The Challenge
Stone & Wood wanted to give their customers something no standard Shopify feature could offer: the ability to build a custom mixed carton of beer, choosing from their full range of brews, with real-time pricing that updated as bottles were added or swapped.
Off-the-shelf bundle apps were either too rigid - forcing fixed pack sizes and predetermined combinations - or too bloated, adding unnecessary complexity to the checkout flow. The experience needed to feel native to the Stone & Wood brand: relaxed, playful, and effortless.
The Approach
Artie started by understanding the constraints. Shopify’s cart system doesn’t natively support “build your own” product experiences. Most apps bolt on external cart logic that fights the theme’s existing flow.
Instead of layering complexity on top, Artie worked within Shopify’s architecture - using Liquid templates and vanilla JavaScript to create a lightweight, theme-native carton builder that felt like part of the store, not an add-on.
The key design decision was treating the carton builder as a visual, interactive component rather than a form. Customers pick bottles by clicking, see their carton fill up in real time, and go straight to checkout. No extra steps, no confusion.
The Solution
A custom Shopify section that embeds directly into the product page:
- Visual carton grid - customers see empty slots that fill as they select beers
- Real-time pricing - the total updates dynamically based on selection and quantity
- Pack size flexibility - supports 6-packs, 12-packs, and 24-packs with automatic per-unit pricing
- Mobile-first - the builder works beautifully on phones, where the majority of Stone & Wood’s traffic lands
- Zero dependencies - no external apps, no third-party scripts, no ongoing subscription fees
The entire feature runs on vanilla JavaScript and Liquid. Fast, lightweight, and fully within Stone & Wood’s control.
The Result
The Build Your Own Carton feature became one of the most-used features on the Stone & Wood store. Customers loved the tactile, visual experience of building their carton, and the average order value increased as customers explored the full range rather than defaulting to a standard pack.