Web, Shopify
Gaining a competitive edge through streamlined customer and merchant journeys for Lappu
Project summary
See how optimizing the customer experience from the start can set a business apart from major players in its niche. This project demonstrates how in-depth competitor analysis and a focus on real customer needs can help break through competition in a niche.
How the partnership started
Lappu came to Dinarys with both a personal story and a business idea. As parents, the founders had struggled with the same problem many families in Sweden face before every new academic year: making sure their children’s belongings could be easily identified. Existing sticker printing services didn’t meet their expectations — the user experience was clunky, and ordering wasn’t as simple as it should be.
They saw an opportunity to create something better. However, they lacked an internal development team and the infrastructure needed to turn this vision into a working solution. That’s where our partnership began.
The development goals set for Dinarys were clear:
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01
Deliver a high-impact, user-friendly platform with a sticker configurator and seamless printer integration — all within tight time and budget constraints
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02
Ensure flawless synchronization between the sticker configurator and the order management system to eliminate any possible errors and accelerate fulfillment
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03
Develop a robust printer connector capable of handling automated, scheduled, and manual workflows reliably and efficiently
More details on the project
Lappu is a Sweden-based online shop where parents can buy personalized identification stickers for their children’s school items and personal belongings. Lappu set out to make back-to-school prep easier and more fun for parents through simple, intuitive customer journeys
Jump to the stage of collaboration that interests you most:
Part I:
Turning the client’s vision into a validated solution with a comprehensive audit
At this stage, our work centered on translating Lappu’s broader vision into a practical, achievable solution through in-depth research of market needs and competitors. Our goal was to identify ways to transform the client’s vision into a solution that would secure a competitive advantage in the market.
Beyond delivering key features such as the custom sticker configurator, we needed to ensure the platform was aligned with the brand’s ambition to provide a quick, intuitive, and engaging customer experience for parents. At the same time, we had to make sure the platform was robust and capable of standing out and competing with major industry players in the long run.
Our scope of work at this stage consisted of four parts:
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01
Competitor and market review
We analyzed the main competitors in the kids’ personalized labels niche, evaluating their platforms, core features, and design approaches. This helped us both identify industry standards and find ways for Lappu to stand out.
Particular attention was given to competitors’ infrastructures and the complexity of technologies behind their configurators.
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02
Business needs and constraint analysis
We aligned all findings with Lappu’s specific business goals and time constraints: short time to market, quick personalization, entertaining, accessible to busy parents, differentiated from competitors.
This alignment allowed us to recommend solutions that were not only technically feasible but also strategically relevant for long-term growth.
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What we didn’t find in competitors — and chose as the core of our development strategy — was a sleek, intuitive, and customer-friendly user journey. Moreover, McKinsey states that a stronger customer experience can boost cross-sell rates by 15–25%.
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03
Budget alignment
In parallel, we assessed the client’s available budget and outlined what could realistically be achieved within its limits.
We prioritized features and proposed an allocation strategy that balanced essential functionality with engaging design elements, ensuring the configurator — although delivered within a tight budget — would remain competitive, align with market needs, and address parents’ pain points with other niche platforms.
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04
Post-audit user journey design
During the audit, we assessed the online sticker configuration journeys of competitors to understand where they created friction for users and where they delivered value.
We also analyzed how well the designed journeys served the actual target audience: parents looking for quick, intuitive tools. This allowed us to understand parents’ real needs and expectations.
Our assessment revealed usability gaps in the customer journey and highlighted opportunities to create a faster, more intuitive, and more enjoyable experience.
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What helped us save resources was using GenAI throughout all SDLC stages to accelerate backend, frontend, and printer connector development. At the heart of this approach stood a proven workflow for request generation that was designed by our senior specialists, tested in controlled environments, and validated through earlier AI-based projects.
Part II:
Defining the scope
of work after the client validated audit results
Our collaboration with Lappu covered several key stages that shaped the platform into a production-ready solution:
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Roadmapping a convenient
customer experienceOutlining best practices to ensure a smooth, intuitive, and enjoyable journey for parents across the entire project lifecycle
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Developing the Shopify
websiteBuilding the store on a ready-made theme tailored to the business and target audience, with custom branding and responsive design
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Developing a custom sticker
configuratorCreating a Laravel + React solution integrated with Shopify, enabling parents to personalize stickers in just a few clicks
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Developing a printer
connectorIntegrating the Roland printer with Shopify through a custom connector, allowing for automated, scheduled, or manual printing workflows
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Testing &
quality assuranceValidating functionality, cross-device performance, and user journey reliability, along with load and performance testing
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Future-proofing
Making sure we prepared the system for scaling with multiple printers, expansion into new domains, and potential migration to microservices
Part III:
Roadmapping a convenient user journey
Before moving to development, we outlined best practices that would guide the entire project around one core priority: delivering a simple, intuitive, and enjoyable user journey.
