While eCommerce startups tend to launch with minimal teams – often a single individual wearing all the hats – many grow to hire on dozens of staff. It can be hard to keep up when your business expands faster than expected and you’re scrambling to get everything done.
The most successful entrepreneurs know that no business owner can handle everything alone. Hiring staff is a solution to avoiding burning yourself out but permanent hires can be costly.
That’s why so many eCommerce retailers outsource projects for things don’t necessarily require a full-time, permanent staff position.
If you’re a Shopify Plus member, then Shopify’s Plus Agencies are the perfect solution for easing your workload and making growth easier to manage.
Many solutions, in fact.
For every eCommerce platform there are countless companies offering specialized services to online retailers. There’s a professional service or software solution for just about everything.
Shopify works with a growing network of providers who provide of wealth of services to eCommerce stores like:
What makes the Shopify Plus agency program stand out is its approval process. Shopify carefully vets the agencies it lists as Shopify experts. These are Plus agency partners who have proven their expertise with a proven record of success working with Shopify members.
There’s some comfort knowing the Shopify Plus agency you choose from the Partner program has your best interests at heart and has been vetted by Shopify. It’s the best of the best for Shopify members.
Before you choose a Shopify Plus agency to work with you need to decide what you’ll need them for. This includes the overall project concept and expectation of work from Shopify store setup to content and marketing needs. Any agency will need at least this basic information to help flesh out your ideas or wants in order to generate a proposal for you.
When talking with agencies about your project there are some areas to pay close attention to that can make the selection process much easier. You don’t want to contract with an agency based on price alone.
When selecting a Shopify Plus agency:
An agency’s portfolio can help you see the quality of their past work.
Don’t be afraid to ask probing questions to ensure the Shopify Plus agency will be a good fit and capable of meeting your needs. Just because an agency meets all the tick marks in a standard checklist doesn’t mean they’re the right agency for you and your project.
There are a number of approved Shopify Plus agencies and it can be a bit much to wade through. Below, we’ve listed some of the highest-rated agency partners for you to use as a starting point.
BVAccel is an agency offering a comprehensive solution suite, providing eCommerce retailers with a one-stop resource to cover all the bases. They offer a mix of design, development, and marketing to give merchants everything they need to achieve higher profits and improve customer loyalty.
With a growing team of over 80 experts and locations in San Diego, Columbus, New York, Santa Monica, and Tijuana, BVAccel is an agency to consider whether you need launch assistance and project management, platform changes to Shopify Plus, design, or marketing.
WeMakeWebsites has become incredibly popular as the go-to Shopify Plus agency despite there being no shortage of dev and design agencies. One of the things that makes WeMakeWebsites stand out is its capability to handle enterprise-level stores and projects while maintaining the small agency approach (lower build costs and dedicated levels of service.)
While many design and development houses will work across a number of eCommerce platforms, WeMakeWebsites specializes in Shopify and Shopify only.
Design may be their forte, but they have a diverse range of talent and skill. The teams, split between London and New York, can also tackle eCommerce strategy development, marketing, competitive analysis, replatforming, warehouse and ERP integration and more.
Most agencies can handle the needs of small- to mid-size eCommerce retailers. The real challenge comes with retailers experience explosive growth who have suddenly found themselves at the enterprise level.
Createur is an independent digital agency based in Sydney, Australia and also a vetted Shopify Expert agency. They specialize in working with complex enterprise retailers who need not-complex systems and customer-centric user experiences that drive sales.
A quick look through their case studies, which feature specific results and success markers makes it easy to see why they’ve landed a spot on our recommended list.
Customers can shop anywhere nowadays. There’s no shortage of online retailers, marketplaces, and local stores that are just as convenient for making a purchase. The product Is rarely what keeps customers coming back.
It’s the experience that sells them and keeps them engaged.
Huemor makes our list because of the quality of the experiences they create. Their portfolio is as vast and deep as an ocean, showing how they create websites that do more than sell.
They create memorable websites, unforgettable experiences, and a digital presence that accurately portrays your brands voice and personality.
What makes Huemor stand out to us is their dedication to innovating. They always strive to do more and do it better. The team is always focused on tuning brand identity and creating an experience that matches the voice, culture, and values of their clients.
Huemor’s long list of case studies and their robust resource center for ecommerce brands shows they’re always looking for ways to improve user experience and invigorate business, on their site as well as their clients.
You can’t go wrong with a Shopify Plus agency that knows how to blend the science of business along with the art it takes to capture the attention of customers and create memorable brand experience.
Acidgreen was one of the first Shopify Plus agency partners in Australia and employees a growing team of in-house talent. Their primary goal is always to help clients generate the highest conversion rates and capture the best return on investment (ROI), and the breadth of their experience allows them to do just that.
