haloheadband.comVolusion to BigCommerce Migration
The Situation
Halo Headband, a high-performance sweatband manufacturer led by CEO Paul Ketchen, came to MAK Digital to modernize their aging digital infrastructure. After 20 years on Volusion, their site was severely outdated and no longer met customer expectations or modern eCommerce standards. The outdated platform, tired visuals, and frustrating checkout experience were costing them sales, especially problematic when their Amazon presence was thriving but their own website was driving customers away. For a brand targeting active athletes who shop on mobile devices, an outdated, friction-filled site meant losing direct sales to competitors with better digital experiences.
The Core Challenge
The site had no search bar, making product discovery more difficult than necessary. The problems extended to checkout: coupon code fields were poorly placed and hard to find, creating friction at the moment customers were ready to buy. On mobile devices, where active athletes frequently shop while training or traveling, the outdated layouts didn't translate to smaller screens, turning simple tasks like browsing or checking out into frustrating exercises.
This outdated platform cost Halo Headband in concrete ways. The limited discovery paths like the navigation and poor mobile experience meant lost sales from their core customer base of runners, cyclists, and lacrosse players who expect seamless shopping experiences. More critically, the outdated design failed to showcase what makes Halo Headband different: their patented SweatSeal with Grip Technology that actually keeps sweat out of athletes' eyes. Instead of prominently highlighting this innovation that sets them apart from generic sweatband competitors, the outdated design did a poor job of showcasing it, making Halo Headband look like just another athletic accessory brand. For a premium product competing in a crowded market, the 20-year-old platform wasn’t just outdated, it limited their ability to drive conversions and clearly showcase their competitive advantage.
Additional Obstacles
Halo Headband also faced technical challenges apart from the outdated design. The site operated on store.haloheadband.com instead of haloheadband.com, which hurt brand recognition and made it harder for search engines to rank the brand properly. Moving to the root domain while preserving 20 years of search rankings required complex technical work with 301 redirects to ensure they didn’t lose the authority built over two decades. Halo Headband also had a sizable and complex product catalog, including roughly 200 SKUs with multiple color variations. Migrating this data from Volusion to BigCommerce without errors, data loss, or downtime was critical for maintaining day-to-day sales during the transition.
Custom Templates + Webpages:
Services Completed:
Applications & Integrations:
- BigCommerce - eCommerce Platform
- Google Analytics - Statistics
- Searchanise - Complex Search Provider
- reCAPTCHA - Security
- Cloudfare - Content Delivery System
- BitPay - Payment Solutions
- Afterpay - Payment Solutions
Our Approach
MAK Digital migrated Halo Headband from their 15-year-old Volusion platform to BigCommerce and redesigned the site to fix the broken user experience frustrating customers. Every decision focused on modernizing the outdated design, restoring basic eCommerce functionality, and prominently showcasing their patented Sweat Seal with Grip Technology.
Modern Design & Functionality
The 20-year-old site had no search bar, confusing navigation, and hidden checkout fields, basic functionality that customers expect was simply missing.
- Integrated Searchanise search functionality to give customers a faster, more direct way to find specific products.
- Built structured navigation with clear dropdown menus for all major products making browsing more accessible
- Redesigned checkout experience with clearly visible coupon code fields, eliminating friction at purchase
- Prominently featured Sweat Seal with Grip Technology on the homepage to clearly communicate what sets Halo Headband apart.
Mobile Optimization for Active Athletes
Runners, cyclists, and lacrosse players shopping on mobile encountered layouts that didn't work on smaller screens, frustrating Halo's core customer base.
- Rebuilt site with mobile-first responsive design that works seamlessly across phones, tablets, and desktops
- Optimized navigation and checkout specifically for mobile to reduce friction for athletes purchasing on the go
SEO Foundation & Brand Visibility
Operating on store.haloheadband.com for 20 years instead of haloheadband.com weakened brand recognition and diluted search rankings.
- Migrated from store.haloheadband.com to haloheadband.com for stronger brand presence and SEO performance
- Implemented complex 301 redirects to preserve 20 years of search authority during domain transition
- Ensured all product pages, categories, and content maintained their search rankings through the migration
Custom Features & Functionality
- Complex sticky navigation
- drop-down navigation
- Custom integration with the Searchanise
- Custom Product page template
- Custom Category page template
- Site re-design
Business Impact
Customers landing on Halo Headband's site now see a completely different experience. The outdated visuals and outdated layout are replaced with clean, modern design that looks as professional as their thriving Amazon storefront. A search bar, previously missing, is now included on the site, powered by Searchanise for dynamic search functionality, making it easy for customers to quickly find their headband of choice. On mobile, where runners and cyclists frequently shop, the site displays and functions properly with optimized layouts instead of the poor mobile experience that previously frustrated shoppers. Their SweatSeal with Grip Technology is now featured prominently on the homepage, immediately showing what makes Halo different.
Paul and his team now have a site that keeps pace with their business. The improved mobile experience turns browsers into buyers instead of driving them away with layouts that previously didn’t work well on smaller screens. The site now reflects the same level of professionalism and trust as Halo Headband’s Amazon storefront, reinforcing their premium positioning across channels. The move from store.haloheadband.com to haloheadband.com gives them stronger brand presence and improved SEO visibility in search results. MAK Digital also successfully migrated roughly 200 SKUs with complex color variations from Volusion to BigCommerce without data loss or downtime, critical for a business that can’t afford to pause sales during a platform transition.
BigCommerce gives Halo Headband the modern infrastructure Volusion couldn't provide after 20 years. The platform handles their current traffic and sales volume reliably while providing room to grow as they expand their athlete community. The custom design, not a generic template, reflects their premium positioning in the athletic sweatband market. Halo Headband successfully transitioned from an aging platform to a competitive eCommerce foundation.
Ask away, we're here to help!
Halo Headband BigCommerce Website Migration and Redesign: Everything You Need to Know About the haloheadband.com Transformation
How long did the migration and redesign take?
The full migration and redesign took approximately three months. This included planning, data migration, custom design, development, testing, and launch. A structured timeline ensures quality work without rushing critical steps that could cause issues later.
Was there any downtime during the migration?
No. We used a staged migration approach that allowed Halo Headband to continue selling while the new site was built and tested. The final cutover was handled carefully to ensure a seamless transition.
I want to migrate my site but I’m afraid of losing data, how did you handle that for Halo Headband?
We first migrated Halo Headband’s store into a staging (sandbox) environment where we tested and validated all products, variations, images, and content. Multiple test migrations and checks were performed before moving the full catalog. This allowed us to catch issues early and ensure no data was lost during the final migration.
How did you handle migrating complex products with color variations?
We mapped product attributes and variations from Volusion to BigCommerce and tested multiple sample products before migrating the full catalog. This ensured each SKU and variation displayed correctly on the new site.
Did changing from store.haloheadband.com to haloheadband.com impact SEO?
No. We implemented 301 redirects from all old URLs to their new equivalents and verified indexing in search tools. This preserved existing rankings while improving brand consistency.
How easy is it to manage the site after launch?
Halo Headband can update products, images, pricing, and content through BigCommerce’s admin without relying on a developer for routine changes.
What happens if issues come up after launch?
We remain available for post-launch support to address bugs, adjustments, or additional requests. Launch isn’t the end, it’s the start of optimization and refinement.
Does every Volusion to BigCommerce migration take three months?
No. Timelines vary depending on catalog size, design complexity, integrations, and customization needs. Smaller sites may move faster, while larger or more complex builds may take longer.
