The Fold Line

The Fold Line is an award-winning online sewing pattern shop, offering an extensive range of paper and digital PDF sewing patterns, along with copy shop printing services, to sewing enthusiasts worldwide. Founded to create a vibrant community for those passionate about making their own clothes, The Fold Line has become a go-to resource for modern makers. 

Challenge

The Fold Line faced several technical and operational challenges with its existing platform:

• High Technical Debt: Managing and maintaining the platform required ongoing development resources, increasing costs and complexity
• Performance & Scalability Issues: The existing platform struggled with site speed and performance, affecting user experience and conversions
• Limited Self-Sufficiency: The business relied heavily on developers for content updates, site changes, and maintenance
• Integration Challenges: Key third-party tools like Klaviyo (email marketing), Xero (financial reporting), and Algolia (search) required extensive configuration to function effectively within WooCommerce
• Commission Payments: The Fold Line needed a seamless way to manage and pay commissions to over 150 independent designers whose patterns were sold on the site
• Migration Complexity: Moving a large amount of data, including products, orders, customer records, and blog content, while preserving SEO rankings, posed a significant challenge

Solution

GPMD focused on minimizing custom development and leveraging Shopify’s standard features for long-term sustainability. These included:

1. Strategic Platform Selection:
   
   • Shopify was chosen for its ease of use, reliability, and ability to handle The Fold Line’s scaling needs with minimal technical intervention
   • A Shopify Advanced theme (Upscale – Gem) was selected to provide a strong foundation with branding customization
2. Efficient Data Migration:
   
   • Redirects were implemented to ensure minimal disruption to existing traffic
3. Optimized Site Performance & UX:
   
   • Shopify’s native features were leveraged to improve site speed and user experience
   • The new platform offered a more intuitive backend, enabling The Fold Line team to manage content and updates independently
4. Seamless Third-Party Integrations:
   
   • Klaviyo replaced Mailchimp for improved email marketing automation
   • Judge.me for product reviews
   • GA4 & Hotjar for analytics and user behavior tracking
   • Xero for financial reporting integration
   • Metorik was assessed for continued use as a BI tool
5. Commission Payment Solution:
   
   • As  Shopify Payments does not support a marketplace commission module in Stripe, an alternative solution was explored to automate monthly commission reports for 150 designers

The replatforming project successfully transitioned The Fold Line to Shopify, delivering:

• Lower Maintenance Costs: Reduced dependency on developers, enabling The Fold Line to self-manage most site updates
• Improved Performance & UX: Faster load times, smoother navigation, and better user experience
• Enhanced Scalability: The new platform supports future product expansion with ease
• Streamlined Operations: Integrated tools improved workflow efficiency for marketing, finance, and customer management
• Growth-Driven Foundation: The Fold Line is now well-positioned to scale its business and optimize for increased sales and customer engagement

By moving to Shopify, The Fold Line overcame the limitations of WooCommerce and established a more stable, scalable, and user-friendly eCommerce platform. GPMD’s strategic approach ensured minimal custom development, efficient integrations, and a smooth migration. The Fold Line now has a solid foundation to grow its business, expand product offerings and continue leading in the sewing pattern industry.