Custom ecommerce development
When a theme can't sell it,
build what can.
Most stores should start on a good theme. Some can't: a product people configure before they buy, a checkout that has to take payment in several countries, or a brand whose store is really a content site. For those, we build custom and headless stores, using the platform's engine for products and orders and a front end made for how you sell.
What can't your
theme do?
A custom build is worth it only when it removes a real limit: something customers need that a theme, an app or a setting can't give them. Name the limit first, and the right build becomes obvious.
Your front end, their engine
A custom front end on Shopify's Hydrogen and Storefront API, or BigCommerce's Catalyst, with the platform still handling products, cart and orders.
Payments the way you sell
Checkouts with the gateways, currencies and payment plans your customers need, where the platform's standard checkout can't offer them.
Stock, CRM and fulfilment
Orders, customers and stock kept in step with the systems you already run, so nobody re-types an order.
Budgeted, not discovered
Hosting, updates and the developer time a custom build needs every year, written down before you commit to one.
Custom wasn't the mistake.
The reason was.
The custom stores that disappoint usually didn't need to be custom, or were built without anyone planning who'd look after them. Here's what we usually see, and how we build instead.
What goes wrong with custom stores
- A headless build chosen for fashion, not for a limit the theme had
- Checkout rebuilt from scratch when the platform's would have done
- Integrations held together by one developer's knowledge
- No budget for hosting, updates or the next developer
- Content that only a developer can change
- Tracking that broke when the front end was rebuilt
What we build instead
- A written reason for going custom, tested against themes and apps first
- The platform's checkout kept wherever it can do the job
- Integrations documented, logged and alerting when they fail
- Hosting and upkeep costs agreed before the build
- A content setup your team can edit without code
- Orders tracked back to your ads from launch day
The founders we work with.
Here's what founders say after working with us - unfiltered.
Our old site was clunky and our ads were bleeding cash. Their team stepped in, rebuilt everything, and suddenly shoppers could buy without any fuss. They explain the numbers in plain language and always lay out the next move. First agency that's truly felt like part of our crew.
They built our Shopify store from sketch to polish, and the ads keep bringing in people who actually appreciate the product. Fast, thoughtful, no guessing games. For a brand that sweats the small stuff, having a partner who gets that is a big deal.
NCMborz rebuilt our site, then unleashed focused Meta and Google ads that filled coaching calendars fast. Branding, traffic, engagement, revenue - every dot now connects and we speak to ideal students. They made bold decisions feel easy with calm, data-backed reasoning.
Six systems.
One build that earns its keep.
This is the order we build every custom store in. The reason and the running costs come first, because they're what make custom worth it.
Pricing, scoped to you.
Priced on the limit you're removing. A custom checkout on an existing store and a full headless storefront are different builds, so the fixed quote comes after we've agreed what custom is for.
- Fixed project price, agreed in writing before we start
- 50% to begin, balance on delivery
- Scoped to the limit the theme can't meet
- You own the code, outright
ALL PRICES IN USD · MAINTENANCE PLANS FROM $450/MO
NCMborz vs. the alternatives
When a theme falls short, you have three options.
Here's exactly what you get.
Step one is a written answer to whether custom is needed at all. Only then do we design and build.
Strategy call
Thirty minutes on what your store can't do today and what that's costing. Access to the current store requested afterwards.
Architecture & costs
Platform, front end, gateways, integrations and hosting decided, with the yearly cost to own.
Build on staging
The store built and reviewed on staging as it comes together.
Launch & handover
Every gateway and integration tested, redirects live, and documentation handed over.
What we have written on choosing who builds it.
We get asked these every week.
When is custom ecommerce development worth it?
When customers need something a theme, an app or a platform setting can't give them, such as a product configurator, an unusual subscription, or payment in several countries through different gateways. If a theme can do it, a theme is cheaper to build and to own.
What is headless commerce?
A store where the platform, such as Shopify or BigCommerce, runs products, cart and orders, while a separately built front end shows them to customers. It gives full control of the front end, at the cost of more to build and maintain.
What are Hydrogen and Oxygen?
Hydrogen is Shopify's headless toolkit. Since its October 2026 release it's a library you can add to a framework you already use and host where you like, including on Oxygen, Shopify's hosting for Hydrogen storefronts, which Shopify says is still free.
Can you build headless on BigCommerce?
Yes. BigCommerce's Catalyst is a headless storefront framework built with Next.js and its GraphQL Storefront API, released under the MIT licence.
Have you built custom stores before?
Yes. Our published custom funnel case study is a custom build for an author and coach selling books and sessions in India and worldwide, with Razorpay and PayPal checkout. We don't publish its sales figures, by the client's choice.
Who owns a custom build?
You do: the code, the content and the accounts. We document it so any competent developer can work on it, not just us.
What does a custom store cost to run?
More than a theme. Hosting, platform fees, updates and developer time all continue after launch. We put a yearly figure on it before you commit, so it's part of the decision rather than a surprise.
What does a custom build cost with you?
Our projects start at $1,200, and most ecommerce builds land between $1,200 and $15,000, fixed. Headless storefronts and multi-gateway checkouts sit toward the top of that range.
What happens on the strategy call?
Half an hour. You tell us what the store can't do, we tell you the cheapest way to fix it, which is sometimes not custom at all.
A store built around your business.
30 minutes. Tell us what your store can't do, and we'll tell you whether a theme, an app or a custom build is the right answer, and roughly what it would cost. Pick a time.