Rareseeds - Hyvä Showcase

Rareseeds Blooms on Hyvä with +11% Conversions and 30% Order Growth

Agriculture Retail Project Snapshot

• URL: rareseeds.com
• Country: United States
• Industry Vertical: Agriculture – Heirloom Seeds
• Business Model: B2C
• Platform: Adobe Commerce

Hyvä Project Scope and Key Results

• SKUs: 17,000
• New Website Launch: 04/11/2024
• Products Used: Hyvä Theme, Hyvä Enterprise, Hyvä Checkout and Venta
• Conversion Increase: +11%
• Order Growth: +30%
• Loading Performance: Improved by 57%
• Engagement Rate: +25%
• Core Web Vitals: +100% Increase in “Good” pages
• Performance Scores: 90+ for Homepage, Category Pages, and PDPs on Desktop

Client’s Quote:

About Rareseeds

Rareseeds, operated by Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, is North America’s largest source of heirloom seeds, offering 1,000 unique varieties. Founded in 1998 by Jere Gettle, the company is committed to preserving agricultural heritage and biodiversity through sustainable practices and education.

From its headquarters in Mansfield, Missouri, Rareseeds operates trial gardens, greenhouses, and a seed store on Jere’s family homestead. With warehouses in Seymour, Missouri, and a retail store in Petaluma, California, Rareseeds has become a leader in heirloom gardening.

Rareseeds fosters community engagement through educational efforts, festivals, and events, ensuring the legacy of heirloom seeds is celebrated and preserved.

Market and Digital Strategy: Growing with Purpose

Rareseeds has successfully positioned itself as more than a retailer—it’s a trusted resource and community hub for gardeners, homesteaders, and sustainable farming enthusiasts.

Their strategy combines education, storytelling, and sustainability to create lasting connections with their audience. Key initiatives include:

• Educational Content: Engaging blogs, comprehensive guides, and tailored email campaigns that explore heirloom gardening, sustainability, and the historical significance of their seed varieties.
• Community Engagement: Rareseeds organises events like the National Heirloom Expo and Spring Planting Festival, uniting gardening enthusiasts, showcasing new seed varieties, and celebrating sustainable practices.
• Optimised eCommerce: A seamless, high-performance shopping experience allows customers to browse, learn, and purchase effortlessly.

Since 2000, Rareseeds has hosted festivals that bring together gardeners and natural food enthusiasts. These events provide a platform for idea-sharing, seed exchanges, expert-led sessions, and live music, reinforcing Rareseeds’ role as a leader in sustainable gardening.

The adoption of Hyvä and Venta has empowered Rareseeds to deliver this experience digitally, optimising site scalability, performance, and usability to inspire their audience while supporting biodiversity.

Challenges Overcome

• Overcomplexity: The previous PWA platform was overly complex and resource-intensive, requiring extensive development resources to maintain and scale.
• Performance Limitations: Slow site speeds and poor Core Web Vitals negatively impacted engagement and conversions.
• Compatibility Gaps: Struggled to integrate custom and third-party extensions seamlessly.
• User Experience: Lacked intuitive navigation and a streamlined checkout process, leading to high cart abandonment rates.
• Infrastructure Inefficiency: The complex system hindered scalability and increased maintenance demands.

Approach and Tech Stack

To address the challenges Rareseeds faced, Magebit took a strategic and client-focused approach to deliver a lightweight, efficient, and scalable solution. Their actions included:

• Migrating the platform to Venta: Magebit implemented their Hyvä-based theme to streamline Rareseeds’ infrastructure and enhance scalability.
• Implementing Hyvä Checkout: A high-performance checkout process was integrated to reduce friction and boost conversions.
• Refactoring extensions for compatibility: Custom and third-party extensions were optimised to integrate seamlessly with Hyvä Enterprise.
• Enhancing SEO: Search engine optimisation improved visibility and drove organic traffic growth.
• Improving UX: Design adjustments streamlined navigation and enhanced usability for customers.
• Code quality and documentation: The codebase was refactored for improved quality, scalability, and documentation.
• Client enablement: Magebit conducted detailed training sessions to empower Rareseeds to confidently manage their platform.

Rareseeds Tech Stack

• Adobe Commerce: Provided scalability, flexibility, and advanced features for Rareseeds’ extensive product catalogue.
• Hyvä Theme & Hyvä Enterprise: Delivered a lightweight, developer-friendly, and performance-optimised framework for both frontend and enterprise-grade functionality.
• Hyvä Checkout: Offered a faster and more efficient checkout process to improve customer satisfaction and conversion rates.

Results Achieved

• Page Speed: +57%
• Order Growth: +30%
• Engagement Rate: +25%
• Conversion Rate: +11%
• Core Web Vitals: +100% increase in “Good” pages with scores of 90+ across key areas

The improved platform simplified infrastructure, reduced costs, and delivered a fast, seamless experience for Rareseeds’ customers. This setup has inspired confidence and excitement as Rareseeds explores new opportunities for growth in 2025.

Reflections and Advice

Magebit recognised the critical impact of managing dependencies, including GTM configurations and third-party scripts, early in the project. Proper auditing and load-order optimisation were instrumental in achieving the outstanding performance metrics. This approach ensured smoother execution, reduced bottlenecks, and maximised the efficiency of the new platform.

Tips for Merchants:

• Prioritise Page Speed and UX: Fast, user-friendly sites boost engagement and SEO rankings.
• Assemble an Expert Team: Leverage developers with Hyvä experience to maximise potential.
• Align Goals Early: Establishing clear objectives and maintaining open communication with stakeholders ensures success.

Agency’s Quote

About Magebit and Venta

Magebit is a full-service eCommerce agency delivering innovative solutions for clients worldwide. With over 550 projects across 55 industries, Magebit partners with brands like Snap-on, Dunkin’, and Henry Schein to craft scalable, high-performing eCommerce platforms.

Magebit’s Venta theme, built on Hyvä, won the Innovator Award at Meet Magento New York 2024, showcasing their commitment to cutting-edge solutions.