Lems turns DTC success into a full wholesale operation with Elastic Suite

DTC FUELS WHOLESALE GROWTH

Lems expanded from direct-to-consumer into wholesale as its retail business grew

Lems Shoes started by building its direct-to-consumer business on Shopify. As the brand grew, wholesale became a larger part of the business, and the team realized it needed more than a storefront for its retailers. They needed a buying experience built specifically for B2B, including retailer-specific pricing, digital catalogs, and streamlined wholesale ordering.

Lems wanted to keep Shopify as its DTC ecommerce platform rather than replace it. At the same time, the team needed a dedicated B2B platform that could support a growing wholesale operation.

The solution was to use Shopify for DTC and Elastic Suite for wholesale, with the Shopify Connector keeping product and order data connected between the two platforms.

“Shopify is a great DTC platform, but it did not have a great native B2B, so we decided to add a true B2B platform to support our wholesale growth,” says Caileigh Passmore, Global Wholesale Director at Lems.

This approach allowed Lems to add the B2B capabilities it needed without rebuilding its existing DTC ecommerce operation.

SEAMLESS DATA SYNC

Elastic’s Shopify Connector automatically syncs Lems’ DTC and wholesale data

Lems needed a simple way to connect its DTC and wholesale operations. Seeing an opportunity to support brands moving into wholesale, Elastic partnered with WICK Creative to develop the Shopify Connector.

The connector syncs key information between Shopify and Elastic, including products, inventory, pricing, customer accounts, product images, descriptions, and orders. This allows Lems to manage its DTC business in Shopify while using Elastic Suite as its dedicated B2B ecommerce experience, without maintaining the same information in both systems.

That simplicity reflects how Lems operates day to day. When Lems adds products or catalogs, the changes can flow between the connected platforms without requiring the team to manually update each system.

“Once it’s set up, you don’t have to make many changes. We have added new catalogs and products quickly when needed, and our retailers don’t even know we have changes happening while they still place their orders,” says Passmore.

For Lems, the integration gives its team a simple way to manage two ecommerce experiences without creating two separate data-management processes.

Fast to implement — Easy to manage.

Lems implemented the Shopify Connector quickly with little ongoing maintenance

The implementation moved quickly once Lems identified the need for a dedicated wholesale platform connected to Shopify.
After launch, the team found the system surprisingly easy to manage. With little ongoing maintenance required, Lems can focus on managing its wholesale business rather than maintaining the connection between its DTC and B2B systems.
That becomes increasingly important as a wholesale business grows. Adding new products, catalogs, and retailers should not require the team to rebuild or manually maintain its ecommerce infrastructure each time.

RAPID B2B GROWTH

Lems grew wholesale GMV by 439% in six months

Since launching Elastic, Lems has significantly expanded its wholesale business. Over six months, wholesale GMV increased 439%, while the number of unique buyers increased 108%.

Reorders accounted for 68% of total GMV, showing that existing retail partners continued to return to Lems to replenish their inventory.

The growth also reflects an expanding buyer base, with new retailers joining alongside repeat customers and increasing international demand.

SURGE SIGNALS RETAILER CONFIDENCE

Lems more than doubled its average order size during its pre-order surge

Before Elastic, Lems’ wholesale business relied primarily on reorders. The brand saw a significant change when it launched its Spring/Summer 2027 and Fall/Winter 2026 catalogs simultaneously.

The dual catalog launch drove a major increase in pre-orders, making them the primary driver of July GMV. Average order size more than doubled compared with prior months, while also bringing new retailers into the business. 23% of July buyers placed their first order with Lems, while existing retailers placed larger orders for upcoming seasons.

Together, the results show both sides of wholesale growth: Lems brought in new retail partners, while existing partners committed to larger seasonal orders — signaling strong confidence in Lems’ upcoming collections.

This momentum fuels Lems’ expansion. Retailers get a consistent, easy-to-use wholesale buying experience, while the Lems team manages a growing business without added complexity or manual work.

BUILDING FOR THE FUTURE

Shopify and Elastic give Lems a scalable foundation for DTC and wholesale growth

The Shopify Connector has become part of the foundation supporting Lems’ wholesale growth. Lems continues to use Shopify for its DTC business and Elastic Suite for wholesale. The Shopify Connector keeps the two platforms connected as the business grows.

This gives Lems a dedicated B2B ecommerce experience without requiring the brand to replace the DTC platform that already works for its consumer business.

For an emerging brand expanding into wholesale, that flexibility is important. A brand does not necessarily need to use the same platform for DTC and B2B. It can choose the platform that best supports each sales channel and connect the systems, so they work together.

“We plan to continue to work with Elastic as our wholesale program grows. Our reps and retailers enjoy the ease of the platform,” says Passmore.

Lems’ wholesale growth is ultimately driven by demand for its products and strong relationships with its retail partners. But the technology supporting that growth also matters. By connecting Shopify and Elastic, Lems built a dedicated B2B ecommerce operation without adding unnecessary complexity to its existing DTC business.
For brands moving from DTC into wholesale, Lems shows that expanding into B2B doesn’t require starting over. A dedicated wholesale platform can extend an existing ecommerce stack and give retailers the buying experience they expect as the business grows.