The Wide World of Shopify Plus Agencies
It’s no secret that Shopify Plus is one of the absolute best ecommerce platforms for both fast-growing brands (Think Gymshark, Allbirds, Fitbit, etc.) and huge legacy companies, (Think Red Bull, Heinz, and Hasbro). Because of its popularity, the number of Shopify Plus Design Agencies has grown substantially since it was rolled out in 2014. We’ve been fortunate enough to be included on top 10 lists of Shopify Plus Agencies all over the web, so we thought we’d repay the favor and do our own.
We’ll add a few tips on how to find the best Shopify Design Agency later in the article, but first let’s get to that list, which is in no particular order.
1) Eastside Co
If you’re based in the UK or Western Europe, Eastside Co should definitely be a consideration. They’re a veteran Plus Partner that’s been servicing clients since 2012. A full-service digital agency, Shopify’s their main bag and have helped countless brands reach their goals both small and large.
Unlike some Shopify Plus Agencies, they don’t serve specific niches but are more of a generalist which can be beneficial considering they can pull from a large bag of tricks that may transcend industries.
Headquarters: London, UK
Size: Medium
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Health and Beauty
Notable Brands: Mimi & Lula, Absolute Collagen, Potion London, Oliver Sweeny, Ren Skincare
Website: EastSideCo.com
2) Pointer Creative
We were fortunate enough to meet these guys at a Shopify Unite event in San Francisco a handful of years back—we shared some solid shop-talk and maybe a few too many adult beverages, but they made enough of a good impression that they’re making it onto our list. Similar in size and structure to our firm, they’re based in Ottawa, ON so they’re a great option if you’re looking for a Canadian option in the EST timezone. Strategy is at the core of what they do, and like us, they don’t just build websites, but also offer branding. This means they’re a viable option if you also need to refreshen up the visuals of your brand as part of the project. They work with a general array of companies but you’re in particularly good hands if you are in the beauty/supplements (Think Lemme, Fable & Mane, etc.) or fashion (Think Tip Top, etc.) realms.
Headquarters: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Size: Medium
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Health and Beauty
Notable Brands: Lemme, Fable & Main, Tip Top, NY Times
Website: PonterCreative.com
3) Sleepless Media
We’re not usually one to toot our own horn, but we have the utmost confidence we’re a great fit for most brands searching for a trusted Shopify Agency so obviously we needed to include ourselves on this list. One of the first agencies selected to be a Plus Partner when it launched in 2014, the Shopify Plus team approached us because of the consistent level of service we provide and the caliber of our work. Clients often come to us when they’re looking for something super custom and bespoke design work that separates them from their competition with out-of-the-box thinking. In the ecommerce web design and digital design business for over 20 years now, we’ve been working exclusively on the Shopify platform for the last decade. When we say we’ve built hundreds of sites, well, it’s the truth.
We’re known for our niches in the Outdoor Lifestyle/Adventure (Zpacks, Thule/Tepui, Breeo Firepits, LifeStraw, Cliq Chairs, etc.) and CPG Food & Beverage (Traditional Medicinals, Lenny & Larrys, Alter Eco, etc.) industries but have partnered with a wide array of brands across the board as their secret weapon to digital domination.
Headquarters: South San Francisco Bay Area (Santa Cruz, California)
Size: Medium
Top Industries Served: Outdoor/Adventure, Consumer Packaged Goods Food & Beverage Brands, Lifestyle, and Technology.
Notable Brands: Traditional Medicinals, Yale/August Home, Levi Strauss & Co., Swisher Sweets, LifeStraw, Breeo.
Website: SleeplessMedia.com
4) Barrel
Based in the thick of NYC, Barrel’s a heavy hitter in the Shopify Plus Agencies world. You’ll immediately notice their attention to detail when perusing their portfolio. You know what they say—you get what you pay for, so Barrel might not be an affordable option if budget’s a major concern. Their clients vary heavily—they’ll tackle a heavyweight like Black+Decker one minute, and a baby food brand the next, as they did with Once Upon A Farm a Farm. They’re medium-ish on the size spectrum but the perfect size to focus on quality not quantity.
Headquarters: New York, NY
Size: Medium
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Food & Beverage
Notable Brands: Black and Decker, The Outset, Hu, Well+Good, Station, etc.
Website: BarrelNY.com
5) Fuel Made
From where we stand, Fuel Made’s been doing top-quality work in the Shopify Plus space since it was rolled out. Their work speaks for itself, and their knack for email marketing helps them stand out from the crowd when it comes to services. They head up email marketing for prominent brands like Satechi, American Tall, and FCTRY to name a few. They’re known for their clean and minimal design work, making them a contender for high-end brands that want to get out of their own way. They’re growth-minded and medium-sized, lending their skills to brands like Tuft & Paw, Turbie Twist, Bella Notte, and KinkyCurlyYaki to name just a few. So yeah, it’s probably a good idea to run your project by them and see if they’d be a good fit.
