# Shopify Development Beyond the Theme Store. Shopify Development at Workflow Apps. We write the code behind Shopify stores: custom Liquid themes, custom apps and integrations, data migrations, and headless storefronts for Shopify and Shopify Plus. [Start a Project](/start/?interest=ai-accelerated-development) ## Why Shopify. **Commerce Infrastructure, Handled.** Shopify runs the hosting, checkout, payments, and security patches. Your team spends its time on products and orders instead of servers, and the engineering budget goes to the parts of the store that are specific to you. **Extensible Through APIs.** Online Store 2.0 themes, the Admin and Storefront APIs, and webhooks give developers real control without touching the platform itself. Most limits people hit are limits of a purchased theme or an app stack, not of Shopify. **How We Build It.** Themes are developed locally with Shopify CLI and kept in Git, so every change is reviewed and reversible. Custom apps and integrations are typed, logged, and deployed through CI rather than pasted into the theme editor. ## What We Build With Shopify. ### Custom Theme Development Liquid themes built from your designer's files, with sections your team can edit safely. We build Online Store 2.0 themes in Liquid with JSON templates, sections, and blocks, so merchandisers can rearrange pages in the theme editor without a developer and without breaking the layout. - Liquid themes with Online Store 2.0 sections and blocks - Theme editor settings scoped to what your team needs - Theme code in Git with local development via Shopify CLI ### Custom Apps & Integrations Custom apps that connect your store to inventory, fulfillment, accounting, and internal tools. When an App Store subscription almost fits, a custom app built for your store often fits better and costs less over time. We build against the Admin API and webhooks with retries and logging, so data moves reliably between Shopify and the systems your organization runs on. - Custom apps built on the Admin GraphQL API - Webhook-driven order, customer, and inventory sync - Admin tools and automations for your store team ### Headless Storefronts A custom front end on the Storefront API, with Shopify still running catalog and checkout. For stores that need content-heavy pages, unusual product experiences, or tighter performance than a theme allows, we build the storefront in Astro or Next.js, serve it from Cloudflare's edge, and leave checkout and order management in Shopify. - Storefront API front ends with Astro or Next.js - Shopify checkout and order management kept in place - Edge deployment on Cloudflare ### Data Migrations Products, customers, orders, and URLs moved into Shopify, or out of it, without losing history. We script migrations rather than relying on spreadsheet imports alone: mapping variants and metafields, preserving order history where the platform allows, and setting up redirects so existing links and search traffic keep working. - Product, variant, and metafield mapping - Customer and order history migration - URL redirect maps for every moved page ### Theme Audits & Performance Slow or fragile stores traced back to the theme code and app scripts causing it. Uninstalled apps leave code behind, and purchased themes ship features you don't use. We audit the theme and script load, remove what isn't needed, and fix render-blocking Liquid and JavaScript to improve Core Web Vitals. - Theme code and app script audit - Cleanup of leftover app code and unused features - Core Web Vitals improvements in theme code ## When Shopify Is the Right Call **A strong fit when:** - You want hosting, checkout, and security handled by the platform - Your purchased theme or app stack is limiting what the store can do - You need Shopify connected to inventory, fulfillment, or internal systems - You want a custom front end while keeping Shopify's checkout and admin **Worth a second look when:** - When checkout, pricing, or fulfillment logic goes beyond what Shopify's apps and APIs allow, a headless build or custom commerce application may fit better - If you need full control of hosting, data, and code, WooCommerce gives you that ownership with more to maintain ## What We Pair With Shopify - **Storefront:** Liquid, Online Store 2.0, Shopify CLI - **APIs:** Admin GraphQL API, Storefront API, Webhooks - **Front End & Delivery:** Astro, Next.js, TypeScript, Cloudflare, GitHub Actions ## How an Engagement Runs 1. **Scope (Week 1):** Audit what exists and define what needs to be built. 2. **Architect (Week 2):** Architecture, stack decisions, and a delivery roadmap. 3. **Build (Weeks 3–8):** AI-accelerated development with something to review every week. 4. **Ship & Support (Week 8+):** Deployment, documentation, and handoff. See [the full process](/process/). ## FAQ ### Do you build custom Shopify themes? Yes. We build Online Store 2.0 themes in Liquid from your designer's or agency's files. We're a software development company, so the design itself comes from your team or theirs, and we handle the code. ### Can you build a custom Shopify app? Yes. We build custom apps for your store: integrations, admin tools, and automations on the Admin API and webhooks. Our focus is apps built for your organization rather than public App Store listings. ### Do you work on Shopify Plus stores? Yes. Theme, app, integration, and migration work applies to Shopify Plus stores the same way it does to other plans, with higher API rate limits to work with. ### Should we go headless with Shopify? Only if a theme genuinely can't do what you need. Headless adds a front end to build, host, and maintain. Many stores get the speed and flexibility they want from a well-built custom theme, and we'll tell you which applies after scoping. ### Can you migrate our store to or from Shopify? Yes. We script the migration of products, variants, customers, and orders, map metafields, and set up redirects so existing URLs keep working. The work follows our standard process, with scoping in week one and architecture in week two. ### Where are you located? Malvern, PA, near Philadelphia. We work with organizations across the U.S., and most engagements run remotely with weekly reviews. ## Need a Shopify Developer? Tell us what your store needs that it can't do today. You'll hear back within one business day with a yes, a scope estimate, or a better question. [Start a Project](/start/?interest=ai-accelerated-development)