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Rab
The story so far
Rab’s journey began in 1981 in a small attic in Sheffield, where the founder, Rab Carrington, hand-stitched the first sleeping bag under his name. Drawing from his mountain adventures and skills learned in Argentina, Rab’s rugged, functional designs quickly gained popularity among climbers. As demand grew, his attic operation expanded into a factory, and Rab’s gear started reaching outdoor enthusiasts across the globe. Over the past four decades, Rab has evolved into a globally recognised brand, making high-performance clothing and equipment while staying committed to sustainability and inclusivity within the outdoor community.
The challenge
Rab faced multiple challenges with its existing website, from outdated navigation to mobile performance issues that hindered conversions. With 70% of visitors accessing the site via mobile, it became clear that the website needed a complete overhaul to optimise mobile navigation and usability. The desktop and mobile versions were inconsistent, with navigation being cluttered and not user-friendly. There were also gaps in how non-product content was presented, such as sustainability messages and educational resources, which were not easily accessible. Additionally, Rab's Product Listing Pages (PLPs) lacked consistency, and there was no standardised structure for category pages. Another challenge involved unifying the visual design with Rab’s new brand styling, all while maintaining performance and accessibility standards.
Unified approach
Performance Optimisation with Hyvä: Implementing the Hyvä theme ensured the website loaded faster and provided a smooth browsing experience, especially for mobile users. This was crucial to improving overall UX and conversion rates.
Streamlined Navigation: We focused on simplifying and consolidating navigation across desktop and mobile, making it intuitive for users to find both product and non-product content easily. Rab provided a plan to move non-product content into secondary navigation, and we worked closely with them to review and refine their navigation taxonomy.
Full site redesign: We integrated Rab’s new brand styling across the site, including updates to the header, footer, and PDPs. Key design elements such as full bleed images, animations, and brand heritage storytelling zones were included to emphasise Rab’s values and a passion for adventure in the great outdoors. A lot of focus was also applied to redesigning the user experience surrounding how a customer browses technical product information.
Content Integration: Storyblok CMS was implemented to allow Rab’s team to manage global content easily. We also worked on standardising PLP pages and marketing landing pages for better consistency and user experience.
Redesigning Rab's style guide
To overhaul Rab’s digital experience, we implemented a comprehensive redesign of their Magento site with the Hyvä frontend theme to ensure top-tier performance and improved user experience across all devices.
The redesign also involved creating style guides that were in-line with Rab's new brand book. The brand book had only just been conceived, and it was up to us to take the new branding and translate this into a digital experience online. We crafted the entre styling of the website, from the buttons and iconography to the typography and colour palette.
Rab had created a whole new library of video content to better showcase their products and we wanted to make full use of this. We ensured the styling of the site was video-friendly by implementing full-bleed blocks via Storyblok CMS.
Additionally, content management for Rab's wider ecommerce team was also improved through implementing Storyblok, empowering the team to keep content on the Rab site fresh and up-to-date, with ease.
Redeveloping the user experience behind technical product information
We redesigned Rab’s online store from the ground up to create a faster, more immersive experience on their existing Adobe Commerce platform, now powered by the high-performance Hyvä theme. Central to this transformation was the need to present Rab’s technical product information in a user-friendly way that would engage both seasoned experts—mountaineers, climbers, and hikers needing in-depth specifications—and those seeking a simpler, more intuitive shopping experience.
We began with streamlined navigation, making it easy to explore main categories and subcategories like waterproof trousers, now equipped with accessible technical filters. Essential tools like the store locator and global banners were integrated into a clean header design to ensure usability without compromising performance. The homepage brings Rab’s brand heritage to life through high-quality imagery, videos, and dynamic product highlights, all maintaining fast load times through the efficient Hyvä framework. Subtle animations add engagement, further enhancing the online experience.
The category landing pages now showcase rich media and banner features while maintaining Hyvä’s lightweight performance, making it easy for users to explore collections quickly and effortlessly. Product Listing Pages (PLPs) were refined with enhanced sorting, filtering, product badges, and hover images, providing a high-performance yet interactive experience. Product Detail Pages (PDPs) now offer several layouts to accommodate user needs, integrating features like zoomable images, animated attributes, and cross-sell options to improve engagement without sacrificing speed.
The user account area has been updated to make managing orders, addresses, and subscriptions seamless across devices. Checkout flows were refined for smooth transactions with features like upsell prompts and delivery expectations, optimised for conversions. Algolia search integration has made it simpler for users to find exactly what they’re looking for, paired with dynamic filters that are compatible with Hyvä’s fast, clean front-end.
Supporting pages, such as the Service Centre and Rab Repairs, were optimised to ensure quick load times without losing valuable information. Additional features such as tooltips, accessible error messaging, and comparison functionality allow users to pin attributes, compare products, and drill down into technical details smoothly. This modern, intuitive site now reflects Rab’s commitment to quality and technical precision, helping customers confidently select the products that meet their adventuring needs.
"We had some clear objectives of what was needed and so were looking for a partner who could modernise and elevate our brand positioning, whilst improving site speed and commerciality. It was also important for us to work with a team that we could connect with and have open and honest conversations. Unified delivered on all counts. A big thanks to all the team."
Stuart Lee - Global Head of Web - Equip Outdoor Technologies
Conclusion & Results
Rab’s newly redesigned website delivers a seamless, intuitive user experience across all devices. The enhanced site design, streamlined navigation, mobile optimisation, and technical PDPs further reinforce Rab’s position as a leader in the high-performance outdoor apparel market, reflecting their commitment to quality and community engagement. By utilising Hyvä and Storyblok, we not only improved performance, but also reduced the complexity of the frontend, making it easier to maintain and scale. The result is a modern, fast, and visually engaging site that significantly enhances the user experience.
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