Seattle Software Agency SeattleSoftware Agency

Custom E-Commerce Platform

When Shopify Plus still can't do what you need, it's time for purpose-built e-commerce.

Shopify handles 80% of e-commerce use cases beautifully. This page is for the other 20% — businesses with complex product configurations, B2B pricing structures, multi-warehouse inventory, or checkout flows that simply can't be built on a platform.

Custom e-commerce isn't about reinventing the shopping cart. It's about building the specific capabilities your business needs that no platform supports: custom product configurators, dealer/distributor pricing tiers, complex shipping logic, or integration with your ERP and warehouse systems.

We build custom e-commerce for manufacturers with configurable products, B2B distributors with complex pricing, multi-brand retailers, and any business where Shopify's app ecosystem still can't solve the problem.

What You Get

🛒

Custom Checkout

Multi-step checkouts, quote requests, B2B purchase orders, or subscription flows — built for your specific buying process.

📦

Complex Catalogs

Configurable products, variant matrices, bundle builders, and dynamic pricing that platforms can't handle natively.

💼

B2B Features

Customer-specific pricing, volume discounts, credit terms, purchase orders, and sales rep assignment.

🏭

ERP Integration

Real-time inventory sync, order routing, and fulfillment automation with your warehouse and ERP systems.

🌐

Multi-Channel

Sell through your website, marketplaces, POS, and sales reps — all from one platform with unified inventory.

📊

Commerce Analytics

Sales by product/category/channel, customer lifetime value, inventory turnover, and margin analysis — your specific metrics.

When Custom E-Commerce Makes Sense

Most businesses should start with Shopify. Custom e-commerce is for businesses that have tried Shopify Plus and still can't model their business. The cost only makes sense when your requirements genuinely exceed what platforms can deliver.

Common triggers: your Shopify app stack costs more than Shopify itself, your product configurator can't be built with existing apps, your B2B pricing requires customer-specific catalogs, your checkout flow needs steps that Shopify doesn't support, or your ERP integration needs are too complex for middleware.

What We Don't Build

We're honest about this: if Shopify can solve your problem, use Shopify. We don't build custom e-commerce for businesses that just need a better theme or a few custom apps. Custom e-commerce is a significant investment that only makes sense for genuinely complex requirements.

During our discovery process, if we determine your needs can be met with Shopify Plus or a platform solution, we'll tell you. We'd rather send you in the right direction than build something you don't need.

The Headless Approach

Most of our custom e-commerce projects use a headless architecture: a custom frontend (React/Next.js) with a purpose-built backend API. This gives you complete control over the shopping experience while leveraging proven tools (Stripe, Algolia, SendGrid) for specific functions.

For businesses that need some custom capabilities but want to keep Shopify as the backend, we also build headless Shopify storefronts using the Storefront API. This gives you custom UI and checkout flows while keeping Shopify's order management and payment processing.

Technologies We Use

Next.jsReactTypeScriptPostgreSQLStripeAlgoliaRedis

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does custom e-commerce cost?
Custom e-commerce platforms typically range from $80,000 to $250,000+. This is significantly more than Shopify Plus ($2,000/month), which is why it only makes sense for businesses with genuinely complex requirements.
How long does it take to build?
A custom e-commerce platform takes 16-30 weeks depending on complexity. We launch in phases — core shopping experience first, then B2B features, then advanced analytics.
Can you migrate from Shopify?
Yes. We migrate products, customers, orders, and reviews. The Shopify API makes data extraction straightforward. We run both platforms in parallel during transition.
What about payment processing?
We integrate with Stripe for payment processing in most cases. Stripe handles PCI compliance, supports all major payment methods, and works globally. You keep Stripe's reliability while getting a custom checkout experience.

Outgrowing Your E-Commerce Platform?

Book a free consultation. We'll evaluate whether custom e-commerce is the right move for your business — and be honest if it's not.

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