How to choose the best Shopify Plus Agency

Why Experience Matters: Shopify’s Constant Evolution

Shopify’s platform and features change fast. Every 3-months (quarterly) Shopify updates their API, rolls out new features, updates platform functions and deprecates old features. Unless you’re constantly checking the Shopify site, you might miss these updates. A dedicated Shopify partner is invested in the Shopify platform and receives updates from Shopify via a partner portal. Top Shopify Plus web design agencies like Sunrise Integration even have weekly in-person meetings with key Shopify representatives to discuss projects and features. This is why you want an experienced design agency that has a close relationship with Shopify. 

When Shopify releases something new, you need an agency that has a pulse on Shopify’s developer changelog and partner announcements. They should then be able to assess those new features and map them to your business needs. This knowledge then helps to phase out older API functions or features that are on the way out. It’s a lot to do on your own so your agency should already have this as part of their standard service.

All of this underscores that not all Shopify Plus agencies are created equal. Look for a partner that can navigate an enterprise rollout and support your business needs. If they haven’t already navigated dozens of launches, migrated projects and accomplished live rollouts, then you’re putting yourself and business at risk. Don’t make the wrong choice for your Shopify Plus ecommerce agency, experience matters!

Key Criteria for Evaluating Shopify Plus Agencies

With so many Shopify agencies out there, narrowing your options can feel impossible. Start by looking for proven Shopify Plus expertise, check whether the agency has a certified team, review their portfolio and read through case studies. You want to feel confident they’ve tackled complex builds. If other big brands are trusting them, then that is a good sign for you. A long list of quality case studies should be your first point of research.

When deadlines loom and unexpected issues crop up, you can’t afford to wait for a response. Find a Shopify Plus partner who answers your calls and emails right away. Good communication keeps your project moving forward. Good process means they can stay on top of tasks and correspondence. Open and frequent discussions build trust and let you catch misunderstandings before they become big problems. When you know exactly where you stand, you will avoid last-minute surprises and keep you on track.

Let’s break it down into a nice checklist for you to use when evaluating potential Shopify Plus partners:

1. Proven Shopify Plus Portfolio

• Case Studies & Results
  Review their case studies and look for relevant experience to your needs. It’s helpful if they can show before-and-after metrics, conversion rate lifts, performance details, average order value increases, and so on. A good partner should have lots of case history to review.
  
  
• Industry Fit
  Have they worked with businesses like yours in the same vertical or are they in the same market? Relevant experience goes a long way and can help decrease development time. See how much experience they have with similar projects or industries as yours.
  
  

2. Official Shopify Plus Partner Status

Shopify accredits agencies as “Plus Partners” only after they demonstrate deep platform expertise and obtain a history of successful deployments. Dedicated Plus partners also demonstrate a commitment to ongoing learning so see how many team members have gone through the official Shopify training courses.

3. Technical Breadth

Does the partner possess a comprehensive set of skills (or team) that will get you through an enterprise Shopify deployment? Here are some of things you may need:

• Custom App Development: Can they build apps tailored to your unique workflows?
  
  
• Headless & Hybrid Commerce: Do they offer experience with React, Next.js, or other frameworks for advanced storefronts?
  
  
• Integrations: Have they connected Shopify Plus to ERPs, CDPs, CRMs, and fulfillment partners at scale?
  
  

4. Design & UI

Your store’s look and feel is the first thing your customers see so make sure your Shopify partner has design chops. Review their design gallery and make sure it aligns with your desired aesthetic. Do they offer design discovery sessions and work to tailor the site to your brand guidelines?

5. SEO & Performance Expertise

An SEO-friendly codebase, lightning-fast asset loading, and mobile responsiveness are paramount for today’s sites. Make sure you selected Shopify partner that has experience and a game plan to handle:

• Site and content SEO experience
• Structured data & schema layout knowledge
• Image optimization skills
• Conversion rate optimization strategies for content
• Experience with Shopify’s speed report metrics
  
  

6. Project Management & Communication

Information exchange is critical in keeping you informed in the progress of your project. You want good communication between you and your Shopify Plus agency. Find out what type of management and development methodology they use as that will dictate the expected communication. Some things to look out for:

• Methodology: Do they use Agile, Scrum or Waterfall? These are different project management so you should understand what to expect.
  
  
• Reporting Cadence: How often do they keep you in the loop? Should you expect weekly meetings, daily standup, as-needed only or notes by carrier pigeons? You want as much detail as possible so do your homework here.
  
  
• Management Tools: What project management tool are they using to support your project, Some popular ones include Jira, Asana or Basecamp. Make sure they have something to keep you in the loop and keep tasks on track.
  
  

7. Post-Launch Support & SLAs

Does the agency offer support plans? Your project isn’t over once you go live. You will need some maintenance and support to get up to speed. You want a partner who sees your store as a mission-critical asset and not just a one-off project. Make sure they will be there after the project is live.

8. Culture & Collaboration

Beyond skills, you need chemistry. Take a few preliminary meetings with their team. Do you enjoy speaking with them? Are they transparent and genuinely concerned about your business? When you partner with an agency that shares your values and work style, you and your team stay aligned on goals, timelines, and quality standards. Misalignment in values or decision-making can slow down approvals, lead to conflicting priorities, and raise the risk that key features don’t get built. You build trust faster when you click with the people you’ll work with every day. Chemistry means you feel comfortable raising concerns, asking questions, and testing new ideas. Pay attention to how the agency asks questions about your goals, how they respond when you raise concerns, and how they involve you in their process. You’ll know you’ve found the right partner when you leave each meeting with clear next steps, feel confident that your values matter to them and look forward to the work ahead. That alignment lays the groundwork for a Shopify Plus project that launches on time, meets your requirements, and grows with your business.