We partnered with Square to enable 100% brand personalization for the first time on their online platform, transforming a templated solution into a fully customizable one.
Seeed partnered with Square's core development team on a landmark pilot project to launch the first two custom themes for Square Online. This initiative addressed a critical B2B pain point: the previous inability of merchants to achieve true, 100% brand customization on the platform. Over a one-year collaboration, a dedicated team from Seeed worked in lockstep with Square's senior developers, overcoming the unique challenges of building on an evolving alpha product. The result was not only the successful launch of two foundational themes but also the establishment of a robust framework that empowers merchants with unprecedented design freedom, solidifying Seeed's reputation as a trusted, nearshore partner for complex, high-stakes digital transformations.
Square’s powerful online platform, while highly functional, had a key limitation: its templated approach restricted merchants' ability to create websites that were truly unique to their brand identity. For ambitious businesses and enterprise-level clients, this lack of customization was a significant barrier. Square recognized this pain point and embarked on a project to introduce custom themes, but they needed an expert partner who could not only build the solution but also navigate a dynamic, unpredictable development environment. The most significant challenge was the project’s nature as an alpha-version pilot. As our team of 5 developers, a project manager, a designer, and a QA specialist began work, the Square team was literally building the core product simultaneously. This meant we had to contend with frequent breaking changes, on-the-fly feature modifications, and a constantly evolving codebase. A traditional "Waterfall" approach would have failed, but our agile methodology allowed us to adapt in real time.
Seeed's approach was rooted in deep collaboration and technical agility. Our team worked directly with Square’s senior developers, a product owner, marketing manager, and QA team, integrating seamlessly into their workflow. We utilized our expertise in technologies like TailwindCSS, JavaScript, CSS, and the Twig theme framework to develop two themes from scratch. Our agile and nearshore model provided the flexibility and responsiveness required. Instead of working in a silo, our team acted as a core extension of Square’s own. We provided continuous feedback and quality assurance, helping to identify and solve issues as they arose. This proactive partnership ensured the themes were not just technically sound, but also perfectly aligned with Square's vision for a customizable and scalable platform
The project’s success was not measured by a single metric, but by the profound impact it had on the Square ecosystem. We delivered the first two themes that made 100% customization a reality for merchants. This unlocked a new level of creative freedom that was previously impossible, allowing businesses to create true-to-brand designs without limitations, all while keeping the sites intuitive and easy to edit for the end user. This project cemented Seeed's position as a key partner for Square. Our proven ability to deliver on a challenging pilot has led to an ongoing partnership. We are now working on several new integrations for the European market and have recently launched a new app for cashless events, demonstrating the long-term trust and value we provide.
