🚀 Free 15-minute systems audit for businesses considering a POS or platform migration.
Book Complimentary Consultation
cross icon
customer story

Upgraded Commerce Focused on Intelligent, Kid-Friendly Engagement

4,000 Books
Migrated to Shopify
company
High Five Books
location
Florence, MA
industry
Children’s Bookstore / Retail
High Five Books is more than a bookstore — it’s a community hub for children, families, and educators, built around a joyful experience with books. But their digital and in-store systems weren’t keeping up. Boldly Forge partnered with High Five Books to reimagine their commerce and engagement ecosystem, transitioning them from a limited Square setup to a robust, scalable Shopify platform. This included deep customization for kid-friendly usability, a strategic Klaviyo integration for personalized customer engagement, AI-powered workflows that optimize operations over time, and the deployment of Shopify POS to unite online and in-store sales.

The Challenge

High Five Books came to us facing several challenges common to growing independent retailers:

  • Limited flexibility with Square — restricting customization and personalization options
  • Fragmented customer engagement — no unified system to nurture lifelong readers and repeat buyers
  • In-store and online systems operating independently — leading to inefficiencies in inventory and sales reporting
  • High expectations for a playful experience — the platform had to feel welcoming and intuitive for kids and families

They needed a solution that would:

  1. Modernize their commerce infrastructure
  2. Unify online and physical bookstore experiences
  3. Enable intelligent customer engagement and segmentation
  4. Support a delightful, kid-friendly design and user journey

Our Solution

Boldly Forge crafted a tailored technology ecosystem centered around Shopify and Klaviyo, purpose-built for both customers and staff.

🛒 Unified Commerce Platform

  • Shopify Online Store — a flexible platform optimized for curated discovery and joyful browsing
  • Shopify Point of Sale (POS) — deployed in-store for seamless checkout, inventory syncing, and staff efficiency
  • Custom UX/UI — designed specifically to feel intuitive and welcoming for kids, caregivers, and educators

📧 Customer Engagement & Loyalty

  • Klaviyo Integration — unlocked powerful segmentation and automated engagement
    • Welcome series for new subscribers
    • Personalized recommendations based on interests, past purchases, and reading stages
    • Event and reading challenge reminders

🤖 Enhanced with AI

  • AI-Powered Workflows — smart automations that dynamically optimize operations and marketing, including:
    • Predictive product suggestions
    • Customer reactivation sequences
    • Inventory alerts tied to demand trends

This combination gave High Five Books a platform that wasn’t just functional — it learned and improved over time, making better recommendations, smarter campaigns, and more dependable inventory insights with each interaction.

The Impact

📈 Business Performance

  • Unified inventory across online and in-store channels
  • Faster checkouts and smoother POS workflows
  • Higher conversions from personalized email and SMS flows

🧠 Intelligent Engagement

  • Automated customer journeys that adapt based on behavior
  • Deep customer profiles built over time, enhancing lifetime value
  • Targeted reactivation campaigns that keep families coming back

🎨 Delightful Customer Experience

  • A kid-friendly storefront that invites exploration
  • Consistent branding and tone across web and email
  • Accessible, playful navigation that supports discovery

Why This Matters

For an independent bookstore with heart, every interaction counts. Before our engagement, High Five Books was limited by a one-size-fits-none platform. Now, they have:

  • A scalable commerce system that grows with their community
  • A data-driven engagement engine that strengthens relationships
  • A brand experience that feels as joyful and intentional online as it does in their store

This isn’t just an ecommerce migration — it’s a transformation of how High Five Books connects with families, fosters lifelong readers, and operates efficiently behind the scenes.

Tools & Technologies

  • Shopify Online Store & Shopify POS — unified commerce backbone
  • Klaviyo — advanced customer engagement and automation
  • AI-Enabled Workflows — intelligent optimization across sales and marketing