The combination of commercial thinking and technical depth in the same team is what stands out.
Client Overview
Al-Ittihad Club Company is a Saudi Closed Joint Stock Company representing one of the most decorated and historically significant institutions in Middle Eastern sports. Backed by a massive fanbase and a rich heritage, the club operates an online flagship storefront on Shopify to deliver official merchandise and gear directly to its global community of supporters.
Challenges
Prior to the partnership, the digital storefront suffered from critical operational bottlenecks. The platform experienced a low e-commerce conversion rate of 1.05%, heavily impacted by a 76% homepage bounce rate and a steep 75% checkout drop-off rate. These friction points were primarily driven by language translation and localization errors, misconfigured regional market settings within Shopify Markets, and a disruptive lack of integrated local payment gateways such as Mada and Apple Pay.
Phases
- Phase 1: Discovery & Validation – Comprehensive analysis of user behavior utilizing Microsoft Clarity to pinpoint precise UI/UX friction zones, alongside an audit of misconfigured regional profiles.
- Phase 2: Theme Development – Engineering a dedicated, mobile-first Shopify theme built on an isolated development environment to eliminate live storefront disruption.
- Phase 3: Checkout Integration & Optimization – Rectifying localization issues, establishing Right-to-Left (RTL) language protocols, and deploying native Saudi payment gateways.
- Phase 4: QA Testing – Executing cross-device functional validation checklists to guarantee an enterprise-grade customer experience.
- Phase 5: Growth Retainer Transition – Evolving into a long-term partnership to scale digital performance, including driving revenue retention and AOV expansion via Wiser AI dynamic product bundling.
Functionalities Implemented
- Custom, mobile-first eCommerce Today built Shopify theme.
- Advanced Right-to-Left (RTL) localization and Arabic language sync.
- Integrated native payment gateways.
- Microsoft Clarity behavioral analytics integration.
- Strategic urgency features including dynamic header countdown timers.
- Shopify Knowledgebase Application for optimized AI search discovery.
- Wiser AI Personalized Recommendations: Integrated Wiser AI’s recommendation engine across product pages and cart drawers (including Frequently Bought Together dynamic bundles) to maximize Average Order Value (AOV) and elevate fan cross-selling.
Conclusion
By eliminating friction points throughout the checkout funnel and stabilizing storefront usability, the collaboration successfully built commercial trust with the club’s digital audience. The initial project’s success successfully secured a 12-month Growth Retainer, cementing a long-term strategic partnership to scale Al-Ittihad’s digital commerce strategy ahead of its landmark 2027 Centenary.
Who is Al-Ittihad Club Company?
Al-Ittihad Club Company is a Saudi Closed Joint Stock Company representing one of the most decorated and historically significant institutions in Middle Eastern sports. The club runs its official online store on Shopify, selling merchandise and gear directly to its global community of supporters.
What challenges did the Al-Ittihad Club Shopify store face?
Before working with eCommerce Today, the Al-Ittihad Club store had a 1.05% conversion rate, a 76% homepage bounce rate and a 75% checkout drop-off rate. The main causes were translation and localization errors, misconfigured regional settings in Shopify Markets and a lack of local payment gateways such as Mada and Apple Pay.
How did eCommerce Today approach the Al-Ittihad Club project?
eCommerce Today ran the project in five phases: discovery and validation, theme development, checkout integration and optimization, QA testing, and a transition to a long-term growth retainer. Each phase addressed a specific friction point in the store, from UX issues to checkout localization.
How did eCommerce Today fix Arabic and RTL localization on Shopify?
eCommerce Today implemented advanced Right-to-Left (RTL) localization and Arabic language sync for the Al-Ittihad Club store. The team also corrected the misconfigured regional market profiles in Shopify Markets that were causing localization errors.
Which payment gateways were added to the Al-Ittihad Club store?
eCommerce Today deployed native Saudi payment gateways during the checkout integration phase. This addressed one of the main causes of checkout drop-off: the lack of local payment options such as Mada and Apple Pay.
How was Microsoft Clarity used in the Al-Ittihad Club project?
eCommerce Today used Microsoft Clarity behavioral analytics to identify the exact UI and UX friction zones on the store. The Clarity data was combined with a technical review to produce a prioritized tracker, with estimated hours and revenue impact tied to each item.
How was the new Shopify theme launched without disrupting the live store?
eCommerce Today built a dedicated, mobile-first Shopify theme in an isolated development environment, so the live storefront was not affected during development. Before launch, the team ran cross-device functional validation checklists as part of QA testing.
How does Wiser AI help increase average order value for Al-Ittihad Club?
eCommerce Today integrated Wiser AI’s recommendation engine across product pages and cart drawers, including Frequently Bought Together dynamic bundles. The goal is to increase average order value (AOV) and cross-selling to fans.
What happened after the initial Al-Ittihad Club project?
The initial project led to a 12-month Growth Retainer between Al-Ittihad Club and eCommerce Today. The partnership focuses on scaling the club’s digital commerce strategy ahead of its 2027 Centenary.