Thames & Hudson
A new chapter on Shopify for a world-renowned publisher
Thames & Hudson is a world-renowned publisher of illustrated books, with a catalogue spanning art, architecture, design, photography and fashion. Founded in 1949, it has built an international reputation for the quality of its publications.
When we joined its Shopify project, technical problems were putting the launch at risk. We resolved the integration issues, reconsidered how customers explored and chose books, and delivered the website on its original deadline.
The Brief
Thames & Hudson approached Farrows when an existing Shopify development project had run into difficulties. The connection between its ERP system and the website wasn’t working correctly, leaving essential product information missing or displaying incorrectly.
Our initial brief was to resolve those problems and get the project ready for launch. Thousands of titles needed to be imported, updated and sold through Shopify, with accurate information flowing from the publisher’s existing systems.
As we reviewed the website, the opportunity to improve the shopping experience became clear. Thames & Hudson’s books are highly visual, but that quality wasn’t coming through strongly enough online. Customers needed better ways to see inside each publication, explore subjects and authors, and find something they wanted to read or own.
The Strategy
We began by reviewing the ERP integration, middleware and Shopify configuration to establish what had gone wrong and what was needed to meet the launch date.
Alongside the technical work, we considered how Thames & Hudson’s customers shop. Some know the exact title they want. Others follow a particular author, collect books on a subject or browse until something catches their attention. The website needed to support each approach.
That informed the navigation, filtering and product presentation. Clear routes through the catalogue would help customers find relevant titles, while larger imagery, interior spreads and useful editorial content would give them reasons to explore further.
The aim was to bring more of the experience of choosing an illustrated book into the online shop: seeing the cover, looking through its pages and understanding its content before deciding to buy.
Farrows were brilliant to work with on our Shopify replatform for the Thames & Hudson website: creative, nimble, strategic and with real expertise in getting scalable ecommerce up and running, while making sure that the site remained true to our brand guidelines and rich design heritage.
The Execution
We rebuilt the middleware connecting Thames & Hudson’s ERP system with Shopify, resolving the issues preventing the catalogue from displaying correctly. Thousands of titles, including pricing, imagery and bibliographic information, could then be imported and updated automatically. We also enabled promotional badges to be managed through existing systems, helping the team highlight selected books.
On the storefront, we gave the publications greater prominence. Large cover images and illustrated interior spreads show customers what to expect, supported by detailed product information and critics’ reviews. Together, these give readers a fuller understanding of each book and help them choose with confidence.
We reworked navigation and filtering so customers could shop by author, subject, category and series. Editorial features, interviews and reading lists provided further routes into the catalogue, connecting the publisher’s content with books customers could explore and buy.
We also configured international selling, including market-specific currencies, tax settings and delivery thresholds, and connected Shopify with Thames & Hudson’s fulfilment operations.
The Results
The new Shopify website launched on its originally targeted date, with the full catalogue available to customers.
Resolving the integration problems gave Thames & Hudson a reliable connection between its existing systems and online shop. Automated catalogue updates reduced the manual work involved in keeping thousands of titles accurate and current.
The customer experience also became a better reflection of the publisher. Readers could see more of each book, find their favourite authors and explore the breadth of the catalogue through clearer navigation and relevant editorial content.
What began with an urgent technical brief developed into a broader piece of work across the platform, content and shopping experience. Our relationship continued beyond launch, with ongoing development and optimisation supporting the website as the catalogue and customer needs evolved.
- Products
- 3000+
- Connected catalogue
- 1
