E-commerce Redesign Secrets: A Case Study with Greg Merrilees

Successful e-commerce websites need a lot more than just look pretty —they need to be built with SEO and conversion in mind from the ground up. Greg Merrilees, my guest on today’s show, is the founder of Studio1 Design, a conversion-focused web design agency that has been crafting high-performing websites for over a decade. His team specializes in creating designs that prioritize results over aesthetics, helping businesses transform their online presence into powerful revenue generators. In our discussion, we break down the complete website redesign & optimization journey of our joint client, The Tuttle Twins, which is at tuttletwins.com. Together, Greg and I examine how their website evolved from a basic homepage featuring the founder’s children to a much more sophisticated online experience that supports their impressive 6 million book sales. We break down the critical elements that make e-commerce sites perform, including strategic use of social proof, impact metrics, and the power of identifying a common enemy to galvanize your audience. Greg shares some advanced Shopify features like side carts for upselling and bundle strategies that dramatically increase average order value. He also explains the importance of removing conversion-killing elements from checkout pages. We discuss practical tactics for building communities around brands, the psychology behind consistent call-to-action colors, and why having multiple products enables powerful bundling opportunities that single-product businesses miss entirely. And so much more! This episode takes a close-up look at the specific design, layout, and content decisions, as well as the strategic thinking behind a successful e-commerce website transformation, giving you actionable advice to improve your own website’s performance. So, without any further ado, on with the show!