Alain Delon: Performance Stabilization, New Shopify E-shop, and Preparation for Expansion

OpiStarter: Naming Reality and Setting Priorities

The project started with an OpiStarter, where we identified:

• A lack of centralized reporting.
• Unstable campaign performance.
• Dependence on an external agency without clear oversight.
• Technological limits of the original e-shop.

An unclear expansion strategy.

The output was a specific action plan – what to solve immediately, what to address systemically, and what to prepare as a medium-term project. For Opinest, the project has been led from the beginning by Matej Karaba as Client Owner.

Reporting as the First Step

The first implementation after OpiStarter was reporting and analytics. We built:

• Regular performance reporting (ROAS, PNO/COS, year-over-year comparisons).
• Feed, GMC, and Mergado control.
• Systematic morning account checks.
• Oversight of GA4 and GTM measurement.
• Attribution and customer behavior control.

The goal was simple – without stable data, you cannot manage marketing or make investment decisions.

Stabilization of Performance Marketing

Initially, we managed marketing through an existing agency. Our role was supervisory and managerial:

• Control of campaign structure.
• Oversight of COS and budgets.
• Feed optimization.
• Control of Meta Ads and Google Ads.
• Splitting campaigns by seasonality.
• Merchant Center control.
• Fixing issues in Mergado.

After the initial phase of managing the external provider, it became clear that the implementation pace and prioritization were not in line with the set strategy. Therefore, together with the client, we moved to a new model and took performance marketing under our direct management to react faster and implement the proposed steps.

Work was done on:

• PMax structures.
• Demand Gen campaigns.
• Seasonal campaigns (ball season, wedding season, sales, Christmas).
• Asset optimization.
• Creatives (both banners and video) / recommendations on what works.
• Testing new segments.
• Optimization of Meta creatives and structures.

This was not a one-time optimization, but a continuous stabilization of performance.

The Decision: A New E-shop

Alongside marketing, we addressed a technological problem. First, a tender for a new web provider and the preparation of a brief took place. Due to financial constraints on the project, development was postponed.

We decided on a pragmatic solution: build a new e-shop internally on Shopify at a fraction of the original budget. The goal was clear – we needed a technologically ready platform that would enable online growth.

The complete construction of the Shopify e-shop

Project included:

• UX design and information architecture.
• Design of the homepage and product pages.
• Optimization of filter categories.
• Implementation of a Shopify theme.
• Custom theme adjustments (e.g., size charts, subcategory listings, dropdown text displays on product pages).
• Migration of products and blog articles.
• Translations into CZ and EN using a Shopify plugin.
• Preparation of a redirection table.
• Fixing 404 errors.
• Complete redirects.
• Implementation of GA4, GTM, and Consent.
• Setting up Shopify Markets.
• Implementation of popups and seasonal elements.
• Fixing email templates.
• Implementation of reservations via a Shopify plugin.
• A major part of the project was connecting Shopify to the Baris ERP and synchronizing inventory and order data.

UX Work and Mystery Shopping

UX was not created "from a desk."

It was based on:

• Mystery shopping in the store.
• Customer journey analysis.
• Identification of problems when choosing sizes.
• Gallery adjustments and product presentation.
• Filter optimization.
• Simplification of navigation.

We continuously monitored bounce rates, Clarity recordings, and behavioral metrics. UX was addressed continuously – not as a one-time redesign.

Technological Stabilization

A large part of the work was not visible from the outside but was crucial:

• Cookie consent control for shopping campaigns.
• Fixing GTM and tags.
• Merchant Center control.
• Solving feed issues and improving product data.
• Account synchronization.
• Control of cancellations and cancellation processes.
• Blog interlinking and minor SEO adjustments.

These interventions ensured that marketing functions without technical outages.

Expansion Strategy

After stabilizing performance in the Slovak market and the technological transition to Shopify, we began preparing the next phase – expansion.

This was not about an immediate launch of campaigns abroad, but about preparing the framework:

• Setting up Shopify Markets.
• Preparation of language mutations.
• Control of prices, shipping, and logistics for foreign markets.
• Design of feed structures for individual countries.
• Technological readiness for multi-market mode.
• Analysis of the potential of individual markets.

Expansion is thus not an accidental marketing experiment, but a following step after stabilizing domestic performance and technological infrastructure.

It was important to first:

• Have stable performance in SK.
• Have technology that can handle scaling.

Have reporting that allows for performance comparisons across markets.

Only then does expansion make sense.

Scope of Cooperation

Cooperation with the Alain Delon brand has been ongoing since 2023.

• 2023: 264 hours
• 2024: 301 hours
• 2025: 422 hours
• 2026 (YTD): 66 hours

Total: more than 1,050 hours of work.

The scope of cooperation included:

• Strategic planning and prioritization (OpiStarter).
• Stabilization and management of performance marketing.
• Replacing an external agency.
• Complete construction of a new e-shop on Shopify.
• Migration and redirects.
• Integration with ERP Baris.
• UX optimization and mystery shopping.
• Technological stabilization of measurement and feeds.
• Preparation of an expansion strategy.

It was not one significant intervention, but a gradual stabilization and technological shift for the brand.

Opinest as a Partner

The cooperation with the Alain Delon brand is long-term. It was not a one-time audit or isolated campaign optimization.

Opinest entered the project gradually – from strategy and reporting, through performance marketing stabilization, to the technological transformation of the e-shop. Our role was not just advisory. In individual phases, we also took on executive responsibility – whether in campaign management, website migration, setting up Shopify, or ERP integration.

The project required a combination of:

• Strategic planning.
• Technological decision-making.
• Operational execution.
• Continuous performance oversight.

The goal was not a short-term improvement of metrics, but the creation of a stable online foundation on which the brand can grow in the long term. The cooperation continues, and the next phase focuses on scaling performance and implementing the expansion strategy.