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A focused Shopify development job can cost a few hundred pounds, while a larger theme, integration or custom-functionality project can run into several thousand. The biggest pricing mistake is comparing quotes that use the word “development” for completely different scopes.
Typical Shopify development scopes
What changes the price?
Theme architecture
A clean modern theme is easier to extend safely than a heavily modified theme containing years of overlapping scripts and app code.
Business rules
A visual section is simpler than functionality involving compatibility, customer states, inventory conditions, pricing rules or external data.
Integrations
Connecting Shopify to ERP, inventory, fulfilment, CRM or bespoke services adds data mapping, authentication, error handling and testing.
Design work
Implementing a finished design is different from researching, designing and validating the customer experience before development begins.
Testing and risk
Changes affecting checkout, product logic, tracking or operational workflows need more scenario testing than a cosmetic adjustment.
When an app is cheaper than custom development
If a mature app solves a common requirement well, paying a subscription may be more economical than owning bespoke code. Custom work makes more sense when the app compromises the experience, duplicates other tools, cannot support the business rules or becomes disproportionately expensive at scale.
When Shopify Flow is enough
Automation does not always require an app. Shopify Flow can handle many repeatable order, customer, product and inventory processes. Read when Shopify actually needs custom development before paying for complexity you may not need.
How Sales Leak Labs prices Shopify work
We are comfortable with small, focused projects as well as larger builds. A useful improvement does not need to be turned into a £5,000 redesign. We scope around the actual problem, expected value and technical risk. For larger stores, several improvements can be grouped into a prioritised development phase.
See our custom Shopify development service if you already know what the store needs, or Shopify CRO if the problem is commercial performance and you need help deciding what should change first.