Before requesting a Shopify development service! Important points to know and the request process

Key points to consider when requesting a Shopify development service

Identifying your business goals and online store objectives

The most important thing when hiring a Shopify service is to clarify your business goals and the purpose of your online store. This will be the basis for determining how your site should be designed and what its functions should be.

For example, if your business goal is to "increase online sales of your products," in other words, to expand your sales channels beyond the brick-and-mortar market, your online store's objective will be to "communicate the appeal of your products to visitors and encourage them to purchase them." Setting such clear goals will facilitate smooth communication with your agency and make it easier to achieve the results you expect.

However, it is not the case that "if you make it, it will sell," so unless you clarify your business objectives and make a plan that matches them, you will end up just having made it!

Budgeting and delivery time estimates

When requesting a Shopify development agency, setting a budget and estimating the delivery date are important factors. Before making a request, set a rough budget. The production cost varies depending on the size and functions of the site and the capabilities of the agency, but if you research the market price in advance, you can adjust and negotiate the request content smoothly.

It is also important to estimate the production period. The production period varies depending on the content of the request, but if you estimate the period to a certain extent, it will be easier to manage the schedule. By clearly setting the budget and estimating the delivery date, it is possible to avoid unexpected trouble.

Check competitor sites

Checking competitor sites is an important task before requesting a Shopify construction service. Through this task, you can clarify your company's positioning within the industry and find a direction for how to differentiate yourself.

Specifically, we check the design and functions of competitor sites, the products and services they offer, and their pricing. From this information, we can clarify the value our company provides and the differences between it and its competitors. In addition, by using competitor sites from a customer's perspective, we can directly experience the ease of use and inconvenience. This makes it possible to identify areas that should be imitated or improved on our own site.

In this way, checking competitor sites is an important step in building your own e-commerce site. Share the results of your competitor analysis not only with your company but also with the construction agency to create a higher quality site.

General flow of Shopify construction service

1. Hearing about the request

The first step in the process of requesting a Shopify construction service is to hear the details of your request. At this stage, we will have a detailed discussion about your business goals, the purpose of your online store, your budget, the scope of services you are requesting, etc. This is an important process for the service company to deeply understand the needs of the client and propose an appropriate plan.

For example, by sharing information such as product lineup, brand image, desired design and functions, we are able to create a project plan that is optimized to meet the client's needs.

2. Project planning and estimating

At this stage, we will draw up a specific construction plan together with the agency and calculate an estimate.

We start by clearly communicating your needs and goals, then create a specific action plan to meet them, including the design, functionality and extent of customizations for your site.

Next, ask the agency to provide you with an estimate based on the project plan you created. Make sure that the estimate includes not only the cost of building the system, but also the cost of any additional features or services that may be required.

There are often times when things you want will come up that were not anticipated at the beginning of production, so be sure to have a thorough discussion so that you can make that process as concrete as possible!

3. Construction implementation and feedback

Once the project plan has been made and the estimate has been finalized, the Shopify construction will begin. At this stage, the agency will build your Shopify store based on the items you requested. As the construction progresses, you will receive regular progress reports, and it is important to provide feedback each time. If you have any concerns during the construction process, inform the agency as soon as possible and request corrections or improvements.

Generally, the general flow is "Plan" → "Framework" (design document) → "Design" → "Construction," so it's good to be able to check the steps.

4. Site launch and start of operation

Once construction is complete and you have confirmed that it works without any problems, it's time to move on to publishing and operating the site. At this stage, be sure to check for emerging issues and customer support. An EC site doesn't end once it's published. Long-term operational support, such as regular updates, keeping up with the latest e-commerce trends, and improving site performance, is important.

If you request an agency, it is important to confirm the details of consulting and after-sales support in advance at the time of signing the contract so that you can request support even after operations have begun.