ECWEBUK
No. 007 / Theme developmentCambridge · UK
✦ Shopify theme development

Shopify
themes, built
from scratch.

Bespoke Online Store 2.0 themes, built around your brand and your merchandising, performance-first, by the engineer doing the work. Fixed price, agreed before we start.

Why merchants pick EC Web for theme development

Shopify Partner
2017
Founder-led
1
Themes shipped
20+
Pricing
Fixed

★ What a build includes

6 areas of work
01

Custom OS 2.0 themes

A theme built to your brand and merchandising from the ground up, not a paid theme wrestled into shape. Sections everywhere, editable by your team.

02

Sections & blocks

Reusable Online Store 2.0 sections and blocks: heroes, lookbooks, comparison tables, PDP configurators, editorial layouts. Merchandisable without a developer.

03

Metaobjects & metafields

Structured content modelled properly: specs, ingredients, size guides, FAQs, custom taxonomies, so content scales instead of living in copy-pasted rich text.

04

Core Web Vitals

Performance built in, not bolted on. LCP, CLS and INP budgeted from the start: image strategy, lazy loading, script discipline, lean Liquid.

05

Migrations to OS 2.0

Move off a vintage or paid theme onto a maintainable custom build without losing edits, content or rankings. Redirect and QA plan included.

06

Accessibility

Semantic markup, keyboard paths, focus states and contrast handled as part of the build, so the store works for everyone and reduces legal risk.

₤ Theme engagements

Four ways to start
Discovery call
£0
Scope the build, no pitch deck.
  • 30 minutes, no obligation
  • What good looks like for you
  • A written recommendation after
  • Ballpark scope & timeline
Section work
from£1,500
New sections on an existing theme.
  • OS 2.0 sections & blocks
  • Merchandisable by your team
  • Performance-checked
  • Fixed price per piece
Custom theme
from£12k
A bespoke theme, built for your brand.
  • Designed around your merchandising
  • Core Web Vitals budgeted in
  • Metaobject-driven content
  • Fixed price, fixed scope
Migration
from£6k
Vintage or paid theme → OS 2.0.
  • No lost edits or content
  • SEO-safe redirect plan
  • Full QA before switch
  • Handover & docs
Indicative starting prices. Every build is scoped and fixed-priced in writing before any work begins.

§ How a build runs

Predictable, documented
Week 1
01
Discovery

We agree the goals, the merchandising model, and what the theme has to do. You get a fixed scope and a fixed price before anything is built.

Weeks 2–5
02
Build

Theme built section by section on a dev store, with preview links as we go. Performance and accessibility checked at each step, not at the end.

Launch week
03
Launch

QA across devices, redirect plan executed, Core Web Vitals verified live. We go live on a plan you can roll back if needed.

Ongoing
04
Support

Optional handover onto a theme support retainer so the store keeps improving instead of drifting. You own all the code either way.

Already have a theme that just needs looking after? That’s theme support, billed on a retainer or pay-as-you-go.

? Frequently asked

7 questions

Do I need a custom theme, or will a paid theme do?

Plenty of stores do fine on a good paid theme like Dawn, Impulse or Prestige, and I'll tell you if that's you. A custom build earns its place when your merchandising is unusual, your brand needs to stand apart, performance matters commercially, or you've hit the ceiling of what a paid theme can be pushed to without becoming a maintenance nightmare.

What does a custom Shopify theme build cost?

A bespoke Online Store 2.0 theme starts from £12,000, fixed price. Migrations from a vintage or paid theme start from £6,000, and standalone section work starts from £1,500. Every project is scoped and priced in writing before any work begins, so there are no surprises.

How long does a theme build take?

A typical custom theme is 4 to 6 weeks from kick-off to launch, depending on how many templates and bespoke sections are involved. Section work on an existing theme is usually days, not weeks. You'll get a timeline as part of the fixed scope.

Will the theme be fast?

Yes, that's a design constraint from day one, not an afterthought. I budget Core Web Vitals (LCP, CLS, INP) at the start, keep Liquid lean, control the image and script strategy, and verify performance on real templates before launch rather than hoping it's fine.

Can my team edit the theme after launch?

That's the point of Online Store 2.0. Content, sections and blocks are editable in the theme editor, and structured content lives in metaobjects and metafields. You get a theme your marketing team can merchandise without calling a developer for every change.

Do you migrate vintage (pre-OS 2.0) themes?

Yes. I migrate vintage and heavily-customised paid themes onto clean OS 2.0 builds, preserving your content and edits and putting an SEO-safe redirect plan in place so you keep your rankings. It's quoted as a fixed-price project from £6,000.

What happens after the theme launches?

You own all the code, so you're free to take it anywhere. Most stores move onto a theme support retainer for ongoing sections, tests and performance work. See the theme support page for how those retainers are structured.

→ Start

Build it properly.

Tell me about the brand, the products, and what the current theme can’t do. I’ll come back with a scope, a timeline, and a fixed price. No slides.

Reply window
< 24h
Weekdays, from one real human.
Taking on new builds.