Articles · Choosing an agency
How to choose a Shopify agency
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Choosing a Shopify agency is mostly a trust problem: everyone says they are experts, the work is hard to judge from the outside, and the wrong pick is expensive to unwind. Here is the checklist we would use if we were hiring an agency, written plainly and with our own bias declared.
1. Do they run stores, or only build them?
Most agencies advise on ecommerce from the outside. A few run their own stores and carry the same risk you do. It is not a dealbreaker, but an agency that operates real stores on real ad spend feels every conversion rate it quotes, and its advice tends to be less theoretical. Ask what they run themselves.
2. Who actually does the work?
This is the big one. Larger agencies often sell you a senior team in the pitch and staff the delivery with juniors, with an account manager relaying messages in between. Ask directly: who writes the code, who designs it, and who will you speak to week to week? If the answer is not the people in the room, factor that in.
3. Can they prove performance?
Good-looking screenshots are easy. Ask for real, dated numbers: conversion rate movement, Core Web Vitals, revenue influenced. An agency that gives you figures you can check yourself, such as a live URL you can put through PageSpeed Insights, is showing you it has nothing to hide. Vague claims of growth with no numbers behind them are a soft red flag.
4. Are they the right fit for your platform stage?
Match the agency to where you are. A Shopify Plus Partner makes sense for an established or scaling brand, especially if you need migrations, B2B, subscriptions or Shopify POS. A very small brand may be better served by a senior boutique than by an enterprise agency whose minimums do not fit. Ask about the specific work you need, not just Shopify in general.
5. Is their pricing honest?
Be wary of two extremes: a firm quote before anyone understands your scope, and an agency that will not discuss numbers at all. The sensible middle is a proper conversation about scope, then a clear quote you can hold them to. Ask what is included and what is billed extra.
6. What happens after launch?
A store is not done at launch. Ask what aftercare looks like: who fixes things, how fast, and whether they stay on as a partner or hand over and leave. The best relationships are ongoing, not a build and a goodbye.
Where we sit, honestly
Our bias is declared: we are Elms Agency, a London Shopify Plus Partner, and we run our own two DTC brands, Powerlete and Fittr Nutrition, on the same stack we build for clients. The work is in-house and senior, and there are no hand-offs. That suits some brands and not others, which is the honest answer any agency should give you. If it sounds like a fit, we are happy to talk.
Common questions
- How much does a Shopify agency cost in the UK?
- It varies widely by scope, from a few thousand pounds for a focused build to five or six figures for a large Shopify Plus project. Be wary of any agency that quotes a firm price before understanding your scope, and of any that will not talk numbers at all.
- Should I choose a Shopify Plus Partner?
- For an established or growing brand, yes. Plus Partner status means the agency is vetted by Shopify and works on the enterprise tier. For a smaller brand it matters less than whether the team is senior and can prove their work.
- What is the single biggest thing to check?
- Who actually does the work. Many agencies sell you a senior team and staff the project with juniors and account managers. Ask directly who writes the code and who you will speak to week to week.
Get in touch
Tell us about your store or your business and we'll reply personally. No wizard, no ten questions.
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