Skip to content

Case Study · E-Commerce / No-Code

Scaling Scalapay's shopping directory with Webflow and Sanity

Scalapay's merchant directory outgrew Webflow CMS. We kept Webflow for marketing speed, moved directory data into a headless CMS, and shipped a discovery UX that stayed fast at thousands of listings.

of listings
1000sof listings
countries
8countries
phased delivery
3phased delivery
for web + mobile
1 CMSfor web + mobile
Scalapay merchant directory with emoji category filters

The problem

The directory became the product, and Webflow CMS couldn't keep up

Scalapay's marketing team loved Webflow because they could publish changes in minutes. It worked fine for a small set of listings. Then the directory became the product.

Thousands of merchants across eight countries, constant updates, and a marketing team that needed to ship pages quickly without turning “content” into ops work. A few failure modes showed up as the directory grew:

  • The CMS structure wasn't built for a directory that behaves like a product
  • Filtering and discovery started to feel slow and brittle
  • Merchant content had to be maintained twice, for web and the mobile app, creating drift and duplicated work

They didn't have a “website problem.” They had a content system problem.

The approach

Ship in phases. Keep Webflow.

We didn't rip everything out. Improvements shipped in phases so the directory got better immediately, and the architecture stayed sane throughout.

  1. Phase 01

    Real-time filtering

    Replaced Webflow's native filtering with custom code. Discovery feels instant: no page reload, no lag as inventory grows.

  2. Phase 02

    Predictive search

    Layered Algolia for typo-tolerant, instant results as the merchant catalogue expanded.

  3. Phase 03

    Headless CMS

    Directory data moved into Sanity, connected to Webflow via API. One dataset for web and mobile.

  4. Phase 04

    Webflow stays

    Marketing kept their Webflow workflow for pages and campaigns. No migration, no retraining.

Phase 1

Real-time filtering that actually feels instant

Webflow's native filtering worked for small datasets, but it wasn't the experience you want when discovery is the core job. We replaced the native filtering behavior with custom code: emoji-based category pills that filter the directory in real time without a page reload.

Scalapay · merchant directory
Scalapay merchant directory showing emoji-based category filtering UI
The emoji filter pills became a signature UX pattern: memorable, fast, and easy to expand as new categories were added.
  1. 1Emoji category pills make filtering tactile and visually distinct from search.
  2. 2Results update instantly: no reload, no spinner, no lag.
  3. 3Built on Webflow's existing structure, with no CMS migration needed at this stage.

Phase 2

Predictive search with Algolia

Once filtering was solid, search became the next constraint. As merchant count grew, users needed to find specific brands without scrolling. We added Algolia for typo-tolerant, predictive results, so the directory stayed usable as inventory scaled.

Scalapay · Algolia search
Animated demo of Algolia predictive search on the Scalapay merchant directory
Predictive search made the directory feel like a product, not just a filtered list. Users could get to a specific brand in two keystrokes.
  1. 1Results appear as you type. No submit button, no wait.
  2. 2Typo-tolerant matching means users find brands even with imperfect spelling.
  3. 3Algolia's index updates automatically as new merchants are added to the CMS.

Phase 3

Headless CMS: one source of truth for web and mobile

This is where the system became durable. We moved directory data into Sanity so Scalapay had a scalable source of truth that could also power the mobile app. Then we connected Sanity to Webflow via API, so the marketing team could keep using Webflow for pages and campaigns, without stuffing a product-grade directory into a website CMS.

Architecture · Sanity + Webflow + API
Architecture diagram showing Sanity as source of truth connected to Webflow and the mobile app via API
Each tool stayed in its lane: Sanity for data, Webflow for pages, the API as the bridge between them.
  1. 1Sanity holds all merchant data: structured, scalable, and API-first.
  2. 2Webflow pulls from the API, so marketing keeps their workflow with no migration.
  3. 3The mobile app pulls from the same Sanity source. No more content duplication.

Architecture

What we shipped

Four components, each responsible for exactly one job. The key decision was keeping each tool in its lane.

  1. Component 01

    Sanity

    Source of truth for merchant data. Structured, scalable, and reusable across web and mobile. One update propagates everywhere.

  2. Component 02

    Webflow

    Presentation layer for the marketing site. Fast page building for campaigns and landing pages, without the CMS weight of the full directory.

  3. Component 03

    API Integration

    The bridge that keeps the directory fresh. Sanity data flows to Webflow without manual copy-paste or duplication.

  4. Component 04

    Algolia + Custom UX

    The discovery layer. Typo-tolerant search combined with emoji-based filtering so the directory feels like a product, not a list.

Outcome

What changed for Scalapay

1000sListings at scaleDirectory scaled to thousands of merchants across 8 countries without degrading UX or slowing the marketing team.
1 CMSWeb + mobileSingle Sanity source of truth eliminated duplicate content maintenance across web and the mobile app.
0Migrations for marketingMarketing kept their Webflow workflow. No retraining, no downtime. The architecture gained headroom around them.

The underlying shift

Scalapay didn't need a new website. They needed to separate “content that belongs to a product” from “content that belongs to marketing.” Once that line was clear, the architecture followed. Sanity handles the product data. Webflow handles the marketing pages. The API keeps them in sync. Each tool does what it's actually good at.

For more on where Webflow's own tooling is headed, read Webflow MCP 2.0: game changing release

What Scalapay said

“Eldur Studio helped us stretch Webflow's limits and has proven to be a fast and trustworthy partner. The quality of the work has been consistently great, the team is collaborative and has often helped us take our idea to the next level.”

Mirco Mattevi, CPO, Scalapay

Next step

Building a directory or a content-heavy product?

Most teams start with a First Agent, so you see real output before committing to a bigger system.

Schedule a callinfo@eldur.studio

Next case study

Lead Enrichment Agent with Explorium and Notion
Made with Modulify