When Shopify and WooCommerce Cannot Do What Your Business Needs

Complex pricing models, B2B approval workflows, multi-vendor marketplaces, and configurable products require custom ecommerce platforms built around your exact business logic, not forced into a template's limitations.

Get My Free Ecommerce Development Strategy

42%

of developer time wasted on technical debt, much of it from forcing complex business logic into platforms not designed for it

Stripe, 2018

Custom Ecommerce Platforms

Bespoke ecommerce solutions for businesses with complex pricing, unique checkout flows, B2B requirements, or marketplace models that off-the-shelf platforms cannot support.

What's Included

Everything you get with our Custom Ecommerce Platforms

Commerce Architecture Document

Complete system design covering product catalog structure, pricing engine, checkout flow, payment processing, and fulfillment integration before development begins

Custom Checkout Flow

Multi-step or single-page checkout designed for your specific product type with A/B-testable variations for conversion optimization

Admin Dashboard

Custom admin interface for your operations team to manage products, orders, customers, and reporting without developer assistance

Our Custom Ecommerce Development Process

Business Logic Discovery

We map every pricing rule, product configuration, checkout flow, fulfillment process, and administrative workflow your platform needs to support. This produces the technical specification that drives development.

Architecture and Technology Selection

We design the database schema, API architecture, payment integration strategy, and frontend framework. IBM research shows fixing design mistakes in production costs 6x more, so we invest heavily in this phase.

Iterative Development and Testing

We build in 2-week sprints with working features at the end of each cycle. You test real checkout flows with real payment sandbox transactions, providing feedback that shapes the next iteration.

Launch and Operations Handoff

We deploy to production with load testing, performance monitoring, and security scanning. Your operations team receives hands-on training on the admin dashboard and complete documentation.

Key Benefits

Business logic that matches your reality

Tiered pricing, volume discounts, quote-to-order workflows, configurable products, multi-currency, and custom tax calculations built into the platform architecture rather than bolted on through plugins and workarounds.

Checkout flows designed for your customers

B2B buyers need different checkout experiences than DTC consumers. Custom platforms let you build purchase order support, approval chains, net payment terms, and account-based pricing without platform limitations.

No platform fees eating your margins

Custom platforms have no monthly subscription or per-transaction platform fees. For high-volume businesses, eliminating these fees pays for the custom build within 1 to 2 years while giving you a competitive advantage no competitor can replicate.

Research & Evidence

Backed by industry research and proven results

The Developer Coefficient

Developers spend 42% of their time wrestling with technical debt and bad code, much of which comes from workarounds forced by platform limitations

Stripe (2018)

Relative Cost of Fixing Defects

Fixing architectural issues in production costs 6x more than addressing them during design, making upfront platform decisions critical

IBM Systems Sciences Institute (2008)

Frequently Asked Questions

When does a custom ecommerce platform make sense over Shopify or WooCommerce?

When your business requires complex pricing logic that plugins cannot handle, when you need B2B features like purchase orders and approval workflows, when platform transaction fees are eating significant margin, when you need a multi-vendor marketplace, or when your product configuration options exceed what standard platforms support. If you are spending more time on workarounds than selling, a custom platform likely makes financial sense.

How much does a custom ecommerce platform cost?

Custom ecommerce platforms typically range from $75,000 to $250,000+ depending on the complexity of your pricing engine, catalog structure, checkout requirements, and integrations. We provide detailed fixed-price proposals after a paid discovery phase. The investment is substantial, but for businesses processing $1M+ annually, the elimination of platform fees and the competitive advantage of custom functionality typically deliver ROI within 18 months.

How long does development take?

A minimum viable commerce platform typically takes 14 to 24 weeks from kickoff to launch. We deliver features incrementally so you can begin testing checkout flows and fulfillment processes well before the full platform is complete. Post-launch feature development continues based on real customer behavior data.

Can we start with a simpler platform and migrate to custom later?

Absolutely, and we often recommend this approach. Start with Shopify or WooCommerce to validate your product-market fit and build initial revenue. When platform limitations start costing you more than a custom build would, we migrate your products, customers, and order history to a purpose-built platform with zero data loss.

Related Services

Explore more of our ecommerce development services

Your Business Model Deserves a Platform Built for It

Tell us about the business logic that off-the-shelf platforms cannot handle. We will design a custom commerce solution that fits.

Explore Custom Commerce