Barebones Living: E-Commerce Improvements Retainer

Lead Web Engineer, Client Manager, and Engineering Manager on a 3+ year improvements retainer (via Solspace Inc.) for Barebones Living, an outdoor lifestyle brand. I managed one support developer while handling all client communications and architectural decisions.

The central challenge: their Craft CMS setup was rigid. Marketing directors needed developer help for basic content changes, creating bottlenecks and slowing their ability to respond to campaigns and seasonal promotions. Over three years, I transformed this into a flexible, component-based system that put content control back in their hands.

Removing Workflow Friction Through Intelligent Systems

Component-Based CMS Architecture

The original CMS structure tied content too tightly to specific page layouts. Every marketing update required developer involvement.

What I built:

• Componentized both the CMS backend and frontend templates, creating reusable content blocks that marketing could assemble without code changes
• Redesigned section by section and component by component, modernizing the site incrementally while maintaining stability
• Created a flexible content management system where new pages and layouts could be built from existing components

This architectural shift removed the developer bottleneck. Marketing directors could launch campaigns, adjust promotions, and update content on their own timeline. Updates that previously required developer tickets and hours of coordination now happen in minutes.

Custom E-Commerce Features

Craft Commerce provided solid foundations, but Barebones Living’s business requirements exceeded what the platform offered out of the box. I built custom systems to close these gaps.

Custom Discount Logic

The standard Craft Commerce discount system couldn’t handle their complex promotional requirements. I built custom logic for applying mass discounts in correct combinations, ensuring promotions stacked properly and applied to the right products under the right conditions.

Custom Shipping Calculations

Their shipping requirements went beyond simple flat-rate or zone-based pricing. I implemented weight-based calculations with freight handling logic, ensuring accurate shipping costs for their diverse product catalog.

Avatax Tax Integration

Integrated Avatax for automatic tax calculations with custom rules to handle their specific tax requirements across different product categories and destinations.

Custom Gift Card System

At the time, Craft Commerce lacked native gift card functionality. I built a custom gift card management system that integrated with their checkout flow and order management, filling a critical gap in the platform.

Project Evolution

The scope expanded naturally as trust built through consistent delivery:

Early phase: Focused on stabilizing the existing system and addressing immediate pain points in the CMS structure.

Middle phase: Implemented the major custom e-commerce features: discount logic, shipping calculations, tax integration, and gift cards. Each solved a specific business problem that Craft Commerce couldn’t handle natively.

Later phase: The section-by-section redesign modernized the frontend while the component-based architecture ensured future flexibility. New marketing requirements could be met by assembling existing components rather than building from scratch.

Business Needs Despite Platform Rigidity

This project exemplifies a pattern I encounter often: a capable platform that doesn’t quite fit the client’s actual business requirements. Rather than forcing the business to adapt to software limitations, I extended the platform to match how they actually needed to operate.

The result: an e-commerce system that handled their specific discount, shipping, tax, and gift card requirements while giving their marketing team independence from the development cycle.

Implemented solutions:

• E-commerce and Warehouse Data Sync
• Custom E-commerce Functionality
• Marketing Content Components
• Flexible Content Management
• Website Redesign Implementation
• Website Performance Optimization
• Website Core & Stability
• Website Technical SEO Optimization
• Custom Discount Logic
• Custom Tax Calculation Logic
• Custom Shipping Price Calculation
• Custom Gift Card Management
• File Storage Integration
• Development and Deployment Pipeline

Used technologies: