Shopify Performance Optimisation & Ongoing Technical Support

Client: The Acacia Tree

Industry: Premium Furniture — Solid Australian Timber

Location: Australia (Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast)

Website: Visit Live Site →

Platform: Shopify

Services Delivered:

• Core Web Vitals Optimisation
• Page Speed Optimisation
• Ongoing Shopify Technical Support

Engagement Type: Ongoing Technical Support Retainer

The Acacia Tree is a premium Australian solid timber furniture brand — selling handcrafted, Australian-made bedroom, dining, and living furniture through their Shopify store and three physical showrooms in Melbourne, Brisbane, and Gold Coast. With 5,000+ customer ratings, a strong sustainability ethos, and a growing product catalog spanning bed frames, dining tables, sofas, and accessories, their Shopify store carries significant visual weight through high-resolution product imagery.

What They Needed:

• Core Web Vitals improvements to meet Google’s performance standards — important for both search rankings and customer experience
• Page speed optimisation to ensure fast load times despite a high-imagery, feature-rich furniture store
• Reliable ongoing Shopify technical support to keep the store running smoothly as the product range and features evolve

A premium furniture store lives and dies on the quality of its product presentation — high-resolution imagery is non-negotiable. The challenge was delivering fast load times and strong Core Web Vitals without compromising the visual quality that sells premium timber furniture.

What We Did:

Google’s Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) are both a ranking factor and a direct measure of customer experience. For a premium furniture store with large product images, achieving “Good” scores across all three metrics required targeted, systematic work.

Audit & Assessment:

• Full Core Web Vitals audit across key pages (homepage, collection pages, product pages)
• Google PageSpeed Insights analysis (mobile and desktop)
• Chrome User Experience Report (CrUX) data review
• Identification of specific elements failing Core Web Vitals thresholds
• Waterfall analysis of page loading sequence

Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) — Improving Largest Element Load Time:

LCP measures how quickly the largest visible element (typically a hero image on a furniture store) loads. On The Acacia Tree, large hero and product images were the primary LCP challenge.

Fixes Implemented:

• Hero image preloading — <link rel=”preload”> for above-fold images
• Critical image prioritisation (fetchpriority=”high” on hero images)
• Image format conversion to WebP across hero and product imagery
• Correct image dimensions — serving appropriately sized images per device (srcset implementation)
• Elimination of render-blocking resources delaying LCP element display
• Server response time improvements
• Removal of unused third-party scripts delaying initial render

Interaction to Next Paint (INP) — Improving Responsiveness:

INP measures how quickly the page responds to user interactions — clicks, taps, and keyboard inputs. On a Shopify furniture store with cart functionality, quick add buttons, and collection filters, poor INP creates a sluggish feel.

Fixes Implemented:

• Long task identification and reduction in main thread JavaScript
• Third-party script deferral (non-critical apps and widgets)
• Input delay reduction on interactive elements
• Event handler optimisation on add-to-cart and product variant selection
• Shopify app script audit — deferred loading of non-essential app scripts
• Reduced JavaScript execution time on key user interaction paths

Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) — Eliminating Visual Instability:

CLS measures unexpected layout shifts as the page loads — when elements move around as images and fonts load in. This is particularly problematic on furniture stores where product grid images load asynchronously.

Fixes Implemented:

• Explicit width and height attributes added to all product images (prevents layout shift as images load)
• Font loading optimisation (font-display: swap) to prevent text layout shifts
• Reserved space for lazy-loaded images (aspect ratio containers)
• Banner and promotional bar height fixed to prevent content jumping
• Navigation layout stabilised during font load
• Third-party widget reserved space (chat widgets, cookie banners)

What We Did:

Beyond Core Web Vitals, we implemented broader page speed improvements to reduce overall page weight and improve loading across all pages — particularly important for mobile shoppers browsing a high-imagery furniture store.

Image Optimisation:

• Full image audit across homepage, collection pages, and product pages
• WebP format conversion across all product and lifestyle photography
• Compression applied without visible quality loss
• Lazy loading implemented for all below-fold images
• Correct image sizing (mobile, tablet, desktop variants via Shopify’s responsive image system)
• Navigation category images optimised (small, lazy-loaded)
• Cart and quick-view product thumbnails compressed

Code Optimisation:

• Unused CSS identification and removal
• JavaScript minification and deferral
• Render-blocking resource elimination
• Theme code review for unnecessary Liquid template renders
• Font subset loading (only characters used)
• Google Fonts self-hosting or preconnect optimisation

Shopify App Script Management:

• Full audit of installed apps contributing to page weight
• Non-critical app scripts deferred to post-load
• Removal of residual code from previously uninstalled apps
• App load order optimised (critical first, non-critical deferred)

Third-Party Script Optimisation:

• Calendly booking widget (showroom appointments) — deferred loading
• Social media scripts (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok pixels) — optimised loading
• Chat widget deferred until after page interactive
• Review app scripts deferred

Caching & Delivery:

• Shopify CDN configuration review
• Browser caching headers reviewed
• Preconnect hints for critical third-party origins

Key Pages Optimised:

• Homepage (highest traffic, hero images)
• Collection pages (Bedroom, Dining, Living — product grids)
• Individual product pages (multiple high-res images)
• Outlet / Sale page
• Showroom pages

What We Do:

We provide ongoing technical support for The Acacia Tree’s Shopify store — handling day-to-day issues, monitoring performance, and supporting the team as the store grows and evolves.

Regular Technical Support:

Theme & Platform Maintenance:

• Shopify platform change monitoring and adaptation
• Theme update management and compatibility testing
• Post-update performance regression checks (ensuring speed improvements maintained)
• Liquid template fixes and adjustments

App & Integration Management:

• App conflict identification and resolution
• New app integration support and testing
• App performance monitoring
• Calendly showroom booking integration maintenance

Bug Fixes & Troubleshooting:

• Display issues across devices and browsers
• Cart and checkout flow issues
• Mobile layout fixes
• Collection and product page anomalies
• Navigation issues

Performance Monitoring:

• Ongoing Core Web Vitals monitoring
• PageSpeed regression checks after theme or app changes
• Proactive alerts if performance drops below threshold
• Regular performance health checks

Store Updates Support:

• New collection setup assistance
• Promotional and seasonal banner updates
• Homepage section updates
• New product listing support
• Outlet / sale section management

Showroom & Booking Integration:

• Calendly showroom appointment booking support
• Showroom page updates (Melbourne, Brisbane, Gold Coast)

Responsive Support:

• Prompt response to technical queries from The Acacia Tree team
• Clear communication on issue status and resolution timelines
• Proactive flagging of potential issues before they affect shoppers