Store development · Custom builds

Custom web development for stores, kept small and maintainable.

Some things no app does quite right: a product builder, a pricing rule, a checkout field, a connection between your store and your warehouse. Our custom web development builds those pieces for Shopify and WooCommerce stores, using the platform’s supported tools so they survive updates. We build store features, not general software.

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Free development audit

We’ll check your site and the feature you need and send a PDF report within 2 workdays.

Three fields and you’re done. The PDF report shows what we found on your own pages and accounts, and the order we’d fix it in. It covers the problems we see most often:

  • Built around the platform, not with it
  • Nobody can maintain it
  • An app where a setting would do
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Your PDF report comes by email. If you want to discuss going ahead after reading it, we’ll set up a video meeting. We use your details only for this audit.

Fit

Who it’s for

  • Stores that need a feature no app provides, or that several apps only half provide
  • Brands paying for apps that could be replaced by a small custom build
  • Stores that need their platform connected to an ERP, 3PL, CRM or marketplace
  • Shopify Plus stores that want checkout customizations or custom Functions

Not the right fit for mobile apps, public App Store apps or enterprise software. Headless storefronts are a separate Next.js project. We keep custom builds small, documented and close to the platform.

Problems we fix

Why custom builds become a burden.

  • 01

    Built around the platform, not with it

    Workarounds that edit core files or depend on undocumented behavior break with the next platform update.

  • 02

    Nobody can maintain it

    Code without documentation, tests or a clear owner becomes something nobody dares to touch.

  • 03

    An app where a setting would do

    A custom build for something the platform or a well-made app already handles adds cost for no gain.

  • 04

    Integrations that fail silently

    A sync that stops overnight leaves stock levels or orders wrong until a customer complains.

  • 05

    Checkout customizations that block upgrades

    Old checkout code that isn’t compatible with the platform’s current checkout keeps the store on borrowed time.

  • 06

    Scope that keeps growing

    A small feature turns into a large project because nobody defined what “done” looked like.

In 1:10 · animated

Before we change anything, we check five things.

A short animated walk-through of the first checks in our audit. No sound needed: everything is on screen, and the transcript is below.

What we check first before custom development, an animated explainer of 1:10 with on-screen captions and controls to pause.

Read the transcript
  1. What we check first before custom development Five checks, starting with whether you need custom code at all.
  2. 1. Could a setting or an app do it? A custom build for something the platform already handles adds cost and upkeep for no gain. (Example request.)
  3. 2. Built with the platform or around it? Edits to core files and undocumented behaviour break with the next platform update. (Example store.)
  4. 3. Is the checkout code current? Shopify has retired checkout.liquid and Scripts in favour of Checkout Extensibility and Functions. Old checkout code keeps a store on borrowed time. (Example store. Source: Shopify developer changelog.)
  5. 4. Would a failed sync be noticed? A sync that stops overnight leaves stock or orders wrong until a customer complains.
  6. 5. What does “done” mean? Small features grow into large projects when nobody writes down the finish line. (Example project.)
  7. Then we fix them, in that order. Want this checked on your store? The free growth audit covers all five, in writing.

Our approach

Custom web development in five kinds of build.

First, storefront features: product configurators, bundle builders, custom product page sections, size and fit tools and other interactive pieces, built in the theme with Liquid and JavaScript or as WooCommerce templates and hooks, editable by your team where possible.

Second, checkout and pricing logic. On Shopify that means Shopify Functions for discount, shipping and payment rules, and checkout extensions for fields and content. Shopify notes that custom apps with Functions need a Plus plan, so for other plans we look at public apps or theme-level options first.

Third, integrations. Your store connected to an ERP, warehouse, 3PL, CRM or marketplace through the Shopify Admin API or the WooCommerce REST API, with webhooks for real-time events and alerts when a sync fails.

Fourth, automations. Shopify Flow handles much of what used to need custom code: order tagging, low-stock alerts, customer segments, fraud checks. We use Flow first and write code only for the steps Flow can’t do.

Fifth, small private apps and admin tools: bulk editors, reports, import scripts and utilities for your team, built for your store only. We don’t build public App Store apps; supporting one is a product business, not a client project.

Integrations are built to fail safely. Every sync logs what it did, retries when an outside system is down and alerts you when it can’t recover, so a stock or order problem is caught in minutes rather than when a customer complains. We also document the data that moves in each direction.

Performance is part of the build. Storefront features load only on the pages that use them, scripts are kept small, and we check Core Web Vitals and tracking events before and after release, so a new feature doesn’t slow the store or break analytics.

Data and privacy are handled on purpose. Integrations move only the fields each system needs, credentials are stored in the platform’s secure settings rather than in code, and customer data stays within what your privacy policy describes. That keeps custom web development from becoming a compliance problem later.

Every build starts with a written scope that defines what “done” means, uses supported APIs so it survives platform updates, and ends with documentation and a handover. Ongoing support can run through a care plan, and anything that affects tracking is checked against our tracking setup. Shopify releases new API versions on a quarterly schedule, and Shopify CLI blocks deploys that target versions older than 12 months, so we keep custom code on a supported version. Speed is judged against Google’s Core Web Vitals thresholds: main content within 2.5 seconds, a response to input within 200 milliseconds and layout shift of 0.1 or less.

Five kinds of custom web development for stores: storefront features, checkout logic, integrations, automations and private apps
Five kinds of build, all on supported tools.

How we use AI here

How we use AI in custom web development.

Custom web development is where AI coding tools change what a small team can build. We use them with the habits of a software company.

  • Faster builds

    Features, integrations and Shopify Functions are written with AI coding assistants, which lets a small team ship work that used to need a larger one.

