Summarize with AI
Whether you are replatforming your e-commerce store or setting up a new one completely from scratch, you are probably thinking what you need to add to Shopify and how to personalize the store to fit your business needs. In this article, we are going to share how our agency works, and what you need to pay attention to when planning Shopify Development work.
We have been building and developing Shopify stores since 2016. We are a Shopify Premier Partner, we have delivered 400+ projects on Shopify and Shopify Plus, and we maintain 60+ Shopify Plus stores for brands in Europe and North America. Most of that work is not launching new stores but developing existing ones: integrations, custom apps, checkout, B2B, new markets and performance.
This guide explains what Shopify development means in 2026 (a lot has changed since this post was first written in 2021), when you actually need a developer, what we have built for clients, how a project runs with us and what to check when you choose a Shopify development agency.
What Shopify development covers in 2026
Shopify has replaced several of the tools agencies used a few years ago. Theme Kit is deprecated in favour of Shopify CLI, checkout.liquid stopped working on the checkout steps in August 2024, and Shopify Scripts stopped running on 30 June 2026. If an agency's proposal still mentions any of them, ask why.
| Area | What the work involves in 2026 | Plan notes |
|---|---|---|
| Themes | Online Store 2.0 themes (JSON templates, sections on every page, app blocks, metafields); the newest Horizon themes add theme blocks that can be reused and nested. Developed locally with Shopify CLI and kept in Git. | All plans |
| Checkout | Checkout Extensibility: checkout UI extensions, branding, web pixels. checkout.liquid and the “Additional scripts” box are gone. | Apps on the Information, Shipping and Payment steps and the Checkout Branding API: Plus only |
| Business logic | Shopify Functions for discounts, delivery and payment customization, cart validation, bundles and order routing. They replaced Shopify Scripts. | Public apps with Functions: any plan. Custom apps with Functions: Plus only |
| Custom apps | Private apps for one store (integrations, back-office tools, sync between stores), created in the Dev Dashboard. | Basic: limited data access. Grow and up: full |
| Integrations | ERP, PIM, CRM, marketing automation, payment and shipping providers, via apps, middleware or custom code. | API limits: up to 2x on Advanced, up to 10x on Plus (select APIs) |
| Headless | Custom storefronts built with Hydrogen (React Router) and hosted on Oxygen or elsewhere, using the Storefront API. | 1 headless storefront on Basic, Grow and Advanced; 25 on Plus |
| B2B | Company accounts, catalogs, net terms, quantity rules, B2B checkout. | Native B2B on all plans since April 2026 (up to 3 catalogs); unlimited catalogs and customer-specific catalogs on Plus |
Sources: Shopify pricing, Theme Kit, theme blocks, Help Center: checkout customization, Shopify Functions, Help Center: custom apps, Help Center: B2B plan features (all checked 26 October 2026).
Two consequences for anyone planning work. First, some things that used to require Plus no longer do: native B2B, public apps built on Functions and selling in many markets with Shopify Markets are available on every plan. Second, the deepest customizations still are Plus-only: custom Functions, apps on the checkout steps and per-customer B2B catalogs. A good agency tells you which side of that line your project is on before you sign a Plus contract. Our comparison of Shopify Plus vs Advanced and the Shopify pricing guide go into the costs.
Do you need a developer at all?
Not always. Shopify is built so that a merchant can set up and run a store without code: you can open a store, pick a theme, add products, payments and shipping, and change most of the layout in the theme editor. Our guide to customizing a Shopify theme shows how far you can get on your own.
Our rule of thumb with clients: use what Shopify gives you natively first, then a well-supported app, and write custom code only for what makes your business different. Every app adds a monthly fee and some weight to the store, and every piece of custom code needs maintenance, so neither is free.
You usually need a developer when:
- your products need logic no app handles well: configurators, calculators, bundles, sample ordering, made-to-measure;
- the store has to exchange data with an ERP, PIM, POS or warehouse system, and a ready-made connector doesn't cover your processes;
- you sell B2B with rules that go beyond the native features (VAT validation, tiered discounts, pack sizes);
- you run several stores or markets that need to stay in sync;
- the store got slow or inconsistent after years of apps and edits by different people;
- you are moving from another platform and need data, redirects and integrations to survive the switch.
What we have built for clients
Examples from our published case studies, chosen to show the range of Shopify development work rather than the biggest logos.
Product logic on the storefront. For Home Carpet One, a Chicago flooring retailer, we built two calculators on the product page (price by square footage with quantity breaks, and the number of packs needed for a room), a “sample box” that follows the shopper around the store, and a service form that shows measurement and installation only for the zip codes the company covers. For Berries&Co we wrote two jewellery personalization configurators, one of them a canvas animation built with matter.js. For Oakywood we built the OakyBlocks bundler, which shows the bundle price in the cart, and a desk configurator with an AR preview, made together with 3D specialist Precismo.
