Good Ranchers started as a series of pop-up shops selling 100% American-sourced meat from local, independent farms and ranches. Founded by Ben and Corley Spell, two creatives with a vision to change the way families buy and enjoy meat, the company quickly built a large and loyal fanbase through traveling retail events across the country before transitioning to ecommerce.
In the short time since its online launch, the business has grown into a direct-to-consumer powerhouse built on a simple promise to deliver high-quality, trustworthy meat directly to customers' doors. But as their subscription business began to take off, their technology platform couldn't keep up. Trapped by a disconnected system that stifled innovation, Good Ranchers made the critical decision to replatform.
By migrating to Shopify, Good Ranchers unlocked a flexible, integrated ecosystem that allowed them to fix their subscription model, streamline operations, and focus on what they do best—being a meat company, not a technology company.
Since migrating to Shopify, Good Ranchers has achieved:
- 48% year-over-year revenue growth
- 12% increase in checkout conversion rate
- 10% increase in subscription adoption
- 66% of all checkouts processed through Shop Pay
The challenge: Cultivating a subscription business on a siloed platform
Good Ranchers’ initial growth exposed deep cracks in their tech stack, which was powered by BigCommerce. Their previous platform lacked the flexibility and partner integrations necessary to scale a modern subscription business. “We just kept running into the same issue,” says Jermain Gil, Chief Growth Officer at Good Ranchers. “We would find a company that had an integration with BigCommerce, and then they’d come back and say only 50% of what they offer actually works. It was frustrating.”
This problem came to a head with their homegrown subscription program, which failed to process nearly half of their recurring orders, creating significant cash flow problems. The team realized they were spending more time troubleshooting their platform than serving their customers. They needed a solution that would provide a reliable foundation and an ecosystem of expert partners to help them grow.
We tried to do a homegrown subscription program. At one point, we were only processing 50% of our subscriptions because of this system. That was when we realized we don't need to be a technology company.
The solution: A strategic migration to the most robust ecosystem in commerce
The team at Good Ranchers quickly saw the benefits of their move to Shopify. The new platform immediately gave them access to a robust ecosystem of apps and partners, allowing them to solve critical business needs without building custom solutions. For example, they implemented a third-party gifting app that led to their largest December sales volume ever.
The great thing about some of these partners is they're building very specific things and they are amazing experts at that one thing you need. When you bring in their application, it works well because that's their only focus—being that one answer to that one problem.
Most importantly, they were able to stabilize and grow their core subscription business. By leveraging a dedicated subscription management partner from the Shopify App Store, they could finally offer customers a flexible, reliable experience.
This stability was further enhanced by Shopify Checkout, which provided a familiar and trustworthy payment process. The addition of Shop Pay was particularly impactful, making it easier for customers to complete their high-value purchases with confidence. This powerful combination of a stable platform, expert partners, and a high-converting checkout allowed Good Ranchers to shift its focus back to product quality and customer experience.
The results: A measurable impact on the bottom line
The move to Shopify delivered immediate, measurable results. Good Ranchers saw a 12% increase in its checkout conversion rate and a 10% lift in its overall subscription adoption rate. The business experienced 48% year-over-year revenue growth after the migration, validating their decision to switch platforms.
When a customer got to checkout, we saw the conversion increase. That Shopify checkout page gives them a boost of confidence.
The impact of Shopify Checkout and Shop Pay was undeniable. Today, two-thirds of their customers use Shop Pay, which has become a powerful trust signal. This improved checkout experience, combined with data-driven retention strategies powered by Shopify’s analytics, has been instrumental in their success. For example, after discovering in their Shopify analytics that customer drop-off was highest after the second order, the team implemented a "free mystery gift" with every third order, significantly boosting retention.
Redefining the American meat market
The migration to Shopify was a turning point for Good Ranchers. It marked a fundamental shift in their strategy, allowing them to move beyond the constant challenge of managing technology and focus on their mission. With a stable and scalable platform, the team has been able to invest its energy in creating an exceptional customer experience, from developing new ingredient-forward product lines to empowering their in-house customer service team to be true advocates for their community.
This freedom has allowed them to think bigger. Good Ranchers no longer sees other online meat companies as its primary competition. Instead, their target is the 93% of the market that still buys meat from a traditional grocery store. With Shopify providing the tools to scale and innovate, Good Ranchers is focused on winning over that market, one all-American steak at a time.
