Exclusive Offer for Shopify & E‑commerce Brands!
Claim your offer
Are you looking for a free website audit?
Are you looking for a free SEO website audit? SEO Website Audit Website Performance Audit Performance Audit
Free Shopify Plus Store Design & Build
Apply Now!
The Genielab - Shopify Experts The Genielab - Shopify Experts
Cart
Subtotal
$0.00
Shipping, taxes, and discount codes calculated at checkout.
Your cart is currently empty.

A Retailer Map on an online store is a powerful tool for bridging the gap between digital and physical shopping experiences. Whether you’re a direct-to-consumer brand with wholesale distribution or a manufacturer selling through retail partners, integrating a store locator like the Retailers Map App into your Shopify storefront offers strategic advantages across customer experience, brand credibility, and sales performance.

The Challenge

Many Shopify brands rely on physical retail presence—dealers, stockists, distributors, and clinics—to drive revenue. But most store locator solutions fall short in one of three places: (1) the admin experience is slow and messy when you have lots of locations, (2) the map/search UX is clunky for shoppers, or (3) the integration into modern Shopify themes is fragile.

As an agency working with fast-growing Shopify merchants, TheGenieLab needed a store locator that was:

  • Easy for merchants to manage at scale (bulk import/export, searchable admin listings, clear workflows)
  • Fast and intuitive on the storefront (zip search, autocomplete, “get directions”, mobile-first layouts)
  • Modern Shopify-compatible (Theme App Extension / app blocks, settings-driven styling, reliable deployment)
  • Maintainable over time (API upgrades, security, certificates, and continuous improvements)
The Challenge

The Objectives

  • Build a robust Store Locator app foundation that supports merchant growth and large retailer datasets
  • Create an admin experience that makes adding, editing, importing, and exporting locations painless
  • Deliver a modern theme integration model compatible with Shopify’s current best practices
  • Improve storefront search UX (zip search, autocomplete, live location, and reliable map behavior)
  • Support real-world merchant needs through ongoing fixes, enhancements, and deployments
The Objectives

The Solution

TheGenieLab developed and continuously improved the Store Locator App through multiple iterative releases. The work spanned backend stability, Shopify integration, admin workflows, and storefront UX enhancements.

🧱 App Foundation & Platform Modernization

  • Set up and maintained the Laravel project foundation and dependencies
  • Handled certificate and environment issues to ensure stable installs and secure operations
  • Prepared deployments, executed live deployments, and supported production releases
  • Upgraded APIs over time to stay compatible with Shopify platform changes

🗺️ Map UX & Storefront Search Experience

  • Built and improved “Map Extension” functionality to support scalable map performance
  • Implemented zip search improvements and resolved storefront search edge cases
  • Added autocomplete to the storefront search input for faster discovery
  • Implemented and refined “Get Directions” behavior for location cards and map pins
  • Added a “Live Location” feature with enable/disable controls
  • Fixed modal behavior on map pin click and addressed multiple-call issues impacting map performance
  • Ensured mobile layouts were corrected across both 1-column and 2-column storefront layouts

⚙️ Admin Experience: Retailer Management at Scale

  • Added admin controls to manage display columns for faster retailer management
  • Built search and filters for the admin retailer listing to support larger datasets
  • Enhanced retailer add/edit workflows for speed and consistency
  • Implemented import/export flows, including validation adjustments and deployment hardening
  • Added CSV tooling to support merchant onboarding and bulk updates

🧩 Shopify Integration: Theme App Extension & App Blocks

  • Implemented Theme App Extension / app block functionality for modern theme compatibility
  • Added page handle functionality and verification to support flexible storefront placement
  • Built “create & select page” functionality to simplify merchant setup and publishing
  • Converted key asset behaviors to GraphQL where required for compatibility and stability
  • Improved preview behavior and resolved issues where customizer changes weren’t reflecting

🧭 Onboarding, Dashboard & Support Content

  • Built guided onboarding and wizard-style setup to reduce install friction
  • Redesigned “your dashboard” setup steps for clarity and merchant confidence
  • Created/updated the FAQ and support sections to reduce support load and improve usability
  • Produced instruction documentation to support installs, configuration, and merchant success

✅ QA, Feedback Loops & Ongoing Merchant Support

  • Iterated on “Storelocator feedback” cycles and released improvements based on real merchant usage
  • Resolved installation issues and API-related edge cases across multiple stores
  • Investigated and fixed client-specific issues (search, map design, API key restrictions)
  • Tested against new stores, live themes, and staging environments to reduce regressions
The Solution

The Results

  • ✅ A modern Store Locator app foundation with reliable installs, deployment workflows, and platform compatibility
  • ✅ A stronger admin experience for merchants managing many retail locations (filters, columns, import/export)
  • ✅ Improved storefront UX: autocomplete search, live location, directions links, and stable map pin behavior
  • ✅ Greater theme compatibility using app blocks and settings-driven layouts (1-column/2-column, mobile fixes)
  • ✅ Reduced friction in onboarding through guided setup, documentation, and an improved support experience
  • ✅ Ongoing product refinement through real merchant feedback and iterative releases

What We Delivered

At a high level, this product work combined four pillars:

  • Core App Engineering: Laravel foundation, stability fixes, API upgrades, deployments, security/cert handling
  • Admin UX: retailer add/edit enhancements, admin filtering, display controls, bulk operations
  • Storefront UX: map extensions, zip search, autocomplete, live location, directions, responsive layouts
  • Modern Shopify Integration: Theme App Extension / app blocks, page selection, preview stability, GraphQL updates
The Results