Citizen Watches' Platform Modernisation with MindArc

Citizen Watches Australia partnered with MindArc to modernise their digital storefront, transitioning from an outdated Turbo theme with Shogun page builder to MindArc's flexible ArcTheme framework. The migration eliminated reliance on third-party page builders and leveraged Shopify's native capabilities, giving the Citizen team more autonomy over their site configuration. The transformation delivered immediate business impact during their critical Q4 trading period whilst positioning the heritage watch brand for sustainable growth with a future-proof, easily manageable platform.

Client

Citizen Watches

Date

February 18, 2026

The Challenge

Citizen Watches Australia was constrained by an outdated Turbo theme and Shogun page builder setup. The Turbo theme lacked compatibility with Shopify's latest features like sections and metafields, while Shogun added an unnecessary CMS layer that complicated simple content updates.

The marketing team couldn't make layout changes independently, requiring either developer support or complex Shogun configurations for basic tasks. The site also lacked wishlist functionality, a critical feature for premium watch purchases where customers research extensively before buying.

The team had wanted to modernise their platform for years but hadn't had the budget for a comprehensive rebuild. They needed a solution that would deliver immediate improvements without extensive custom development.

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Actions Taken

MindArc migrated Citizen from their Turbo + Shogun setup to ArcTheme's blocks-based framework, maintaining the sophisticated aesthetic expected of a premium watch brand whilst dramatically improving backend flexibility.

The site went live on 20th November 2025, strategically timed just before Black Friday/Cyber Monday. Removing Shogun reduced complexity, allowing the marketing team to configure layouts, update content, and create new pages entirely within Shopify's native interface.

ArcTheme's native wishlist functionality was implemented, giving customers the ability to save and track watches they were considering. Collection pages were configured to make it significantly easier for the team to create brand-specific layouts without developer intervention.

The migration maintained all existing functionality whilst leveraging Shopify's modern sections and metafields architecture, giving Citizen the flexibility to evolve their site as business needs changed.

The Result

The platform modernisation delivered immediate business impact during the critical Q4 trading period.

Comparing November-December 2025 to the same period in 2024:

Key Takeaways

MindArc's platform modernisation transformed Citizen Watches' digital presence whilst delivering exceptional business results during their most critical trading period.

ArcTheme's block-based architecture reduced technical bottlenecks. The marketing team gained full control over collection pages and layouts without developer dependency. What previously required external support became self-service through intuitive settings the team could learn quickly.

Removing third-party dependencies simplified operations whilst expanding capabilities. Eliminating Shogun reduced complexity and costs, whilst ArcTheme's native blocks provided more flexibility than the old Turbo + Shogun setup. The team could now leverage Shopify's latest features through a single unified interface.

Strategic timing maximised platform improvements. Launching just before Black Friday/Cyber Monday gave Citizen a modernised platform during their highest-stakes period. The dramatic year-over-year performance improvements validated both the platform choice and migration timing.

MindArc specialises in platform modernisations that deliver real business impact. ArcTheme provided exactly the flexibility and ease-of-use Citizen needed without unnecessary complexity, whilst supporting their ambitious growth trajectory.