Hire a Shopify Developer in the UK
Find experienced Shopify developers and agencies who build fast, reliable online stores for UK businesses. From theme customisation to complex Shopify Plus builds, get expert help at every stage of your project.
What Does a Shopify Developer Do?
A Shopify developer specialises in building, customising, and maintaining online stores on the Shopify platform. Whether you are launching your first store or scaling an established brand, a skilled developer ensures your shop looks professional, runs smoothly, and converts visitors into customers.
Theme Development & Customisation
Building bespoke Shopify themes from scratch or customising existing themes to match your brand identity. This includes responsive layouts, custom sections, and Liquid template development.
App Integration & Custom Apps
Connecting your store with third-party tools such as accounting software, ERP systems, email marketing platforms, and fulfilment services. When no off-the-shelf app exists, developers build custom Shopify apps.
Migration & Platform Moves
Moving your store from WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, or another platform to Shopify. This covers product and customer data, order history, URL redirects, and SEO preservation.
Performance Optimisation
Improving page load speed, Core Web Vitals scores, and mobile responsiveness. Faster stores have lower bounce rates and higher conversion rates, directly improving your revenue.
Conversion Rate Optimisation
Refining your checkout flow, product pages, navigation, and calls to action to turn more browsers into buyers. Data-driven improvements based on analytics, heatmaps, and A/B testing.
Ongoing Support & Maintenance
Regular updates, security monitoring, bug fixes, and feature enhancements to keep your store running reliably. Many UK businesses rely on a retainer arrangement for predictable, ongoing Shopify support.
When Should You Hire a Shopify Developer?
Shopify is built to be accessible, but there are clear situations where working with an experienced developer will save you time, money, and frustration.
Consider hiring a Shopify developer if your business needs any of the following:
- A branded, unique design — you want a look and feel that goes beyond what off-the-shelf themes can offer
- Third-party integrations — connecting Shopify to your ERP, CRM, warehouse management, or accounting systems
- Platform migration — moving from WooCommerce, Magento, or another system to Shopify without losing data or SEO rankings
- Custom functionality — product configurators, subscription models, B2B pricing, or bespoke checkout logic
- Shopify Plus requirements — checkout extensibility, Shopify Scripts, multi-currency, or expansion stores
- Performance issues — slow page speeds, poor mobile experience, or declining conversion rates
What to Look for in a Shopify Developer
Not all Shopify developers are equal. Choosing the wrong partner can lead to missed deadlines, poor performance, and costly rebuilds. Here is what to check before you commit.
- Shopify Partner or Plus Partner status — official recognition from Shopify that the developer meets quality and experience standards
- Liquid and Shopify theme expertise — deep knowledge of Shopify's templating language, Online Store 2.0 architecture, and section-based themes
- A portfolio of live Shopify stores — working examples you can browse, not just static mockups or screenshots
- Integration experience — proven ability to connect Shopify with payment providers, shipping carriers, ERPs, and marketing tools
- Client references and testimonials — verifiable feedback from UK businesses who have worked with them
- Clear project process — defined milestones, regular communication, staging environment for review, and a documented handover
- Post-launch support plans — ongoing maintenance, monitoring, and the ability to make iterative improvements after go-live
Typical Shopify Development Costs in the UK
Shopify project costs depend on the scope, complexity, and level of customisation required. Below are typical price ranges for UK-based Shopify development projects in 2025.
Starter Store
£2,000 – £5,000
A pre-built theme with light customisation, basic branding, product upload, payment and shipping configuration, and essential pages. Suited to new businesses testing the market with a smaller catalogue.
Custom Shopify Store
£8,000 – £25,000
Bespoke theme design and development, advanced product filtering, third-party integrations (accounting, shipping, email marketing), and data migration. Ideal for established brands wanting a professional, tailored experience.
Shopify Plus & Enterprise
£25,000 – £80,000+
Shopify Plus builds with checkout extensibility, custom apps, multi-currency support, B2B functionality, complex integrations, and headless or composable commerce architecture. Built for high-volume merchants.
