Shopify Developers saw 2020 as another breakthrough year for the Shopify ecommerce platform, becoming the most popular eCommerce solution in Australia. For example 38,000 Australian retailers are now online, with Shopify, representing a dominant 29% market share. Similarly, the platform has boomed to over a million merchants globally.
Due to Shopifys incredible growth rate, a lot of people are jumping to the platform. Before first considering the key differences and challenges they may experience in a migration or new store development on Shopify.
We all remember the days when Squarespace was booming. All of sudden EVERYONE was a SquareSpace expert, but I guarantee that the number of real deal SquareSpace experts. The super knowledgeable people who knew the intricacies of the platform, did not quadruple overnight. However, if you read their websites, you would have thought they built the platform themselves!
Our team have been in the Shopify eCommerce business since before 2012 and are qualified Shopify Experts. So if you need a complete Shopify site setup and configured or just some small tweaks to improve your stores performance, there are some key questions you should as your Shopify Developer before you let them assist with your eCommerce store.
Question 1 – Are You A Shopify Expert?
Shopify vets their partner and expert programs extremely thoroughly. Subsequently not everyone can become a Shopify Expert. Just because someone claims to be a Shopify expert or experts in Shopify doesn’t mean they are officially approved by Shopify.
However we are not throwing shade at all the incredible developers out there doing great work on the Shopify platform. Moreover, being an officially approved Shopify Expert indicates a level of expertise in the team you are working with. To achieve this level, the shopify developer has spent a considerable amount of time working with Shopify.
Question 2 – Are Revisions Included?
Simple question and sounds blindingly obvious, but most developers won’t consider revisions when quoting a piece of work.
Subsequently, ensuring revisions are included in any work is critical. Else you could risk losing control of outcomes and expectations not being met. This could lead to having to redo large amounts of work. This in turn potentially delays your development.
In the same vein, including revisions assures you, your developer is confident in completing the work. It also incentivises the developer to deliver, so as to minimise their workload. Subsequently, if they don’t include revisions, there is a risk you could be charged for each change request you make. This can add up extremely quickly and it’s recommended to avoid.
Shopify Developer Question 3 – Do You Have a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee?
As a Shopify Developer you need a certain level of confidence in your ability to succeed delivering a clients request. As a result offering a 100% Satisfaction guarantee aligns your business goals with your developers work. In turn ensuring you get the quality of work your online store deserves and value for money.
For instance if you aren’t happy with the work, after multiple revisions and communication is starting to breakdown. The guarantee will give you the confidence to end the relationship amicably. Or even have the task redone until you are happy. Subsequently ensuring your developer guarantees their work is incredibly valuable.
Shopify Developer Question 4 – What’s your timeframe for Development/Tasks?
We hear stories all the time of customers who went with an agency and were constantly having project deadlines delayed. Typically due to the amount of work the agency had taken on. This resulted in delaying their stores go live date.
A normal Shopify development assuming your product photos, descriptions, pricing and inventory is ready should typically 2 weeks. If you are waiting longer than 2 months for coding work to be completed, something is wrong. In other words using a developer who isn’t managing their workflow efficiently could cost you time and money. Therefore make sure your developer is prioritising your business outcomes and a clear time frame is discussed.
Shopify Developer Question 5 – Do you have experience with my theme?
Not all themes are equal and often Shopify theme code can differ by theme developer. Subsequently, clarifying the Shopify developer has worked on your theme before, ensures they can complete coding changes quickly and efficiently.
Importantly, a great shopify developer will always ask this question, if they haven’t, make sure you ask them. Certainly, if they have experience with your Shopify theme your chances of achieving a great result, rise substantially. See a list of the most popular Shopify Themes.
The Five Questions to Ask Your Shopify eCommerce Developer
Five seems too few for the potential questions you might ask a developer. But it’s a great start, If you have any questions or need help with your Shopify development, we are here to help.