Pacers Before and After

Pacers Running

On the Run Since '91

Client Overview

Founded in 1991 in Alexandria, Virginia, Pacers Running has grown from a local specialty running shop into a nationally recognized hub for runners and walkers of all levels. What began as a single storefront offering quality gear and community support has evolved into a multi-location business and events company grounded in the mantra “For Every Run.”

Pacers Running is rooted in a strong sense of purpose and family legacy. Current owner Chris Farley began working in the store in the late ’90s, eventually purchasing the business from his parents in 2014. His leadership — alongside longtime partner and now co-owner Kathy Dalby — has guided the company through decades of expansion while maintaining its community-first values.

In addition to its retail presence in the DC and Virginia area and an online store, Pacers Running is a prominent force in the local running community through its race and events division. Since launching its first race in response to Hurricane Katrina, the brand has hosted and supported dozens of events, raising over $1 million for charitable partners and creating meaningful touchpoints for runners across the region.

Pacers Running’s mission is to make running, in all its forms, accessible, inclusive, and impactful. Whether customers are walking, training, racing, or simply need a good pair of shoes, Pacers supports every step of the journey.

Project Scope

The Redesign & IMS Discovery

Pacers Running reached out to Ask Kenna because their website was not working as intended with many issues impacting their overall customer experience.

Customers were intermittently unable to add products to their cart, the site search functionality was not working, and customers were accidentally ordering incorrect sizes due to product page issues. These issues resulted in lost revenue and thousands of dollars of returns and exchanges.

Pacers also needed help selecting and implementing a new inventory management system (IMS) for their complex retail, ecommerce, and Amazon warehouse management needs.

We approached the site problems from all angles. First, We compared several IMS solutions and recommend Finale as the best solution for their needs. Then we performed a tech stack audit to get a better idea of their internal software architecture. Next, we got to work on a new theme by optimizing for a sleek and simple customer experience. We quickly got to work and designed the new store theme and functionality around their wants and needs.

Navigation Overhaul

The first thing we did for Pacers was modifying their menu and navigation.

We created sub collections on each main collection page, which allowed us to remove many of the drop down options from the existing menu. This streamlined menu is now easier to navigate and takes less space on the page. Check out the before and after slider below.

Pacers has a vibrant running community with free weekly jogging sessions - we did not want their customers to miss out on these get-togethers! We put all of the Pacers events in one place so that they are easier to find; and, moved blog posts to a “Culture” tab. This made it easy to see what the brand and their community are all about.

Before & After

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Collection Pages

Like most Shopify 2.0 Theme updates/migrations, we leaned heavily on metafields to create options for collections and sub collections. With the launch of Online Store 2.0 in 2023, metafields became widely accessible across Shopify. We used metafields to customize and associate products, collections, and sub collections for the Pacers store.

Please reach out to us directly if you have questions about migrating to an Online Store 2.0 Theme or how you can use metafields in your store. You can learn more about metafields here!

We refined Pacer’s filters and associated all related products to make shopping easier and smoother for the customer.

Before & After

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Product Page Enhancements

We made some very impactful changes to Pacers’ product pages. At the time of this build in early 2024, Shopify was still operating with a 100 variant limit on products. This variant limit is a road block for shoe stores with multiple colors, widths, and sizes of shoes. The Ask Kenna team was able to work around Shopify 100 variant limit using the features included in the OS 2.0 theme Honey.

Using Honey’s impressive native features, we were able to stitch together all product variants. Now when you land on a Pacers product (as shown below) you can filter by shoe color, size, and even the toe box width! We then added custom code to strike out any out of stock sizes and colors to create a clear and simple customer buying experience.

We then customized the product page further to ensure that the shoe size that the customer selected does not reset while they are choosing a shoe color. In the past, when a customer switched shoe colors, the product would reset to the smallest available size. This resulted in many customers, especially on mobile, ordering the wrong shoe size. By resolving this huge customer issue, we greatly reduced the number of exchanges/returns and negative customer interactions Pacers was experiencing.

Lastly, Pacers has many retail locations using Shopify POS. We added SKU number details to the product page so retail stores can quickly search the online store for inventory. This small tweak allows the Pacers Retail team to offer customers shoe sizes and colors that are not available in store; creating an incredible customer experience and fostering brand loyalty.

Before & After

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The Outcome

The redesigned Pacers Running website delivered immediate and measurable improvements to both the customer and internal team experience. By resolving critical product page errors and optimizing variant selection, the Ask Kenna team drastically reduced order mistakes. This lead to a significant drop in returns, exchanges, and customer support issues.

The new streamlined navigation and enhanced collection pages made it easier for shoppers to discover products, while backend metafield structuring gave the Pacers team far more flexibility in managing their catalog. Product pages now dynamically display real-time availability, and the new filtering system empowers customers to quickly find the right size, color, and width across complex shoe variants.

The integration of SKU visibility also empowered Pacers’ retail staff to seamlessly check online inventory for in-store customers, creating a unified omnichannel experience that strengthens customer satisfaction and retention.

Finally, with a new IMS (Finale) in place and a solid foundation built on Shopify Online Store 2.0, Pacers Running is now better equipped to scale, serve their community, and grow across ecommerce, in-store, and third-party channels like Amazon — all while keeping the focus on what matters most: the run.

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