An online shop with no subscription, built and run by the studio that owns it.
We do not resell someone else's platform. We build our own ecommerce system, and we built it by watching real shops: what works, where customers get stuck, where people win and where they lose. The result is a shopping alternative with no monthly platform subscription, built around your brand instead of a template.
We can still build on Shopify if you prefer it. Our preference is to build you something better.
No platform subscription
You are not paying a platform every month for the right to sell your own products. You pay for the build, and for hosting and care if you want them.
Built from real shops
We have watched what works and where shoppers drop out, and we built those lessons into the checkout, the product pages and the way orders are handled.
Your brand, not a template
Every shop is designed around your products and your customers, rather than squeezed into a theme that a thousand other shops share.
Modules we own
Our shop modules are built and tested once and combined for each client. We do not charge you development costs for a module that already exists.
The founder, directly
You talk to the person who runs the studio and owns the system. There are no account managers or project leads in between.
Shopify, if you insist
Some businesses already live on Shopify or have a reason to stay. We can build it for you, and we will be honest about when a custom shop is the better choice.
Tell us what you sell
A short call with the founder about your products, your customers and what is frustrating you about your shop today.
Choose the modules
We pick the tested modules your shop needs, from product pages and baskets to stock, delivery and payments, and design around them.
Brand it and connect it
Your look and feel goes on, and your payment provider, delivery options and email are connected.
Test it properly
We test the whole journey on real devices, from first click to confirmation email, before anyone can buy.
Launch and keep improving
We go live, watch where shoppers win and lose, and keep making the shop better.
I am a systems builder.
I do not sell tickets, I build the systems that sell the tickets.
I do not build CRMs, I build the solutions that take the CRM.
I do not set up email accounts, I set up the communication solutions.
Why we built our own
In the founder's words.
The question
One day in the studio, while we were developing solutions for customers' Shopify accounts, I was editing some Liquid code for a customer. I found myself thinking that it would have been simpler and quicker to code a shop from scratch than to bend someone else's platform into shape.
I repeated the same question to myself for two or three minutes, and then my brain decided to answer it. What if I put as much effort into developing a shopping platform as I would into one market stall?
What we did about it
We stopped treating the platform as something you rent and started treating the shop as something you build. We watched what works and where the friction points are. We saw where people win and where they lose.
Then we built a shopping alternative that does not run on a subscription. It is a system we own, which means we can improve it for every client at once, and it is why we can offer it without a monthly platform fee.
How it fits everything else we do
The same thinking runs through all of our products. We build the systems that sell the tickets, the solutions that take the CRM and the communication that replaces a pile of email accounts. A shop is just another system, and we know how to build those.
Is it really no subscription?
There is no monthly platform subscription for the shop system itself. You pay for the build. Hosting, care plans and your card payment provider's fees are separate, and we explain each one in writing before you start.
Can you still build on Shopify?
Yes. If your business already lives on Shopify, or has a good reason to, we can build and improve it. We will be honest about when a custom shop would serve you better.
Who owns what?
Your products, customers, orders and domain are yours. The modules underneath are ours, which is why you are not charged to build them again for your shop.
How long does it take?
Because we assemble tested modules, a shop can be live far faster than a traditional build. Our fast track service can have a site live within hours or days, and a full shop depends mostly on how quickly your products and content are ready.
What does it cost?
It depends on your products and the modules you need, so we agree a fixed price in writing after a short call. There is no platform subscription on top.
Is there a live example?
The store on d-n-b.co.uk, the drum and bass site we run, is our own shop in use today. We are happy to talk you through what we learned from it.
Ready to talk it through?
A short call is all it takes. No obligation, plain English, and we usually reply within two hours.