Service Types: Launch, Operate
Client Industry: Higher Education
Overview
Northeastern University needed a fully branded e-commerce platform that could align with internal procurement systems while strictly enforcing trademark and licensing policies. Shopstars worked closely with campus procurement and brand management teams to launch a Shopify storefront tailored for staff and department use. With integrated Punchout workflows, departmental controls, and advanced artwork logic, the result was a scalable and compliant digital storefront for ordering university-branded merchandise.
The Challenge
- The university required a procurement-integrated store to serve internal departments and support staff purchasing workflows.
- All products needed to be compliant with university branding standards, including color restrictions, logo placements, and usage approval.
- The storefront had to support Punchout functionality with Jaggaer, Northeastern’s eProcurement platform.
- Multiple departments and users needed controlled access to relevant SKUs and product categories.
- The design had to feel distinctly “Northeastern” while being built on a flexible and scalable Shopify Plus environment.
Our Solution
Branded Shopify Development
- Designed a mobile-optimized storefront with full visual alignment to Northeastern’s brand identity.
- Built in dynamic logo placement previews and color enforcement logic at the product level.
- Developed page layouts for departments, featured programs, and seasonal merchandising.
Punchout & Procurement Integration
- Connected the Shopify store to Jaggaer using Quantum Punchout (CXML-based), enabling real-time cart transfer, PO generation, and invoicing.
- Enabled cost center tagging and departmental purchasing controls within the Punchout flow.
Access & Catalog Control
- Structured Shopify’s backend to support user-role filtering, allowing specific departments to view only approved SKUs and categories.
- Embedded logic for artwork upload validation and decoration zone limitations per product.
Compliance-First Architecture
- Created admin views for brand enforcement reviews.
- Integrated approval routing for any artwork variations or manual exceptions.
Technologies Used
- Shopify Plus
- Quantum Punchout Middleware
- Jaggaer eProcurement Integration
- Role-Based Product Access
- Custom Theme & Branding Logic
- Punchout Sandbox for Procurement Testing
Results
- Launched a scalable Shopify solution that met the university’s strict branding, security, and procurement requirements.
- Reduced manual steps in merchandise ordering, while maintaining full compliance with Northeastern’s licensing office.
- Enabled seamless procurement with Jaggaer, improving ordering efficiency and reducing vendor touchpoints.
- Delivered a model that could be replicated or adapted for other universities in the same procurement ecosystem.
