Our process

Brief tobest-seller

The Shopify development process behind every launch: five stages, one senior team, a fixed scope and a sign-off gate at the end of every stage — so you always know what is happening, what it costs and what comes next.

Book a kickoffSee the stages
Stages, zero hand-offs
5
Typical theme build to launch
7 wks
To a fixed, written quote
48h

The timeline

A seven-week launch plan

A typical custom Shopify theme build, kickoff to launch. Design and build overlap, which is how we launch weeks sooner than a waterfall agency.

DiscoverWeek 1
Brand & DesignWeeks 2–3
BuildWeeks 3–6
LaunchWeek 7
GrowWeek 8 onwards

How we work

A clear process, stage by stage

What happens in each stage of the Shopify development process, what we need from you, what you get — and the gate that must be passed before the next one starts.

  1. Stage 1 · Week 1

    Discover

    Agree exactly what success looks like before a pixel is designed.

    What we do

    1. Store, analytics and Core Web Vitals audit
    2. Competitor and keyword research, AI-accelerated and strategist-checked
    3. Customer journey and conversion funnel mapping
    4. Tech stack review: theme, apps, integrations, headless or Liquid

    Your part

    One 90-minute workshop and access to Shopify, GA4 and Search Console.

    Tools

    • GA4
    • Search Console
    • Hotjar
    • Lighthouse

    You receive

    • Audit report
    • KPI plan
    • Sitemap
    • Fixed quote

    Sign-off gateYou sign off the scope, KPIs and price. Nothing moves until you do.

  2. Stage 2 · Weeks 2–3

    Brand & Design

    A store that looks like your brand and is designed to convert on a phone first.

    What we do

    1. Brand identity: logo, type, colour and tone of voice
    2. Mobile-first UX wireframes for every key template
    3. High-fidelity UI in Figma, built on a reusable design system
    4. Clickable prototype tested against the funnel from Discover

    Your part

    Two review rounds, each with written feedback in one place.

    Tools

    • Figma
    • FigJam
    • Maze

    You receive

    • Brand kit
    • Design system
    • UI screens
    • Prototype

    Sign-off gateYou approve every template design before development begins.

  3. Stage 3 · Weeks 3–6

    Build

    Clean, fast Shopify code your team can safely extend for years.

    What we do

    1. Custom Shopify theme in Liquid, or headless Hydrogen on React Router 7
    2. Section-based templates editors can rearrange without a developer
    3. App, ERP, Klaviyo and payment integrations
    4. Data and URL migration with a full 301 redirect map

    Your part

    A live demo link every sprint — click through it, comment on it.

    Tools

    • Shopify CLI
    • Hydrogen
    • GitHub
    • Theme Check

    You receive

    • Theme or storefront
    • Integrations
    • Redirect map
    • Editor guide

    Sign-off gateFeature-complete on staging, reviewed by you, with content loaded.

  4. Stage 4 · Week 7

    Launch

    A launch day with no surprises — and no lost rankings.

    What we do

    1. Cross-device, cross-browser QA against a 60-point checklist
    2. Speed audit: Core Web Vitals passed on a mid-range Android
    3. SEO parity: titles, meta, schema and redirects verified
    4. Go-live, DNS switch and hour-by-hour monitoring

    Your part

    A final walkthrough and a go/no-go call. We handle the rest.

    Tools

    • BrowserStack
    • PageSpeed Insights
    • Screaming Frog

    You receive

    • QA report
    • Speed report
    • Launch plan
    • Training session

    Sign-off gateLaunch only when QA, speed and SEO checks are all green.

  5. Stage 5 · Week 8 onwards

    Grow

    Turn a new store into a compounding revenue channel.

    What we do

    1. Technical SEO and content that builds organic revenue
    2. Google, Meta and email campaigns tuned for ROAS
    3. A/B testing and CRO on the pages that make money
    4. Monthly roadmap reset against the KPIs from Discover

    Your part

    A 30-minute monthly review. One report covers every channel.

    Tools

    • Klaviyo
    • Google Ads
    • Meta Ads
    • GA4

    You receive

    • SEO roadmap
    • Campaigns
    • CRO tests
    • Monthly report

    Sign-off gateEvery month is judged on the same numbers we agreed in week one.

A week inside a project

Full visibility, every week

The same rhythm every week of the build, so you always know what is shipping and when you will see it.

  1. Mon

    Plan

    Sprint goals set and shared in your project channel.

  2. Tue

    Build

    Heads-down design and development. No status meetings.

  3. Wed

    Check-in

    15-minute stand-up for blockers and decisions.

  4. Thu

    Demo

    A live link to everything shipped this week.

  5. Fri

    Report

    Written progress, budget and next week's plan.

  • Fixed price

    The quote you sign is the invoice you get. Scope changes are priced before they start.

  • One senior team

    The people in the kickoff are the people who design, build and grow the store.

  • Your code, your accounts

    Everything lives in your Shopify, GitHub and Figma from day one.

  • 30 days aftercare

    Every launch includes a month of fixes and tweaks at no charge.

Straight answers

Questions worth asking Questions worth asking

The things brands actually ask us before a build — answered properly, including the times the answer is that you do not need us.

  • How long does it take to build a Shopify store?

    A custom Shopify theme typically takes seven weeks from kickoff to launch: one week of discovery, two of design, four of development overlapping design, and a launch week. Headless Hydrogen builds take ten to sixteen weeks, and migrations from WooCommerce or Magento four to ten, depending on catalogue size and integrations.

  • What does the Shopify development process involve?

    Five stages: Discover (audit, KPIs and a fixed quote), Brand & Design (identity and mobile-first UI in Figma), Build (custom theme or headless storefront plus integrations), Launch (QA, speed and SEO checks, go-live) and Grow (SEO, paid media and CRO). Each stage ends with a sign-off gate before the next begins.

  • How much of my time does a Shopify project need?

    Around two to three hours a week. A 90-minute kickoff workshop, two design review rounds, a 15-minute weekly check-in and a Thursday demo link you can review whenever suits you. Everything else is handled by the team.

  • Will we lose SEO rankings when we migrate to Shopify?

    Not when the migration is planned properly. We map every existing URL to its new home with 301 redirects, carry over titles, meta descriptions and structured data, and verify indexing in Search Console before and after the DNS switch. Organic traffic typically holds within two weeks of launch.

  • What happens if the scope changes mid-project?

    Changes are written up and priced before any work starts, and you decide whether they join this release or the next. The original fixed price never moves on its own, so there are no surprise invoices at the end.

Still weighing it up?Tell us the situation

Start a project

Let's build yours Let's build yours

Tell us where you are — a new build, a migration or a project that has stopped moving. You get a fixed scope and a plan in writing, not a sales call.

  • Fixed quote in 48 hoursScope, milestones and price in writing before anything starts.
  • No obligationThe plan is yours to keep, even if you build it somewhere else.
  • Straight to the teamYou talk to the people who design and build it, not an account manager.