The brief
A new headwear brand was getting ready to launch its first full collection in November 2026. It needed an online shop that would be ready to sell the moment the doors opened, and one that would work hard in the weeks before: showing what was coming, building excitement and collecting a list of people who wanted to be first in line.
That meant two shops in one: a coming-soon site for now, and a full e-commerce shop for launch day, without a rebuild or a last-minute switch to flick.
My process
Discovery. I started with the brand itself: its story, the pieces in the first collection and the plan for launch day. Before launch, the site's main job would be to build a list of people who wanted to hear the moment it opened.
Plan. I planned everything around the launch date. The parts that sell, the cart and the checkout, were built from the start, but set to stay locked until launch.
Design. A live countdown sits in a slim bar at the top of every page, so it's always clear when the collection lands. Each piece has its own teaser page with a "Notify me" button, and prices are marked "at launch". I paid close attention to the header, so the logo, menu and early access button sit neatly at every screen width, from a small phone to a wide desktop.
Build. The early access sign-up asks for just a name and an email address, with a short, plain promise next to the form about what the emails will be. Sign-ups are stored securely, and the form has bot protection built in, so automated junk is turned away without real people having to solve puzzles. When the countdown reaches zero, the site switches itself into shop mode and the cart and checkout open automatically, with nothing for anyone to press. Until then, the whole site is hidden from search engines, so nobody lands on a half-open shop from a search.
Testing. I tested the launch moment itself by moving the launch time forward on a test copy, to check that the countdown, the cart and the checkout all switch over as they should. I also checked the header at a range of screen widths, and the sign-up forms on phones and computers.
What I delivered
- A coming-soon site with a live countdown on every page
- A teaser page for each piece, with a "Notify me" button
- An early access sign-up, stored securely and protected from bots
- A cart and checkout, built and ready, that switch on automatically at launch
- A header that works at every screen width
- The whole site kept out of search engines until launch
The outcome
The brand has a shop that's ready to launch in November 2026. In the meantime, it's building its list of people who want to be first through the doors on launch day.
