Fragmented systems
Students log into 5 to 12 different portals to reach services. Every system has its own UX, its own login, its own support queue.
// Services / University platforms
Links is retiring.
We're building what comes next.
A modern university recreation and fitness platform, co-developed with RMIT University. Built on Shopify Plus to replace Links Modular Solutions before June 2027. Memberships, facility bookings, group fitness, POS and single sign-on in one unified platform.
// The problem
Links was never built for students.
Links Modular Solutions retires on June 30, 2027. It was designed for staff, not students: no app, no web portal, no self-service. Every inquiry runs through the front desk.
We are building the replacement on Shopify Plus, purpose-built for university recreation: memberships, facility bookings, group fitness, real-time occupancy and full university SSO. Currently in development with RMIT University.
Low engagement
When clubs, events or merch are hard to access, students simply do not. Engagement drops and campus community suffers with it.
Manual admin overhead
Staff spend hours reconciling orders across systems, chasing payments and wrangling spreadsheets. That time belongs with students.
No single source of truth
When student data lives in eight different systems, personalisation is impossible and reporting becomes a nightmare.
// The platform
Everything students need. One place.
A university recreation platform in development with RMIT, bringing memberships, bookings and campus commerce into a connected experience.
01
Memberships
Tiered plans with auto-verification against student ID systems. Staff, students, alumni and community members, each with their own pricing and access.
02
Facility bookings
Facility booking flows for courts, pools and studios, with capacity rules, recurring bookings and conflict checks defined during discovery.
03
Group fitness
Group fitness schedules, class bookings, waitlists and attendance workflows, shaped around the needs of students and staff.
04
POS and check-in
Front desk, venue entry and event check-in unified through Shopify POS. Real-time occupancy across facilities. One system for everything.
05
Analytics and reporting
Reporting requirements for membership, attendance, revenue and utilisation, with data sources and access agreed with your team.
06
University SSO
Single sign-on and university system integrations scoped with your IT team. Authentication, security and data residency requirements are agreed during discovery.
// Co-developed with RMIT
Built around the needs of university teams.
Sonder's RMIT work spans website builds, university platforms and ongoing delivery across RMIT Online, RMIT Think and RMIT Student Life.
The recreation platform is in development. Scope, procurement, validation and rollout are agreed with the university team.
Join
Membership journeys
Book
Facilities and classes
Shop
Campus commerce
Connect
University systems
// Our approach
Built for institutions. Not startups.
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01 Discovery
Stakeholder mapping
We map every stakeholder: IT, Student Life, Finance, Marketing. We understand your existing systems before proposing anything. Most consultants skip this. We don't.
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02 Architecture
System design
Full technical architecture documenting every integration point, data flow and access control. Signed off by your IT team before build begins.
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03 Build
Phased development
We build in phases so you can validate before we go further. Core commerce first, then integrations, then advanced features. No 6-month black box.
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04 Handover
Training and support
Full documentation, staff training and an admin guide your team can actually use. Plus 90 days of post-launch support in every engagement.
University procurement is a feature, not a blocker. We build to fit it.
// Technology we use
The stack underneath.
Shopify Plus
Next.js
React
Shopify Hydrogen
SAML SSO
OAuth 2.0
Custom Shopify Apps
Shopify Flow
Metaobjects
Vercel
PostgreSQL
Klaviyo
Stripe
TypeScript
// Straight answers
The questions procurement asks.
What is replacing Links Modular Solutions?
A modern university recreation platform on Shopify Plus: memberships, facility bookings, group fitness, POS and university SSO in one system. It is co-developed with RMIT University to replace Links before it retires on June 30, 2027.
Is the platform live at RMIT?
The recreation platform is in development with RMIT University. We describe the planned scope here; live availability and rollout are agreed with the university team.
How long does it take from discovery to go-live?
Typically 16 to 20 weeks, run in phases: stakeholder mapping, system design signed off by your IT team, phased build, then training and 90 days of post-launch support.
Which systems do you integrate with?
We scope university single sign-on and required system integrations with your IT team. Supported systems, security controls and data residency requirements are confirmed during discovery.
// After launch
Good work. Looked after.
A launch needs a clear handover and a support plan that fits the project. We agree responsibilities, monitoring, maintenance and future changes upfront, with human review before release. Ongoing support and response expectations are scoped with you.
// Give your students one home
Ready to consolidate?
Tell us about your university's current setup. We'll come back with a clear picture of what's possible and what it'll cost.
Replies within one business day. From the person who writes the code.