A case study shows how a product or service worked for a real customer.
Marketing teams rely on the format when they need outcome-based proof. In 2025 research from Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs, 53% of business-to-business (B2B) marketers said case studies and customer stories produced were among the content types that produced the best results.
This guide explains how to write a case study and includes examples to help you structure your own.
What is a case study?
A case study proves how your product or service helps a client overcome a specific challenge. It introduces the client, outlines their problem, details the solution, and shares the final outcome. Adding metrics and direct quotes further validates the solution’s impact.
Businesses use case studies to show potential customers how their product or service works in real-world situations, and marketing teams often create them to support sales conversations and demonstrate results.
Case study format and structure
A case study follows a simple story arc—customer context, problem, solution, and result. Each section gives readers one piece of evidence they need to understand the outcome.
Use these components:
- Title. Lead with the customer, problem, or result so readers can identify the main proof point before reading.
- Customer overview. Give readers context on the customer’s business, audience, or market so they can judge whether the example fits their situation.
- Challenge. Define the problem so the case study has a business reason for existing.
- Solution. Describe the product, service, or process used so readers understand what changed.
- Implementation. Show the main steps taken so the result feels connected to the work.
- Results. Use numbers, time frames, or outcomes so readers can evaluate the effect.
- Customer quote. Add the customer’s own words to give the story a firsthand perspective.
- Next step. Point readers to the action that fits the case study, such as booking a demo, reading a related guide, or viewing similar examples.
A short case study outline might look like this:
- Title: How [customer] achieved [result] with [product or service].
- Customer overview: [Customer] is a [type of business] serving [audience or market].
- Challenge: [Customer] needed to solve [specific problem] because [business effect].
- Solution: [Product or service] gave [customer] a way to [specific action].
- Implementation: The team [step one], [step two], and [step three].
- Results: After [time frame], [customer] saw [measurable result].
- Customer quote: “[Short quote about the experience or result],” says [customer name].
- Next step: [Relevant call to action].
Why should you create a case study?
A case study shows how a product or service works for a real customer, and gives future customers a real-world example they can use to evaluate whether a similar approach could work for them.
Case studies are a form of social proof, but they carry more weight than a customer testimonial or review because they pair opinions with context, implementation details, and measurable results. They’re a staple in B2B marketing. In a survey of 980 B2B marketers, 75% reported creating case studies or customer stories in the previous year.
B2B purchases often involve multiple stakeholders and longer evaluation cycles. Buyers aren’t usually evaluating a product for themselves; they need evidence they can share with other decision makers. A 2025 Gartner survey found that 61% of B2B buyers prefer a rep-free buying experience, but they still prefer seller input for tasks that require more context, such as deciding whether a product or service fits their company’s needs.
That’s where a case study helps. It gives buyers data they can share with their teams to evaluate fit and build internal support for a purchase. Shopify’s case studies library illustrates how businesses in different industries used Shopify to solve specific challenges and achieve measurable business results.
How to write a case study
Follow these five steps to document your client success stories:
- Choose a template
- Interview your client or customer
- Describe the situation
- Identify the solution
- Present the results
1. Choose a template
Templates make the writing process easier if you’re new to case studies or producing multiple pieces at once.
Business case studies follow the layout detailed in the “Case study format and structure section” above. Input the foundational information into a template, then apply your brand voice.
2. Interview your client or customer
Case study interviews provide the foundation for a compelling customer story. Select current or past clients who have a strong relationship with your brand, such as repeat customers or those who sent unsolicited positive feedback.
Interviews help isolate client experiences and secure testimonials. If you didn’t work with the client directly, interview the internal team members who managed the account to collect background details.
Sample case study interview questions
When social advertising agency Biddyco interviewed the VP of marketing at Fellow about hiring it, it asked these questions to guide the conversation:
- What obstacles nearly prevented you from hiring Biddyco?
- What results did you achieve after hiring Biddyco?
- What features do you like most about Biddyco’s services?
