From Scalable Performance to Measurable Growth

About the client

After modernizing the technical foundation in Phase 1, GraduationSource had a faster and more stable platform. But the visual experience still reflected the past.

GraduationSource is one of the leading US online retailers for graduation products- from preschool ceremonies to PhD graduations. Founded in 1960, the company serves over 30,000 schools worldwide.

Their business depends on precision. Graduation season brings high traffic, large orders and tight deadlines. When performance drops, revenue quickly follows. With over 60 years of history and market leadership, the brand needed a storefront that matched its reputation.

This was not about a cosmetic update. It was about aligning technology, design, and daily operations.

Why did GraduationSource continue working with us?

Phase 1 proved that Hatimeria delivers results. The partnership naturally evolved.

GraduationSource wanted:

• A modern, clean brand experience
• Better navigation and product presentation
• Easier management of over 100 unique content pages
• A scalable design system built for the future

With the Hyvä foundation already in place, we could focus entirely on transforming the user experience.

Challenges

This was a full rebuild, not a small redesign.

• 29 new layouts to implement
• Redesign of homepage, category and product pages
• New header and custom mega menu
• Over 100 CMS and landing pages to migrate
• Need to maintain speed and stability during Magento upgrade

The main challenge was finding the right balance. The store needed a modern look while still staying fast and reliable.

Our actions

Hatimeria rebuilt the storefront with one clear goal: make it faster, more stable and future-ready.

As a Hyvä Gold Partner for the second year in a row, we brought proven experience in delivering high-performance Magento frontends.

Migration to Hyvä

• Replaced the outdated frontend with a modern, lightweight solution
• Improved loading speed across devices
• Simplified the storefront structure
• Reduced technical complexity
• Made future development easier and safer

The platform became leaner and more reliable.

AI-assisted Magento development

We used AI (Codex) to speed up building a custom Magento module for the product gallery. It allowed us to automatically sync images with selected product options, improving how packaged products are presented. The task was reduced from an estimated 8 hours to about 2 hours, with final code reviewed and refined by developers.

See how we used AI in development:

Hatimeria completely redesigned the online store

New storefront built on Hyvä

• Implemented a new layout and visual design
• Rebuilt the most important pages: homepage, categories and product pages
• Created a custom mega menu for easier navigation
• Ensured a consistent look across the entire store

The result was a clean, modern storefront that can easily grow with the business.

CMS improvements

• Created reusable content blocks
• Built flexible page layouts
• Made it easier for the internal team to update content
• Reduced the need for developer support

This made everyday work faster and more efficient for the team.

AI-supported development

We used AI internally to speed up frontend development and keep the design consistent across the store. This helped us deliver many pages faster while maintaining high quality.

Controlled launch

The redesign was completed ahead of schedule. The production launch was stable and smooth.

Results

Phase 2 changed more than just the design.

• Higher conversion rate
• Double-digit business growth year-to-date
• More enterprise customers using the site to make buying decisions
• +35% organic visibility (last 3 months vs previous period)
• ~35% better average rankings
• More keywords in top positions
• Better visibility for key product and category pages
• Fully modernized online store
• Stronger, more premium brand presence
• Better navigation and usability
• Easier daily content management
• Maintained performance after redesign
• Positive feedback from customers and internal teams

Phase 1 improved speed and stability. Phase 2 improved the brand and internal processes.

Together, they created a future-ready ecommerce platform that reflects GraduationSource’s leadership.

See GraduationSource in action in the video below.

Highlights

Scope

• 29 frontend layouts delivered
• 100+ CMS and landing pages rebuilt
• Custom mega menu + full rebuild of homepage, PLP, PDP, header & footer

Launch

• Development completed ahead of schedule
• Stable production launch with no post-release issues

Approach

• Component-first architecture
• Reusable CMS widgets for easier content management
• ~80% of frontend code AI-supported to accelerate delivery

Platform

• Magento 2 Community Edition
• Full rebuild on Hyvä (new theme & template structure)
• Magento upgrade incl. Elasticsearch → OpenSearch migration