D2C storefronts that scale beyond what Shopify's theme system allows.

Shopify gets D2C brands to market fast. It becomes the bottleneck when subscription logic gets complex, loyalty tiers need custom data models, or checkout conversion depends on UX control Shopify doesn't give you. We build custom eCommerce platforms — and D2C storefronts specifically — for brands at that stage.

Discuss your D2C platform See our work

40%+

Sales increase after a full D2C platform rebuild for a market-leading retailer

12–16 wks

Headless D2C rebuild running in parallel with your existing store

100%

Same engineers from sprint one to launch and beyond

Three ways we build D2C platforms.

The right architecture depends on where your current platform is constraining you — and where you need to be in 18 months.

Headless on Shopify

Custom Next.js frontend against Shopify's Storefront API. You keep Shopify's order management, fulfilment, and admin. The customer-facing experience is entirely yours — faster, fully personalised, no theme constraints.

Best for: brands happy with Shopify ops but hitting frontend limitations

Custom Next.js storefront
Shopify Storefront API backend
Sub-200ms page loads
Full UX and interaction control
Same Shopify admin and fulfilment

Fully custom platform

Custom frontend, custom commerce API, custom checkout. The right choice when your subscription model, loyalty system, or pricing engine requires data structures Shopify's model doesn't support.

Best for: subscription brands, complex loyalty models, multi-region pricing

Custom frontend + commerce API
Subscription engine in the data model
Custom checkout logic
Loyalty tiers with custom rules
Multi-region pricing support

Platform rebuild with migration

Migration from an existing Shopify or legacy platform to a new custom build. We build in parallel, migrate all data, and cut over with no downtime. Your store keeps running until launch day.

Best for: established brands with 5+ years of order and customer data

Full data migration (products, orders, customers)
Parallel run — zero downtime cutover
Legacy platform decommission
New architecture, existing data intact
Post-launch support included

What every D2C build includes.

Conversion-optimised checkout

Custom checkout flow — multi-step, single-page, or progressive. Tested against your actual customer behaviour, not Shopify's template assumptions.

Subscription & bundling engine

Subscription logic built into the data model — frequency management, pause/resume, swap products, dynamic bundle pricing. Not a plugin stacked on top.

Loyalty & membership tiers

Custom loyalty programme with point accrual rules, tier thresholds, reward fulfilment, and CRM integration. Designed around how your customers actually buy.

Personalisation layer

Product recommendations, personalised search, and content targeting based on browsing behaviour, purchase history, and segment membership.

Performance architecture

Static generation, edge caching, and optimised image delivery. Core Web Vitals scores that don't degrade as catalogue size grows.

Analytics & A/B testing

Custom event tracking, funnel analytics, and A/B test infrastructure built in — not bolted on. Every checkout and PDP change is measurable.

40%+ sales increase. One platform rebuild.

A market-leading electronics retailer's existing eCommerce platform was limiting growth — performance issues, checkout friction, and a product catalog their CMS couldn't manage at scale.

We rebuilt the platform from the ground up: custom headless storefront, rebuilt product management, new checkout flow, and full performance optimisation. The result was a 40%+ increase in sales — not from traffic growth, but from conversion improvement on the traffic they already had.

Read the eCommerce rebuild case study

Discovery & scoping

We map your catalog, checkout requirements, migration scope, and integration complexity.

Scoped proposal

Fixed-scope proposal with team composition, milestones, and delivery model.

Build — iterative sprints

Two-week sprints with working software at the end of each. No black-box development.

Parallel run & cutover

New platform runs alongside the existing one. Cut over when it's ready — no downtime.

Ongoing partnership

Most clients continue beyond the initial build — new features, scaling, platform evolution.

Start the conversation

Shopify holding back your subscription or checkout logic? We can scope a build in one call.

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Common questions about D2C eCommerce development.

A D2C brand needs a custom platform when subscription and bundling logic exceeds what Shopify apps can reliably handle, when loyalty and membership tiers require custom data models, or when checkout conversion requires A/B testing and UX control that Shopify's checkout doesn't allow. Headless storefronts also make sense when performance or personalisation is a meaningful revenue driver.

Yes. Headless Shopify — a custom Next.js frontend against Shopify's Storefront API — is one of our most common D2C builds. You keep Shopify's order management, fulfilment, and admin. The customer-facing experience is entirely custom: faster, more personalised, and not constrained by Shopify's theme system.

A headless D2C rebuild — custom frontend, Shopify backend — takes 12–16 weeks. A fully custom platform with subscription engine, loyalty tiers, and custom checkout takes 20–28 weeks depending on integration complexity.

Yes. Migration is the most common starting point. We build the new platform in parallel, migrate product data, customer records, and order history, then cut over when it's ready. Your existing store keeps running until launch day.

Still have questions?

Talk to us directly — no forms, no waiting for a sales rep.

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Tell us where your current platform is holding you back.

We'll look at your current setup and tell you whether a headless rebuild, a custom platform, or a migration makes the most sense — and what it costs.

Start the conversation