- Why would you recommend Biddyco?
Some additional questions to ask are:
- How has your team’s daily workflow changed since partnering with us?
- Which business metrics saw the largest growth after the launch?
- What surprised you most about working with the team?
- How would you describe the collaboration to another brand owner?
3. Describe the situation
Provide context by describing the client’s business model and the challenges that prompted them to seek your services. Use this structural formula:
[Client name] is a [type of business] with [feature]. They approached [your business] to secure [desired outcome] while managing [requirement].
Here’s an example of a one-sentence situation summary in the case study for Sharma Brands’ client Feastables:
“Feastables, a better-for-you snacks company, came to us in need of a team to take the DTC [direct to consumer] setup off their plate.”
Advertising company Adgile, which created moving billboards for the non-alcoholic aperitif brand Ghia, has a longer description in its case study that provides background on the marketplace, but the heart of it is this:
“Ghia was seeking creative ways to break through the clutter of a crowded—and big-budgeted—adult beverage market, all while managing customer acquisition cost (CAC).”
4. Identify the solution
The solution section outlines the case analysis, strategy, tools, or actions your company used to solve the client’s problem. Use this formula to introduce the strategy:
[Client name] partnered with [your business] to [service or product received].
Here’s an example from Shopify’s case study featuring baby and toddler brand Lalo:
“Lalo began using Shopify Flow to automatically add customer and order tags based on specific triggers and conditions.”
This section describes the Shopify feature Lalo used—Shopify Flow—and how they used it to tag customers and orders based on triggers and conditions. It explains the solution without getting into outcomes or results yet.
5. Present the results
The final section validates your impact by highlighting data and outcomes. Use this formula:
[Client name] used [service or product] to achieve [measurable outcome].
Share concrete outcomes, such as cost savings, more customers, higher revenue, or improved company culture.
In Shopify’s case study with Incu, the retailer used Shopify Plus to increase online sales 300% year over year, raise conversion rates from 70% to 80%, boost average session engagement 91%, and reduce bounce rate 40%.
Include both quantifiable metrics and qualitative achievements to present a complete view of success. As a final clarity check, summarize why the case study works in a single sentence to ensure the narrative remains focused on the outcome.
10 real-world examples of case studies
Use the groupings to find examples that match the type of product and service your case study needs to show:
- Marketing case study examples
- B2B services case study examples
- SaaS and software case study examples
Marketing case study examples
These case studies cover brands and tools focused on customer acquisition. They include advertising platforms and promotional agencies.
Review these marketing case study examples:
- Mr Roses with Shopify
- Domaine for Industry West
- Scotts Flowers NYC With Shopify Audiences
- Klaviyo for Graza
1. Mr Roses with Shopify
Mr Roses is an Australian florist and gift boutique. It uses Shopify to handle traffic spikes during major gifting periods like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day.
The case study is a good example of how to share meaningful results without relying only on revenue or conversion metrics. Instead, Shopify lists practical outcomes tied to reliability and operations, including:
- Ability to scale in peak seasonal times, without any downtime
- Time freed from managed infrastructure to focus on the core business
Those results show what changed for Mr Roses without requiring a deep performance breakdown. The case study connects the platform decision to outcomes prospective customers can understand.
Why this case study works: It uses clear operational proof points. Readers can see the value without needing technical detail.
2. Domaine for Industry West
Domaine is a Shopify partner that worked with furniture retailer Industry West to relaunch it website on Shopify. Industry West needed a better B2B buying experience for trade accounts, along with a storefront that could handle a highly variable furniture catalog.
The Shopify case study is a good example of how to share several results in a scannable format. After moving to Shopify and relaunching with Domaine, Industry West saw:
- 90% lift in B2B web order revenue from trade accounts
- 10% lift in new trade accounts
- 15% lift in average basket size
- 20% lift in average order value (AOV)
The metrics connect to one business goal: improving the B2B buying experience for trade customers. Readers get concrete outcomes without having to sort through implementation details.