  • Reviews and tests

    Every change is reviewed, tested and documented before release, whoever or whatever wrote the first draft.

  • Integrations

    AI helps read API documentation and map fields between your store and systems such as an ERP, 3PL or CRM.

Where it doesn’t help: the spec. What the feature should do, and what it must never do, comes from you and us, written down before the code.

What’s included

Five kinds of build, one way of working.

  • Storefront features

    Configurators, bundle builders, custom sections and interactive tools in your theme.

  • Checkout and pricing logic

    Shopify Functions and checkout extensions where your plan allows, or the closest supported alternative.

  • Integrations

    ERP, 3PL, CRM and marketplace connections through official APIs and webhooks, with failure alerts.

  • Automations

    Shopify Flow workflows first, small custom steps where Flow can’t reach.

  • Private apps and admin tools

    Bulk editors, reports and utilities built for your store only.

  • Written scope

    What will be built, what “done” means and how it will be tested, agreed before work starts.

  • Testing and staging

    Built and tested away from the live store, including tracking and checkout checks.

  • Documentation and handover

    How it works, where it lives and how to change it, for your team or the next developer.

Choosing the simplest tool: platform setting, Shopify Flow, an app, then custom code
Simplest supported option first, custom code last.

How we run it

Four steps, in this order.

A written definition of “done” before any code. Typical timing: the scope within 2 workdays, the build in 2 to 4 weeks depending on size, then testing, launch and handover in the final week.

  1. Step 1

    Scope

    The problem, the simplest supported solution and the definition of done, written down.

  2. Step 2

    Build

    Code built on supported APIs, in a development store or staging site.

  3. Step 3

    Test

    Functional, checkout and tracking tests, then your review.

  4. Step 4

    Launch and document

    Released with your approval, monitored, and handed over with documentation.

Four steps of a custom web development project, from scope to documentation
Scope, build, test, launch and document.

Pricing

Starting prices, in US dollars.

The audit is free. Paid work starts at these prices, and your exact cost is fixed in writing before any work begins.

  • Free development audit

    Free no obligation

    We’ll check your site and the feature you need and send a PDF report within 2 workdays.

    Get my free audit

  • After the audit

    Custom build

    From $800 one-off, fixed scope

    A feature or integration built to a written spec.

    • Storefront features
    • Checkout and pricing logic
    • Integrations
    • Automations
    Start with the free audit

  • Monthly support

    From $150 monthly

    Fixes, updates and small changes.

    • A written scope with the definition of done
    • The build, tested on a development store or staging site
    • Documentation and a handover call
    Ask about this option

All prices are starting prices in US dollars. Custom work beyond these options is quoted after the audit.

Per project

What you get

  • A written scope with the definition of done
  • The build, tested on a development store or staging site
  • Documentation and a handover call
  • Updates by email and WhatsApp during the project

Pricing

How pricing works

We quote after a short audit, once we’ve seen the account or the store, so the number is based on the real work. Each project is a fixed one-off cost, agreed before work starts: from $800.

Start with the free audit to get a quote for your store.

By industry

What changes for your category.

  • Jewelry

    Jewelry stores often need engraving, ring-size and metal options priced correctly, or a “build your own” flow. We build those on supported tools so they survive updates.

  • Fashion & apparel

    Fashion stores need bundles, size recommendations and inventory syncs with warehouses or marketplaces. We connect them through official APIs with alerts if a sync stops.

  • Luxury & high-ticket

    High-ticket stores need inquiry and appointment flows, deposits or financing information. We build them into product templates and the checkout where the plan allows.

Sources

The documentation we work from.

Platform rules change. These are the official pages we check the work against, so you can check it too.

FAQ

Straight answers.

Can’t find yours? Ask on WhatsApp or by email and we’ll answer it.

Do we need Shopify Plus for custom development?

Not for most storefront features or integrations. Custom apps with Shopify Functions and some checkout customizations need Plus; for other plans we use public apps or theme-level options.

Will a custom build break when Shopify or WooCommerce updates?

Builds on supported APIs and extension points are designed to survive updates. We avoid editing core files or relying on undocumented behavior.

Should we build or buy an app?

Buy when a well-made app does the job. Build when apps don’t fit, cost more over time than a small build, or slow the store down. We give you the comparison.

Who owns the code?

You do. Code built for your store is yours, documented and handed over.

Do you build headless storefronts?

Yes, as a separate Next.js project, when themes and apps can’t do what you need. Headless builds cost more to build and run than a theme, so we compare both first.

Can you replace apps we pay for?

Often. If an app does one small thing you need, a custom build can replace it and remove its scripts. We compare the cost over time before recommending it.

How do you estimate custom work?

From the written scope. We break the build into parts, estimate each, and confirm the price before starting. Changes to the scope are quoted before they’re built.

Do you build for WooCommerce too?

Yes. Custom features use WordPress hooks and templates, and integrations use the WooCommerce REST API, so they survive updates the same way.

What if a build needs a designer?

For storefront features with new visual design, we work from your designs or with a designer you choose, and handle the build, testing and tracking.

Can you maintain what you build?

Yes, through a care plan or ad hoc. Documentation means another developer can maintain it too.

Related guides

Read before you decide.

All E-commerce SEO guides

Free growth audit

Find out what’s holding your store back.

Tell us about your store. We’ll review your tracking, campaigns and SEO and send you a written audit with the top fixes, ranked by impact.

  • Written audit as a PDF, delivered within 2 workdays (see a sample)
  • A video meeting to go through it, if you want to discuss next steps
  • Free and no obligation
  • Read-only access or screenshots are enough
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