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E-commerce · Commerce Systems
E-commerce Built to Convert and Scale.
Shopify development, custom storefronts and conversion-optimised commerce systems. Every build is aligned with the acquisition strategy sending traffic to the store, not designed in isolation from it.
4-16 weeks
Build timeline
Checkout CRO
Included in every build
Definition
What is E-commerce Development?
E-commerce development is the process of designing, building and integrating the technology systems that power online retail, covering the customer-facing storefront, the checkout and payment layer, inventory and order management, and the third-party integrations that connect commerce to marketing, fulfilment and customer service operations. A complete commerce build goes beyond installing a Shopify theme: it includes checkout conversion engineering, payment gateway configuration, fulfilment system connectivity, SEO architecture and the analytics infrastructure needed to measure and improve performance after launch. For brands competing on paid and organic acquisition, the quality of the commerce system directly determines whether marketing spend generates profitable revenue or expensive traffic that bounces at checkout.
4-16 weeks
Build timeline
Shopify Plus + headless
Platform capability
Checkout CRO
Included in every build
Zero order data loss
Store migrations
Diagnosis
Signs You Need a Commerce Development Partner
- Your checkout abandonment rate is above 70% and your current Shopify theme cannot be modified enough to fix the flow without a rebuild.
- Your store is technically held together with conflicting apps and plugin overrides that slow page loads and break unpredictably during peak traffic.
- You are scaling paid advertising spend but your product pages and checkout are not converting traffic at a rate that makes those channels profitable.
- You are migrating from WooCommerce, Magento or another platform and need the move done without destroying your SEO rankings or losing order history.
- You are launching a new brand or product line and need a commerce system built correctly from the start rather than a default theme that will need rebuilding in 12 months.
Ideal Fit
Who This Is For
DTC Brands Scaling Paid Acquisition
Direct-to-consumer brands investing in Meta and Google advertising who need a storefront and checkout built to convert that traffic at a rate that keeps ROAS positive at scale.
Retailers Migrating or Rebuilding
Established retailers moving from WooCommerce, Magento or a legacy platform who need a clean migration with SEO preservation, order data integrity and zero revenue disruption during the transition.
B2B Brands Adding Wholesale Commerce
Manufacturers and distributors who need a B2B wholesale portal with customer-specific pricing, net payment terms, order approval workflows and inventory visibility, built on Shopify Plus.
High-Volume Brands Needing Custom Architecture
Brands at the revenue level where Shopify's default checkout or storefront limits performance, and a headless commerce architecture is required to hit page speed, UX or integration requirements.
Deliverables
What You Get
- Custom Shopify Theme or Headless StorefrontA fully custom storefront built to your brand, catalogue structure and conversion requirements, not a modified off-the-shelf theme.
- Checkout OptimisationStreamlined checkout flow with address autocomplete, express payments (Apple Pay, Google Pay, Klarna), mobile-first layout and abandoned cart recovery configured from launch.
- Payment Gateway IntegrationStripe, Klarna, PayPal and regional payment methods integrated with correct tax handling, currency display and failed payment retry logic.
- Inventory and ERP IntegrationStock levels, product data and order information synchronised bidirectionally between your store and warehouse management or ERP system in real time.
- Email and SMS Marketing StackKlaviyo flows configured for welcome, browse abandonment, cart abandonment, post-purchase and win-back sequences with correct event tracking from the storefront.
- SEO Architecture and Redirect MapFull URL structure, canonical tag setup, structured data for products and collections, and 301 redirect map for any migrated URLs to preserve organic ranking.
- Analytics and Attribution SetupGA4, Meta Pixel and server-side tracking configured with correct purchase events, revenue attribution and product performance reporting from day one.
- Post-Launch CRO ReviewA structured review of real user behaviour in the first 30 days post-launch to identify and action the highest-value conversion improvements.
E-commerce Services
What We Build
Shopify and Shopify Plus Development
Custom Shopify themes, private apps, checkout extensions and Shopify Plus scripts. Full store builds from design to launch, including B2B wholesale functionality and multi-storefront management.
Custom and Headless Storefronts
Headless commerce architecture using Commercetools or a custom React frontend for brands that need full control over performance, UX or the integration architecture connecting commerce to the wider business stack.