Why this case study works: It groups related metrics together. Each figure points back to the same business goal.
3. Scotts Flowers NYC With Shopify Audiences
Scotts Flowers NYC worked with Made by DAS to improve prospecting performance on Meta.
Outside of Mother’s Day and Valentine’s Day, the brand had trouble using top-of-funnel conversion campaigns. Made by DAS tested Shopify Audiences for Facebook lookalike campaigns to improve performance throughout the year.
The Shopify case study gives readers a quick results snapshot with three figures:
- 140% increase in return on ad spend
- 35% increase in conversion rate
- 27% customer attribution from Shopify Audiences
“We are willing to pay for higher CPMs and high cost per landing page views to acquire customers that convert faster and result in a higher ROAS [return on ad spend]. We’re excited with Shopify Audiences’ performance and are using it across our marketing funnel,” says Chris Palliser, senior vice president and co-founder at Scotts Flowers NYC.
Why this case study works: It combines performance metrics with a customer quote that explains the strategy behind the numbers.
4. Klaviyo for Graza
Klaviyo puts numbers front and center in its case study for olive oil company Graza.
The example also shows that a case study doesn’t always need to start with a problem. According to Klaviyo’s case study, Graza wanted to create strong customer relationships. The story focuses on how Klaviyo helped Graza work toward that goal.
Email open rates, revenue, and click rates are featured prominently throughout the piece. This structure works well for products that track performance metrics because it helps prospective customers evaluate results quickly.
Why this case study works: It frames the story around goal achievement—a case study doesn’t always need a problem-solution structure.
B2B services case study examples
These case studies include service-led work. They include agencies, creative studios, and growth consultancies:
- Biddyco for Fellow
- B2B on Shopify for Brooklinen
- Outline for Heyday Canning
- JC+CO Growth Accelerants for Tilley
5. Biddyco for Fellow
Advertising agency Biddyco took a unique approach to its case study for the coffee- and tea-gear company Fellow.
Biddyco structured its case study as an extended testimonial, with a series of questions like, “What specific feature or thing do you like most about Biddyco’s services?”
In addition to client feedback, Biddyco also highlights a few key accomplishments under the heading “All You Really Need to Know.”
Why this case study works: It lets the client’s voice lead the story, and readers still get a quick results summary.
6. B2B on Shopify for Brooklinen
B2B on Shopify helps businesses sell to wholesale customers from the same platform they use for direct-to-consumer ecommerce.
Shopify’s case study with Brooklinen details how the home goods brand used B2B on Shopify to create a self-serve wholesale experience. The setup included customer-specific prices, products, and payment methods.
Brooklinen used the service to reduce manual order work and give wholesale customers a buying experience closer to its consumer store. The benefits included:
- Offers the same intuitive, branded buying experience for B2B customers as DTC buyers
- Team spends 80% of time working with customers
- Gave wholesale customers self-serve account and order management
Brooklinen used B2B on Shopify to reduce manual work and create a more self-serve wholesale experience. “On Shopify, our team has the liberty and the space to build relationships with customers, instead of just transacting with them. We spend more time understanding our customers and less on manual inputs,” says Nicolas Lukac, director of emerging channels at Brooklinen.
Why this case study works: It connects operational improvements to a human outcome. The team has more time to work with customers.
7. Outline for Heyday Canning
A branding studio like Outline doesn’t need to structure a case study around return on ad spend or cost per impression.
For visual work, the strongest evidence is often the creative process and finished product.
Outline’s case study for Heyday Canning uses short copy and product imagery to illustrate the brand system. The studio shows the label design and cans on the shelf, along with a short description of the design inspiration.
Why this case study works: It uses visuals as evidence, and makes the final product and creative process easy to understand.
8. JC+CO Growth Accelerants for Tilley
JC+CO Growth Accelerants is a Shopify Plus Agency Partner. The agency helps brands build ecommerce growth strategies tied to revenue outcomes.