Beyond design and development, Acidgreen provides a wealth of services including:
This award-winning Shopify Plus agency has worked with brands large and small including HP, Holiday Inn, Yamaha, and Lowes.
Prior work aside, reviewing their blog showcases the depth of Acidgreen’s understanding of eCommerce, covering everything from operations to marketing.
Whether you’re replatforming and migrating to Shopify Plus or updating your online store for improved shopping experiences and conversion, you’re not just trying to build a website.
Your goal is to grow your business.
With over 18 years of experience, BlueSwitch is a Shopify Plus agency fully capable of helping you do just that.
With a team of more than 30 dedicated experts they’ve created over 300 eCommerce stores processing more than 300 million transactions.
For Shopify Plus members, BlueSwitch can be a one-stop solution for scaling your eCommerce business. They provide a range of services including:
BlueSwitch doesn’t need much gilding. The endless case studies speak for the success their clients have and the quality of work.
The visual experience is a big part of shopping online, so creating a beautiful and memorable site is a big part of standing out and staying competitive.
You can’t go wrong with an agency like Pixel Union. Their team has created some of the most stunning and engaging eCommerce stores on the Shopify Platform.
Just look at this quote from Shopify’s COO, Harvey Finkelstein:
“Pixel Union builds some of the richest, most beautiful ecommerce experiences available on any device.”
The next part is adding functionality fitting to your store and your brand.
Pixel Union offers custom scripting and also has a suite of pre-developed Shopify apps for adding extra functionality including:
No matter where your eCommerce store operates from in the world, RedStage has dedicated teams and offices available to work around your schedule. This includes offices in Sao Paulo, Mumbai, Helsinki, Melbourne, London, Chicago, and Jersey City.
When you need the best in UX design, development, and integration we recommend considering RedStage in your list of Shopify Plus agencies. For 10 years the team at RedStage has been a part of over 700 site launches across 5 continents. Their work for brands like Men’s Health, Goodwill and Citrix earned RedStage multiple Clutch awards in 2018.
Based in Winnipeg, Canada, Bold Commerce has provided outstand eCommerce design, optimization, and strategy since 2012. As a Shopify Plus partner, Bold has supported businesses from around the world large and small including Zippo, Microsoft, NFL, NBA, and P&G.
While some development and design agencies cast a wide net and work with virtually any brand, Bold specializes in working with select industries. This focus provides a deeper understanding of target industries, allowing Bold to create more immersive sites and apps around fashion & accessories, food & beverage, and business to business (b2b) commerce.
CODE is one of the few Shopify Plus experts in the European Union and brings refreshing authenticity with their brand voice and approach to eCommerce design and development. For over 10 years, this self-proclaimed group of close-knit social nerds have continued to challenge themselves to deliver the best in IT support for businesses. Just over two years ago this included the addition as Shopify Plus agency partners which quickly transitioned into classification of certified Shopify Experts.
With a small dedicated team just over twenty strong, CODE provides a suite of services including migration, front-end development, custom store design, app development, and the experience to handle eCommerce stores of any size.
When you’re looking for help with your eCommerce business you want to know that the Shopify Plus agency you choose will be able to help your business grow.
Because you need more than just a facelift for your website.
Ethercycle makes our list because we love their passion. It’s almost palpable in their work and it’s clear in their voice how much they love doing what they do every day. They understand the drive and passion behind launching and growing an eCommerce business and it’s evident in the glowing testimonials.
The founder loves Shopify so much he made it his official license plate.
They also bring a wealth of experience. This Chicago-based agency has worked in a variety of industries and with brands of all sizes including Hoonigan, Skrillex, and Jay Leno’s Garage.
Their focus on exclusively independent businesses selling private label products and their quality of work made them ideal candidates for the type of entrepreneurs working with Shopify. That’s why Shopify Program Partners Lead and Head of Experts personally invited them to join the program. Ethercycle was one of the first Shopify Experts and continues to set the bar for design and development, eCommerce marketing, and strategy development.
One of the things we love about Ethercycle is their desire to help others succeed. Outside of their stellar service and talent the team also produces regular videos and podcasts to help entrepreneurs and brands find success with Shopify.
Established in 2008, Growth Spark joined the Shopify Partner program in 2016 and went on to be welcomed as Shopify Experts. Growth Spark is a boutique, award-winning agency dedicated to helping consumer packaged good brands, lifestyle brands, and fashion brands grow their businesses with Shopify Plus.
Since launching in 2008, Growth Spark has offered a suite of design, development, consulting and optimization services to improve revenue and traffic, lift operational efficiency, and improve the customer’s journey for eCommerce brands around the world
That includes over 400+ completed projects with a wide range of companies such as Bose, NOBULL, Cabbage Patch Kids, Johnny Cupcakes, Newbury Comics and Black Dog.