What I actually build on Shopify

Three things, primarily: custom Liquid themes for D2C brands that have outgrown templates, Hydrogen storefronts when you need a React-grade front-end against the same admin, and conversion-rate-optimisation engagements for stores that are profitable but stuck.

Not Shopify Plus apps. Not subscription-only stores. Not migrations off Shopify (I’d rather you stayed). The most common engagement: a brand that picked Dawn or a $300 ThemeForest theme, hit the ceiling, and needs a senior to rebuild the theme around their actual buyer journey.

Where Shopify earns the work

  • D2C consumer brands with one to a few hundred SKUs and a marketing-led growth model.
  • Apparel + accessories where size/colour variants and editorial photography are central to the brand.
  • Beauty + wellness with subscription via Recharge, Klaviyo flows, and Shop Pay-led checkout.
  • Stores running on Plus needing custom Scripts, B2B portal, or wholesale tier logic.

Where Shopify doesn’t

Heavy B2B distribution, complex tiered pricing with NET-30 terms, ERP-driven inventory across regions, or content-first sites with a small store attached. Those go on WooCommerce or headless WP + a checkout layer. I’ll tell you that on the call.

The Shopify stack I actually use

Theme: custom Liquid, Sections everywhere, no premium framework. Apps (kept ruthlessly): Klaviyo, Judge.me, Recharge, Shopify Inbox, Searchanise. Build: Shopify CLI 3, GitHub integration, Theme Inspector for performance. Headless when warranted: Hydrogen on Oxygen, Nuxt + Storefront API, Next.js + ISR.

Common questions

How long does a custom Shopify theme take?

Five to nine weeks for a focused D2C rebuild, including discovery, design, build, QA, and migration. Hydrogen builds run eight to fourteen weeks depending on integration complexity.

Will we keep the code?

Yes. Code is yours from commit one. Repo handed over on launch. No retainer required to keep working with the site you paid for.

Do you work with Shopify Plus only?

No. Plus is great when you need it (B2B, multi-store, Scripts) but most brands don’t. Happy to build on standard Shopify and migrate up if and when it earns the upgrade.

Selected work

Different stacks. Same standard.

A spread on purpose — Shopify, WooCommerce, Webflow, headless WP, Framer, Contentful + Astro. Same level of craft, every time.

How the work happens

A short, opinionated process. Built around shipping.

Seven phases. Each one independently owned, all connected.

01

Discovery

Week 1

Goals, audience, content, integrations, budget, timeline.

02

Platform rec.

Week 1–2

Honest CMS pick — fits your team, scale, roadmap.

03

Design direction

Week 2–3

Wireframes, system tokens, two visual paths.

04

Build

Week 3–8

Hand-coded blocks, sections, templates. Staging day 3.

05

Optimize

Week 7–8

Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals, accessibility, schema.

06

Launch

Week 8–9

DNS cutover, analytics QA, sitemap submission.

07

Ongoing support

Optional

Retainer for performance, content ops, A/B tests.

From the people who paid for it

What clients across every stack say.

