% higher RPU after VAAN’s website redesign and rebuild

• Sans: 6.4% increase in RPU after VAAN expanded the brand’s website scope 

"It’s not just talk — Intelligems is always on top of our requests. When we agree on something with Intelligems’ team, they take action, making sure everything gets covered and sent over. It’s great to work with a partner that follows through." – Jayne Young, Director of Growth, The VAAN Group