Shopify storefronts engineered for speed and conversion
We build custom Shopify storefronts on Next.js when the speed and conversion upside is real, and say so honestly when a well built custom theme is the smarter spend. Either way the front end is fast and the code is yours.
LA Clippers · Miami HEAT · Corsair · Azamara · Miami
Custom Shopify storefronts, built around your numbers
Headless when it earns its cost, a custom theme when it does not.
As a headless Shopify development agency, we build custom storefronts on Next.js and React against the Shopify Storefront API, while Shopify keeps handling checkout, inventory, and orders. The result is a fast front end you own, with full control over the path to purchase.
Most agencies pick a side, pushing the same premium theme on every store or selling headless commerce regardless of revenue or fit. We read your catalog, traffic, and roadmap first, then recommend the build that earns its cost. The work gets measured in load time, Core Web Vitals, checkout completion, and revenue per visitor rather than hours billed.
What a Shopify engagement includes
Custom Shopify store development from the first honest read through launch, with owned code your team controls.
Custom Shopify storefront on Next.js
A bespoke front end on Next.js and React against the Shopify Storefront API, with Shopify still handling checkout and orders. Fast pages and clean code your team owns.
Headless fit assessment
A straight read on whether headless pays off for your catalog and traffic, or whether a well built custom theme gets you the same wins for less.
Conversion and speed optimization
We tune Core Web Vitals, load time, and the path to checkout, then measure against revenue per visitor and completion rate so the build pays for itself.
Self-editable content with Sanity
Product storytelling, landing pages, and campaigns managed in Sanity, so your marketing team ships updates without touching Liquid.
Migration off themes or WooCommerce
We move you from a bloated theme or a WooCommerce setup to a fast, owned Shopify storefront, preserving URLs and SEO along the way.
How a Shopify Next.js development build runs
A senior, low handoff path that opens with a straight headless read and ends with a storefront your team can run.
Headless fit assessment
We read your catalog, traffic, and roadmap, then tell you whether headless pays off or a custom theme earns the same wins for less. The recommendation comes before any build is scoped.
Design and storefront build
We design the storefront and engineer it on Next.js against the Shopify Storefront API, with product content modeled in Sanity so your team can edit it later.
Conversion and speed tuning
We tune Core Web Vitals, load time, and the path to checkout, then measure against revenue per visitor so the spend has a number behind it.
Launch and ownership
We migrate URLs and redirects to protect your SEO, ship the storefront, and hand you owned code with no vendor lock-in to manage later.
A custom Shopify storefront vs the alternatives
Where a theme shop, a WooCommerce build, and an agency that sells headless to everyone each land.
| Criteria | PageLyft | Theme shop | WooCommerce build | Headless-everything agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Performance ceiling | Headless or tuned theme, high | Capped by the theme | Plugin weight drags it down | High, but oversold |
| Honest headless recommendation | Only when it pays off | Theme on every store | Not offered | Headless on every store |
| Content editing for your team | Sanity, no dev ticket | Theme editor only | WordPress admin to patch | Varies by shop |
| Code ownership | Yours, composable | Licensed theme | Plugin stack you maintain | Often locked to the vendor |
| Security and patching | Minimal surface, Shopify checkout | Theme and app updates | Constant plugin patching | Depends on the stack |
| Reporting | Load time, CWV, revenue per visitor | Vanity speed claims | Hours billed | Hours billed |
We recommend headless only when the performance and conversion upside is real, and you own the code either way.
Enterprise commerce and high-traffic delivery
Roughly eight years shipping commerce and high-traffic work for brands that cannot afford a slow storefront. We shipped commerce and high-traffic builds for Corsair and OriginPC, CMS work for Azamara Luxury Cruises, and NBA storefront work for the Miami HEAT and LA Clippers. That is how we keep a storefront fast when traffic spikes and the catalog is large.
Who this is for
- Established stores and mid-market brands whose theme has hit a performance ceiling.
- Growth-stage teams on Shopify Plus that want a custom storefront tuned for conversion.
- Operators moving off WordPress and WooCommerce who are tired of monthly plugin patching.
- Marketing teams that need to edit product pages and campaigns without filing a dev ticket.
Headless Shopify questions, answered
Is headless Shopify worth it?
It depends on your catalog, traffic, and how much custom content and design you need. Headless pays off when a fast, bespoke storefront moves load time, Core Web Vitals, and checkout completion enough to lift revenue per visitor beyond the build cost. For many smaller stores a well built custom theme reaches the same conversion wins for less. We assess your numbers first and tell you honestly which one fits, rather than selling headless by default.
How much does headless Shopify development cost?
A headless storefront costs more upfront than a theme because it is custom engineering on Next.js and React rather than a configured template. We scope to outcomes, not hours, so the estimate ties to the catalog size, integrations, and content model you need. During the fit assessment we give you a clear range and the case for why headless does or does not earn that spend for your store.
Headless Shopify vs a custom theme: which should I choose?
A custom theme is the smarter spend when your design and performance needs fit within Shopify's theme system and your catalog is manageable. Headless wins when you need full design freedom, the fastest possible pages, rich editorial content, or AI search visibility that a theme cannot reach. We make the call from your traffic, revenue, and roadmap, and we are comfortable recommending the theme when that is the honest answer.
Hydrogen vs Next.js for a Shopify storefront?
Hydrogen is Shopify's own React framework, tuned for commerce and tightly coupled to its hosting. Next.js is a broader React framework that talks to the same Storefront API and pairs cleanly with a CMS like Sanity for heavy content and marketing needs. We build on Next.js because it gives your team more control over content, hosting, and the wider stack, and it keeps the door open as your site grows past pure commerce.
Can I still edit my own content after going headless on Shopify?
Yes, and that is a core reason we model content in Sanity. Your product storytelling, landing pages, and campaigns live in a clean editing interface, so marketing ships updates without touching Liquid or waiting on a developer. Shopify still manages products, inventory, and checkout, and the two stay in sync. You own the content and the code.
Do I need Shopify Plus to build a custom storefront?
Not always. You can build a custom theme or a headless storefront on standard Shopify plans using the Storefront API. Shopify Plus adds higher API limits, checkout customization, and features that matter for high volume or complex stores, so we recommend it when your traffic and requirements justify it. We will tell you whether your build actually needs Plus or whether a standard plan covers it.
Related services
Web Design & Development
A custom site or full redesign on Astro and Next.js that loads fast and is built to rank and convert, with content your team edits.
Paid Media
Google and Meta ads run as one paid media program. Search and social share a budget and a readout, and we build the landing pages the ads point at.
Let us scope your Shopify store.
Tell us about your catalog and goals. You get a straight read on headless versus a custom theme, plus a clear quote.