Custom online stores for 6 cosmetics brands

About the Client

Atlantic Coast Brands is a global beauty company creating scientifically advanced consumer products designed to deliver measurable results for more than 10 million customers worldwide. Its portfolio includes well-known brands such as Christie Brinkley Authentic Skincare, Keranique, Miracle Skin Transformer, and Hydroxatone.

Founded in 2005, the company pioneered a 360-degree marketing approach, transforming how customers discover, purchase, and engage with beauty products. Atlantic Coast Brands operates across multiple channels, online, TV and radio, TV shopping, print, direct mail, and major retail partners including Nordstrom, Ulta, Kohl’s, and Costco.

In recognition of its growth and innovation, the company was ranked 29th on the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing consumer product companies in 2011.

CHALLENGE

Atlantic Coast Brands needed dedicated online stores for each of its six beauty brands. While the brands shared common eCommerce requirements, each store had to preserve its unique identity, product positioning, and marketing logic.

The challenge was to build individual, brand-specific online stores that supported:

• Standard eCommerce functionality
• Advanced conversion mechanisms
• Subscription-based purchasing models
• Tight integration with internal systems and affiliate marketing workflows

All stores had to be reliable, scalable, and easy to maintain, as they were a critical part of the company’s direct-to-consumer sales strategy.

SOLUTION

We developed six fully customized online stores, one for each brand, and continue to support them in production.

While each store had its own design and brand-specific features, they shared a common, proven technical foundation tailored for high-volume consumer sales.

Core functionality included:

• Product catalog and detailed product pages
• Shopping cart and secure checkout
• Advanced upsell and cross-sell mechanisms
• Subscription-based purchasing (autoship)
• Risk-free trial logic
• Lead-generation forms
• Integration with internal ERP and affiliate tracking systems

CHALLENGE

Beyond basic eCommerce functionality, the business relied heavily on advanced sales and retention mechanics. These included subscription deliveries, trial-based purchasing, and dynamic product recommendations: all of which required careful handling to avoid customer confusion, billing errors, or revenue loss.

Additionally, affiliate traffic needed to be tracked accurately, with commissions assigned automatically to partners based on customer behavior.

SOLUTION

We implemented a set of specialized mechanisms to support these requirements:

• Upsell and cross-sell logic that dynamically recommends relevant products or bundles based on customer behavior
• Subscription payments (autoship) allowing customers to receive products at regular intervals (1–6 months) with automated billing
• Risk-free trials, where customers can test a product for 30 days by paying only for shipping, followed by automated billing or return handling
• Affiliate tracking integration, connected to the company’s custom ERP and web application to detect affiliate traffic and assign commissions correctly

These features helped maximize conversion rates while maintaining a smooth and transparent customer experience.

Ongoing Support and Maintenance

After the initial development phase, our role shifted primarily to long-term system maintenance and support.

We ensured:

• Stable day-to-day operation of all stores
• Routine updates and technical upkeep
• Fast resolution of production issues

Over time, we also launched an additional online store for the client. While two stores were later closed as part of internal business decisions, the underlying platform proved flexible enough to support new brand launches without major rework.

BENEFITS FOR THE CLIENT

As a result of our work, Atlantic Coast Brands gained:

• Dedicated, brand-specific online stores aligned with their multi-brand strategy
• Advanced sales and retention mechanics that supported recurring revenue
• Reliable integration with internal ERP and affiliate systems
• A stable, maintainable platform supported over the long term
• The ability to launch and retire brand stores as business needs evolved

This combination of custom development and ongoing support allowed the company to focus on marketing, product innovation, and customer relationships while relying on a dependable eCommerce infrastructure.

TECHNOLOGIES