Case 02 — Shapero Rare Books & Shapero Modern
← WorkTurning rare books into a collectibles growth story.
Shapero Rare Books is a specialist rare books business serving international collectors, with Shapero Modern extending the brand into modern and contemporary works on paper. My role was to build the commercial infrastructure — ecommerce, CRM, lead capture and specialist-led content — to acquire and convert collectors for high-value and scarce cultural assets.
§ Context
Shapero Rare Books is a specialist rare books business serving collectors and international clients, with Shapero Modern extending the brand into modern and contemporary works on paper.
My role was to help reposition the business for international growth, modernise its digital presence and translate specialist knowledge into a more premium, accessible and commercially effective brand experience.
§ Challenge
How do you convert affluent collectors online for objects that vary from accessible prints to six-figure rarities — while preserving specialist authority and trust?
The business needed a modern ecommerce platform, value-tiered conversion journeys, structured lead capture for higher-value works, specialist-led content and stronger channels for audience growth and attribution.
§ My Role
- Ecommerce (Shopify) build
- High-value enquiry journeys
- Lead capture & CRM
- Specialist-led educational content
- Social storytelling & Instagram growth
- Paid & organic acquisition
- Attribution & analytics
- Brand repositioning
- Agency management
- Senior stakeholder collaboration
- Commercial growth
§ Key Initiatives
01
Shopify Ecommerce Build
Built and launched a new Shopify ecommerce platform, improving operational efficiency, customer experience and online conversion — a scalable digital sales channel for collectible works.
02
Value-Tiered Conversion Journeys
Designed different conversion journeys according to product value and customer intent — direct ecommerce for accessible works, embedded low-friction lead and enquiry forms for higher-value items, allowing specialist sales teams to capture prospective collectors who were not ready to transact online.
03
CRM & Lead Capture
Integrated CRM, analytics and marketing technology across the customer journey to improve lead capture, attribution and understanding of collector behaviour — turning specialist knowledge into structured commercial follow-up.
04
Specialist-Led Educational Content
Introduced specialist-led educational content, enabling rare-book and art specialists to speak directly to audiences in an accessible, authoritative and engaging way — treating rare books as collectibles worth understanding, not just objects for sale.
05
Instagram & Audience Growth
Grew Instagram from ~5k to ~15k followers within one year (+200%) through specialist storytelling, educational content and continuous testing of new social formats.
06
Paid & Organic Acquisition
Developed paid and organic acquisition strategies across search, social, email and content, using performance data to optimise audience growth, lead generation and commercial conversion.
§ Brand — Before / After
Drag the slider — from a brand that buried the collection, to one that framed its works as the objects of cultural significance they are.
§ Website — Before / After
Before
Heritage business with limited digital storytelling — expertise hidden behind a transactional, dated experience.
After
A premium digital experience designed for international collectors — rich object pages, considered editorial and clear paths to acquisition.
§ Brand System
01
Brand Guidelines
A refreshed visual identity translated across the business.
02
Website
Two sites from concept to launch, premium and discovery-first.
03
Social Templates
Editorial framing for individual works — not a product feed.
04
Marketing Collateral
Catalogue, fair and campaign assets in one grammar.
05
Editorial Content
Long-form, dealer notes, behind-the-scenes essays.
06
CRM & Lead Capture
An ecosystem connecting interest to commercial follow-up.
§ Results
Instagram followers, from 5k baseline
Qualified online lead growth
QoQ online order value growth
Online sales in 60 days
§ What this demonstrates
Building a collectibles growth engine from specialist expertise — connecting ecommerce, CRM, high-value enquiry journeys, specialist-led content and paid acquisition into a system that converts affluent audiences into engaged collectors of rare and high-value works.