Checkout Optimisation
Streamlined checkout flows, express payment options, abandoned cart recovery and mobile-first conversion improvements. Checkout CRO is a standard component of every build, not an optional add-on.
Inventory and Operations
Inventory management systems, ERP integration, fulfilment automation and operational systems for growing stores that need reliable stock accuracy and order processing at scale.
Our Approach
The Koldconvert Commerce Stack Method
Generic Shopify agencies design storefronts in isolation from the marketing strategy that will fill them with traffic. The Koldconvert Commerce Stack Method starts from the customer acquisition channel, works backward through the product page and checkout, and builds a commerce system where every layer is designed around conversion, not aesthetics. Before any design work begins, we audit the conversion funnel, the existing analytics data and the integration requirements of the wider business stack. Development is structured so the storefront, checkout and backend integrations are tested together under realistic traffic conditions before launch, not piecemeal. The result is a commerce system where the technical decisions are justified by the revenue mechanics they serve, not by what is easiest to build.
Process
From Brief to Live Store
01
Commerce Audit
Review your current store, conversion data and integration requirements. Scope the build with a clear technical specification signed off before design begins.
02
Design and UX
Storefront design optimised for your catalogue structure and customer journey. Mobile-first, fast-loading and built around the conversion data from your traffic sources.
03
Build and Integrate
Theme or headless storefront built and integrated with payments, shipping carriers, inventory systems and marketing automation tools in a staging environment with full QA.
04
Launch and Optimise
Go live with SEO redirects confirmed, analytics verified and monitoring active. Structured post-launch CRO review at 30 days to act on real user behaviour.
Tech Stack
Tools & Technology
Shopify Plus
WooCommerce
Commercetools
Stripe
Klarna
Algolia
Klaviyo
Vercel
Contentful
Recharge
Gorgias
Shopify Plus and Commercetools provide the commerce backbone. Algolia handles high-performance product search across large catalogues. Klaviyo drives email and SMS automation from storefront events. Stripe and Klarna handle checkout payment flows. Recharge manages subscription commerce. Contentful provides headless content management for editorial-heavy storefronts. Vercel serves Next.js headless frontends with edge caching. Gorgias connects customer support to order data directly.
Engagement
How We Work Together
Custom Theme Build
A fully designed and developed Shopify theme replacing your existing template. Includes UX design, checkout CRO, payment setup and analytics configuration. Suited to brands outgrowing their current theme. Typical duration: 4 to 8 weeks.
Full Commerce Platform Build
End-to-end commerce system build covering storefront, checkout, inventory management, ERP integration and marketing automation. Suited to brands launching at scale or migrating from a legacy platform. Typical duration: 10 to 16 weeks.
CRO and Optimisation Retainer
Ongoing monthly engagement for conversion rate improvement, page speed optimisation, A/B testing, new feature development and technical maintenance on a live store generating revenue.
Results
What Clients Achieve
E-commerce · Commerce Systems
Commerce Build Results
4-16 weeksBuild timeline
Shopify Plus + headlessPlatform capability
Checkout CROEvery build includes it
Zero order data lossStore migrations standard
Industries
E-commerce Development for Your Industry
Fashion & Apparel
Size and variant matrix management, lookbook integrations, fit finder tools and returns management systems built into the storefront so post-purchase experience does not destroy margins.
Health & Wellness
Subscription commerce for recurring consumable products, compliance-aware product descriptions, age verification flows and integration with fulfilment partners specialising in temperature-sensitive goods.
Consumer Electronics
Complex product variant management, warranty registration flows, comparison tools, technical specification displays and B2B trade portals alongside DTC storefronts on a single Shopify Plus instance.
Food & Beverage
Subscription box commerce, delivery date selection, postcode-based availability restrictions, perishables fulfilment integration and alcohol age verification gates built into the checkout flow.
Beauty & Cosmetics
Shade finder and product recommendation tools, loyalty programme integration, high-volume launch day infrastructure and subscription replenishment for consumable product lines.
Home & Lifestyle
Large catalogue management with faceted search via Algolia, room visualiser integrations, bespoke order and customisation request flows, and trade pricing for interior design trade accounts.