We focused on several principles:
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Minimize steps
Parents should be able to customize stickers and complete an order in just a few clicks
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Clarity in design
Visuals, buttons, and options must feel obvious and accessible, even for users with limited technical skills
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Consistency across devices
The website and configurator must work seamlessly on desktop, tablet, and mobile, without losing speed or functionality
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Instant feedback
Every action — from choosing a sticker type to previewing a design — should happen immediately, ensuring a smooth experience and ease of use
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Smooth checkout
The payment and confirmation process must feel as effortless as the personalization itself, reducing the risk of abandoned orders
By embedding these practices into the project roadmap from the start, we ensured that every development decision — from U| Design to technical integration — supported an experience that parents would find both quick and enjoyable.
“Smooth design and checkout flows are crucial for conversion, which is why we put user journey analysis at the center of this stage. By studying how parents moved through competitors’ platforms, we spotted friction points that slowed them down and reimagined the process for Lappu to be quick, simple, and enjoyable — making the difference between someone leaving and someone completing an order.”
Andrii Bugakov
Deputy CTO at Dinarys
Part IV:
Developing a Shopify website focused on intuitive design
Once the strategic audit was complete, we moved to the development stage, building a Shopify-based website that could bring Lappu’s vision to life. To balance quality, speed, and cost, we selected a ready-to-use Shopify theme that was perfectly suited to the client’s business type and target audience.
Customization and branding
Our UI/UX designer tailored the theme to reflect Lappu’s identity by:
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creating a custom color scheme
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designing a new logo
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adapting the look and feel of the sticker configurator
This ensured that the website felt unique rather than generic while staying within the agreed timeline and budget.
Responsive design
We carefully optimized the website for different devices, making sure the interface worked seamlessly across desktops, tablets, and smartphones. As a result, parents could interact with the configurator and complete purchases conveniently no matter which device they were using.
Shopify offered the right balance between cost, speed, and customization, which made it a practical choice for building a user-friendly solution. At the same time, the platform’s ecosystem of apps and integrations left room for future growth.
Ready to turn your Shopify store into a growth engine?
We don’t just build websites.
We design Shopify experiences that move the needle for your business:
Ready to turn your Shopify store into a growth engine?
We don’t just build websites.
We design Shopify experiences that move the needle for your business:
Konstantin Suhinin
Delivery Director
Andrii Bugakov
Deputy CTO at Dinarys
Roman Fesko
CTO at Dinarys
Whether you’re replatforming, scaling, or starting fresh, we will help you make the most of Shopify’s potential.
01
Strategizing from day one
Aligning your goals with Shopify’s ecosystem to set the right technical and business foundation
02
Designing with intent
Creating sleek, intuitive storefronts that delight users and convert visitors into loyal customers
03
Migrating with care
Moving your data, products, and customer history securely while keeping the business running as usual
04
Extending your store’s power
Integrating CRMs, ERPs, and third-party tools to improve efficiency without extra manual work
05
Scaling for tomorrow
Launching with confidence and staying by your side to optimize, improve, and help your platform seamlessly grow in line with your business needs
Part V:
Developing a custom
sticker configurator for easy personalization
To make the personalization process effortless for parents, we built a custom configurator using Laravel (PHP) and React and integrated it with Shopify through Shopify webhooks.
The flow was designed around the user journey: in just a few clicks, parents can choose from three sticker types; adjust names, colors, and styles; and instantly preview their designs. This smooth flow directly supported the client’s goal of making personalization both quick and enjoyable.
Behind the scenes, Laravel manages the logic and data, while React ensures a smooth and responsive interface. Once a design is finalized, webhooks pass all order details directly to Shopify, making checkout and fulfillment seamless.
Part VI:
Developing a printer connector to streamline production on the merchant’s side
To close the loop between online orders and physical production, we developed a custom connector for the client’s Roland printer, enabling direct integration with the Shopify-based platform. This connector ensured that once parents had customized andordered stickers, they could be printed without employees needing to manually handle files.
Within the admin panel, we introduced flexible configuration options for the printing workflow:
Option
Workflow
Automated printing
Stickers start printing as soon as an order is received in the Shopify CRM.
Scheduled printing
All orders are queued and printed at a specific time set in the admin panel.
Manual printing
The process starts only when triggered by the admin, giving full control over production.
This integration not only streamlined operations but also allowed the client to adjust printing workflows based on demand, staff availability, and production priorities. The result was a more efficient, reliable, and scalable way to connect online personalization with real-world fulfillment.
