Overview
Hair Royal Highness required a modern ecommerce experience with minimal friction and fast performance. The project combined a static Astro front end with hand-coded Stripe Elements for payments, instant account creation in Supabase, and a bespoke admin panel accessed via magic link. The goal was to keep checkout fast, simplify account creation, and give the client a reliable admin workflow without a heavy platform.
Brief
The client wanted a site that felt premium and loaded quickly, with a checkout flow that did not interrupt the purchase journey. Standard ecommerce platforms were not a fit due to performance concerns and the need for a custom admin experience. The solution needed to support secure payments, instant customer accounts, and a clean management interface.
Approach
We built the storefront using Astro to keep page loads fast and predictable. The product catalogue and content pages are statically generated to reduce overhead and improve performance on mobile. This creates a clean baseline for SEO and a smooth browsing experience for users.
Stripe Elements was integrated directly into the checkout to keep the payment flow on-brand and low friction. Rather than redirecting to a hosted checkout, we built a custom payment experience that supports modern payment methods and maintains layout consistency. This reduced steps and kept users in the same flow.
Supabase was used for account creation and authentication, enabling instant account setup at purchase. This removes unnecessary form steps and keeps the purchase experience short. The admin panel was built as a bespoke tool and accessed via magic link, which reduces password management issues while still keeping access secure.
We kept the build lean by avoiding plugin-heavy systems and focusing on core features. This helps maintain performance and reduces long-term maintenance overhead. The architecture is designed so future products and content updates can be added without changing the core structure.
Outcome
Hair Royal Highness now has a fast, modern ecommerce site that supports quick purchases and smooth account creation. The custom Stripe Elements integration keeps checkout in-context, while Supabase provides secure account handling. The bespoke admin panel gives the client a controlled, efficient way to manage content and orders without relying on third-party platforms.
Notes
This project shows how a modern static stack can support ecommerce when paired with custom payment and account systems. By focusing on speed, simplicity, and a streamlined checkout, the site delivers a strong customer experience without the bloat of traditional ecommerce platforms.