B2B Wholesale
Shopify Plus B2B portals with customer-specific pricing, net payment terms, minimum order quantities, purchase order upload, and account manager assignment for enterprise wholesale accounts.
SaaS & Digital Products
Digital product delivery, licence key fulfilment, trial-to-paid conversion flows and subscription management for software and content products sold through a commerce platform.
FinTech & Payments
PCI-compliant checkout architecture, alternative payment method integration for emerging markets, wallet top-up flows and purchase financing options embedded into the product detail page.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Distributor portals with real-time stock availability, bulk order management, shipping carrier integration and automated dispatch notification systems connected to warehouse management tools.
Media & Entertainment
Merchandise stores, ticketing integrations, limited-edition drop architecture with countdown timers and queue management, and fan membership subscription commerce.
Marketplaces & Platforms
Multi-vendor marketplace architecture, seller onboarding flows, commission and payout management, and buyer protection mechanics built on a Shopify or headless commerce foundation.
Comparison
Koldconvert vs Typical Shopify Agency
| Factor | Koldconvert | Typical Shopify Agency |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing alignment | Commerce build designed around the acquisition channels driving traffic to it | Storefront built in isolation with no view of the marketing strategy |
| Checkout approach | Checkout CRO included as standard, not an optional add-on | Default Shopify checkout with minor styling only |
| Custom builds | Custom code when themes limit conversion potential | Theme customisation only, limited to what the theme permits |
| Integration reliability | Integrations built for real order volumes with error handling and monitoring | App bolt-ons that break under peak traffic or high order volumes |
| Post-launch | 30-day CRO review and structured optimisation from real user data | Launch and hand off; ongoing work billed as a new project |
| Analytics setup | GA4, server-side tracking and attribution configured and verified before launch | Default Shopify analytics with no custom event setup |
| SEO on migration | Full redirect map, structured data and ranking monitoring as a migration deliverable | SEO treated as an afterthought with redirects added after rankings drop |
Koldconvert Perspective
The most common commerce development failure is not a technical one: it is a scoping failure where the store is built by an agency that never asked what the acquisition cost of a visitor is, what the margin on a first order is, or what a one-percentage-point improvement in checkout conversion is worth at current traffic volumes. Those numbers should determine what you spend on development and which parts of the funnel deserve the most engineering attention. A store with a £30 CAC and a 2% checkout conversion rate has a fundamentally different development priority list than one with a £5 CAC and a 6% rate. Koldconvert answers those questions in the scoping phase, then builds to the answer.
Koldconvert Strategy Team
Buyer's Guide
Questions to Ask Any E-commerce Development Partner
- What is your process for understanding conversion before you design anything? A strong answer describes how they audit existing analytics, benchmark conversion rates and map the customer journey before touching a design tool. A weak answer jumps straight to portfolio examples and design preferences.
- How do you handle integrations that break after launch? A good answer describes monitoring, alerting and a defined support SLA. A weak answer says "we'll deal with it when it happens" or requires you to raise a new project scope for every post-launch fix.
- What do you do to protect organic rankings during a store migration? The answer should include a pre-migration URL audit, a comprehensive 301 redirect map, canonical tag handling, structured data migration and post-launch ranking monitoring. If SEO is not mentioned until you ask, that is a red flag.
- Have you built for brands at our order volume and is checkout performance verified under load? Peak traffic events expose integration failures and checkout latency that never appear in staging. A good answer names load testing tools and demonstrates experience with comparable order volumes to yours.
- How do you set up analytics so we can trust the conversion data after launch? This means server-side event tracking for purchase events, correctly mapped revenue attribution, and verified GA4 and ad platform pixel setup before the store goes live, not after. An agency that treats analytics as optional is telling you something about how they measure their own work.
Key Terms
Glossary
- Headless Commerce
- Headless commerce is an architecture where the customer-facing storefront (the "head") is decoupled from the backend commerce engine, allowing the frontend to be built as a custom React or Next.js application that calls commerce APIs for product, cart and checkout data, delivering faster page loads and complete design freedom at the cost of greater development complexity.
