How EyeSwoon saved time by upgrading to Canal

Crafting an unparalleled marketplace experience

In 2022, Athena Calderone’s design and lifestyle blog, EyeSwoon, delighted its readers by launching a curated marketplace of everyday artful objects. Since their launch, Natasha Rodriguez, EyeSwoon’s Director of Business Operations, recognized the need for a better technology solution that would more seamlessly integrate with their Shopify store. "Our challenge was finding a platform that embodied simplicity while catering to our unique vendor assortment," she explains.

EyeSwoon's distinctive curation approach, ranging from one-of-a-kind pieces to more every day, still beautiful objects, required a solution that mirrored their ethos. “We needed a solution that was flexible to both of these types of vendors in our marketplace,” shares Natasha. When traditional dropshipping solutions fell short, EyeSwoon turned to Canal for its platform design that allowed for flexible curation.

Navigating the journey with Canal

Upon discovering Canal, Natasha and her team embarked on a journey to switch over their marketplace. They started migrating to Canal by bringing seven of their artisan vendors, most of whom operated as small-scale operations without extensive ecommerce infrastructure. Building on the existing platform, Canal created custom functionality for EyeSwoon’s vendors that would allow these artisan businesses to access their orders in one place–something they weren’t able to find with competitor solutions.

Canal's customizable and straightforward platform streamlined order automation for their vendors, allowing the EyeSwoon team time to focus on refining their curation strategy. Natasha reflects, "Canal's platform is a testament to thoughtful design and efficiency. The platform is so intuitive and it’s easy to find the information you need on orders quickly. It's like having a partner that anticipates our needs."

As the migration progressed, EyeSwoon collaborated closely with Canal's dedicated Success team to ensure a seamless transition from their previous technology solution to Canal. Natasha lauds Canal's responsiveness and problem-solving abilities, emphasizing the partnership's pivotal role in overcoming challenges. “Migrating to a new software isn’t always perfect, but the Canal team is so quick on their feet to resolve hiccups. It’s been a pleasure working with them,” says Natasha. “That’s my favorite part about working with Canal–their team.”

With Canal in place for their most manual artisan vendors, EyeSwoon swiftly moved toward moving their remaining vendors onto Canal.

Embracing a future of growth and innovation

The migration, completed within four weeks, underscores the effectiveness of the transition process. The result so far? Less busy work and manual effort for their five-person team.

EyeSwoon's successful integration of Canal has laid the foundation for future growth and innovation. Natasha envisions a future where EyeSwoon continues to captivate customers with its curated offerings, supported by Canal's vast network of brands and brand partnership features. "Our Marketing team looks forward to leveraging Canal's capabilities to create engaging content and then seamlessly integrate products that align with EyeSwoon's brand ethos onto our site," she concludes.

EyeSwoon's partnership with Canal exemplifies the power of collaboration and thoughtful technology selection in achieving transformative results. By embracing Canal's innovative approach to ecommerce, EyeSwoon not only overcame operational challenges, but positioned itself for continued success in an ever-evolving digital landscape.