“Integrating the Roland printer wasn’t just about making it print — we had to give the client flexibility. We built the connector so it could handle automated, scheduled, or manual printing, all controlled from the admin panel. That way, production could adapt to real business needs instead of the other way around.”
Konstantin Sukhinin
Project Manager at Dinarys
Part VII:
Testing and quality assurance to ensure reliability
We carried out a comprehensive testing phase to ensure both the website and the custom-built components — configurator and printer connector — worked flawlessly together. This involved:
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Functional testing
to verify that all core features operated as expected, from designing stickers in the configurator to processing orders through Shopify and handling automated and manual printing workflows with the Roland printer.
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Cross-device and responsiveness testing
to make sure parents can access the platform from various devices. We tested the website and configurator across desktops, tablets, and smartphones to guarantee consistent performance and intuitive navigation.
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User journey validation
to check the end-to-end flow, ensuring that parents could customize stickers in just a few clicks, check out smoothly, and trust that their orders would be printed without errors or delays.
Part VIII:
The final result: An intuitive, customer- and merchant-friendly sticker printing platform
The platform delivers a simple and enjoyable journey for both customers and the merchant.
Customer journey
Parents can easily choose from three types of stickers, personalize them in real time with multiple design options, and place an order in just a few clicks. The sleek configurator shows instant previews, making the process quick, visual, and intuitive. Once an order is confirmed, the customer can also track their purchase smoothly within the platform.
Merchant journey
On the other side, the merchant manages everything through the Shopify admin panel. All orders appear in one place, and the custom-built printer connector — uploaded as a private Shopify application — allows orders to start printing immediately. Printing can run automatically when orders arrive, on a set schedule, or manually with a single click. This unified workspace removes the need to switch between different systems, saving time and simplifying daily operations.
Together, these flows create a balanced solution: a seamless, engaging experience for customers and a streamlined, efficient process for the merchant.
Although the client is at the last stage of pre-launch activities, the project has already
delivered clear business and technical value:
Business Results
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A Shopify-based store tailored to Lappu’s niche, complete with branding, configurator, and also admin features
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Optimized website and configurator for a smooth user journey so parents can personalize stickers quickly and enjoyably
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An automated and centralized printing process that reduces the manual workload and prepares the system for production at whatever time is convenient for the merchant
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Scope aligned with the budget from the start, allowing for delivery within planned limits while leaving room for future growth
Technical Results
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A custom sticker configurator built on Laravel, React, and Shopify webhooks that is integrated seamlessly into the platform
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A connector for the Roland printer with flexible configurations for automated, scheduled, and manual workflows
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A platform with a modular architecture that is ready to scale with multiple printers, new product domains, or future migration to microservices
“Working with Lappu was inspiring: the team came with a clear vision, openness to new ideas, and a strong focus on parents’ needs. Their dedication made our collaboration both productive and genuinely rewarding.”
The Dinarys Team
Part X:
Future plans
From the start, we designed the solution with scalability and flexibility in mind. While the current implementation fully supports Lappu’s needs, the technology stack also anticipates future growth and new directions.
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Support for multiple printers
The system is prepared to integrate additional Roland (or other) printers, enabling parallel production as order volumes increase. This ensures smooth scaling without disrupting existing workflows.
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Expansion to new domains
Since the Roland printer also supports fabric printing, the solution can be extended beyond stickers into new product categories, opening potential business opportunities without requiring a full rebuild.
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Modular architecture
The platform was developed with a modular structure, which means it can be gradually migrated to a microservices architecture if higher scalability or complex integrations are needed in the future.
By laying this groundwork early, we ensured that the client’s platform is not only stable today but is also prepared for long-term business and technological evolution.
Build a stable foundation for your ecommerce growth
We help companies turn uncertainty into clarity — and then into growth. Our team can support you through every stage of platform choice and development:
Build a stable foundation for your ecommerce growth
We help companies turn uncertainty into clarity — and then into growth. Our team can support you through every stage of platform choice and development:
Konstantin Suhinin
Delivery Director
Andrii Bugakov
Deputy CTO at Dinarys
Roman Fesko
CTO at Dinarys
01
Evaluating your current setup
to identify bottlenecks, risks, and hidden opportunities
02
Comparing ecommerce platforms
to show differences in TCO, scalability, and operations
03
Building/migrating with confidence
to deliver the technical expertise, integrations, and UX design your business needs to thrive
04
Creating a tech roadmap
that ensures your ecommerce store stays competitive as your company grows
05
Supporting long-term success
by offering continuous improvements, monitoring, and expert guidance
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