B2B logic with Shopify Functions. Bernstein, a German bathroom furniture brand, sells to consumers and companies across Europe from one store. We built an app that validates EU VAT numbers in real time against VIES (Shopify doesn't do this natively), a Cart Transform function that shows net prices to verified business customers from other EU countries, and four discount tiers based on order history. For Naturopathica we configured Shopify Plus B2B with pricing per company and location, user roles from view-only to multi-location ordering, deferred payments and pack-size rules (3, 6, 9 or 12 units), and added company-specific free shipping rules with a UPS integration, which Shopify doesn't offer as standard. More in our B2B on Shopify guide.
Custom apps and integrations. For L'Occitane we started with a custom app for data exchange between Cegid ERP, the company's enterprise service bus and Shopify Plus, then built ERP and POS integrations for each of the 8 markets moved to Shopify Plus. For Shoepassion, after a migration from Magento, we connected the store to the Pixi ERP and a PIM and wrote an app linked to Shopify POS that shows stock in each shop in Germany and takes orders for shoe repair services. For The Odder Side we wrote an app that keeps products in sync between the brand's separate market stores, and extended checkout with pickup points and gift-with-purchase promotions using Checkout Extensibility. We also built the official Przelewy24 app for Shopify.
Headless. OPTISOFA moved from WooCommerce to a headless storefront on Shopify Advanced, with a 3D and AR furniture configurator from Mimeeq that our team implemented. Headless is not the default choice for us; our headless decision guide explains when it pays off.
Ongoing development. For BlazePod we started with an audit, rebuilt a store that ran on two different themes into one consistent theme, improved the cart and raised the desktop PageSpeed Insights score from 60 to 89. Since then we run A/B tests in VWO with their team and work as their external development department.
How a Shopify development project runs with us
1. Discovery before estimates
Larger projects start with workshops: one strand for technology (processes, systems, data flows, a gap analysis of what Shopify does natively and what needs apps or code) and one for UX, using analytics and user research. For Home Carpet One this was a three-day discovery workshop; for L'Occitane, technology workshops with marketing, IT, customer service and business stakeholders, a proposed architecture and a roadmap for several months ahead. The output is a scope, an architecture and an estimate you can compare between agencies.
2. A team and a rhythm
A typical team is a project manager, Shopify developers, a designer and QA; integration-heavy projects add a business analyst and backend developers. On L'Occitane the team worked in two-week Scrum sprints together with local market teams and the client's global IT. We adapt to the client's tools (Jira, Slack, Basecamp and others), but there is always one person responsible for the project on our side.
3. Code you own
We never develop on the live theme. Themes are built locally with Shopify CLI on development themes and kept in Git. Shopify's GitHub integration syncs a branch with a theme in both directions, so edits made by your team in the theme editor are committed back to the repository. We recommend keeping the repository in your organization's GitHub account and creating custom apps under your own store, so that your code doesn't depend on any one agency, including us.
4. Testing and launch
Before launch we test the full purchase path in different browsers: successful and failed payments, shipping methods, discounts, cancellations and returns, notifications and the flow of orders to the ERP and CRM, plus SEO (titles, redirects, broken links). We launch at low-traffic hours but not on a Friday or at a weekend, and stay on hyper-care for a few weeks afterwards, as we did for vetsak. The whole process for a migration is described in our podcast episode Migration to Shopify step by step and in our list of the most common Shopify migration mistakes.
5. After launch
Shopify updates the platform for you, but themes, apps and integrations still need someone to look after them: Shopify retires APIs and features (Scripts and checkout.liquid are the latest examples), apps change, and new campaigns need new sections. Most of our clients stay with us on Shopify maintenance or a development retainer. L'Occitane, Berries&Co and BlazePod are examples of long-term development after the first project.
How to choose a Shopify development agency: 8 questions
- What is your tier in the Shopify Partner Directory, and what do your reviews say? The Shopify Partner Directory groups service partners into Select, Plus, Premier and Platinum tiers based on their track record, and shows verified reviews.
- Can I see a case study with a similar problem? Look for the same kind of complexity (ERP, B2B, multi-market, migration from your platform), not the same industry.
- Who writes the code? In-house team or subcontractors, and who will be on your project.
- Where will the code live? Your Git repository and your store's custom apps, or the agency's accounts.
- What will you build with apps and what with custom code, and why? Ask for the monthly app cost next to the development estimate.
- Does this need Shopify Plus? Since 2026 native B2B, Markets and public apps with Functions work on every plan. The answer should name the specific Plus-only features you need.
- How do you test and launch? Ask for the checklist and what happens in the first weeks after go-live.
- What does support look like after launch? Response times, who fixes what, and how new work is estimated.
Talk to us about Shopify development
If you're planning a store with logic that goes beyond a theme and a few apps, or you need someone to take over development of an existing store, we can help with Shopify Plus development, theme development, custom apps, ERP integrations, B2B, headless, speed optimization and migrations to Shopify. Contact us and tell us what you want to build.
