Blackstone Unlimited - Magento 2 to Shopify Plus Migration
Digital library system with custom streaming access model and mobile app synchronization
About the brand
Blackstone Unlimited is a North American audiobook platform that integrates with public libraries across the continent, offering members streaming access to audiobooks via their library cards. The platform serves a unique audience of registered library users rather than the general public, requiring a specialized approach to user authentication and content access.
The business needed to migrate from their existing Magento 2 platform to Shopify Plus while maintaining their complex library integration system and ensuring seamless synchronization with two native mobile applications. The challenge was to transform a traditional eCommerce platform into a digital library system with custom streaming capabilities.
The migration to Shopify Plus has revolutionized our digital library system.
We now have seamless integration with our mobile apps and unprecedented control over user access and content delivery.
Blackstone Unlimited TeamTechnical Director, Blackstone Unlimited
Solution & Technology Stack
Vevol Media built a multi-layered custom Shopify Plus architecture that transformed the platform from a traditional eCommerce system into a sophisticated digital library management system. Shopify Plus was extended via custom Node.js middleware to communicate with internal systems and library partnerships.
Access rules were enforced using server-side filters and proxy requests before querying Shopify's product data. Shopify metafields were utilized for assigning library-specific permissions to digital SKUs, while listening progress and playback history were tracked through a custom React dashboard and stored externally via Firebase.
A multi-tenant architecture was established via Shopify Organizations for syncing admin workflows across stores, while real-time product filtering and catalog hydration were handled using edge GraphQL requests optimized through Redis caching. The technology stack included Shopify Plus with Advanced Shopify Scripts & APIs, Node.js/Express.js middleware, React.js (Next.js) frontend, Firebase + Firestore for user session storage, Redis for caching, Shopify Functions for cart/checkout logic, and comprehensive CI/CD pipeline with GitHub Actions.
Results & Impact
The migration from Magento 2 to Shopify Plus was completed without any disruption to the customer experience, maintaining all existing functionality while introducing new capabilities. The custom digital library system now provides seamless access control based on library partnerships, ensuring users only see content they are authorized to access.
Real-time synchronization with the iOS and Android mobile applications has been achieved, with Shopify serving as the single source of truth for all data. The custom user role system allows for library-specific validation and access control, while the scalable development pipeline enables efficient testing and deployment across multiple Shopify instances.
The implementation of custom functionalities including reservations, playback tracking, lending limits, and streaming sessions has transformed the platform from a traditional eCommerce site into a comprehensive digital library management system. The multi-tenant architecture ensures efficient admin workflow synchronization across all stores within the Blackstone organization.
Performance optimization through Redis caching and edge GraphQL requests has maintained fast website loading speeds, ensuring a smooth and responsive user experience for library members accessing audiobooks across North America.
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