Music Box
From marquee to mailbox—Music Box goes direct
On opening nights at Music Box, you can feel the lobby hum—fans in line, hands full of posters and popcorn. But not everyone can make it to the line. So we helped bring the lobby home: a lean, co-branded Shopify store launched in time for the Eephus drop—so fans could support from the couch, not just the theater.
THE CHALLENGE
Launch a co-branded shop for Music Box Theatre and Music Box Films—fast. Hit the Eephus release window, validate demand with a lean catalog, and make the store work as an email-capture engine. Constraints were deliberate: minimal footprint, no point of sale (POS) integration, and launch-readiness over bespoke flourish.
What we made (and why)
A custom Shopify theme with schema-driven sections so the team can run future drops without developer involvement. The information architecture mirrors the sister brands—two clear collections, a fast path to cart, and a quiet, persistent newsletter invite. Product cards and a lightweight product detail page (PDP) keep choices simple and perceived speed high.
Small kindnesses add up: fewer clicks, clearer copy, and no “gotchas” at checkout.
How we kept it human—and fast
Time-box to a real moment.
Pinning launch to the merch drop gave everyone a North Star. Scope stayed honest; QA stayed on the buy path.
Use patterns people already know.
Clear navigation & CTAs, gentle motion. Prioritize speed over reinvention.
Instrument end-to-end.
Clean events across product, cart, and checkout—so LTV, AOV, and flow tests had a baseline on day one.
Results (and what’s next)
The store sold through most listed items within days and has held 6–8% conversion from ~3.5k monthly users. Performance remains solid—Lighthouse 94, LCP ~1.4s, CLS ~0.
Phase 2: Dial in SEO and GEO, expand the catalog and corresponding information architecture, enrich social/email flows.
Before → After: in-person only → full online availability across both brands.
