Phase 1 · Build

Shopify Development in London

Stores built to load fast and convert, not just to look good in a template preview. Product structure, checkout flow and search foundations handled properly before launch.

  • From £1,950
  • 2–5 weeks
  • Everything in your name
The problem

A good-looking store that doesn’t sell

Shopify makes it genuinely easy to launch a store. That’s its strength, and it’s also why so many Shopify stores underperform — the platform will happily let you launch something that looks professional and converts at 0.4%.

The usual causes are consistent. A theme chosen for its homepage rather than its product page. Fourteen apps installed to solve small problems, each adding scripts that slow every page. Product descriptions copied from the supplier, so the store is competing against forty others with identical text. Collection pages left unstructured, so the pages with the most search potential have the least content.

A Shopify store should be built around the product page and the checkout. Everything else is decoration.

0.4%conversion on a store that looks entirely professional
14apps installed to solve small problems, each adding scripts that slow every page
40other stores competing with the identical supplier description
What Shopify actually costs over three years

The numbers nobody shows you upfront

Shopify’s monthly fee is the number everyone compares. It’s rarely the number that matters most.

Over three years, apps and transaction fees usually exceed everything else combined. This is worth modelling before you commit, and it’s the main reason some businesses are better off on WooCommerce.

Our position

We’ll build you what fits, and part of scoping is working out whether Shopify’s convenience is worth its running cost at your volume and margin. Sometimes it clearly is — hosted, secure, no maintenance burden. Sometimes it clearly isn’t.

What’s included

In every Shopify build

Conversion-focused product pages

Built around what actually drives purchase decisions, not template defaults.

Collection page structure

Organised for how buyers browse and how search engines index.

Payments, shipping and tax

Configured correctly for UK and international selling from day one.

Ecommerce schema markup

Product, price, availability and review markup so listings show properly.

Speed optimisation

App audit, image compression and script management to protect load times.

Analytics & tracking

GA4 ecommerce tracking, conversion events and Search Console configured before launch.

Migration with redirects

Every old product and collection URL mapped to its replacement.

Everything in your name

Store, domain and all logins registered to you from day one.

Our process

How a store build runs

  1. Step 01 of 05

    Audit & scope

    We review your catalogue, margins and volume, then agree a fixed scope and price before anything begins.

  2. Step 02 of 05

    Structure & architecture

    Collection hierarchy, product taxonomy and URL structure decided first, because these determine your search potential.

  3. Step 03 of 05

    Design

    Custom design from Growth upward, or a premium theme properly customised at Essential. You approve before build.

  4. Step 04 of 05

    Build & configure

    Products, payments, shipping, tax, apps, speed optimisation, schema markup and tracking, all before launch.

  5. Step 05 of 05

    Launch & handover

    Redirects mapped on migrations, everything transferred to your name, plus training on running the store.

Who this is for

Shopify is probably right for you if

  1. 01You want to sell online without managing hosting or security
  2. 02Your catalogue is straightforward, up to a few hundred products
  3. 03You need to launch quickly and iterate afterwards
  4. 04Nobody on your team wants technical maintenance responsibility
  5. 05Your margin comfortably absorbs subscription and transaction costs
  6. Sounds like you?Get a free store audit
Probably not a fit if

Content marketing is central to your growth

Your margins are thin enough that transaction fees hurt

You need checkout customisation that only Shopify Plus allows

WooCommerce may suit you better — we’ll say so before quoting.

WooCommerce
Where this fits

Build is phase one of four

Phase01of 04Build

A store built properly makes everything after it cheaper.

Product and collection structure decided at build time is what Shopify SEO in phase two works with — retrofitting a taxonomy after launch means redirects, lost rankings and rework. Tracking installed before launch gives you real baseline data. And forms and customer records built expecting a CRM mean phase three doesn’t require rewiring.

Pricing

Shopify development pricing

Ecommerce — Shopify / WooCommerce

Swipe to compare

Ecommerce — Shopify / WooCommerce
FeatureEssentialGrowthMost PopularAdvancedCustom
Price£1,950£3,950£6,950From£12,000
ProductsUp to 25Up to 100UnlimitedUnlimited
DesignTheme, customisedCustom designBespokeBespoke
IncludedPayments, shipping, basic SEO+ apps, email flows, ecommerce SEO+ subscriptions, integrations, CRO+ ERP, inventory, multi-market
Support30 days90 days6 monthsAgreed

Shopify subscription and app costs are billed to you directly, in your name, at cost.

How long does a Shopify build take?
Two to three weeks for a small catalogue, three to five weeks for a typical store, and six to eight weeks for larger builds with custom functionality.
Can you migrate my store from another platform?
Yes. Migrations from WooCommerce, Magento, Wix or BigCommerce need careful URL mapping so product and collection rankings survive the move. That's included in the build.
Will I be able to add products myself?
Yes. Shopify's admin is genuinely usable, and we include training at handover so your team can manage products, collections and content without us.
How many apps will I need?
Fewer than you think. Apps are the most common cause of slow Shopify stores, so we audit whether each one earns its place rather than installing by habit.
Do you build on Shopify Plus?
We can, but most businesses don't need it. Plus makes sense at high volume or where checkout customisation matters. We'll tell you honestly if you're not there yet.
Who owns the store afterwards?
You do. The Shopify account is in your name and billed to you from day one. Nothing is held on your behalf and nothing needs transferring if you leave.
Next step

Find out what your store actually needs

Get a free store audit. We’ll check speed, app load, product page structure, checkout flow and search readiness, then tell you what’s worth fixing first.

We reply within one working day. No spam, no pitch deck.