What a Shopify agency does
A Shopify agency designs, builds and grows stores on Shopify, with several specialists, such as designers, developers and marketers, working on one plan.
Some agencies do one thing, like theme development or Klaviyo email. Others cover the whole store: design, development, migrations, conversion work, email, SEO and accessibility.
Shopify lists partners in its Partner Directory and tiers them from Select to Platinum, based on their experience and proven success on Shopify. Partners in the directory work independently and bill you directly, not through your Shopify bill.
What to check before you hire
Check the work, the people and the plan for after launch before you compare prices, because those three decide whether a cheaper quote stays cheaper.
Live stores, not screenshots
Ask for three live stores and what the agency did on each: design, theme code, apps, a migration or the whole store. Click through them on your phone.
The people on your store
Ask who will design, who will write the code and who you will talk to each week. Meet them before you sign, not only the person selling.
Shopify depth
Ask how they build theme sections and metafields, how they keep a store fast with apps installed, and on Plus how they use checkout extensions and Shopify Functions.
Reviews you can check
Read the agency's reviews in Shopify's Partner Directory, where every reviewer is a merchant who worked with the partner, and on other review sites. Then call one client yourself.
Scope and price in writing
A fixed scope with a fixed price, or a monthly plan that says what it covers, tells you what you will pay. An open hourly rate only tells you what an hour costs.
Support after launch
Ask who fixes a bug the week after launch, how fast they reply, and what ongoing work costs.
What you own
Your store, theme code, domain and app accounts should be in your name. If the agency builds a new store, it can transfer the store to you, and after the transfer you own it.
Ten questions to ask a Shopify agency
Ten questions cover most of what matters, and a good agency answers each one plainly on the first call.
Can I see three live stores you built?
A good answer comes with links and what the agency did on each one.
Who will work on my store?
Names and roles, and a chance to meet the designer and the developer before you sign.
What is in the price?
A written scope: pages, features, apps, content and testing, and what would cost extra.
How will you get into my store?
A collaborator request in Shopify, with a code you give them and the permissions you choose.
How do you keep our search traffic in a redesign or migration?
A redirect for every changed URL, a plan for titles and content, and checks in Search Console after launch.
How do you keep the store fast?
Few apps, lean theme code and Core Web Vitals checked on each release.
Who owns the work when we finish?
You do: the store, the theme code and every account.
What happens after launch?
Who fixes problems, how fast they reply, and what ongoing work costs.
How will we know it worked?
The numbers they will report, such as conversion rate, revenue or search clicks, and how often.
Can I talk to a client you have worked with for a year or more?
Agencies that keep their clients are glad to connect you.
Red flags to watch for
The clearest red flags are a promised ranking or revenue number, a request for your login instead of collaborator access, and a fixed price before anyone has looked at your store.
A promised result
Nobody controls where Google ranks a store or what shoppers buy. An agency can promise the work, its scope and its timeline, not the outcome.
Asking for your login
Shopify Partners request collaborator access with a 4-digit code you share, and you accept or reject the request. Shopify requires two-step authentication for it.
A price before a look
A real quote needs your store, your catalog and your list of features.
No live work
Mockups and screenshots show design taste, not whether the store works.
An overlay sold as accessibility
A widget on top of the page leaves the theme's barriers in place. Real fixes happen in the theme code.
An app for everything
Each app adds a fee and usually some code. A good developer builds small features into the theme.
Your store in their name
If the agency keeps your store, theme or domain under its own account, ask for a written plan to move it to yours.
Shopify Scripts in a Plus proposal
Scripts stopped running on June 30, 2026. Discount, shipping and payment rules now need Shopify Functions or an app.
Agency, freelancer or in-house?
A freelancer fits one clear job with one skill, an in-house hire fits when Shopify work fills a full-time role every week, and an agency fits when you need several skills working on one plan.
Agency, freelancer and in-house team compared
Freelancer
- Fits when
- You have one clear job with one skill, such as a theme change, a few new sections or an app setup.
- Watch for
- Holidays, illness and a full calendar. One person can't cover design, code, email and SEO at once.
In-house team
- Fits when
- Shopify work fills full-time roles every week, and you can hire, manage and keep the people.
- Watch for
- The time it takes to hire, salaries and benefits, and the skills one or two people don't have.
Agency
- Fits when
- You need several skills on one plan: design, development, CRO, email and SEO.
- Watch for
- Who actually does the work, and what the price covers. Check both before you sign.
You can mix them: an in-house marketer with an agency for design and development, or an agency for the build and a freelancer for small fixes after it.
Ask us the same questions
Rolling Pandas is a Shopify agency and Shopify Select Partner since August 2023, with 50+ Shopify stores built and migrated and $100M+ in GMV across client stores.
One senior team designs, builds and grows Shopify and Shopify Plus stores for ecommerce brands, then stays on as a monthly team that ships improvements every week.
Our prices are published: The Rolling Team from $3,500 a month, migrations from $5,000 and the Growth Diagnostic at $997. Ask us all ten questions above.
See our work