ECWEBUK
No. 003 / Theme supportCambridge · UK
✦ Shopify theme support

Shopify
theme support,
on tap.

Retainer-based Shopify theme support from a UK Shopify Partner. Bug fixes, new sections, Core Web Vitals work, peak-season hardening — handled by the engineer doing the work, not a ticket queue.

Why merchants pick EC Web for theme support

Shopify Partner
2017
Founder-led
1
Avg. response
< 24h
Themes shipped
20+

★ What’s covered

8 common requests
01

Bug fixes

Broken layouts, JS errors, mis-rendering on Safari, mobile breakage, theme-app conflicts. Triaged, reproduced, fixed.

02

New sections & blocks

Custom OS 2.0 sections and blocks built to brief — featured products, lookbooks, comparison tables, video heroes.

03

Performance

Core Web Vitals work: LCP, CLS, INP. Image strategy, lazy loading, third-party script audits, bundle pruning.

04

A/B tests & landing pages

Experiment scaffolding, Shopify-friendly variants, dedicated landing pages for paid traffic — measured properly.

05

Metaobjects & metafields

Structured content rolled out across the theme — product specs, FAQs, ingredients, ratings, custom taxonomies.

06

Peak-season hardening

Black Friday, sale launches, paid-spend spikes. Load-test where it matters. Roll-back plans you can actually execute.

07

Theme version migrations

Move from a vintage theme to Online Store 2.0. Move from Dawn to a custom theme. Migrate without losing edits.

08

App integrations

Embedding Klaviyo forms, review widgets, search apps, subscription apps — without wrecking performance.

₤ Theme support retainers

Four ways to work
Pay-as-you-go
£150/ hour
No retainer, no minimum.
  • Billed monthly in 15-min increments
  • Best-effort response (next business day)
  • Email-only communication
  • Great for one-off bug fixes
Essentials
£750/ month
5 hours, rolled into a single retainer.
  • 48-hour response, weekdays
  • Email support
  • Hours roll over one month
  • Cancel any time, 30 days notice
Standard
£1,500/ month
12 hours · most stores land here.
  • 24-hour response, weekdays
  • Shared Slack channel
  • Monthly Core Web Vitals report
  • Hours roll over one month
Plus
£2,500/ month
22 hours · for high-traffic & Plus stores.
  • 4-hour response, weekdays
  • Slack + on-call for peak windows
  • Quarterly performance & UX review
  • Priority on emergency fixes

◎ Themes supported

Free or paid · OS 2.0 preferred

I support free themes from the Shopify Theme Store, paid themes from Out of the Sandbox, Archetype Themes, Pixel Union, and fully custom-built Shopify themes. Online Store 2.0 is the preferred starting point — vintage themes are supported, but I usually recommend a migration first so future work compounds.

DawnImpulsePrestigeSymmetryStilettoEmpireRideCustom OS 2.0Bespoke / hand-rolled

§ How a retainer runs

Predictable, documented
Week 0
01
Theme audit

I read your theme top to bottom. Find the sharp edges, the legacy cruft, the speed wins. Free for retainers.

Ongoing
02
Backlog

Every request lands in a shared Linear board. You see priority, ETA, and what's blocked.

Per ticket
03
Ship

Branch, preview link, your sign-off, then deploy. Every change documented in changelog.

Monthly
04
Review

Monthly call (optional). Vitals report, next-month priorities, any architectural issues to flag.

✦ The fine print

Honest about who this is not for.

Shopify theme support sounds infinite — “everything always, on demand.” That’s a nice ad and a bad reality. Here’s where I’ll wave you off:

  • ×You want a 24/7 manned helpdesk — I'm one engineer, not a call centre.
  • ×You expect unlimited hours — every plan has a defined budget so the work stays sustainable.
  • ×You only need a Shopify-native config tweak — that's an app problem, not a theme problem.

? Frequently asked

8 questions

What does a Shopify theme support retainer actually cover?

Anything that touches your theme code: bug fixes, new sections and blocks, performance work, A/B tests, app integrations, metaobject rollouts, theme migrations, accessibility fixes, and emergency response during sales. Off-the-shelf app configuration is usually included; net-new app development is quoted separately.

Do you support Shopify themes you didn't build?

Yes — that's most of the work. I run a free theme audit at the start of every retainer to map the codebase, flag legacy patterns, and document what's safe to change. From there it's the same workflow whether the theme is Dawn, a paid theme like Impulse or Prestige, or a fully custom build.

How fast do you respond to support requests?

Pay-as-you-go is best-effort (next business day). Essentials is 48 hours, Standard is 24 hours, Plus is 4 hours — all weekdays. Plus retainers also include on-call cover for agreed peak windows like Black Friday or product launches.

Do you work with Shopify Plus stores?

Yes. The Plus retainer is sized for higher-traffic stores: faster response times, on-call cover for peak windows, and quarterly performance reviews. I also handle Plus-specific work — checkout extensions, Functions, B2B/wholesale themes, and multi-store rollouts.

What if I use more hours than my plan?

Unused hours roll over one month. If you go over, the overage is billed at the same effective hourly rate as the tier — no surprise multipliers. If overage becomes the norm I'll suggest moving up a tier.

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

Yes, but I'll usually push you to migrate. Vintage themes don't get sections everywhere, are hard to extend, and Shopify is steadily deprecating support. I quote theme migrations as a separate project and then take you onto a retainer afterwards.

Can I cancel my retainer?

Yes — 30 days notice on Essentials, Standard and Plus. No long-term contracts, no exit fees. You keep all the code (it's your theme), and I'll hand over the changelog, Linear board, and any docs.

How do you handle out-of-hours emergencies?

Plus retainers include defined on-call windows (typically the BFCM week and a few launch days you nominate). Outside those windows, urgent issues are best-effort and billed against your hours. If you need 24/7 cover year-round, I'll point you at a partner who's set up for that — I'm one engineer.

→ Start

Stop fighting your theme.

Tell me what’s broken, what’s slow, or what you’ve been putting off. I’ll come back with a tier recommendation, an audit slot, and a written plan — no slides.

Reply window
< 24h
Weekdays, from one real human.
Available for new retainers.