Lost & Found Shop Case Study

Lost & Found Case Study: Shopify SEO + CRO for a Toronto Menswear Retailer: 100× GMV Growth and Major Gains in CTR, Rankings, and Conversion

Lost & Found was named “Canada’s Coolest (and Friendliest) Menswear Store” by GQ. From their Toronto flagship, they serve a global audience by curating highly sought-after American, Japanese, and Scandinavian brands—making them a go-to Canadian destination for cult labels like The Real McCoy’s, Alden, Engineered Garments, and BEAMS PLUS.

Agency: Blindspot Agency (BlindspotAgency.com)

Client: Lost & Found (shoplostandfound.com) 12 Ossington Ave, Toronto, ON M6J 2Y7

Industry: E-commerce • Retail • Shopify

Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Key Markets: North America • United Kingdom • Japan

Services Provided by Blindspot Agency

• Technical SEO (Shopify): load speed improvements, image optimization, indexing, Core Web Vitals (FCP/LCP/CLS)
• On-page SEO: keyword research, site architecture and navigation structure, metadata, headings, internal linking, PDP/PLP optimization
• Off-page SEO: competitive analysis and positioning insights
• Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO): UX audit, filtering/navigation improvements, product page conversion enhancements, plugin/tool recommendations
• E-commerce Email Optimization: competitor analysis + subject line and conversion improvements

 

The Challenge

In 2013, Lost & Found hit a plateau in retail growth and was being outranked online by larger, deep-pocketed competitors. Owner Jonathan Elias wanted a sustainable way to drive more qualified traffic and revenue through search—without compromising the brand’s curated positioning.

The goal: build an e-commerce growth engine that could increase organic visibility, click-through rates, and conversion rate for both the online store and the physical Toronto location.

 

Strategy: Premium Retail Positioning + Performance Marketing Fundamentals

Lost & Found’s competitive advantage is curation—high-intent products, a trusted point of view, and a loyal audience. Our approach was to translate that “curated” experience into a Shopify site structure and SEO strategy that:

• Improved rankings for high-intent category and brand searches
• Increased CTR with better metadata and page clarity
• Strengthened PDPs (Product Detail Pages) and PLPs (Product Listing Pages) to boost conversion
• Built scalable systems for ongoing content and image optimization as the catalog grew

The Work (What Blindspot Agency Implemented)

1) Shopify Technical SEO + Site Performance

We focused on technical fixes that improve crawlability, rankings, and conversion—especially after major platform changes.

• Improved site speed and performance testing outcomes
• Addressed Core Web Vitals (FCP, LCP, CLS) ahead of Google’s update
• Strengthened indexing and reduced technical friction for search engines and users
• Recommended Shopify-compatible tools/plugins to support performance and CRO

2) On-Page SEO for Shopify (Architecture + Content)

We targeted “high leverage” Shopify optimizations that drive compounding results:

• Keyword research mapped to site architecture (collections/categories/brands)
• Navigation restructuring to improve discoverability and internal linking
• Cleanup and optimization of headers, tags, filenames, and alt text
• Upgrades to PDP and PLP copy to capture non-branded + branded intent
• Image search improvements through structured and consistent tagging

3) CRO: UX Improvements That Increase Conversion Rate

As the store scaled to 90+ brands and 25+ categories, conversion depended on speed + product discovery.

• UX audit to identify friction points (especially header structure and filtering)
• Improvements to product filtering and collection page usability
• Conversion-focused enhancements to the homepage, New Arrivals, and top-performing PLPs/PDPs
• Prioritized changes based on what typically drives revenue for fashion e-commerce:
  New Arrivals → Key Collections → High-intent PDPs

4) E-commerce Email Optimization

We analyzed best-in-class competitors and improved performance fundamentals—especially:

• Subject line testing and refinement to lift open rates
• Messaging adjustments to increase click-through and conversion from email traffic

5) Scalable Image Optimization System (Internal SOP)

To keep quality high as the catalog expanded, we created an internal Image Optimization Guide for everyone touching product content—photographers, buyers, and marketing—ensuring consistent tagging and SEO value at scale.

 

Key Results

SEO + CRO Performance

• +200% increase in CTR over the last 24 months
• +200% increase in conversion rate over the last 24 months
• Average search position improved by ~20 positions
• 100× growth in GMV over 7 years

Post-Rebuild + Core Web Vitals Outcomes

• Both web and mobile experiences passed Core Web Vitals after performance improvements
• +400% increase in clicks to the homepage
• The shop is on track to exceed $2,000,000 in annual revenue this year

Summary

Lost & Found is a flagship example of what happens when Shopify SEO, CRO, and e-commerce content systems are built to scale:

• Technical SEO + Core Web Vitals improvements protected and expanded organic growth
• On-page SEO and site architecture increased rankings and CTR for high-intent searches
• CRO improvements increased conversion as the catalog and category depth expanded
• Systems like the Image Optimization Guide made growth sustainable for a growing team

If you run a Shopify store and want to grow revenue through SEO, conversion rate optimization, and paid-ready landing page foundations, Blindspot Agency can help.

Learn more: BlindspotAgency.com