Freelance Developer (Hourly)
£50 – £120 /hr
Suitable for smaller tasks, bug fixes, theme tweaks, and ad-hoc development work. Rates vary based on experience, specialisation, and location within the UK.
Agency Monthly Retainer
£500 – £3,000 /mo
Ongoing support, maintenance, updates, and iterative improvements. Retainers give you predictable costs and priority access to your development team when you need changes made quickly.
Platform Migration
£5,000 – £20,000
Moving from WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, or a legacy platform to Shopify. Includes data migration, theme rebuilding, URL redirects, integration setup, and thorough testing.
Considering other platforms? Compare WooCommerce developers and Magento developers in the UK, or read our comprehensive guide to choosing the right ecommerce platform.
Common Shopify Integrations for UK Businesses
Most Shopify stores require connections to external business systems. A good Shopify developer will have hands-on experience integrating the tools that UK businesses rely on every day.
Payment Gateways
Shopify Payments, Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Clearpay, and other UK-relevant payment providers. Setting up multi-currency support, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and local payment methods.
Shipping & Fulfilment
Royal Mail, DPD, DHL, Hermes (Evri), and UPS integrations. Automated label printing, real-time tracking, calculated shipping rates, and connections to third-party fulfilment warehouses.
Accounting & ERP
Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, and NetSuite integrations for automated order syncing, VAT calculations, stock management, and financial reporting. Essential for reducing manual data entry and errors.
Email Marketing & CRM
Klaviyo, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Dotdigital integrations for automated email flows, abandoned cart recovery, customer segmentation, and personalised marketing campaigns.
SEO & Analytics
Google Analytics 4, Google Search Console, Meta Pixel, and conversion tracking setup. Technical SEO configuration including structured data, meta tags, sitemaps, and page speed optimisation.
Custom App Development
When off-the-shelf apps do not meet your needs, a Shopify developer can build bespoke apps using the Shopify API. Product configurators, custom pricing rules, loyalty programmes, and subscription management are common examples.
Frequently Asked Questions About Shopify Development
Shopify developer costs in the UK vary depending on the scope of your project. A simple theme customisation or small store setup typically costs between £2,000 and £5,000. A fully custom Shopify store with bespoke theme development, third-party integrations, and data migration usually falls between £8,000 and £25,000. Ongoing retainer support from a Shopify agency generally runs from £500 to £2,000 per month. Freelance Shopify developers typically charge between £50 and £120 per hour.
Shopify is designed for small to medium-sized businesses and offers everything you need to run a professional online store. Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier, built for high-growth and high-volume merchants. Plus offers advanced features such as customisable checkout (via checkout extensibility), higher API rate limits, exclusive apps like Shopify Flow and Launchpad, dedicated account management, and the ability to run up to ten expansion stores. If your business processes more than £1 million in annual online revenue or needs complex B2B functionality, Shopify Plus is typically the better fit.
A basic Shopify store using a pre-built theme with minor customisations can be launched in 2 to 4 weeks. A mid-range project involving a custom theme, branded design, and several integrations typically takes 6 to 10 weeks. A complex Shopify Plus build with bespoke functionality, data migration from another platform, and multiple integrations can take 12 to 20 weeks. Timelines depend on how quickly you can provide content, product data, and feedback during the build.
Yes, migrating to Shopify from platforms like WooCommerce, Magento, BigCommerce, or Squarespace is a common project for Shopify developers. A professional migration typically includes transferring products, customers, order history, and URL redirects to preserve your SEO rankings. Your developer should create a detailed migration plan that covers data mapping, theme rebuilding or adaptation, app and integration setup, and thorough testing before the cutover. Most migrations take 4 to 12 weeks depending on the size of your catalogue and the complexity of your existing setup.
Shopify is designed to be accessible, and many small businesses successfully launch stores on their own using pre-built themes and the visual editor. However, you should consider hiring a Shopify developer if you need a unique brand experience that goes beyond what standard themes offer, custom functionality or bespoke features, integration with your ERP, accounting software, or fulfilment systems, migration from another platform, performance optimisation, or ongoing technical support. A developer ensures your store is set up correctly from the start, which saves time and money in the long run.
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