Stanford Medicine Gift Shop Brings Comfort and Care Online with BigCommerce
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40%
increase in revenue
37,000
items sold
12%
increase in transactions
Offering a therapeutic shopping experience
At the heart of Stanford Medicine’s main hospital, the Stanford Medicine Gift Shop offers more than flowers and balloons — it offers relief. With floor-to-ceiling windows, curated merchandise, and uplifting music, the 3,000-square-foot space provides a rare moment of escape for patients, visitors, and staff alike.
“It’s one place in the hospital that doesn’t scream hospital,” said Mamta Kaur, Manager of Patient Experience Operations at Stanford Medicine. “You can walk in and just take a deep breath. It's not a sterile hospital room. It's a respite for everyone.”
When COVID-19 forced them to close their physical doors, the team turned to BigCommerce to quickly launch an ecommerce site. What started as a rapid-response solution has since become a long-term strategy — enabling the shop to reach a broader audience by supporting internal department orders, connecting with Stanford fans worldwide, and serving patient family members who are unable to visit the hospital in person.
CHALLENGE
A sudden need for online shopping during a time of crisis.
When COVID-19 hit, Stanford Medicine Gift Shop had to close its doors. But the need for its services didn’t go away. Staff, patients, and family members still relied on the shop — not just for gifts, but for comfort and convenience during a deeply stressful time.
Requests kept pouring in. People needed post-surgical items, flowers for loved ones, and even essentials like snacks and cleaning supplies that were hard to find elsewhere. The Gift Shop team knew they had to act quickly.
“We had plans to open up an online store, but we were probably a year out from doing that. And then COVID hit, so we had to fast-forward and jump into that initiative,” explained Shellee Laubersheimer, Senior Program Manager, Patient Experience at Stanford Medicine.
The team began evaluating ecommerce platforms that could meet their urgent needs. With speed, simplicity, and reliability as top priorities, BigCommerce emerged as the right solution — a decision that would help them move quicker than they thought possible.
“We had plans to open up an online store, but we were probably a year out from doing that. And then COVID hit, so we had to fast-forward and jump into that initiative.”
SHELLEE LAUBERSHEIMER, SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, PATIENT EXERPEINCE, STANFORD MEDICINE.
SOLUTION
Launching faster with user-friendly tools.
With COVID forcing the shop to move online quickly, Stanford Medicine Gift Shop needed a platform that could launch fast and didn’t require a developer or ecommerce team to get started.
BigCommerce made that possible.
The team used their existing POS system, Lightspeed, to sync inventory and sales, and turned to BigCommerce to build and manage their online storefront. The integration was seamless, and the platform’s intuitive backend allowed them to move from concept to launch in just four to six weeks — all while managing more than 14,000 SKUs.
“We had zero website experience,” said Kaur. “BigCommerce was user-friendly enough that we could figure it out ourselves without needing a whole lot of training. We found that very valuable.”
They began with a soft launch, opening the site to their own department for initial testing. A day later, they expanded to serve the broader Stanford Medicine community. From there, the shop’s digital presence took off, becoming a reliable resource not just for staff and visitors, but for anyone who wanted to send a gift to someone in the hospital.
Meeting customer needs with custom pickup and payments.
Stanford Medicine Gift Shop serves a diverse audience, and BigCommerce gives the team the flexibility to meet customers where they are.
Using built-in features, they manage multiple pickup locations across campus, including their off-site warehouse.
“Not only have we turned both of our stores into pickup locations, we've also turned our warehouse into a pickup location because it’s just down the block from a couple of clinics. Staff from those clinics are able to pick up directly from our warehouse,” shared Jordan Alvarez, Assistant Manager at Stanford Medicine Gift Shop.
The team also configured the platform to support deliveries within the hospital, sending orders directly to nursing units so patients can receive gifts even when visitors aren’t allowed.
Internally, BigCommerce’s offline payment capabilities proved just as valuable. The shop now accepts cost center charges from departments across the hospital — a critical need for remote teams ordering supplies or gifts without a credit card.
