8 Top Hacks for Choosing the Right Shopify Development Partner
To start your business or redesign your Shopify Store, you need a Shopify development partner. To know why, read further.
Shopify provides extensive eCommerce features that suit various business requirements. With this system, you can access all the efficient tools for managing orders, payment processing, monitoring inventory, and many more, making it a cool eCommerce solution.
Currently, 6,543,939 websites are using Shopify website builder, and out of them, 4,230,468 are live on the Internet, According to Builtwith.
So, you can imagine the level of competition and selling products for profit. In that case, you need to stand out your business from other brands in the industry.
Can you tell me how you can display yourself as a unique brand with the same themes, plugins, features, and functionality?
Well, here the role of Shopify developers begins. They can help you customize your theme, extend functionality, tweak the stores, scale your business, and many more.
But how do you identify the right Shopify web development company that works with you as a partner?
Here are the 8 ultimate steps of solutions that can help you in finding the right Shopify Development partner for your business.
How to Select Your Right Shopify Development Partner
These 8 simple steps you can use at any level, regardless if you are looking for a Shopify Development partner to expand your IT services by hiring a team or hiring a dedicated Shopify developer for your business.
#1: Ensure The Expertise of Your Shopify Development Partner.
The first thing you need to be sure about is the expertise of the Shopify developers. Suppose, you hire a developer who has a good experience in Website building with WordPress but doesn’t know about Shopify. In that case, you didn’t get the desirable result with fewer resources.
Check if your potential partner can provide you with theme customization and custom theme development. Even if you wish to create a store with a premade theme, custom solutions may be required to adapt the site to any specific needs.
Creating online stores means implementing many features, such as:
- Adjustment of online payment variants
- Meeting accessibility requirements
- Creating multilingual sites and adding different currencies
- Adding tools for marketing campaigns
- Adjustment of transport and delivery options
- Shopify developers primarily use the API to add necessary features and functionality to the store. As a result, a deep understanding of the Shopify API is essential for your potential Shopify development partner.
You can find the names of the required APIs on Shopify’s official website and discuss them with the developers. This gives you an idea of how deep the developer’s knowledge is. If you feel you lack experience, choose another developer.
The good idea is to ask for a portfolio of the person’s or company’s work. When you see their completed projects, you can get a better idea of the scope of work and the results achieved.
However, keep in mind that the absence of a portfolio does not necessarily mean a complete lack of expertise. Companies often sign NDAs with their clients and are not legally able to publicly display finished projects.
#2: Shopify Development Partner’s Service Quotation Can Tell Too Many Things
With extensive experience, Shopify development companies know exactly how much time and effort is required to complete projects of varying complexity. You can easily request a quote describing your wishes and requirements. You’re good to go if you get an ETA within 1-2 business days.
In addition, the more detailed the offer, the better. If your potential partner can evaluate and predict various aspects of the project in advance, you will get a more accurate price without hidden fees. Experienced companies will explain why specific project steps require more time or effort. The faster you get a quote and estimated arrival time, the faster developers can start working on your project. This allows the process of creating an online store to take only days or weeks and not months.
Another important aspect is the project assessment and approval process. Pay attention to details such as the flexibility of the person or company in obtaining minor repairs for free before the project is considered complete. Experienced developers value their time, so they usually plan the scope of their work and discuss the necessary stages with clients before the project starts to bring the desired result quickly.
#3: Create Effective Communication
Seamless communication is an important part of completing any project. Make sure your potential Shopify development partner can adapt to your means of communication. Before signing the contract, you should discuss the following:
- Methods of communication (emails, Skype, video/audio conferences, etc.) that provide the fastest and most convenient dialogue
- Time zone differences and whether they affect your communication
- Project status updates
- If the developer is willing to communicate through your preferred channel, can answer your questions quickly, and doesn’t mind keeping you updated on the progress of your project, you’re on the right track.
For agencies looking to outsource their Shopify projects, it’s also important to discuss the workflow. If your potential partner is flexible about your project’s workflow, you’ll find it easy to complete everything on time.
