Before / After · Case Study
Replaced a legacy BigCommerce storefront with a purpose-built Next.js headless e-commerce platform for hemp-derived CBD/THCa products. The rebuild emphasizes compliance-first design, dual-mode order fulfillment (card checkout for legal hemp/THCa; pay-on-delivery for future marijuana SKUs), real-time inventory, and multi-channel customer notifications (email/SMS/web-push). Achieves feature parity with BigCommerce while reducing compliance surface and enabling direct control over payment, fulfillment, and customer journeys.
“Cannabis, served fresh. A short menu, done well.”
Receipts — measured
The pixel diff
Left: everything the legacy site shipped — frozen in place. Right: an auto-scrolling tour of the rebuild, from hero to booking. No slider to fight with.
This is everything the legacy site had to offer above the fold. No pricing, no calendar, no booking — the funnel ended at a mailto.
Auto-scrolls through the modern site so you can see the booking surface, the package grid, the pricing table, and the calendar inline — without leaving this page.
The four beats
Scroll past the legacy frame. The four beats land in order. At the end, the modern site fades into the same window.
The legacy cbd.restaurant store lived on BigCommerce. While functional, it obscured hemp/THCa compliance rules, had no SMS capability (carrier-blocked anyway), and tied inventory/pricing to a third-party theme. Psilocybin products sat in the same catalog.
Farm Bill hemp (≤0.3% Δ9) is shippable via card networks. True marijuana requires state licensing + cash-on-delivery. The legacy store conflated them. A headless rebuild could separate the paths at the database and checkout layer, reducing compliance surface.
Shipped in 6 days (2026-06-06). Single Next.js app with Neon Postgres backend; no separate API layer. Clover hosted-fields integration (VAPID-safe, production-ready). Added guest accounts, wishlists, gift certificates, returns/RMA. SES + AlpineIQ for notifications. Caught dual-mode bugs (gift-card charge refs, oversell race) in QA; all fixed.
50 products live (6 hemp CBD + 44 THCa concentrates/flowers). All checkout paths tested end-to-end. Clover payment capture controlled by admin (authorize-first to mitigate chargeback). Awaiting Brendon's first real card order to unlock production payment flow.
The legacy cbd.restaurant store lived on BigCommerce. While functional, it obscured hemp/THCa compliance rules, had no SMS capability (carrier-blocked anyway), and tied inventory/pricing to a third-party theme. Psilocybin products sat in the same catalog.
Farm Bill hemp (≤0.3% Δ9) is shippable via card networks. True marijuana requires state licensing + cash-on-delivery. The legacy store conflated them. A headless rebuild could separate the paths at the database and checkout layer, reducing compliance surface.
Shipped in 6 days (2026-06-06). Single Next.js app with Neon Postgres backend; no separate API layer. Clover hosted-fields integration (VAPID-safe, production-ready). Added guest accounts, wishlists, gift certificates, returns/RMA. SES + AlpineIQ for notifications. Caught dual-mode bugs (gift-card charge refs, oversell race) in QA; all fixed.
50 products live (6 hemp CBD + 44 THCa concentrates/flowers). All checkout paths tested end-to-end. Clover payment capture controlled by admin (authorize-first to mitigate chargeback). Awaiting Brendon's first real card order to unlock production payment flow.
Architecture
What changed
Each claim ships with concrete evidence — env vars, table names, cadence chips. No marketing fluff.
Compliance-first architecture enforces product-type rules at the server layer (not just UI). Orders with THC SKUs force cash-on-delivery, never touch Clover. Supports future state-licensed inventory without code changes.
Customers receive order confirmations, shipment tracking, and status updates via preferred channel. AlpineIQ SMS ensures compliance (no carrier block on hemp/THCa). Web Push opted in per order for real-time delivery proof.
Intro coupon 420GAL (42% off first $100) auto-tags orders with agent slug. Integrates with OG Life identity layer for cross-brand attribution. Supports future commission payouts.
Add/edit/toggle products live. Stock decrements atomically in order transaction; oversell returns 409. Supports future per-size variants (schema extensible).