Urban Apothecary London

Luxury meets functionality in a bespoke Shopify design for a modern British fragrance brand.

Urban Apothecary London blends traditional craftsmanship with contemporary design to create evocative scents for the home and body.

As the brand evolved, it needed a digital presence that reflected its elevated aesthetic while delivering a seamless e-commerce experience.

We partnered with Urban Apothecary London to design and build a bespoke Shopify website that captures the elegance of their brand, supports their growing product range, and provides a refined customer journey from homepage to checkout.

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Subism web design and development agency

OUR APPROACH

Designing for the senses

Inspired by the brand’s love for storytelling and sensory detail, the website design is clean and sophisticated, placing the products front and centre.

We worked closely with the team to translate the brand's tactile, layered packaging into a digital space, combining delicate typography, generous spacing, and subtle transitions to evoke a sense of calm and luxury.

The navigation was restructured to allow customers to shop by scent, mood, or collection, an intuitive and immersive way to explore the range.

OUR APPROACH

Enhanced product discovery

With a large and growing range of fragrances across candles, diffusers, bath & body, and gift sets, product discovery was a key focus.

We implemented dynamic filtering, custom tag architecture, and curated navigation paths to make it easy for customers to shop by scent family, product type, or gift occasion.

Collections and product pages were designed to showcase ingredients, mood imagery, and usage guidance, helping customers make confident, sensory-led choices. The “Shop by Fragrance” system was custom-built to allow shoppers to explore by olfactory preference, echoing the in-store experience.

TECHNOLOGY

A tailored shopify experience

Rather than retrofitting an off-the-shelf theme, we designed and built a completely custom Shopify theme from the ground up.

This gave us total control over layout, user flow, and micro-interactions — allowing the digital experience to feel as considered and crafted as the products themselves.

We made use of Shopify's latest capabilities, including Online Store 2.0, which allowed us to create modular, reusable sections across the site. This means the Urban Apothecary team can easily update content, create landing pages, and launch new products or campaigns, all without needing to touch code.

IntegratIONS

Integrated tools for a connected experience

To complement the bespoke build, we integrated a suite of carefully selected Shopify apps that enhance functionality without disrupting the clean, elegant user experience.

Klaviyo powers all email and SMS marketing, enabling highly targeted customer journeys, abandoned cart flows, and product launch campaigns, all designed to feel as refined and personalised as the brand itself.

We integrated REVIEWS.io to collect and display verified customer feedback across product pages, reinforcing trust and helping new customers discover bestsellers through authentic social proof.

Review widgets were styled to match the brand and placed strategically for maximum impact without disrupting the visual flow.

LoyaltyLion was used to create a custom loyalty program, rewarding repeat customers and encouraging brand advocacy.

Points, rewards, and referrals are seamlessly woven into the customer account area, adding value while maintaining a frictionless experience.

We also enabled Shopify Inbox to support live chat and customer enquiries, helping the Urban Apothecary team connect with their audience in real time and deliver exceptional customer service.
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Each integration was customised to feel native to the site, with branding, placement, and copy tailored to align with the Urban Apothecary tone of voice.

THE RESULTS

Built for growth

The build was entirely custom on Shopify, giving us full control over design without compromising on performance.

We created flexible templates and components so the team can manage seasonal edits, launch campaigns, and expand collections with ease.

We also ensured the site was optimised for mobile, with a focus on speed, accessibility, and a smooth checkout process, essential for a premium DTC experience.