Taking Back Control: Harley Motors’ New Shopify Website

The challenge

Harley Motors came to us feeling increasingly restricted by their existing setup with Exchange and Mart. While the platform had served its purpose in the early days, it came with a few growing frustrations, particularly around rising subscription and advertising costs, limited control over how vehicles were presented, and a reliance on third-party systems to make even simple updates as the business grew.

Harley Motors wanted to own their website, manage their own stock, and stop feeling locked into a platform that dictated how they operated.

The solution: Moving to Shopify

We recommended a full move to Shopify, giving Harley Motors a standalone website that they fully own and control. Shopify was chosen for a few key reasons:

• Ease of use without needing technical knowledge

• Fast product uploads for vehicles

• Simple editing on the go using an iPad

• A platform that scales with future marketing and sales activity

The focus wasn’t just on launching a new website, but on setting Harley Motors up with a system they could confidently manage day to day.

Building a site that works in real life

The new Harley Motors website was designed around how the business actually runs.

Key improvements included:

• A clean vehicle listing structure that makes adding and removing stock quick

• Clear calls to action for enquiries and test drives

• Mobile-friendly layouts so customers can browse easily on phones

• Simple admin workflows so updates can be made between appointments

  
  

Crucially, the client can now upload new vehicles, edit vehicle prices, and update content directly from their iPad on the showroom floor without needing to wait on a developer or third party.

Reducing dependency and ongoing costs

By moving away from Exchange and Mart, Harley Motors is no longer tied into:

• Mandatory advertising packages

• Rising subscription fees

• A platform that limits brand identity

Instead, their website now acts as a central hub that can plug into different marketing channels as needed, without being locked into a single provider.

Laying the foundations for paid advertisinG

With the new website in place, we’re now setting up paid advertising through Meta Ads.

The initial focus is a local brand awareness campaign, targeting people within the surrounding area of Wisbech who are actively in-market for used vehicles.

This approach allows Harley Motors to:

• Build local visibility and recognition

• Drive traffic to a website they fully own

• Test and scale advertising without marketplace restrictions

Over time, this also opens the door to more advanced campaigns, including retargeting visitors who’ve viewed specific vehicles.

The result

Harley Motors now has:

• Full ownership and control of their website

• A platform that’s easy to update in real time

• Reduced reliance on third-party marketplaces

• A solid foundation for local digital advertising

Most importantly, the website now works for the business, not the other way around!

As Shopify Select Partners, Build a Brand specialise in helping eCommerce businesses migrate away from restrictive platforms and into Shopify in a way that supports real-world operations. For Harley Motors, this meant building a site that was fast to update, easy to manage on the go, and ready to support future paid advertising.

We don’t just build websites. We help businesses regain control, reduce ongoing costs, and create platforms that support long-term growth.

Want to know more? Reach out to me, Gemma Walker - Digital Operations Manager at Build a Brand directly at g.walker@buildabrand.org.uk