Shopify Development
Shopify development for stores that need to sell and scale
We build new Shopify stores, customise themes in Liquid, connect apps and back-office systems, and migrate shops from other platforms. Every build is designed around fast product pages, a short checkout and catalogue data your team can manage.
Website Development
What is Shopify development?
Shopify development is the building and customising of online stores on the Shopify platform. It covers theme design and Liquid templates, product and collection structure, checkout and payment configuration, app and API integrations, data migration from other platforms, and the performance and tracking work that helps a store convert visitors into orders.
Shopify is popular because it takes care of hosting, security and checkout, so a team can focus on products and marketing. Its limits show up when a store needs unusual product options, custom wholesale pricing, deeper integrations or a design that goes beyond a stock theme.
We work inside those limits and push past them when it is worth it. That means custom Liquid sections, carefully chosen apps in place of app sprawl, and integrations that keep stock, orders and customers in step with accounting, fulfilment and marketing tools.
We also help sellers who are leaving other platforms. Moving a catalogue, customers and order history from WooCommerce, Magento or another system needs careful field mapping and URL redirects, so that search traffic and customer accounts survive the switch.
Challenges
The problems we are usually brought in to solve
A theme that looks like every other store
Stock themes are quick to launch but make brands look alike, and heavy theme code can slow product pages on mobile.
Too many apps
Every app adds scripts and monthly fees, and overlapping apps conflict at checkout, so the store gets slower and dearer as it grows.
Messy product data
Inconsistent titles, variants, tags and metafields make filtering, search and feeds unreliable and create manual work for staff.
Stock and orders living in separate systems
Teams re-key orders into accounting or warehouse software, which causes delays, overselling and reporting that never quite matches.
Checkout drop-off
Unexpected shipping costs, limited payment options and extra steps make shoppers abandon baskets they already filled.
A risky platform move
Migrating without a redirect map and a tested import can lose product URLs, reviews and customer accounts overnight.
Capabilities
What the service covers
New Shopify store builds
Store structure, navigation, product templates and content, configured so the team can manage the catalogue without a developer.
Custom themes and Liquid sections
Theme work in Shopify Liquid that gives each brand its own look, with sections merchants can rearrange in the theme editor.
Apps and integrations
Selection and setup of apps, plus custom integrations with ERP, accounting, warehouse, CRM and email tools through Shopify's APIs.
Checkout and payments
Shipping rules, taxes, discounts and payment methods, configured and tested end to end for the countries you sell in.
Catalogue and metafield design
Product structure, variants, collections and metafields that make filtering, search and product feeds dependable.
Migration to Shopify
Product, customer and order imports from WooCommerce, Magento and other platforms, with URL redirects and post-launch checks.
Performance work
Image handling, script reduction and theme clean-up measured against mobile Core Web Vitals on real product and collection pages.
Headless and custom storefronts
Where design or speed demand it, a Next.js or React storefront that reads products and checkout from Shopify's APIs.
Our process
How an engagement runs
Every engagement has a named lead, a written scope and working software to review every one to two weeks.
- 01
Plan the catalogue and journey
We review products, customers, markets and integrations, and agree the store structure and what the first release includes.
- 02
Design the storefront
Wireframes and designs for home, collection, product, cart and checkout pages come before any theme code.
- 03
Build and integrate
We build the theme, load products and connect apps and back-office systems on a development store, with preview links to review.
- 04
Test orders end to end
We place test orders across payment methods, shipping zones and discount rules, and check emails, taxes and mobile behaviour.
- 05
Launch and tune
We switch the domain, check redirects and tracking, then watch orders and speed, and adjust based on early data.
Technology
Technology we use
Chosen per project for fit, maintainability and your team's ability to own it.
CMS and commerce
- Shopify
- Shopify Liquid
- WooCommerce
- Stripe
- Magento
Frontend
- JavaScript
- Next.js
- React
- Tailwind CSS
Backend and data
- Node.js
- PHP
- MySQL
Growth and analytics
- Google Analytics
- Google Ads
- Meta Ads
- Schema markup
Use cases
Where it makes the biggest difference
Launching a new brand store
A custom theme, structured catalogue, payment and shipping setup, and tracking in place before the first campaign goes live.
Moving from WooCommerce to Shopify
A catalogue and customer import with a redirect map, so product pages keep their search visibility after the switch.
Syncing stock with warehouse software
An integration that updates inventory and sends orders to fulfilment automatically, ending manual re-entry and overselling.
Wholesale and retail on one store
Customer groups with separate pricing, minimum order rules and account areas for trade buyers.
Speeding up an app-heavy store
An audit that removes overlapping apps, replaces some with light custom sections and trims theme scripts.
A headless storefront for a design-led brand
A custom front end with rich interactions that still uses Shopify for products, checkout and orders.
Industries
Industries we apply this to
Why Softweb Planet
Why teams choose us for this work
Store and search under one roof
We build the store and can support it with SEO, paid media and analytics, so launch and growth are planned together.
Platform-neutral advice
We also build WooCommerce, Magento and custom stores, so we tell you honestly when Shopify is, and is not, the right fit.
Integration engineering
Our API and backend engineers connect stock, orders and finance systems properly instead of relying on fragile workarounds.
Migration discipline
Redirect maps, test imports and a rehearsed switch-over protect search traffic and customer accounts when you change platform.
What you can expect
- A store with fast product and collection pages on mobile
- A catalogue structure your team can maintain
- Orders, stock and customers flowing between systems without re-keying
- A migration plan that protects search visibility
Shopify Development FAQ
Frequently asked questions
It depends on your priorities. Shopify is quicker to launch and removes hosting and security work, which suits teams focused on selling. WooCommerce gives deeper control and no platform fee, but you manage hosting and updates. We compare both against your catalogue, team and budget before recommending one.
Cost depends on how custom the theme is, how many products and markets you have, which integrations you need and whether data must be migrated. You also pay Shopify's plan and app fees separately. After a discovery call we give a fixed written quote for the build.
Yes. We customise existing themes or build custom ones in Liquid, adding sections merchants can rearrange in the theme editor. The aim is a look that fits your brand without piling on code that slows product pages on mobile.
Yes, with planning. We crawl the current site, map every product, collection and content URL to its new address, import data in a test run first and set up redirects at launch. Afterwards we monitor Search Console for errors, so ranking drops are caught early.
We recommend as few as possible. For each need, such as reviews, subscriptions or search, we compare an app against a small custom section on cost, speed and maintenance. Apps stay when they save real work, and we remove overlapping ones that slow the store.
Usually yes, through Shopify's APIs and webhooks or an existing connector. We map which system owns stock, prices and orders, build the sync with retries and logging, and test it with real orders. That removes manual re-entry and reduces overselling.
Yes. We configure markets, currencies, taxes, shipping zones and language versions, and check how prices and duties appear at checkout in each country. For UK sellers we also set up VAT handling and delivery options customers expect.
Yes, within limits. We can set customer groups, separate price lists, minimum quantities and trade accounts using Shopify features or apps. For complex contract pricing or approval workflows, we may add custom logic or integrate with your ERP.
A headless store uses Shopify for products, checkout and orders, while a separate front end such as Next.js controls the design. It suits brands needing custom experiences or very fast pages. It costs more to build and maintain, so we recommend it only when a standard theme will not do.
Yes. We audit the theme, apps, speed, checkout and tracking, then give you a ranked list of fixes with prices. We work on a duplicate theme, so the live store keeps trading, and can stay on as your ongoing support team.
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