Headquarters: Colbert, WA
Size: Medium
Top Industries Served: Lifestyle and Technology
Notable Brands: Tuft & Paw, Turbie Twist, Bella Notte, and KinkyCurlyYaki
Website: FuelMade.com
6) Corra
Another New York-based Shopify Plus Agency, Corra originally hails from the Magento world but have transitioned over to the Shopify space in recent years. This makes them a great choice if you’re currently on Magento and want to make sure your features and expectations translate over when re-platforming to Shopify. If you’ve got a big budget make sure they’re on your shortlist.
Headquarters: New York, NY
Size: Large
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Food & Beverage
Notable Brands: All-Clad, Assa Abloy, Elemis, MVMT, Ann Klein
7) We Make Websites
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning We Make Websites. Don’t let their simple moniker fool you, they’ve designed and developed some of the top Shopify Plus stores over the years with no signs of slowing down. Their home base is in London but they’ve expanded to a satellite hub in New York as well. For a decade now they’ve built a reputation based on values and a low-stress approach–which is something we share. Their services are many including design/UX, development, replatforming, SEO, data migration, international expansion, and more. You might notice some familiar brands when scouring their portfolio, they even built David Beckham’s eyewear site.
Headquarters: London & New York
Size: Medium-Large
Market-Fit: Startups, Mid-Level, and Enterprise
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Luxury
Notable Brands: Pangaia, Dockers, Alessi, Jigsaw, Hasbro
Website: WeMakeWebsites.com
8) Avex
If you haven’t noticed this list is pretty heavy with New York-based agencies, it’s not intentional, but we’re thinking it’s in the water. Afterall, if that’s the secret to New York pizza dough, that could be it. Newer to the space than many, they were founded in 2015 and as noted on their site, 70% of their team is female if that floats your boat. They have a sleek design-forward style which we appreciate, but they’re heavy-hitters when it comes to the technology behind the scenes as well. If you are looking for a headless solution, they’d be one of the shops to get your scope in front of.
Headquarters: New York, NY
Size: Medium-Large
Top Industries Served: Fashion, Lifestyle, Luxury
Notable Brands: Boss, Kith, Balance, Simmons Bedding, Haus.
Website: AvexDesigns.com
9) Ambaum
Seattle Washington’s Ambaum makes our list for a few reasons. First, they are very development-forward while others may be more design-focused. If you’re project is highly technical or you have a heavy development-only project, they’d be the first place we’d refer you to. Second, we met the founder at a Shopify event in Los Angeles several years ago and he seemed like a trustworthy individual running a solid firm. They work on Shopify and Shopify Plus but they also work with WordPress/Woocommerce if that’s your cup of tea. They’ve supported some notable brands over the years including Bulletproof, Ram Mounts, and Hammerhead.
Headquarters: Seattle, WA
Size: Small
Top Industries Served: Technology, Fashion, Wellness
Notable Brands: Bulletproof, Ram Mounts, Hammerhead, Fantastapack
Website: Ambaum.com
10) Metacake
Metacake’s been around for longer than most, so we feel comfortable recommending them as a good option if you have a mid-range budget. They partner with Bold, Conversio, Klaviyo, Optimizely, and Yotpo to round out their services with apps you know and need to help grow your brand. Based in Nashville, TN, their award-winning team has had the opportunity to work with some cool brands like Gibson Guitars (yeah, we’re a little jealous), Lenox, and Graceland.
Headquarters: Nashville, TN
Size: Small
Top Industries Served: Technology, Fashion, Wellness
Notable Brands: Gibson, Stasher, Lenox, Dr. Axe, Groove Life
Website: MetaCake.com
How to Select the Best Shopify Plus Partner Agency
Now that we’ve covered some of the best Shopify Plus Design Agencies, let’s dig into a few things you should pay attention to when evaluating the different firms:
- Do they require you to be on Shopify Plus, or are they able to start with standard Shopify as well?
- If you need any complex integrations, do they do them in-house, or use third-party partners?
- How complex have their Shopify Plus projects been in the past?
- What is their process? Do they have any documents or diagrams they can show you?
- What kind of results do their sites get? Do they have any case studies?
- Are they more of a design or a development shop? Do they have the proper balance of both?
- Is all of their work done in-house by employees? Or do they outsource to contractors or overseas workers?
- What is their ongoing support like once an initial project is launched? Do they lock you into anything?
- What is their project discovery phase like?
- Will you have a dedicated project manager?
- How many team members will you be working with? Will you work with any of them directly?
- How long have the team members you will be working with been with the company? Will you be working with senior-level expertise?
- What is the timeline? (If it’s too good to be true, odds are it is).
- Is the budget a flat fee or just an estimate with a sliding scale?
That’s about it! We hope we’ve been able to offer some good options on your search. Best of luck on your project, and if you’d like to run it by us, we’d love to throw our hat in the ring.
