The first honest thing an ecommerce developer should tell you: most stores don't need custom builds. Shopify with disciplined customization wins for the majority of merchants, and we'll happily be the firm that says so. The cases that genuinely outgrow platforms — complex B2B pricing, unusual catalogs, deep ERP entanglement, marketplace mechanics — are where custom and headless earn their cost. Knowing which side of that line you're on is worth more than any feature list; the store assessment answers it with your numbers.
[Trust bar: stores launched · GMV supported (if real) · platform partner badges]
A storefront takes orders; a store reconciles them. Most of our ecommerce value lands behind the buy button:
Site speed is a conversion input, not an engineering vanity metric — and it's measurable: we build to Core Web Vitals budgets enforced in CI, image and script discipline, and edge caching. On replatforms we benchmark before/after conversion so the speed work shows up in the revenue line, not just Lighthouse. Peak readiness (Black Friday, drops, promos) gets load-tested in advance — the worst time to learn your capacity is at your best hour.
Wholesale commerce isn't B2C with bigger carts: customer-specific price lists, quantity breaks, quote-to-order flows, net-terms and PO checkout, approval chains on the buyer's side, rep-assisted carts, and punchout for enterprise procurement. Platforms handle fragments of this; the rest is where custom development earns its keep. If your "B2B store" is currently a PDF price list and a phone, the ROI here is usually the easiest math in ecommerce.
** 2–3 case studies: platform, integration scope, measured outcome (conversion lift, ops hours saved, replatform with SEO retained)]**
Platform builds (Shopify/Woo): $15K–$60K. Headless and Magento builds: $50K–$150K. Custom platforms and B2B portals: $80K–$300K+. Integration projects standalone: $10K–$60K. Replatforming: $25K–$100K including migration and SEO preservation. Drivers and examples: ecommerce cost guide.
Shopify until your business model fights the platform — then headless or custom. The tells: customization apps stacking past $2K/month, checkout requirements Shopify won't allow, B2B pricing complexity, or platform fees material at your volume. Full decision guide: Shopify vs Magento vs custom.
| Build type | Right for | Typical scope |
|---|---|---|
Shopify](/platforms/shopify/) builds & custom apps** | Most B2C merchants; fast launches; app-ecosystem leverage | 4–12 weeks |
Headless storefronts (Next.js + platform backend) | Brands where site speed and design freedom drive conversion; content-heavy commerce | 10–20 weeks · headless explained → |
| Magento / Adobe Commerce](/platforms/magento | Large catalogs, multi-store, complex pricing already invested in the ecosystem | 12–24 weeks |
| WooCommerce](/platforms/woocommerce | WordPress-centric content+commerce; ownership-minded merchants | 4–10 weeks |
Custom ecommerce platforms | Business models platforms fight you on: configurators, quoting flows, unusual fulfillment | 16–30 weeks · platform vs custom → |
B2B commerce portals | Wholesale: account pricing tiers, PO/net-terms checkout, rep-assisted ordering, punchout | 10–20 weeks |
| Marketplaces](/solutions/marketplace-development | Multi-vendor platforms: onboarding, splits/payouts, trust mechanics | 16–28 weeks |
Replatforming | Migrating stores without losing SEO equity, customer accounts, or order history | 8–16 weeks |
Let's discuss how we can help you with ecommerce development company.