The Apps and Tools Behind Lulu Babe
Lulu Babe started in 2018 while I was on maternity leave, so from the beginning I needed a tech stack that was practical, reliable, and easy to manage around family life and little ones. Over the years, the tools behind the store have been tested, changed, and refined – some didn't last, others have been part of the business almost from day one.
What follows is a straightforward rundown of what we actually use today – the platforms, apps, and services that keep the store running – along with why we chose them and where they earn their place.
The Platform: Shopify
Shopify is the foundation everything else is built on. It handles product listings, inventory, checkout, discounts, and order management, and it integrates cleanly with almost every other tool we use.
As a working mum building the business around family life, I needed something I could run without a technical background or constant troubleshooting. Unlike WooCommerce, which requires you to manage hosting and software updates yourself, Shopify handles all of that in the background so you can focus on the business.
We chose it over alternatives like Squarespace because it’s scalable and built specifically for e-commerce – which means fewer workarounds and less time troubleshooting. If you're starting from scratch, Shopify's AI store builder can generate a store design from a short description of your business – useful if you want to get something live quickly without a designer.
If you'd like to start an online store, you can use our link below to try Shopify free for 3 days to see if it's the right fit – then 3 months for just $1/month.
👉 Start your free Shopify trial
The Theme: Turbo by Out of the Sandbox
Your Shopify theme determines how the store looks and how fast it loads – and load speed affects both the customer experience and Google rankings.
Lulu Babe started on Dawn, one of Shopify's free themes, which worked fine in the early stages. After about two years we switched to Turbo. Page speed improved noticeably, and our overall store performance trended upward in the months that followed – conversions and SEO both appeared to improve, though a theme is one of many variables.
One thing worth knowing before you look at the price: buying Turbo gives you access to all six presets – Portland, Dubai, and four others – so you're not paying for a single fixed design. Each preset has its own demo store you can browse before committing.
Free themes are a reasonable starting point, but if you're serious about performance and design control, Turbo is a one-off cost that pays for itself.
👉 Check out Turbo by Out of the Sandbo
Email Marketing: Klaviyo
Email remains one of the most consistent revenue channels in e-commerce, and Klaviyo is what we use to manage it. It's built for ecommerce and integrates directly with Shopify, making it a natural fit for stores that want automations triggered by real customer behaviour – abandoned carts, first purchases, browse activity, and more.
For Lulu Babe, it runs our welcome flow, abandoned cart sequence, and promotional emails. The segmentation is solid, and the reporting makes it straightforward to see what’s working. It also integrates with other tools in our store including Judge.me for reviews, which means customer review requests can be triggered automatically after a purchase.
Klaviyo has a free plan for smaller lists, with paid tiers that scale with list size – worth reviewing the pricing before signing up.
Business Bank Account: Wise
We use Wise as our main business bank account – it has no monthly fees, which was the deciding factor for us. It also handles international transfers and multi-currency payments at rates considerably better than a standard bank, so for a store selling in AUD, NZD, SGD and GBP, the savings on exchange rates add up.
Setup takes around ten minutes. One practical detail: you can hold a personal and business account under the same login, which keeps things tidy if you're using Wise for both.
Buy Now, Pay Later: Afterpay
Offering instalment payments increases conversion, particularly on higher-priced orders. Afterpay splits the purchase into four fortnightly payments for the customer at no extra cost to them – as the merchant, you receive the full amount upfront.
Australian and New Zealand shoppers are very familiar with Afterpay, and having it available at checkout removes a real barrier for customers sitting on the fence about a larger purchase. It's straightforward to add to a Shopify store and worth considering early.
One bonus worth knowing: merchants are listed in the Afterpay store directory, which gives you an additional channel for new customers to discover your store.
👉 Learn more about Afterpay for merchants
Product Reviews: Judge.me
Product reviews are one of the most effective trust signals in e-commerce, and Judge.me is the app we use to collect and display them. It integrates directly with Shopify and automatically sends review request emails after an order is fulfilled – so reviews come in without any manual follow-up. Reviews display on individual product pages, and the app offers a homepage reviews carousel (pictured below). The paid plan includes an all reviews page where customers can browse all feedback in one place.
A feature we particularly value is the Google integration – review ratings show up directly in Google Shopping results, which adds a visible trust signal right at the point where shoppers are comparing products. The support from Judge.me has been consistently good in our experience – responsive and helpful when we've needed it.
Judge.me has a free plan for smaller stores, with a paid plan that adds the all reviews page, Google integration, and additional customisation options.
These are the main tools that keep Lulu Babe running – chosen for reliability, value, and how well they work together. Start with the platform and the theme – everything else can be added as you grow.
A Note on This Post
Some of the links above are affiliate links – we may earn a small commission if you sign up through them, at no cost to you. We only list tools we use and recommend.