Luxury Skincare Shopify Site Creation

Shopify Build RFQ

Directive

Design and implement a deliberately minimal, premium Shopify storefront for a U.S.–based luxury skincare brand offering a single product in two sizes.

The site must feel intentional, precise, and calm — never empty or generic. Every element should serve a purpose and reflect quiet confidence: clean lines, thoughtful spacing, balanced typography, and tactile warmth.

It should express the brand’s commitment to honesty, formulation integrity, and understated luxury, delivering a simple user journey that feels personal and considered, not detached.

Mobile performance, elegance, and restraint are essential. The build must look and feel crafted — not templated.

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Core Scope — Includes
1. Theme & Visual System
• Theme: Prestige or Sense, customized to a clinical-luxury, monochrome palette.
• Typography: Butler (logo) and Outfit (interface and body).
• Colors: matte black, bone white, soft off-white; no bright accents.
• Design tone: intentionally minimal yet rich in detail — balance precision with warmth. No sterile or generic styling.
• Fully responsive, mobile-first, WCAG 2.2 AA-intended accessibility.
• Shopify Online Store 2.0 sections (no layout apps).
• Uses an existing premium Shopify theme (Prestige or Sense) with advanced customization — not a full custom-coded build.
2. Structure & Navigation

Header: Shop · About · Ingredients · Contact
Footer: Shipping & Returns · Terms · Privacy · Invite a Friend

Pages:
• Home – hero, product highlights, subtle proof elements, texture imagery, soft editorial flow, clear call to action.
• Product – single product, two variants (15 ml / 50 ml), “Subscribe & get free domestic shipping” toggle, reviews, FAQ.
• About – brand story, honest purpose, manufacturing transparency. Written and designed to feel human and trustworthy — minimal copy, maximum meaning.
• Ingredients – plain-language actives with full INCI list, optional accordion or tooltip reveal for each ingredient.
• The Science – evergreen educational page, same minimalist style as Ingredients, smooth scroll layout with clean type hierarchy.
• Contact – form + brand email, 24 h response promise.
• Legal – Terms, Privacy, Shipping & Returns (exact copy supplied).
3. Product & Checkout
• One product with two size variants; variant-specific images & pricing.
• All variant, lifestyle, and texture images will be provided.
• Shopify Payments, Shop Pay, Apple Pay, Google Pay.
• Taxes configured for U.S. sales.
• Clean, minimal checkout; logo only.
4. Shipping & Fulfillment
• U.S. domestic zones with carrier-calculated rates.
• Auto-tracking emails.
• Integration-ready for ShipStation / Easyship.
• Logic for free-shipping subscription & referral reward (below).
5. Referral System
• App: Growave or Smile.io.
• Rule: Refer one friend → referrer’s next domestic shipping free.
• One-time, non-stackable, U.S.-only reward code issued automatically.
• Referral reward (free domestic shipping) should automatically apply at checkout for eligible referrers.
• No existing codes — all referral codes generated through the app integration.
• Invite a Friend link in footer and post-purchase Thank-You prompt.
6. Subscription & Repurchase
• Seal Subscriptions setup:
• Offer – Subscribe & get free domestic shipping.
• Delivery every 30 days (default) with 45- and 60-day options.
• Two-delivery minimum required before cancellation.
• Free U.S. shipping auto-applied; one-time orders pay normal rate.
• Auto-tag and apply subscription shipping rule in cart, not as a manual discount.
• Product copy example:
“Subscribe & get free domestic shipping — two deliveries minimum. You can modify, pause, or cancel anytime after your second order.”
• Klaviyo automation:
• “Running low?” email 25 days post-delivery (for non-subscribers).
• Include CTA link to subscribe for free shipping.
7. Reviews & Proof
• Junip or Loox for photo/video reviews.
• Styling consistent with theme.
• Import existing testimonials if provided.
8. Visual Proof Slider
• Widgetic Before/After Slider for texture or results imagery on Home & Product pages.
9. Ingredient Hover Explainers
• Lightweight custom tooltips for 5–7 key actives; accessible via keyboard and screen reader.
• Content for each tooltip will be provided in plain text (active + function).
• Anchors to full INCI on Ingredients page.
10. Email & Post-Purchase
• Klaviyo flows: welcome, order, shipping, delivery.
• Reorder reminder (25 days) + referral invite in thank-you sequence.
11. Analytics & Performance
• Shopify Analytics + GA4.
• Hotjar or Microsoft Clarity (free).
• Optimized images, lazy-loading, minimal app stack.
• Target Lighthouse ≥ 90 on mobile product page.
• Primary optimization focus is on mobile performance; desktop optimization secondary but included.
12. SEO & Accessibility
• Metadata, semantic headings, clean URLs, product + organization schema.
• Contrast and focus states per WCAG 2.2 AA intent.
13. Content Population
• Input and style supplied copy, images, INCI, FAQs, policies.
• Create lightweight SVG icons if required.
14. QA & Launch
• Cross-browser testing (Safari, Chrome, iOS, Android).
• Verify variant switching, taxes, referral flow, subscription checkout.
• Live order test + refund.
• Launch handoff documentation and 14-day post-launch support.

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Excludes (Do Not Implement)
• Pop-ups or spin-to-win modals.
• Chatbots or live chat.
• Points-based reward systems.
• Countdown timers or urgency widgets.
• Cross-sell carousels / “You may also like.”
• Blog (only one Science page).
• Currency converters / multilingual.
• 3D or AR product viewers.
• Headless architecture or custom apps.
• Bundles / wholesale portals.
• Duplicate apps with overlapping functions.
• Edits to supplied legal text or policy copy.

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Client Will Provide
• Logo files, color references, typography assets.
• Product photography (hero, texture, lifestyle, before/after).
• Final copy, INCI list, FAQs, policies.
• Tooltip ingredient content for all actives (plain text).
• Exact legal language for Terms, Privacy, and Returns, including:
“If your order arrives damaged or incorrect, we’ll make it right immediately. Due to the nature of skincare and our commitment to purity, all sales are final once opened. We stand behind the quality of our formulations. If something feels off, reach out — we’ll always find a fair solution.”
• Business address and contact details for footer and email templates.
• Active Shopify account and plan already established.

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Deliverables
• Complete Shopify storefront live on client domain.
• Working subscription plan (30-day default with free domestic shipping, two-delivery minimum).
• Referral system issuing one-time free-shipping codes.
• Reviews module + before/after slider.
• Ingredient tooltips.
• GA4 + Hotjar/Clarity active.
• One-page admin guide covering updates, referral codes, subscriptions, discounts.

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Acceptance Criteria
• Mobile Lighthouse ≥ 90 for Performance, Accessibility, SEO, Best Practices.
• Checkout shows Shop Pay / Apple Pay and functions correctly.
• Subscription flow applies free U.S. shipping by default and requires two deliveries before cancellation.
• Referral flow: new customer purchase → referrer receives one-time free-shipping code → code applies on next U.S. order.
• Reviews submit and display properly.
• Ingredient tooltips accessible by keyboard and screen reader.
• Design feels intentional and premium — minimal but not sparse; consistent brand warmth across all devices.