Its case study featuring Canadian apparel and accessories brand Tilley details a business shift. The agency helped the heritage brand move from a wholesale-driven model to a stronger ecommerce business.
Tilley worked with JC+CO after a change in ownership. The agency recommended and implemented a move from Adobe Commerce to Shopify Plus.
The goal was to improve the onsite experience. Tilley also wanted to increase conversion and strengthen email and performance marketing as they expanded into Australia.
To support these goals, JC+CO added Shopify Plus Certified Apps like Klaviyo, Okendo, and Gorgias.
“Following a change in ownership of our company, we tasked JC+CO with a digital-first transformation of our business,” says Frank Rocchetti, president of Tilley. Among other things, they recommended and implemented a full site replatform to Shopify Plus. We saw significant revenue impact, and were also able to quickly tap into Shopify’s app ecosystem to improve front-end as well as back-of-house operations.”
Why this case study works: It frames the project around a business change. The client quote connects the work to revenue and operations.
SaaS and software case study examples
These case studies cover digital applications and enterprise platforms that helped brands improve productivity:
9. Gorgias for Orthofeet
Gorgias’s Orthofeet case study focuses on an operations problem. The footwear brand used several tools to manage customer questions:
- Freshdesk
- Dialpad
- Social media platforms
- An outsourced chat team
Those tools didn’t connect cleanly with Shopify, and agents had a harder time seeing order history and past conversations in one place.
Orthofeet automated 56% of customer service tickets in less than two months after switching to Gorgias. Its email first response time fell from 24 hours to 35 seconds, and its chat first response time fell from three minutes to 13 seconds.
Gorgias also connects the customer service use case to revenue. Orthofeet’s team earns $300,000 per month over the phone.
Why this case study works: It starts with a clear workflow problem. Then it shows measurable improvements in automation, response time, and revenue.
10. Polar Analytics for Aetrex
Polar Analytics’s Aetrex case study centers on reporting speed and attribution accuracy. Aetrex uses Shopify Plus and needed better reporting after moving from Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify. The brand had slow dashboards, manual spreadsheets, and attribution data that missed about 20% of transactions.
The strongest numbers show how reporting changed. Daily reporting fell from two hours to a few minutes, saving about 10 hours per week. Custom reports that once took three days now take one day, saving another 16 hours. Polar says the changes saved Aetrex more than 25 hours per week.
The case study also ties better data tracking to marketing decisions. Polar says Aetrex’s attribution accuracy rose from 80% to 99%. Aetrex synced enriched customer personas into Klaviyo and increased repeat purchase rates by 17% compared with the same period the previous year.
Why this case study works: It turns a technical reporting problem into a practical story about saved time, better data, and stronger retention.
Case study examples FAQ
What is an example of a case study?
An example of a case study is a mobile billboard company’s overview of the services it provided to a client. The case study might include an overview of the client’s goals and how the advertiser addressed them, plus a list of outcomes—increased website visits, decreased costs per visit, and a rise in brand awareness.
What are the five components of a case study?
The five components for most case study methods outline the client’s background and core case details. After introducing the initial challenge, the text highlights the proposed solutions and their practical applications to show exactly how real-world problems were solved. The breakdown concludes with quantifiable results and key takeaways that provide readers with actionable outcome-based proof.
How do you write a simple case study?
To simplify the case-study writing process, download a template. Shopify’s fill-in-the-blanks case study template can help you share your customers’ success stories in an easily digestible, well-designed format.
What does a case study look like?
In both business and academic writing, a case study is structured in an engaging narrative style that avoids dense walls of text. It provides a detailed analysis of a specific event, using data callouts and formatted quotes to examine the client’s journey in depth.
What are the five types of case studies?
The five types of case studies include explanatory, descriptive, exploratory, intrinsic, and instrumental formats. Each type addresses distinct research questions aligned with specific business goals. Authors analyze multiple cases in depth to resolve complex research questions.
