Kenny Flowers Launches Flagship Store and Achieves Double Digit Omnichannel Growth

Kenny Flowers, founded in 2015 by Kenny Haisfield, has evolved from a digital-native resort wear brand into a thriving omnichannel retailer. After leaving his consulting job at IBM, Kenny moved to Bali to create a modern take on Hawaiian shirts, launching with just a handful of designs and minimal inventory. What began as a passion project has grown into an inspirational brand that seamlessly connects online and offline shopping experiences through Shopify.

After launching their flagship store in Charleston in 2023, Kenny Flowers has experienced remarkable growth across all channels, facilitated by the integration Shopify POS with their existing commerce stack on Shopify. Since opening their flagship store, Kenny Flowers has:

• Achieved 75% year-over-year growth in store sales
• Generated 80% of in-store orders from new customers
• Gained up to an additional 20% of total revenue through their flagship store
• Successfully integrated their Island Society loyalty program across all channels

The Challenge: Creating a unified experience across sales channels

After nearly a decade of digital success, Kenny Flowers recognized that creating a seamless omnichannel experience would be crucial for their next phase of growth. As a resort wear brand with seasonal ebbs and flows, they needed a solution that could help balance these fluctuations while maintaining consistent customer experiences across every sales channel.

"When a customer comes into the store, it's either the beginning of a new customer journey or an exciting touchpoint for existing customers," says Kenny. "We needed a system that could support both scenarios seamlessly, while also helping us manage the seasonal nature of our business."

The brand faced several challenges in creating this unified experience. They needed a solution that could handle inventory management across channels, support their Island Society loyalty program for both online and in-store customers, and provide easy-to-use sales tools for their retail staff. Additionally, they wanted to leverage their physical retail presence to acquire new customers in a way that complemented their existing digital marketing efforts.

"Our customers are extremely valuable to us—they're the reason we're even able to have a store," says Kenny. "We needed a system that would allow us to recognize and reward them regardless of where they choose to shop with us, while also helping us introduce the brand to new customers in a way that felt authentic."

 

The Solution: Shopify provides a simple, all-in-one retail solution

Kenny Flowers built their digital business on Shopify, so expanding to Shopify POS for their retail operations was a natural evolution. "In the beginning, we needed the flexibility to operate remotely,” says Kenny. “Now, we need a system that can power our brick-and-mortar store while maintaining that same level of flexibility and control over the business."

The implementation of Shopify POS proved to be remarkably smooth. Staff training was quick, and the system's integration with their existing ecommerce operation was seamless. "Our store manager came from a major retail brand with different systems in place, but she was able to jump in and understand Shopify POS on day one," says Kenny. "There was virtually no learning curve."

A cornerstone of Kenny Flowers' omnichannel strategy is their Island Society loyalty program. Through Shopify POS, store associates can easily look up Island Society members. "When an Island Society member visits the store, their online account is linked automatically," says Kenny. "This gives them access to their benefits and makes it easy to make exchanges or returns, whether they bought online or in-store."

Shopify POS enables store associates to manage inventory efficiently between online and retail channels as well, ensuring accurate stock levels and enabling cross-channel fulfillment when items are out of stock in store. It also allows them to process quick point-of-sale discounts and promotions, while maintaining a complete view of customer purchase history regardless of where the transaction took place.

"The whole operational system behind Shopify POS enables us to do so much more and do it fluidly," says Kenny. "We’re not wasting time trying to find the data we need. We’re able to stay on point with our customers at all times and make sure everyone’s having a good time shopping (and wearing) their new Kenny Flowers.”

The Results: Making big waves with omnichannel growth

Kenny Flowers' unified commerce strategy has driven significant growth, and the impact of Shopify POS has been undeniable. "Our Charleston flagship store has become a significant revenue driver, contributing an additional 7-20% of total revenue depending on the month," says Kenny. "This helps offset seasonal patterns in our online business.”

Custom reporting through Shopify has also transformed how the brand makes operational decisions. "We created custom reports that show us exactly how our Charleston store is performing compared to our other sales channels," says Kenny. "This visibility helps us monitor sweet spots in store traffic, determine optimal staffing levels, and make data-driven decisions about everything from inventory to store hours. All that data lives under Shopify, which makes forecasting and planning so much easier."

The flagship store has proven to be an incredibly effective customer acquisition channel. “We’ve found that 80% of in-store orders come from new customers," says Kenny. "This provides a valuable alternative to traditional digital marketing channels while allowing us to create strong, meaningful first impressions and brand connection through personal interaction.”

The store's success is further evidenced by its 75% year-over-year growth since opening, demonstrating the power of the brand’s unified commerce approach. "We run post-purchase surveys for online purchases, and one of the most common responses is 'I discovered your brand through your flagship store,’” says Kenny. "Sometimes that's someone who walked in, tried things on, but didn't make a purchase in the store. That doesn't mean Kenny Flowers is lost on them. They went online, saw more assortment, and completed their purchase there."

Looking ahead, Kenny Flowers plans to expand their retail presence, confident in their ability to scale with Shopify. "What excites me most is that a lot of hurdles are cleared for how we want to grow our business," says Kenny. "The world is headed back toward in-person shopping. It doesn’t mean online shopping is going anywhere, but being able to complement both online and in-person experiences is extremely important."