RMIT University Short Courses: Shopify Plus Transformation

A Fully Integrated Education eCommerce Platform with Canvas LMS, Salesforce, and Workday

Helping RMIT Deliver Seamless Online Enrolments at Scale

RMIT University is one of Australia’s most respected institutions for continuing education. Their Short Courses division needed to modernise the way it delivered online and in-person learning—globally, flexibly, and fast. Sonder Sites was brought in to design, develop, and deploy a fully custom Shopify Plus solution that could integrate with enterprise systems like Canvas LMS, Salesforce, and Workday.

We partnered with RMIT’s internal team across a 6-month project to deliver one of the first fully integrated online course platforms built on Shopify Plus.

The Challenge

RMIT’s legacy platform (Drupal) was holding them back. They needed:

• A modern, reliable eCommerce platform

• Seamless integration with Canvas LMS for auto-enrolments and course management

• CRM sync with Salesforce and admin processes through Workday

• Multi-currency, multi-language UX for international students

• Support for B2B enrolments, group invoicing, and guest checkouts

• A solution non-technical staff could manage themselves

All of this—while staying fast, accessible, and compliant.

Our Solution

The new platform supports thousands of enrolments per term and was built to scale with RMIT's growing global demand. We built a fully custom, high-performance Shopify Plus storefront with enterprise-grade integrations and UX design tailored for education commerce.

Shopify Plus Custom Storefront

• Mobile-first, accessible theme design

• Dynamic course scheduling and session display

• Guest checkout and simplified re-enrolment

• Bundle discounts and invoice-based B2B checkout

Canvas LMS Integration

• Auto-enrolment post-purchase

• Realtime updates for cancellations, deferrals, and commencements

• Seamless learner experience: one payment, instant access

  
  

Salesforce & Workday Integrations

• CRM sync for lead capture and tracking

• Admin workflows embedded into Workday

• Reduced double-handling and data silos

Global Readiness

• Geo-IP language and currency detection

• Manual override controls for international students

• Real-time price conversion + Shopify Payments support

Internal Tools & Content Control

• Fully custom CMS for RMIT staff

• Editable content blocks for marketing, course descriptions, banners, and more

Agile Collaboration

• Workshops, user story mapping, and sprint reviews with RMIT team

Delivered via a hybrid Agile/waterfall model for flexibility and oversight

The Results

✅ Enrolment experience transformed

• Students can now browse, buy, and learn—all in one seamless flow

✅ System efficiency boosted

• No more double data entry across Salesforce, Workday, and Canvas

✅ Global-ready commerce

• Fully localised checkout and enrolment for 10+ countries

✅ CMS adoption success

• 100% of content updates now handled internally by RMIT staff

✅ Built for growth

• Future-proofed design for rolling out to additional faculties

What This Means for You

This case study proves that Shopify Plus isn’t just for DTC—it’s a powerful engine for education, training, and institutional eCommerce.

If you need:

• Seamless online enrolment tied to your LMS

• Connected experiences across Salesforce or Workday

• B2B checkout and admin-friendly control

Let’s talk. We’ve done it for RMIT. We can do it for you.

👉 Contact Sonder Sites to explore your digital transformation.