As a studio, we’re constantly reviewing the platforms we use — what’s working, what’s slowing us down, and what gives clients the best balance of performance, flexibility, and ease of use. When it comes to eCommerce, Shopify continues to be the platform we return to again and again. Not because it’s trendy, but because it does the fundamentals incredibly well while giving us space to design high-quality, custom experiences.
Here’s why it’s our go-to for online stores.
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- It Handles All the Heavy Lifting
eCommerce can get messy quickly: payments, security, hosting, speed, updates, abandoned carts, taxes, inventory. Shopify manages all of this at a global scale.
That means: • PCI compliance • Automatic security patches • Ultra-fast hosting (CDN included) • Checkout reliability • Built-in fraud protection
Clients never need to worry about servers, bandwidth spikes, or performance dips. We get to focus entirely on design, UX, and the brand experience — because the infrastructure is already solved.
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- The Theme System Lets Us Create Properly Custom Experiences
Shopify’s theme architecture has evolved massively over the past couple years. With Online Store 2.0, JSON templates, and a more flexible block system, we can build stores that feel entirely custom without fighting the platform.
For us, this means: • Reusable components • Flexible page layouts • Custom sections that clients can reorder • Integration of advanced interactions and animations • The ability to override or extend almost anything
A Shopify site doesn’t need to “look like a Shopify site.” We can build something fast, branded, and uniquely ours.
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- Clients Love the Dashboard (And That Matters)
Shopify’s admin is one of the best in the industry. It’s clean, reliable, and designed for people who aren’t developers.
Clients get: • Inventory management that makes sense • Automatic order updates • Analytics baked in • Easy product creation • Marketing tools straight in the dashboard
There’s no steep learning curve. People can run their business without needing us involved in every small change — which ultimately makes projects more sustainable.
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- The App Ecosystem Is Enormous — But Curatable
Yes, Shopify has thousands of apps. But we treat it like a toolbox, not a shopping list.
Our approach is always: 1. Build everything we can natively 2. Use trusted, lightweight apps only when necessary 3. Avoid bloat at all costs
When we do use apps (subscriptions, reviews, loyalty, bundles, etc.), we stick to the ones that are reliable, well-supported, and aligned with long-term growth. The key is knowing where the line is between flexibility and overkill — something we’re very intentional about.
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- Checkout Is Best-in-Class
Shopify’s checkout is one of the main reasons we recommend the platform. It’s fast, stable, secure, and optimised at a level that’s almost impossible to replicate on a custom stack without serious engineering resources.
And with new checkout extensibility features, we can now customise: • UI • Add-ons and up-sells • Loyalty integrations • Shipping logic • Payment experiences
It’s no longer a one-size-fits-all black box — it’s a high-performance engine we can meaningfully shape.
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- It Scales Without Stress
Whether a shop is doing 5 orders a day or 5,000 during a flash sale, Shopify can handle it. We’ve seen stores go through major traffic spikes during product drops, influencer pushes, and launch days — all without downtime.
Scaling isn’t something clients need to prepare for. It’s already built into the platform.
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In Short
Shopify allows us to build high-quality, high-performing stores without sacrificing creative control. It blends the reliability of a large commerce platform with the freedom to design experiences that feel genuinely unique.
For brands serious about online retail — whether they’re new or ready to scale — Shopify remains the most balanced, future-proof choice we can offer.