Mugsy Jeans, founded in 2016, is on a mission to make men’s jeans as comfortable as sweatpants. Originally a small passion project, the brand has grown into a thriving ecommerce business, offering a wide range of men’s apparel. Mugsy operates both online through Shopify and in seven brick-and-mortar stores across the US. However, with over 200 SKUs and rising ad costs, the company faced growing pains that made it clear their original Shopify store needed an upgrade.
15% increase in conversion rate year over year
4% higher average order value (AOV)
$80,000 in annual savings by switching to Platter
Reduced dependency on developers
“We were paying a developer $50-60K a year on retainer. Now that’s gone, and we’re saving about $80K a year overall. With Platter, you get a better website. It's kind of a no-brainer.”
Mugsy’s ecommerce store had been running on the same Shopify theme since their launch in 2016. Over time, the site became cluttered with unused apps and unoptimized media, which made it difficult to manage and led to slow page speed. "We were trying to run a modern ecommerce brand on an old, outdated site,” said Cael Schwartz, who leads Growth at the brand. “It was like trying to build a house with a crumbling foundation.”
As Mugsy grew, the old site struggled to keep up with the increasing traffic. “I gave the site to one of my old roommates to try it out, and he got so frustrated trying to buy a pair of jeans that he just quit the browser,” Cael shared. “That was a big wake-up call—if he couldn’t get through it, I knew plenty of other people were probably giving up too.”
Mugsy explored options like hiring agencies or freelance developers, but quotes for a full website rebuild ranged from $30,000 to $50,000—far beyond what made sense for their business. “We didn’t need a fully custom or headless site,” said Cael. “We just needed a solid, flexible solution that could handle everything we were growing into, without breaking the bank—and that’s exactly what Platter delivered.”
After considering several options, Mugsy partnered with Platter to revamp their site. “Platter’s solution was a perfect fit,” Cael shared. “Not only was it cost-effective, but it gave us the tools we needed without sacrificing performance or flexibility.”
Platter’s fully managed solution stood out because, unlike agencies or contractors, it didn’t leave Mugsy relying on developers to maintain the site. With Platter’s Smart Theme, Mugsy’s non-technical team members could easily manage and update the storefront themselves, reducing the ongoing cost of ownership.
Key features included:
“We were paying a developer $50-60K a year on retainer. Now that’s gone, and we’re saving about $80K a year overall. With Platter, you get a better website. It's kind of a no-brainer.”
“We were paying a developer $50-60K a year on retainer. Now that’s gone, and we’re saving about $80K a year overall. With Platter, you get a better website. It's kind of a no-brainer.”
With the new Platter-powered storefront, Mugsy quickly saw improvements.
"We used to rely on a developer for even small changes that would take a week or more,” Cael said. “Now, we can make the same updates in an hour."
The streamlined website also gave Mugsy the flexibility to invest time and resources into new sales channels, including Amazon and Nordstrom. “With the site running smoothly, we’ve been able to shift focus to what really matters—growing the business.”
Switching to Platter was a game-changing decision for Mugsy Jeans. The improved store not only increased conversion rates and average order value but also gave the team the ability to manage their site without relying on costly developers.
With $80,000 in annual savings, a more efficient site, and greater control, Mugsy is now well-positioned for growth. “We have a much more efficient and capable site that we can easily update ourselves,” said Cael. “Platter gave us the tools we needed to thrive, and we’re excited about the growth opportunities ahead.”
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