Commerce architecture
Choosing what Magento, Shopify or another engine should still own versus what must be custom.
Custom ecommerce
Custom ecommerce development when a template store would lie to the business
Some catalogs, pricing engines and checkout journeys do not fit Magento’s defaults or Shopify’s app model. We design custom ecommerce — often with a commerce engine plus a Next.js storefront — so the rules stay explicit instead of hidden in workarounds.
Fit
Problems this work is meant to solve
- 01
Platform workarounds that became the product
If every order needs a spreadsheet after checkout, the platform is no longer modelling the business. Custom work should encode that process, not add another export.
- 02
Headless as a fashion choice
A custom frontend without a clear commerce engine leaves you maintaining two incomplete systems. We only split the stack when there is an owner for both sides.
What the engagement covers
01 02 Custom storefronts
Next.js or React storefronts for catalogs, configurators and account areas that themes cannot express cleanly.
03 Pricing and catalog rules
Contract pricing, bundles, subscriptions or configurators implemented as data, not as one-off theme logic.
04 Checkout journeys
Quote, approval, multi-ship or deposit flows that a standard cart cannot describe without lying.
Section 01
Custom should be smaller than it sounds
The goal is not a unique platform for its own sake. The goal is to keep Magento or Shopify for what they already do well — catalog, payments, tax — and to build the missing pieces as services and storefront UI with tests. If a Magento module or a Shopify Plus checkout extension is enough, that is the recommendation.
Section 02
Headless ecommerce, defined as an operating model
Headless means the storefront (often Next.js) talks to commerce APIs for products, cart and checkout. You gain rendering control and multi-channel UI. You pay with a second deployable system, a second performance profile and a need for frontend SEO discipline — metadata, canonicals and structured data are no longer “the platform’s job.”
- Use headless when native themes cannot meet Core Web Vitals or UX requirements after a genuine attempt
- Keep cart, tax and payment logic in the commerce engine wherever possible
- Budget for preview, caching and failover; a down frontend is a down store
Common questions
Questions we are actually asked
Do I need a headless ecommerce storefront?
Only if the native storefront cannot meet the experience, performance or channel requirements, and you have the team to own two systems. Headless Magento or Shopify work adds a frontend (often Next.js) in front of the commerce engine. It is a good answer for some catalogs and a cost problem for others.
Should I use Magento or Shopify?
Shopify is usually the better fit when the catalog is relatively standard, the team wants operational simplicity and the app ecosystem covers the gaps. Magento 2 (Adobe Commerce or Open Source) is the better fit when you need deep catalog, pricing, B2B or checkout control that would otherwise become a pile of Shopify apps. The wrong choice is picking either platform because it is fashionable.
Can an existing website be rebuilt using Next.js?
Yes, when the current site is limited by a page builder, an aging CMS theme or a frontend that cannot meet performance and SEO requirements. A Next.js rebuild still needs a content model, redirects and a rendering strategy. It is not automatically faster — it is faster when templates, data fetching and third-party scripts are designed that way.
How much does ecommerce development cost?
Cost depends on catalog complexity, checkout rules, integrations and whether you are launching on Magento, Shopify or a custom stack. A focused Shopify storefront is a different engagement from a Magento 2 build with ERP, multi-store and custom checkout. We estimate after we see the catalog, integrations and the current site — not from a published starting price that ignores those facts.
Who owns the code and the store after the project?
You should. Magento code, Shopify themes and Next.js repositories are delivered so your team or a later partner can continue the work. We do not lock operational control behind an unowned app or a theme that only we can edit.
Related services
Ecommerce Development
Catalog architecture, checkout, payments, integrations and store operations across Magento, Shopify and custom storefronts.
Magento
Magento 2 development, customization, upgrades, checkout, extensions and performance for complex catalogs.
Shopify
Shopify store development, theme customization, integrations, migrations and optimization for Shopify and Shopify Plus.
Next.js
Next.js App Router development for marketing sites, headless storefronts and web apps that need SEO control and predictable rendering.
Ecommerce Performance
Store speed work: TTFB, listing pages, checkout weight, third-party scripts and Core Web Vitals on Magento and Shopify.
Next step
Need custom ecommerce on a live site or a new build?
Share the current URL, platform and the problem you can already see. We will say if this service is the right next step.