Service Type: Upgrade
Timeline: 2018
Overview
LKQ Corporation is the largest remanufacturer and distributor of automotive parts in the world. With multiple internal divisions and a decentralized structure, their merchandising operations required a unified, scalable solution for branded gear, promotional products, and uniform ordering. The Shopstars founding team was brought in to migrate their outdated Magento store to Shopify, unify fragmented workflows, and integrate enterprise procurement systems through custom middleware.
The Challenge
- LKQ operated across multiple business units, each with unique branding requirements, product catalogs, and internal ordering structures.
- Their existing Magento store was unstable and hard to manage, especially as divisions required faster turnaround times and mobile access.
- The organization relied on manual procurement processes, and needed Punchout integration with platforms like Coupa and Ariba to streamline B2B purchasing.
- Inventory, permissions, and product access needed to be divisional, while still allowing centralized admin control.
The Solution
Shopstars provided a high-touch technical and architectural overhaul of LKQ’s e-commerce systems:
- Magento to Shopify Migration: Rebuilt the entire store on Shopify, preserving business logic while modernizing UX, backend architecture, and scalability.
- Multi-Division Architecture: Designed logic-driven user access and catalog segmentation, allowing divisions to manage their own products and branding while using a shared backend.
- Punchout Integration: Connected the new Shopify storefront with Coupa and Ariba using Shopstars’ proprietary Punchout engine (Quantum Punchout), ensuring seamless procurement for internal buyers.
- Compliance & Controls: Developed admin tools to enforce brand consistency across divisions, including logo restrictions, decoration rules, and automated SKU substitutions.
- Operational Support: Delivered technical training and documentation for LKQ’s internal teams to ensure post-launch autonomy and long-term stability.
Technologies Used
- Shopify Plus
- Quantum Punchout (CXML Middleware)
- Custom Logic for Role-Based Catalogs
- REST APIs & Webhooks
- Magento Data Migration Tooling
- AWS Hosting & CDN Optimization
Results
- Successfully transitioned LKQ’s e-commerce operations from Magento to Shopify, eliminating frequent downtime and improving order flow.
- Delivered a centralized, scalable platform capable of supporting dozens of divisions with individualized product access.
- Enabled Punchout ordering via Coupa and Ariba, automating thousands of dollars in monthly internal purchases.
- Improved performance, flexibility, and compliance, giving LKQ a modern platform ready for future integrations and use cases.
