Shopify developer Chicago businesses can hire

Start with the features your customers need and the work your staff will do each day. Apps are a quick way to add features, but each choice brings a recurring fee, potentially more scripts and a dependency on its maker. Custom code or a custom app fits a specific requirement more closely; it also needs maintenance as Shopify changes. Weigh that ongoing work before adding a feature.

A headless storefront built with Hydrogen or Next.js suits a content-led brand or an unusual buying flow. You give up the theme editor, though, and apps that add features through the theme might not work with that storefront. A theme-based store gives your team access to that editor, which is worth considering if staff expect to manage the presentation themselves.

For international selling, one store can use markets for local-currency prices, translations and international domains. Separate stores suit businesses that need different catalogues or teams in each country, or payouts in different currencies. The choice affects how much your staff manage across stores.

Sales tax settings need to reflect the markets where you sell: 45 US states and the District of Columbia levy a statewide sales tax, while the states named as exceptions do not. We configure the store’s tax settings for your market alongside shipping and payments.

If you send commercial email, including business-to-business email, it needs a valid physical postal address and a clear opt-out, and opt-out requests must be honoured. We connect the store’s email flows with those requirements in mind and set up the address and opt-out in the messages.

Gather the material that describes your catalogue, operations and existing store.

• A product sheetInclude titles, prices, SKUs, barcodes, weights, options and stock by location, plus descriptions.
• Product imageryBring consistent photos for each colour or style, alongside size charts, care instructions and specifications.
• Payment and policy detailsHave business and bank details ready, plus your shipping, returns, privacy and terms policies. Review generated templates before use.
• A tools listNote the apps and services you use or plan to use, and what each must do.
• Migration exportsBring product, customer and order exports, and a list of URLs that bring the most traffic and sales.

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  Missing redirects

  Map old URLs to their new destinations and import the map at launch. Redirects work only from URLs that no longer load a page.

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  Too many apps

  Check what each app adds in scripts and subscriptions. When removing one, inspect the theme files for code it left behind.

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  Editing the live theme

  Duplicate it, make changes on the copy and preview them before publishing, so a mistake does not appear immediately to visitors.

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  Leaving demo material in place

  Check for placeholder policies, demo content and default notification wording before launch.