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Petworld.ie - Case Study
We helped Petworld scale profitably by re-platforming, restructuring marketing and embedding full ecommerce leadership.
Market
- Retail
- Pet Supplies
- Subscription Ecommerce
Technology
- ShopifyWMS Integration
- Klaviyo
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads
- Seal Subscriptions
Services & Service Packages
- Ecommerce Website Build
- Market and Competitor Analysis
- Redesign and Branding
- Product Data and Blog Migration
- Categorisation & Structure
- Marketing Channel Integration
- Subscription Model
- SEO and redirects.
- 12 Month Profit Roadmap
- Outsourced Director of Ecommerce
- Ecommerce Growth Strategy
- 12 Month Profit Roadmap
- P&L & Margin Optimisation
- Subscription & Retention Strategy
- Paid Media Oversight
- Own Brand Commercial Planning
- Implementation
- WooCommerce to Shopify Re-Platform
- UX & Conversion Optimisation
- Email Marketing Management
- Marketing Calendar Execution
- Promotion and Pricing Management and Automation
- Agency Partner Coordination
Our Impact:
Over a two year period, we moved Petworld from steady but stagnant online revenue to a scalable, profitable ecommerce operation, now entering year three of continued growth.
- Re-platformed from WooCommerce to Shopify with full redesign and zero SEO loss
- Doubled conversion rate and scaled revenue fivefold within two years
- Delivered a structured 12 month roadmap to profitability, exceeding targets at each stage
500%
Revenue Growth within 2 years
x2
Conversion Rate, post migration.
Repeat Customers
Increased from 30% to over 50%, whilst growing new base
Profit Turnaround
From monthly losses to consistent positive net profit
About:
Petworld.ie is an established Irish pet retailer with both a long standing ecommerce presence and a physical store based in Letterkenny, County Donegal. Serving pet owners across Ireland, the business offers a broad range of pet food, accessories and specialist products for dogs, cats, fish, birds and small animals.
The company was founded in 1993 by Gary Cooney as a supermarket-style pet shop and has since grown into one of Ireland’s most recognised online pet supply stores. Over the years, Petworld.ie has built a reputation for product range, customer service and convenience, offering free delivery options and click & collect to support its nationwide customer base.
The Challenge:
Petworld.ie had been trading online for over 10 years. Revenue was steady but largely organic and had not grown meaningfully during that period. While the store had a loyal customer base, the ecommerce channel was not operating at a scale that supported stronger buying power or improved margin leverage.
Monthly performance lacked commercial structure. Conversion was underperforming. Paid acquisition was limited. Retention was not optimised. Despite reasonable turnover, the business was experiencing negative monthly profit.
The goal was clear. Move beyond steady organic trade and build a profitable ecommerce channel capable of scaling in a controlled way.
Petworld engaged FWD to provide structured ecommerce leadership and define a clear path to sustainable growth.
The Approach:
Commercial Reset & 12 Month Profit Plan
We began with a full commercial review covering:
- Revenue composition and growth constraints
- Conversion performance and funnel friction
- Margin structure and contribution
- Retention opportunity
- Operational integration and workflow
From this, we mapped out a structured 12 month plan to profitability. The roadmap prioritised:
- Conversion uplift
- Margin protection
- Paid acquisition discipline
- Retention and subscription growth
- Operational efficiency
Targets were set within the requirements of Petworld management and exceeded at each stage.
Re-Platform & Conversion Uplift
We migrated from WooCommerce to Shopify, delivering:
- Full UX redesign focused on usability and speed
- Improved product architecture
- Subscription-ready structure
- Complete SEO redirect strategy to protect organic rankings
The migration delivered an immediate uplift in conversion rate, which has since stabilised at approximately double previous levels. Organic equity was preserved throughout.
Marketing, Retention & Margin Control
Under the ACCELERATE package, FWD embedded across the full ecommerce function.
Paid Media
- Introduced specialist PPC agency partner
- Structured Google Ads strategy with clear CPA control
- Maintained consistent CPA% while scaling spend where margin alloed
- Meta channel introduced to diversify acquisition
Email & Retention
- Full Klaviyo implementation
- Automated lifecycle flows and campaign planning
- Email revenue scaled from zero to approximately 20% per month attributed
- Subscription model introduced, now representing approximately 25% of turnover
- Repeat customer rate increased from 30% to over 60%
Commercial & Operational Improvements
- Net monthly profit improved from consistent loss to sustained positive performance
- Own brand products introduced to strengthen margin mix
- Shopify fully integrated with WMS to improve stock control and operational efficiency
The focus throughout was disciplined growth that improved buying power, found the balance between profit and pricing, and built long term resilience.
Now entering year three of partnership, the business continues to scale on a stable commercial foundation.
The Results:
- Revenue Growth – Fivefold increase within two years
- Conversion Rate x2 – Sustained improvement post migration
- Profit Turnaround – From monthly losses to consistent positive net profit
- Repeat Customer Growth – Increased from 30% to over 60%
- Subscription Revenue – Now representing approximately 25% of turnover, providing consistent and reliable repeat invome
- Email Revenue – Grew from zero to approximately 20% attributed revenue
Gary Cooney, Managing Director - Cooney Group
Chris, James and the FWD team brought structure and clarity to our ecom business at a point where we we’d being struggling for a few years to get traction online. The 12 month plan they built gave us confidence, and they delivered on it step by step. We’ve exceeded the targets we originally set and now have a profitable, scalable ecommerce channel that supports the wider business. Their insight, commercial understanding and hands on support have been invaluable. I would recommend them without hesitation.
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