Anthony McGrathWhat does Shopify development involve?
Shopify development covers theme development, features and apps, checkout and payments, fixes and support, speed and quality and tracking built in. Most Shopify stores reach a point where apps and page builders stop being enough. Anthony McGrath does the work himself, with 22 years in digital marketing, for businesses in the UK, the US, Dubai and Australia.
- Best for
- Shopify and Shopify Plus stores, from new brands to established retailers
- What you get
- Theme development, Features and apps, Checkout and payments, Fixes and support, Speed and quality, Tracking built in
- First step
- Talk it through: a short call about your store, your products and what is holding sales back.
- Where
- The UK, the US, Dubai and Australia, working remotely across time zones
- Who does the work
- Anthony McGrath, hands-on, with 22 years in digital marketing
Why hire a specialist Shopify developer
Most Shopify stores reach a point where apps and page builders stop being enough. Pages slow down, small changes break other things and every new feature means another monthly subscription. A good developer fixes the cause instead of adding another app.
I have built and fixed stores for over two decades, across fashion, beauty, homeware, supplements and B2B. You get one person who understands the code, the marketing and the tracking, so a change to your product page does not quietly break your Google Ads conversions.
What's included
From one small fix to a full rebuild. If it can be done on Shopify, it is covered.
Theme development
- Custom sections and blocks your team can edit
- Online Store 2.0 theme builds
- Product, collection and landing page templates
- Mobile-first, accessible layouts
Features and apps
- Custom app and API integrations
- Replacing slow apps with built-in code
- Product bundles, upsells and gift options
- Metafields and metaobjects set up properly
Checkout and payments
- Checkout extensibility and UI extensions
- Shopify Functions for discounts and delivery
- Shop Pay, Apple Pay and local payment methods
- Multi-currency and multi-market setups
Fixes and support
- Bugs found and fixed at the source
- Broken layouts after theme updates
- Ongoing developer support each month
- Clear notes on everything changed
Speed and quality
- Core Web Vitals and PageSpeed fixes
- Image, script and app clean-up
- Liquid and JavaScript tidy-up
- Testing on real devices
Tracking built in
- GA4 and Google Ads conversions
- Meta Pixel and Conversions API
- Customer Events and checkout tracking
- Tested so revenue matches Shopify
Before and after
An example of what fixing a slow, app-heavy store typically looks like.
- Mobile PageSpeed score: 31 before, 78 after
- Apps installed: 24 before, 11 after
- Monthly app fees: 640 before, 210 after
- Conversion rate: 1.3% before, 1.8% after
An example of the kind of change this work aims for, based on typical starting points. It is not a promise or a specific client result: every business starts somewhere different. Money figures are shown without a currency: the same pattern applies in pounds, dollars, dirhams or Australian dollars.
How it works
- Talk it throughA short call about your store, your products and what is holding sales back.
- Plan and priceA clear written plan: what gets built, in what order, how long it takes and what it costs.
- Build and testBuilt on a copy of your store, tested on real phones, then checked again before anything goes live.
- Launch and supportLaunched with tracking checked, then support afterwards so nothing is left half-finished.
Platforms and tools
Latest Shopify developer news
Short, plain-English updates on what is changing and what to do about it.
Shopify integrates AI knowledge base into Merchant Admin
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Read the updateWhy UK Retail Brands Are Missing Out on AI Search
Many UK retail brands are failing to provide the data that AI shopping agents need to find them. Here is how to fix your store catalogue for AI search.
Read the updateGoogle Ads Expands Smart Bidding Exploration
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Read the updateTop Shopify Agencies for 2027: Support Your Growing Store
Growing Shopify stores often need expert agencies beyond freelancers. PC Tech Magazine lists the best Shopify agencies for 2027.
Read the update
Shopify development fees: avoid flat-rate quotes for SME sites
Flat fee quotes for Shopify sites often miss key costs like product variations, shipping or post-launch tasks leading to losses.
Read the updateQuestions
How much does a Shopify developer cost?
It depends on the job. Small fixes and features are quoted as fixed-price pieces of work; bigger builds are planned and priced in stages, so you always know the cost before work starts.
Can you work on my existing theme?
Yes. Most work is on existing themes, including Dawn, premium themes and custom builds. I work on a copy first, so your live store is never at risk.
Do you work with stores outside the UK?
Yes. I work with stores in the UK, the US, Dubai and Australia, and handle multi-currency, multi-language and multi-market setups.
Can you replace some of my apps?
Often, yes. Many apps do something a few lines of theme code can do faster and without a monthly fee. I will tell you which ones are worth replacing and which are worth keeping.
Will you set up tracking as part of the work?
Yes. Every build includes checking GA4, Google Ads and Meta tracking, so your marketing data stays right after the changes.
About Anthony McGrath
Tip of the day
Avoid tiny split audiences. Combine similar ad sets so Meta gets enough conversion data to exit learning phase.
A UK-based freelance digital marketer with 22 years across Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Magento, conversion rate optimisation, funnels, Google, Meta and TikTok ads, SEO and tracking. He works directly with businesses in the UK, the US, Dubai and Australia, so the person who plans the work is the person who does it. More about Anthony or connect with him on LinkedIn.
Got a Shopify job that needs doing?
A fix, a feature or a full rebuild. Send me your store and what you want, and you will get a clear plan and a fixed price.
Tell me what you need built