Groupe Marcelle was founded in 1949 in Canada, but its roots trace all the way back to 1871. Today, it’s the largest Canadian cosmetics manufacturer, bringing together four complementary brands: Marcelle (hypoallergenic skincare and cosmetics), Lise Watier (prestige cosmetics, fragrance, and skincare), Annabelle (bold, affordable color cosmetics), and CW Beggs and Sons (premium men’s skincare). Guided by values of humanity, audacity, partnership, and quality, the group has built its reputation on developing safe, innovative beauty products for women and men while creating positive experiences for customers.
When Marcelle and Lise Watier—the group’s two main transactional brands—began encountering limitations with their Magento (now Adobe Commerce) sites, Groupe Marcelle recognized the need for a unified digital approach that could also support future expansion for the other two brands. They selected Molsoft as their implementation partner based on the agency’s Shopify expertise, proven ability to manage complex migrations, and speed of execution.
Since migrating to Shopify with Molsoft, Groupe Marcelle has achieved results for Marcelle and Lise Watier including:
32% growth in sales
26% increase in order volume
6% improvement in conversion rate
The challenge: Fragmented platforms made for inconsistent experiences
Despite their growing reputation, Groupe Marcelle’s commerce strategy wasn’t set up for success. Each brand operated on a separate platform, driving up maintenance costs, slowing campaign launches, and creating inconsistent experiences that conflicted with the premium environment their customers expected.
“We needed a platform that could unify our brands while enabling our expansion,” explains Philippe Proulx, principal director of operational excellence at Groupe Marcelle.
Performance issues plagued the Magento sites for both Marcelle and Lise Watier. Slow load times particularly affected mobile users—where more beauty purchases are made. These technical limitations led to higher abandonment rates, especially during peak shopping events when customers have little patience for sluggish experiences.
Behind the scenes, logistics and enterprise resource planning (ERP) constraints further complicated operations. Relying on an external shipping provider extended delivery times and limited promotional flexibility, while synchronization problems between platforms and their ERP system caused stock discrepancies and order cancellations during high-demand periods. With another peak sales season approaching, the team needed a partner who could execute quickly without sacrificing quality and a platform that could handle a multi-store architecture with high volume traffic—leading them to Molsoft and Shopify.
The solution: A complete commerce platform makeover
Molsoft approached Groupe Marcelle’s replatforming from all sides. Rather than a simple migration, they helped:
Build a multi-brand architecture: Molsoft coordinated the transition of four separate storefronts into a single Shopify instance, preserving complete customer and order history while creating a more streamlined operational foundation.
Create a shared theme library with reusable components: This approach ensured visual and functional consistency where appropriate while allowing each brand to express its unique identity and target audience—from Marcelle’s practical skincare focus to Lise Watier’s prestige positioning.
Develop a bespoke ERP connector: To tackle their discrepancies with inventory accuracy, Molsoft built the connector to synchronize inventory and sales in real time. By integrating Machool for shipping management, they also brought logistics operations in-house, reducing processing times and improving delivery reliability.
Use Shopify’s app ecosystem to enhance functionality across all brands: Molsoft integrated Klaviyo for targeted marketing automation, Recharge for product subscriptions, Rebuy for personalized recommendations, and Yotpo for reviews and user-generated content.
Conduct a complete mobile-first UX/UI overhaul: The new design improved speed, navigation, and conversion rates while creating a cohesive brand experience across all storefronts.
Molsoft’s expertise was essential in this transformation. Their tailored solutions ensured a smooth migration and positioned us for efficient expansion while improving the customer experience.
Groupe Marcelle
Philippe Proulx — Principal Director of Operational Excellence
The results: Flawless growth on a unified platform
The migration to Shopify has delivered substantial improvements for Groupe Marcelle, with Marcelle and Lise Watier seeing 32% sales growth and a 26% increase in total orders during November and December compared to the previous year. The brands’ conversion rates also improved by 6%, reflecting how the improved shopping experience resonates with their premium customers.
Beyond the metrics, consolidating four sites into a single environment has reduced operational complexity, allowing the team to focus on strategy rather than maintenance. Now, they can build and launch new campaigns quickly while feeling assured that their inventory is accurate and deliveries are reliable.
“The new platform is a fundamental pillar of our growth in Canada and the United States,” says Proulx.
With this solid foundation now in place, Groupe Marcelle plans to launch Annabelle and CW Beggs as transactional sites within the next year, expand Marcelle and Lise Watier into the U.S. market with localized content and fulfillment, and introduce a unified loyalty program across all brands—initiatives that would have been nearly impossible under their previous fragmented system. By unifying their distinctive beauty brands on Shopify, Molsoft has helped Groupe Marcelle create an experience as seamless and polished as their products.