Nosto x Abstract: Collaborating on Steele Canvas

Abstract is a digital transformation agency that works with brands to design and build digital infrastructure that scales. Whether it’s speeding up a brand’s storefront, connecting their systems so they work together, or unlocking new revenue channels, their work is always tied to growth.

As a trusted partner of Nosto’s, Abstract was one of the first agencies to join our  Implementation Partner Program: an exclusive initiative that allows select agency partners to onboard Nosto clients on our behalf.

“Abstract has consistently demonstrated a strong grasp of both the technical and strategic sides of ecommerce implementation. What sets them apart is their ability to turn complex projects into streamlined, high-impact launches. Their thoughtful, detail-oriented approach made them a natural fit for our Implementation Partner Program—and we trust them to deliver seamless Nosto experiences every time,” says Emma Fredwall, Senior Partnerships Manager of Nosto.

Introducing Nosto to Steele Canvas

The Abstract team had just completed a full site redesign for Steele Canvas, a century-old American manufacturer known for its industrial canvas baskets. 

The project supported Steele’s strategic push into direct-to-consumer (DTC) sales, as the brand looked to evolve beyond commercial buyers and enter the home goods space. Their ambition was clear: follow a path similar to YETI—staying true to their rugged, utilitarian roots while expanding into thoughtfully designed products for everyday life.

The work also illuminated an opportunity for the brand to better understand its DTC audience, so Abstract introduced the client to Nosto’s Commerce Experience Platform.

“If Steele Canvas wanted to personalize their store for this new DTC audience, learn how their customers shop, and push that data into platforms like Meta to grow smarter, Nosto was the obvious choice,” said Vini Dy, CEO & Founder of Abstract.

With the desire to improve its onsite search functionality, dynamically merchandise its collection pages, and implement targeted product recommendations, Steele Canvas opted for Nosto’s Personalized Search, Category Merchandising, and Product Recommendation modules. And the implementation process was simple!

Implementing Nosto, in the words of Abstract

We kicked things off with a handoff meeting with Nosto. They gave us a clear overview of the client’s goals, a rough budget, and the timeline they were hoping to meet. We reviewed Steele Canvas’ site and quickly scheduled a discovery session with their team to understand not just what they wanted, but how their customers actually shopped.

One important factor was that Steele runs two distinct storefront experiences: one for industrial and B2B customers, and another for DTC retail. That meant every implementation had to work across both experiences, maintain consistency, and transition smoothly between them. Personalization logic needed to respect both user contexts, and UI decisions had to support the needs of very different buyers, without doubling the workload.

After the initial discovery, we delivered a focused project plan with clear deliverables and timing. The scope included many of Nosto’s powerful features, including a dynamic search experience, converting their product listing page to use Nosto, and personalized recommendation sections.

From there, we moved into weekly working sessions. Each one included progress reviews, demos, and quick approvals to keep momentum. By launch week, both versions of the site were fully integrated, tested, and personalized: ready to deliver a tailored experience, be that to a contractor buying in bulk or a customer shopping for home use.

“If a merchant is using a standard Shopify theme, integration can usually be done in 1 or 2 days,” says Vini Dy, CEO of Abstract. “For more custom themes, it might take longer, but it’s always straightforward.”

“How far we go really depends on how advanced the client wants to get,” says Vini. “Some are just looking for smarter merchandising. Others want to tailor product listings to dynamically show different items to shoppers from LA versus New York, or promote different products based on which ad brought the user in. We help shape that strategy so Nosto isn’t just running, it’s actively driving revenue.”

The results

Within a month, Steele Canvas was live with Nosto’s Personalized Search, Category Merchandising, and Product Recommendations. The site now features:

• Best-selling recommendations on both its homepage and PDPs
• Further cross-selling recommendations on its PDPs specifically
• A highly relevant search function with one merchandising rule applied to promote top-converting products
• Further merchandising rules applied to category pages to optimize rankings based on various performance metrics

“Overall, Abstract did a great job implementing Nosto with little to no lift from us on the client side. We were able to get up and running very early in Q1, and look forward to utilizing more of what Nosto has to offer,” says Sean Balser, Ecommerce Manager of Steele Canvas.

“One of the best parts of this project was how quickly we went from kickoff to implementation. It was a smooth, streamlined process,” says Vini. “And more importantly, our client is thrilled. With Nosto, they can now think about their funnel holistically. They know exactly which audience is entering their site from Meta, and they can personalize the onsite experience in a way that’s directly aligned with those segments.”