“When departments make purchases, they can automatically ship to their team members and never have to pay with a credit card, which eliminates all kinds of processes when submitting for reimbursement. That's been a huge win for us,” remarked Laubersheimer.
Driving engagement with marketing tools and brand customisation.
With thousands of hospital staff, visitors, and alumni interacting with the gift shop, staying connected and on-brand is essential. BigCommerce makes that easy.
Each month, the team sends a digital newsletter to thousands of subscribers — powered by a seamless Mailchimp integration that pulls contact data directly from BigCommerce.
“We're able to reach over 5,000 subscribers each month, which not only improves communication with our customers, but also drives engagement and sales as well,” explained Laubersheimer.
The team also uses homepage carousel banners to highlight promotions, new arrivals, and hospital announcements — a simple yet effective way to keep the site fresh and informative.
Most importantly, the entire site reflects the Stanford brand. BigCommerce allows for custom design while staying within Stanford Medicine’s digital standards. “It screams Stanford,” says Laubersheimer. “There's that correlation between the hospital and the online store, which has been a good win for us as well.”
Transforming operations behind the scenes.
Launching an online store didn’t just change how Stanford Medicine Gift Shop sells — it changed how they work.
Before BigCommerce, the team’s warehouse was little more than storage. Today, it’s a full-scale processing center, complete with new roles, new hires, and streamlined fulfillment workflows.
“Our operations have totally evolved,” said Kaur. “We’ve hired new staff, expanded warehouse capabilities, and shifted responsibilities across the team, all because the website took off the way it did.”
“When departments make purchases, they can automatically ship to their team members and never have to pay with a credit card, which eliminates all kinds of processes when submitting for reimbursement. That's been a huge win for us.”
SHELLEE LAUBERSHEIMER, SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, PATIENT EXPERIENCE, STANFORD MEDICINE
Tech stack:
“We’ve hired new staff, expanded warehouse capabilities, and shifted responsibilities across the team, all because the website took off the way it did.”
MAMTA KAUR, MANAGER OF PATIENT EXPERIENCE OPERATIONS, STANFORD MEDICINE
RESULTS
A growing online business with a wide impact.
Since launching on BigCommerce, Stanford Medicine Gift Shop has created a new revenue stream that reaches customers well beyond the hospital walls — resulting in a 40% increase in revenue and a 12% increase in transactions.
The team now fulfills over 300 online orders each month and has processed more than 16,000 transactions through the site. “Just having the website has increased our revenue by creating an entirely new channel,” remarked Alvarez. “It’s been great for us.”
But the impact goes beyond revenue. Staff working remotely still shop online for Stanford gear and gifts. Internal teams use the site to order supplies without jumping through reimbursement and procuring hoops. And the online store has become a vital resource for families who want to send love from afar.
Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed. The team has fielded inquiries from eight to 10 other hospital gift shops looking to replicate the model. “People look at us as a best practice,” shared Laubersheimer. “We’re proud to share what we’ve learned and how BigCommerce helped us get here.”
“We’re proud to share what we’ve learned and how BigCommerce helped us get here.”
JORDAN ALVAREZ, ASSISTANT MANAGER, STANFORD MEDICINE GIFT SHOP
LOOKING AHEAD
Expanding access, one new channel at a time.
Stanford Medicine Gift Shop is setting their sights on growth, starting with pop-up shops at clinics across northern California. These events make it easier for staff and visitors to shop in person, while driving more traffic to the online store.
The team is also preparing to enable out-of-state shipping, making it possible for alumni and supporters across the country to shop Stanford gear and gifts.
With BigCommerce supporting multi-location inventory and flexible fulfillment, they’re ready to scale thoughtfully.
“As we continue to think outside the box, innovate, and expand, we're confident that BigCommerce will support us to achieve these goals,” said Laubersheimer.
“As we continue to think outside the box, innovate, and expand, we're confident that BigCommerce will support us to achieve these goals.”
SHELLEE LAUBERSHEIMER, SENIOR PROGRAM MANAGER, PATIENT EXPERIENCE, STANFORD MEDICINE
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