Steve Madden has taken a major leap in its digital evolution by launching a newly enhanced global eCommerce platform. Developed in partnership with RunDTC and powered by Contentstack’s advanced digital experience platform (DXP), this transformation redefines how customers engage with the brand online.
This strategic upgrade enables Steve Madden to seamlessly manage localised content while maintaining a cohesive global brand identity. It also introduces governance capabilities beyond the standard Shopify platform, ensuring a more streamlined, scalable, and efficient approach to digital retail.
“RunDTC’s extensive experience in eCommerce, and their track record of working with large enterprise brands on Shopify, made them our first choice. They have been more than a service provider – they’ve been true partners,” said Jon Grigson, vice president of global technology & eCommerce at Steve Madden.
A unified approach to global eCommerce
Previously, the brand’s local teams operated on separate Shopify admin instances, leading to fragmented branding, inconsistent site performance, and an overreliance on third-party apps—more than 260 across all sites. Tasked with creating a unified solution, RunDTC implemented the new system across three key brands—Steve Madden, Dolce Vita, and Betsey Johnson—spanning 30 international sites.
Using Shopify’s Liquid architecture, RunDTC developed a custom theme for multi-brand expression. More importantly, they have built the most advanced integration between Shopify and Contentstack. This solution enables approved editors to manage nearly every aspect of the shopping experience based on brand and region, blending the flexibility of composable content management with Shopify’s intuitive architecture.
RunDTC also implemented a sophisticated CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Deployment) framework to streamline ongoing management and deployment. This reduces the operational burden of managing multiple Shopify instances while enabling smooth global roll-outs and frequent regional updates.
Measurable success & business impact
Since the launch of the new platform, Steve Madden has seen a 16.5% increase in conversion rates. In addition, the new system has created operational efficiencies, reducing costs and minimising dependency on developers. Marketing and business teams can now update content and visuals independently of the Shopify admin interface, freeing them to focus on revenue-generating initiatives rather than technical roadblocks.
With a more agile, scalable, and brand-consistent eCommerce ecosystem, Steve Madden is well-positioned to deliver a superior shopping experience to its customers worldwide.