The 180-year-old startup: A.T. Cross's digital transformation playbook

Transforming a 180-year-old brand for the digital era isn’t about abandoning tradition - it’s about translating it.

In this episode of the Ecommerce Toolbox: Expert Perspectives, host Kailin Noivo sits down with Patrick Maness, Director of Global Ecommerce at A.T. Cross Company, to explore how a heritage luxury pen brand is rewriting its future online.

Patrick shares how he took A.T. Cross from a deprioritized ecommerce channel to a global digital business. When he arrived, ecommerce was a one-person department running on an obsolete Magento site. Within months, Patrick led a complete replatform to Shopify Plus, building scalable infrastructure while proving the channel’s revenue potential to leadership.

He discusses the nuances of reviving a brand known for craftsmanship in a digital-first world - from reframing Cross’s value proposition around emotional gifting to expanding reach through targeted paid media and storytelling that resonates with younger audiences.

So, if you’re leading digital transformation at a legacy company, managing lean ecommerce operations, or finding ways to blend authenticity with innovation, this episode delivers practical lessons on how to bring timeless brands into the modern world, one smart move at a time.

What You’ll Learn

How to transition from deprioritized ecommerce to a strategic digital channel while preserving brand legacy
The "Crawl, Walk, Run" approach to scaling ecommerce operations as a department of one
Why Shopify Plus can be the ideal platform choice for lean teams managing global operations
How to balance international expansion through both direct-to-consumer and distributor partnerships
The framework for reaching younger demographics while maintaining luxury brand positioning
Why foundational ecommerce basics matter more than rushing to implement sophisticated tools
How to leverage brand recognition while adapting to modern digital consumer expectations
The strategy for managing multi-market expansion with limited resources through strategic partnerships

👉 Watch the full episode here: https://www.noibu.com/blog/podcast/a-t-cross-relaunching-d2c-shopify-patrick-maness

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