- Checkout Conversion Rate
- Checkout conversion rate is the percentage of sessions that reach the checkout page and complete a purchase, typically ranging from 30% to 65% on well-optimised stores and directly influenced by checkout flow length, payment method availability, trust signals and mobile UX quality.
- Shopify Plus
- Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier of Shopify, providing access to the Checkout Extensibility API for custom checkout modifications, Shopify Scripts for line item and shipping logic, B2B features, dedicated support and higher API rate limits, available to stores generating above a minimum annual revenue threshold.
- Cart Abandonment Recovery
- Cart abandonment recovery is the set of automated email and SMS sequences triggered when a user adds items to a cart but does not complete checkout, typically recovering 5% to 15% of abandoned carts when correctly sequenced with personalised product content and time-limited incentives.
- 301 Redirect
- A 301 redirect is a permanent HTTP redirect from one URL to another that tells search engines to transfer all ranking authority from the old URL to the new one, critical during platform migrations to preserve organic search rankings that would otherwise reset to zero when existing URLs are replaced.
- Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL)
- Buy Now Pay Later is a payment method, offered by providers including Klarna and Clearpay, that allows customers to split a purchase into interest-free instalments at checkout, typically increasing average order value by 15 to 40% and improving conversion for higher-priced products where upfront payment creates purchase hesitation.
Questions
E-commerce Development, Answered
Both. Shopify and Shopify Plus for most e-commerce builds, with custom themes, apps and checkout extensions. Custom headless storefronts built on Commercetools or a custom React frontend for brands that need full control over performance, UX or integration architecture.
A Shopify store with a custom theme takes 4 to 8 weeks. A headless storefront or complex custom platform takes 10 to 16 weeks. Timelines depend on product catalogue size, integrations required and custom functionality scope.
Yes. We handle full store migrations including product data, customer records, order history, SEO redirects and payment gateway setup. Migrations are planned to minimise downtime and revenue disruption, with rollback procedures in place before go-live.
Payment gateways including Stripe, Klarna and PayPal, shipping carriers, inventory management, ERP systems, email and SMS marketing via Klaviyo, and customer support via Gorgias. We connect your store to your full operational stack.
Yes. Checkout optimisation is included in every build: streamlined checkout flow, address autocomplete, express payment options including Apple Pay and Google Pay, mobile-first layout and abandoned cart recovery configured from launch.
A custom Shopify theme build starts from £8,000 to £20,000. A full Shopify Plus build with integrations and checkout customisation ranges from £20,000 to £60,000. Headless commerce projects start from £50,000 depending on architecture complexity. We scope accurately before any work begins.
Shopify Plus is right for most brands: it is faster to build, has a proven app ecosystem and checkout extension capability covers most customisation requirements. Headless commerce is worth the additional cost when you need microsecond page loads, deeply custom UX that Shopify's rendering cannot deliver, or multi-region multi-currency complexity that Shopify's architecture cannot cleanly handle.
Yes. Subscription commerce using Recharge integrated with Shopify is a standard capability. We configure subscription plans, dunning management, customer self-service portals and the analytics reporting to track subscriber LTV and churn rate.
SEO is treated as a first-class migration concern. We audit all existing URLs, map redirects before go-live, preserve canonical tags, migrate structured data and submit updated sitemaps immediately after launch. We monitor ranking changes in the 30 days post-migration and act on any drops.
Yes. Conversion rate optimisation on an existing Shopify store can include checkout flow improvements, page speed work, product page redesigns and A/B testing without a full platform rebuild. We assess your current analytics and identify the highest-value fixes first before recommending scope.
Fashion and apparel, health and wellness, consumer electronics, food and beverage, beauty, home and lifestyle, B2B wholesale and specialty retail. Each vertical has different catalogue complexity, compliance requirements and customer journey expectations that we scope for from the start.
Koldconvert builds commerce systems within a wider acquisition and retention context. Development work is informed by performance marketing and CRO capabilities, so the storefront is designed to convert the traffic being sent to it. We do not build stores in isolation from the marketing strategy that fills them.
Ready to build your store?
Book a call to discuss your e-commerce goals and get a scoping estimate before any commitment.
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