#4: Clarify Aspects of Quality Assurance.
Well-built online stores contain several elements that should work together flawlessly. Testing the newly created e-shop is, therefore, a must to ensure its quality. When hiring a Shopify developer, be sure to mention what aspects they test to provide the best functionality. Shopify development companies usually have a wider range of devices and testers available than freelancers, who are usually a 1-person show.
We cannot fail to mention the importance of mobile-optimized websites in e-commerce. With the popularity of smartphones for online shopping, testing a new store on different mobile devices is a must.
Some of the most important aspects of in-store QA testing should include the following:
- Exploring different pages, including categories, product pages, product listings, etc.
- Testing search options, search algorithms, and sorting filters
- Control of the shopping cart, checkout processes, and payments
- Checking for compatibility, usability, accessibility, and security
So when you are looking for a Shopify developer, make sure that they can test the interface and performance of your site on different browsers and devices to avoid any errors.
#5: Discuss Website Support And Maintenance.
An online store is a complex mechanism consisting of many elements. It can work well for some time after your Shopify developer completes the project. However, no one is safe from facing various problems from time to time. This can happen after system updates and so on.
It’s always good to know that you can reach out to your Shopify developer to fix issues whenever you need to.
Therefore, checking whether your potential partner provides post-production support and maintenance is a good idea. Shopify developer services from trusted companies usually include free assistance for some time, while freelancers can charge for any additional services once the project is complete.
#6: Check Prices And Reviews.
You can find thousands of freelancers and companies offering Shopify web development services. When looking for professionals, it is important to trust those who have already established themselves as qualified specialists.
Platforms like Clutch provide unbiased reviews from real customers. All feedback is independently verified by Clutch before being published, so you can be 100% sure the reviews are genuine.
Whichever company or specialist you choose, you should keep in mind the following:
- Review the list of services provided
- Compare price ranges and rates
- Check ratings and reviews
Since there are a large number of developers offering their services, it is necessary to weed them out quickly. Pay attention to price ranges; don’t be fooled by low costs. Lower prices than the market average may signal a lack of experience or hidden fees upfront.
To ensure you’re working with a reliable partner, check out reviews from other people. This lets you see what customers value most and how developers overcome potential problems.
#7: Understand How To “Lunch And Maintain” Your Online Business.
If you are an online e-commerce website owner, it is important to ensure you can manage the store yourself once the project is complete. Shopify developers can bring all your desires to life, but if you don’t know how to run the backend of things, then the website won’t help you achieve your goals.
Trusted Shopify developers will stick to your preferences and do their best to make the process of running a store as smooth as possible.
For example, you may need to increase the number of options for a product, which is limited to 3 by default in the Shopify settings. Professional developers will be able to advise you on the best application to increase the limits of variants and options if necessary and can explain the specifics so that you can edit the item properties yourself.
After implementing the necessary criteria, the development team ensured that online store owners could edit and manage the collection themselves in the future. Such a case proves that your Shopify partner will handle all your current and potential needs.
#8: Test The Waters First
When you find a reliable Shopify development partner, it’s a good idea to start small by ordering a single feature implementation first before handing your project over to a specific developer or company.
In this way, you will see everything that we have discussed in practice, and you will evaluate the speed of their workflow, the style of communication, and the results themselves.
Then, if you’re satisfied, you can proceed to the next step by signing the contract and creating your Shopify store.
Conclusion:-
A reliable Shopify development partner can help businesses launch their dream store and help web development agencies grow. To choose a Shopify developer you can trust, you need to evaluate their expertise, check the variety of their services, and read reviews.
In addition, you should pay attention to communication and the speed of answering your questions even before starting the project. A trusted partner understands all the peculiarities of e-shops, implements the necessary functions, values your time, and is ready to adapt to your preferred communication channels.
Now, here is a bonus for all readers, who read till the end. If you still have any doubts then you can get a free consultation with India’s Leading Shopify Development Company, Pixlogix Infotech Pvt. Ltd. Their team will explain to you what qualities you need in your website for better business growth. So, don’t waste your time contacting them now.
