Tools
B2C/B2B
A UX-Driven BigCommerce Redesign for a Brand Built on Innovation and Lifetime-Guaranteed Tools
Bad Dog Tools is a family-owned company crafting specialty and multipurpose tools since 1988. Born from a cross-country trip in a converted bus and a shattered grinding wheel that sparked their first invention, the brand has spent over 35 years creating rugged, durable tools backed by a lifetime guarantee. Today, they sell nationwide through ecommerce, wholesale, and more than 250 trade shows per year, serving DIYers who want tools that are as tough and versatile as they are.
Bad Dog Tools is a family-owned company crafting specialty and multipurpose tools since 1988. Born from a cross-country trip in a converted bus and a shattered grinding wheel that sparked their first invention, the brand has spent over 35 years creating rugged, durable tools backed by a lifetime guarantee. Today, they sell nationwide through ecommerce, wholesale, and more than 250 trade shows per year, serving DIYers who want tools that are as tough and versatile as they are.
Scope Summary
The Effort
Project Management
FREE
UX/UI Design
30 hrs
Development
105 hrs
CRO
10 hrs
Total
145 hrs
Service Model
Project
i
We offer three flexible service models: On Call, Project, Monthly. See our pricing page for details.
Engagement Range
$8K – $12K
i
This range is provided only as a reference to help estimate similar engagements. Actual costs vary based on project scope, complexity, custom functionality, and client direction.
Theme: Chiara Fashion
Team Members
Project Manager
Developer
UX/UI Designer
SEO/GEO Specialist
CRO Expert
Tech Stack
Mailchimp
ShipStation
Shipping Easy
Fera Reviews
VerifyPass
Figma
The Challenge
Before partnering with AOC, Bad Dog Tools had cycled through multiple developers and agencies, each delivering slow progress, inconsistent execution, and poor communication. Updates came weekly or monthly, leaving the internal team frustrated and without visibility. Their existing BigCommerce store also struggled to showcase the unique features of their tools, engage DIY users effectively, and convert visitors into buyers. They needed a partner who could rebuild the experience with a strong UX foundation, communicate daily, and execute at a higher level than their previous vendors.
Project Goals
Refresh the digital experience by updating the Chiara theme
Redesign the main pages including the header, homepage, category pages, and product templates
Strengthen the brand’s visual identity with bolder graphics and more prominent tool demonstrations
Build an intuitive navigation system with improved hierarchy and clearer pathways into key product categories
Apply design consistency across all shopping, content, and educational pages
Enhance the mobile experience with cleaner layouts, simplified menus, and improved tap-friendly interactions
Create a more engaging, conversion-oriented layout aligned with how DIY customers browse and shop
Our Approach
We executed a complete UX-focused redesign on the Chiara theme, using Figma to create dynamic layouts that showcased the tools in high-impact visuals. The header was restructured for clearer hierarchy, faster navigation, and better exposure to category pathways. The homepage received a new modular layout tailored to guide users deeper into the catalog and product storytelling.
These improvements were then applied across all category and product pages to ensure design consistency, better SEO visibility, and a stronger educational flow. Mobile layouts were rebuilt for tap-friendly navigation, cleaner product content blocks, and faster browsing, ensuring the site performed equally well across all devices.
Outcome
Bad Dog Tools now has a high-performing BigCommerce storefront that reflects the strength of their brand and the innovation behind their products. The redesigned experience delivers cleaner navigation, better product education, stronger visuals, and a more intuitive shopping flow for both DIY customers and wholesale buyers. Bounce rates improved, conversion paths became clearer, and the brand now has a digital presence worthy of its lifetime-guaranteed tools.
The success of the project led Bad Dog Tools to enroll in our Monthly Growth Services, extending the partnership into ongoing UX, SEO, CRO, and support.
Conversion Rate
Improved by:
34.48 %
AOV
Improved by:
1.19 %
Returning Customer Rate
Improved by:
151.92 %
Date Period: Aug 28, 2024 - Jan 29 2025 VS Aug 28, 2023 - Jan 29 2024
We started working with Stephen and the Always Open Team after a string of bad experiences with other developers and it was a breath of fresh air!
It felt like their team was an extension of ours with quick (daily) communication through their project management tool. It's a small thing but I looked forward to seeing the progress they made every day, rather than the weekly or monthly updates I had received from other developers on past projects.
The finished project was fabulous, they translated the wireframes we provided as well as the designs their team created into development reality better than I could have hoped! They have also been fabulous for after-launch support quickly addressing and correcting all the little bugs that always crop up when you launch a new site. Most within the first hour of launch.
We had such a great experience that we are already having the team redevelop the site for our sister company.
- JJ Strong, Engineer & Web Coordinator, Bad Dog Tools
Estimates and Timesheet
Custom Design
Theme Development
Conversion Rate Optimization