Tecovas replatformed on a stack powered by Sanity and Hydrogen. Merchandisers now own the entire storefront experience, while developers ship 5x faster.
When your product launches take multiple days and every homepage update requires a developer, you know something's broken. That was life at Tecovas before they rebuilt their content stack around not just a CMS, but the entire Sanity Content Operating System.
Now? Product launches happen in under 20 minutes, 10,000 SKUs update in seconds, and merchandisers own their storefront without waiting for engineering tickets.
Here's how they made it happen.
Behind The Experience: Tecovas
We sent Sanity Co-Founder & CTO Simen Svale down to Austin, Texas to learn how Tecovas brings their content to life for their customers.
The problem: Scale was limited by the tech
Tecovas had just two ways to scale:
Increase headcount
Rebuild
Spoiler alert, they rebuilt.
But first, let's look at what drove that decision. They were stuck doing things like:
Harcoding content in their Shopify theme: This meant that developers needed to be involved in every change, including fixing typos.
Manually moving data between systems: They copied product data from NetSuite into spreadsheets, then manually entered it into Shopify.
Publish, then "preview": Content changes were pushed live, and there was no way to review them first.
Schedule-less publishing: Coordinating a content drop meant queuing up all the documents in draft, then manually publishing them at the desired time.
This all meant that scaling was bottlenecked.
We were basically operating with duct tape. The system didn’t support how fast our team needed to move.
The solution: Content as a first-class system
Plenty of CMSes would have let Tecovas decouple their front end from Shopify, but that would only solve part of the problem.
They weren't just looking for a place to store and deliver content. They needed to orchestrate it with:
Schema that mirrors their product logic (base products + colorways)
Automated pipelines from ERP to commerce platform
Custom studio workflows built for merchandisers
Functions that handle the boring work
Real-time content delivery without any custom cache invalidation logic
I want to build tools and systems that, at no point, should I have to say 'no, I can't do that' it's more 'should we do that?' And if the answer is yes, then we have the stack and the ability to go and do it
Instead of using their makeshift system for content operations, they configured each part of Sanity to match how they work.
Schema changes in code
With Sanity's schema-as-code approach, Tecovas developers version control their content structure alongside application code.
When merchandisers need a new colorway badge or homepage module, developers update the schema, commit it, and deploy it. No database migrations, no downtime.
Now: Merchandisers use structured components in the studio. Developers build the component once, and merchandisers reuse it everywhere.
Why development isfaster:
GROQ queries fetch exactly the data shape the front end needs. No custom API endpoints to build or maintain.
Schema changes are versioned in Git. Tecovas can preview changes before going live and revert if needed.
TypeScript definitions are generated automatically from schemas. The team catches content structure errors at compile time, not runtime.
Go deeper: the engineering guide to Content Operations for Commerce
Tecovas isn’t alone. High-performing commerce teams like SKIMS and Lady Gaga are scaling faster. Not by adding headcount, but by rethinking their architecture.
This guide shows how they built developer-first content systems that power launches in minutes, automate global campaigns, and scale personalized experiences without dev bottlenecks. You'll get architecture diagrams, real code, and Studio examples from teams doing it at scale.
Tecovas created a flexible content system designed around how merchandisers actually work. Every workflow in studio matches its internal logic.
Instead of managing content in spreadsheets, merchandisers now handle everything in Sanity Studio, such as launching collections.
Key workflows:
Custom inputs like colorway badges and variant selectors make content management intuitive.
Modular page-building gives merchandisers control over layout and flow.
Live preview shows exactly how updates will look before they go live.
Scheduling and guardrails allow precise timing of content updates.
Sanity Studio evolves with the business. Developers update schemas in code and deploy changes safely.
Built for high-traffic moments
During Black Friday, they updated 10,000 SKUs in under 30 seconds and with a single API request. Sanity mutations and Shopify webhooks pushed changes instantly.
But the real test came during their Chili's collaboration launch. After generating over a billion impressions, Tecovas launched limited-edition boots that sold out in under 2 minutes. The site handled 35,700 sessions in a single hour without any issues.
We built a platform that doesn’t flinch under pressure. Whether it’s a major launch or a thousand small changes, it just works.
Sanity's real-time content API ensures updates appear immediately across the site. No rebuilds, no lag.
Product data flows from NetSuite to Sanity to Shopify without duplication. The team focuses on creating great experiences, not managing sync issues.
Editor empowerment through structured content
Before Sanity, merchandisers relied on developers for every content update.
Now, the editorial experience is structured and intuitive.
We’re not just pushing data, we’re telling stories. Sanity gives us the tools to build meaningful experiences, not just publish SKUs.
Tecovas' product data model separates base products from colorways. Shared content like name and description lives on the product. Care guides are automatically displayed based on the colorway selected.
Care guide automatically shows based on colorway
Real-time previews and validation ensure safe publishing. For example, Tecovas sets warnings when CTA text becomes too long, preventing layout breaks.
It’s not just editable, it’s designed for us. I know exactly what to change, when to do it, and what impact it will have.
Results: From days-long launches to real-time control at scale
The numbers tell the story:
20 minutes: Time to launch a new product (down from days)
30 seconds: Time to update 10,000 SKUs during Black Friday
Zero tickets: Content updates that need developer intervention
35,700 visitors: Peak traffic during a product drop
Merchandisers love the autonomy, developers love not asking "can we do this?", but "should we do this?".
Real-time previews mean no surprises. Validation rules prevent mistakes before they happen. Scheduling lets them launch on time without manual coordination.
We ship more with less effort. That’s the biggest win. Sanity lets us move like a modern product team, not a dev shop for content tickets.
Sanity features used
Tailored Studio interface
Schema-as-code
GROQ + Typegen
Real-time collaboration
Mutations + webhooks
Modular page building
Document actions and validation
Role-based workflows
Asset sync from Dropbox
Structured filters and merchandising logic
How Tecovas creates intentional experiences with Sanity
Learn more about how Tecovas crafts unique customer experiences with their small, but mighty, team.