MRR trajectory
4.8x
$150K to $720K MRR in 18 months.
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§ · archetype · vancouver athleisure
A Vancouver athleisure brand · $150K → $720K MRR.
Industry archetype drawn from patterns across multiple Vancouver athleisure DTC engagements. Representative metrics across 18 months: 4.8x MRR, 41% repeat-purchase rate, AOV up 38%, fit-finder lift 24%.
Industry archetype based on patterns across multiple clients in this vertical. Brand name and identifying details are illustrative.
repeat purchase
41%
Customer-cohort repeat purchase rate.
fit-finder lift
+24pt
Conversion uplift for shoppers who used the fit-finder.
§ 01 · the brand archetype
A Vancouver athleisure brand sitting at the technical-apparel inflection.
The archetype represents a slice of Vancouver DTC we ship into reliably: a $150K MRR athleisure or technical-apparel brand on a 2022-vintage Shopify Plus theme, founded by a Vancouver operator with material-science conviction and a quiet-luxury brand voice; sells across Canada, the US west coast, and into Australia. Pre-engagement state: Plus-themed storefront with strong product photography but generic-DTC commerce IA, no fit-finder despite a complex size matrix, return rate sitting at 22 percent, lifecycle email running on a single welcome plus abandoned-cart series, AOV plateaued at $128.
Three structural problems compounded the growth ceiling. One, the fit complexity (technical apparel sized across body type, activity, and environment) created a high-return baseline that the storefront did nothing to address. Two, the material-science story (the brand's actual moat) was buried in product copy nobody read; the homepage led with lifestyle imagery instead of evidence-led performance content. Three, the brand had three genuinely subscription-shaped SKUs (essentials line: socks, base layers, compression) that were sold one-time only.
§ 02 · the approach
14 weeks. Five workstreams. One launch.
Workstream 1 · Shopify Plus theme rebuild. Replaced the generic-DTC theme with a Plus-native theme designed against the material-science brand voice. Performance-content surfaces, modular section schema, accessibility-baked. Storefront Core Web Vitals all green at month 2.
Workstream 2 · Fit-finder UI. Built a four-question fit-finder (body type, activity, fit preference, climate) tied to the size matrix. Shoppers who completed the fit-finder converted at a 24-point higher rate; return rate dropped from 22 percent to 15 percent across 90 days post-launch.
Workstream 3 · Subscription on essentials. Identified the three subscription-shaped SKUs (socks, base layers, compression) and shipped a subscription program against them. By month 12, subscriptions accounted for 18 percent of total MRR.
Workstream 4 · Material-science content surfaces. Replaced lifestyle-only homepage with material-science evidence content: lab data, third-party performance benchmarks, named-fabric origin stories. Bounce rate on the homepage dropped from 64 percent to 41 percent.
Workstream 5 · Klaviyo seven-segment lifecycle. Replaced the single welcome plus abandoned-cart with a seven-segment lifecycle program: pre-purchase, first-time buyer, second-time buyer, three-plus loyalist, lapsed, VIP, subscription-active. Email revenue share moved from 13 percent to 28 percent of total digital.
§ 03 · tech stack named
Shopify Plus core. Boring choices.
storefront
Shopify Plus
Plus-native theme with material-science section schema. Shopify dev theme tooling and Online Store 2.0 patterns. Fit-finder built as Liquid + Alpine.js custom section.
email + sms
Klaviyo + Attentive
Klaviyo for seven-segment lifecycle email. Attentive for SMS at the high-LTV end.
support
Gorgias
Gorgias as the post-purchase support surface. Macros tied to fit-finder data plus subscription state.
analytics
PostHog + GA4
PostHog for fit-finder funnel analytics. GA4 for storefront reporting tied to Looker Studio.
billing
Stripe
Stripe Billing for subscription on essentials, dunning, and customer-portal experience.
collaboration
Linear + Notion
Linear for engineering. Notion for cross-functional planning.
§ 04 · cohort + 18-month detail
The numbers behind the headline.
| metric | pre-engagement | month 6 | month 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| MRR | $150K | $370K | $720K |
| Repeat-purchase rate | 24% | 33% | 41% |
| AOV | $128 | $152 | $176 |
| Return rate | 22% | 17% | 15% |
| Subscription % of MRR | 0% | 9% | 18% |
| NPS | 48 | 58 | 67 |
Metrics representative of the archetype; specific brands within the pattern range plus or minus 20 percent on each line.
§ 05 · what this means for vancouver brands
If your Vancouver brand looks like this archetype.
The pattern this archetype represents (Vancouver athleisure or technical-apparel DTC in the $100K to $300K MRR range, on a generic-DTC Shopify theme, with a high-return baseline that the storefront does nothing to address, with no subscription on the brand's natural subscription-shaped SKUs) is one of our most-shipped engagement shapes for the Pacific Northwest. The 14-week timeline holds steady across athleisure DTC at this stage; the workstreams compress or expand in the same proportions; the metrics typically land within plus or minus 20 percent of the archetype numbers above.
Five capabilities transfer directly to a comparable Vancouver engagement. First, Shopify Plus theme rebuild against the material-science brand voice with performance-content surfaces. Second, fit-finder UI tied to the size matrix, which lifts conversion and drops return rate. Third, subscription program on the natural subscription-shaped SKUs. Fourth, material-science content rebuilt around lab data, third-party benchmarks, and named-fabric origin stories. Fifth, seven-segment Klaviyo lifecycle program tied to RFM signal.
Every Vancouver engagement starts with a 30-minute discovery call. The scope, timeline, and budget come back in writing within 48 hours. Pacific Time, six-hour afternoon overlap to our New York HQ.
§ 06 · book the vancouver call
Vancouver athleisure. 4.8x trajectories don't ship themselves.
30-minute call on PT. Written scope and fixed-price quote in 48 hours. In-person across Yaletown, Mount Pleasant, Granville Island, and the Vancouver Harbour for retainer engagements.