Ajay's team has handled website development and ongoing management for me, and I recommend them without hesitation. They're responsive, capable, and the kind of partner you can actually rely on. If you need a team that delivers and stays engaged after launch, start here.
Tim Glennon Fractional Chief Business Officer · Eder Therapeutics Website development & ongoing management
Ajay and his team are organized and thoughtful in their approach developing digital experiences for businesses and brands. They are efficient and can design for you if you need it or implement your vision exactly as you have created it. Don't hesitate to reach out to Ajay to talk about your next project.
Halle von Kessler Marketing & Creative Services Specialist · Your Story. Our Studio. Digital experiences for lifestyle & design brands
I have worked with Ajay and his team on a variety of web development projects and have always found him to be fair, engaged and talented. Nothing ever goes perfectly when it comes to development projects, and having someone flexible, approachable and genuinely invested in the success of a project is a true blessing. That's what you get from Ajay.
Chad Hason Brand Strategist, Author & CEO Web development
I have had the pleasure of working closely with Ajay on a recent website development project on Wordpress. Besides being technically excellent at his craft, he has been one of the most reliable and prompt in his responses and follow up activities. He has gone over and beyond my expectations when working with an external partner. I have greatly appreciated his expertise and the value he has added to our team.
Mo Asgari Co-Founder & President · PokerLab WordPress
I hired Ajay and the team to develop a pricing form for my website. The form was rather complex, out of the typical scope of many WordPress plugins. The resulting solution exceeded my expectations and included a robust backend for an easy customization. After the initial assignment, the team is now working on other projects on the website that should improve the customer experience going forward.
Martin Purmensky Founder · Video Direct Mail WordPress · custom pricing form
Ajay & his team do amazing 👏 work w/ regards to my Shopify store. You can throw any problem at them & they will come up with solutions quickly & at a very affordable cost. I've worked with other Shopify developers & with that experience recommend him & his team with the highest regard. Look 👀 no further for a development team. Ajay & his team are amazing!
Mike Lin Event Videographer & Social Media Manager Shopify
These guys are awesome. They can build anything you like and fast! Very happy with the quality of their work.
Anthony D’Alessandro Business Owner · Lawn Synergy Multi-platform partner
we've had the pleasure of working with the team and have consistently been impressed by his responsiveness, professionalism, and willingness to go the extra mile. He approaches every challenge with a problem-solving mindset, communicates clearly, and delivers dependable results. The team is reliable, thoughtful, and easy to collaborate with, which makes him an asset to any team or project.
Lia Borror Brand Expert · Design & Web Creative · Lia Borror Design & Marketing Multi-platform partner
we worked with the team and his team for 2.5 years and they were exceptional. Despite our time difference, The team was always very responsive. I'm not very versed in website development, so The team did a great job explaining things and providing great recommendations throughout the websites we developed. Not only is The team very knowledgeable, but he's also a very caring business partner.
Lian Ottinger Senior Associate, Content Operations · Former Boldthink Employee 2.5 years · Multiple builds
My team has worked with the team for about a year and a half. He's incredible with communication, organization, and making sure that web projects stay on track. He's always checking in with me to see how things are going and if there is anything else he can do to make our client experience better. I highly recommend working with the team.
Theresa Goodwin, MBA Brand & Pricing Strategist · Boldthink Creative 18 months · Multiple builds
We have been working with the team and his team for about a year now and are very happy with the work they have produced for us. The team and team are very well versed in all things to do with websites and are quick to come up with solutions and recommendations. All requests are responded to in a timely manner and the work gets done quickly thereafter.
Michael Hannuksela Freelance Account & Project Manager · Whittier Multi-platform partner
The team has been wonderful to work with. He keeps projects running smoothly and handles the unexpected with ease. Even with multiple web projects running at once, he keeps his team aligned and on schedule. His background in programming shines as he leads his team and ours through projects. He explains difficult concepts in a way that makes them easy to understand, while giving encouragement along the way.
Erin Mawhorter Art Director · Boldthink Agency partner · Multi-platform
We have worked with the team on several projects. He's always quick and responsive and has delivered excellent work.
Marcus Blair Founder · More Signal Less Noise Agency partner · Multi-platform
I have been working with the team for the past 12 months and am very impressed on various levels. His knowledge of the industry and the available tools is excellent — he will listen, digest and understand your needs to provide the best solution. He is flexible: we all know projects can go sideways, and The team and his team have always been here to help.
Ben LeFebvre Founder & CEO · Aeolus Digital Agency partner · 12+ months
Teaming up with the team continues to be a wonderful and productive partnership. Thoughtful deliberation on how best to address a web redesign. Check. Flexible enough to address an unplanned, urgent client deliverable. Check. A positive outlook that threads throughout every project. Big check. The team continues to deliver time after time and has become a trusted partner for my business.
Gary Duffy President · Duffy Interactive Agency partner · Multi-platform

Pick a stack. Or pick the team that ships every one of them.