Website

https://shop.australiazoo.com.au/
Platform

Shopify
Services

Shopify Design and Development

Australia Zoo is one of Queensland’s most iconic wildlife destinations, known around the world for conservation, education and the legacy of the Irwin family. When the team partnered with BA Creative, they were looking to transform their online store experience. With a clear vision, defined operational requirements and a need to get the project back on track, the focus was on delivering a Shopify experience that balanced performance, flexibility and ease of use.

The project centred on migrating the existing BigCommerce store to Shopify, creating a more scalable ecommerce ecosystem for both customers and internal teams. Beyond improving backend efficiencies, the new experience was designed to better reflect the warmth, personality and immersive nature of the Australia Zoo brand online.

 

Creative Team:

UX/UI Design: Alyse Bowell
Lead Developer: Jill Augustus
Project Management: Charlene Chan

The project began with a detailed discovery and planning phase, focused on understanding Australia Zoo’s operational requirements, customer experience goals and integration needs. Through extensive questionnaires, sitemap planning and wireframing, we restructured the store architecture to support cleaner navigation, improved product categorisation and a more seamless experience for both domestic and international customers.

The redesign focused on creating a more brand-led ecommerce experience that better reflects the personality and mission of Australia Zoo. Leveraging their extensive photography library, the new UI introduced bold imagery, a refreshed colour palette and more editorial-style layouts. Custom-designed navigation, featured collections, “shop by person” functionality and conservation-focused content all worked together to create a richer and more immersive shopping experience.

Behind the refreshed storefront was a highly considered Shopify migration designed to support the operational complexity of a business like Australia Zoo. The challenge wasn’t simply moving platforms - it was creating a connected ecommerce ecosystem where subscriptions, inventory, shipping, customer engagement and internal systems could all work together seamlessly, without adding friction to the customer experience.

To achieve this, the build combined carefully selected integrations with custom UX features designed to improve both usability and backend efficiency. The implementations are thoughtful, scalable and intentionally seamless within the broader experience:

  • The mega menu navigation was completely restructured to simplify browsing across a large and varied product catalogue, replacing a previously cluttered experience with something far more intuitive across desktop and mobile.
  • Custom “Shop by Person” collections introduced a more personality-led shopping journey, connecting customers with curated products inspired by the Irwin family and the faces behind the Zoo.
  • Conservation-focused video content was embedded directly into the shopping experience, creating stronger alignment between ecommerce and Australia Zoo’s broader mission and storytelling.
  • Recharge integration enabled subscription functionality for recurring product purchases, while Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central integration streamlined inventory synchronisation and backend operational workflows.
  • Australia Post integration supported complex shipping requirements, while the SWYM wishlist and back-in-stock functionality improved customer retention and re-engagement opportunities.
  • Enhanced search, filtering, bundling and gifting functionality helped simplify product discovery and increase purchase intent across the store.
  • Following launch, the project also included SEO and AI-readiness optimisation, including redirects, schema implementation and technical updates designed to support discoverability across both traditional and emerging search platforms.
Results
  • 60% increase in revenue compared to the same period the previous year

"Thank you and the team so much for your hard work. You have definitely been one of the most professional partners we have every had the pleasure of working with."

Darren Gertler, Chief Marketing Officer.

"The project has been a great success and the new Shopify store has been working very well. Thank-you to the BA Creative team for all your assistance on this journey."

Dave Dowling, Cost & Project Officer.
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