Custom apps, checkout logic, integrations and theme work built to survive your next update, by an in-house team rather than a subcontractor.
Every engagement starts with a technical discovery, so the scope names the actual Shopify surfaces involved before anyone quotes a number.
It’s that the theme breaks every time it updates. That checkout can’t apply the rule the business actually runs on. That the ERP sync drops orders and nobody notices until a customer calls. That an app was installed to solve something two years ago and now three apps do the same job badly. You don’t need a list of services. You need someone who can tell you which Shopify surface the fix belongs on, and then build it there.
Built on the supported path. Not bolted onto the theme.
Nine areas of Shopify development we deliver in-house, for stores already trading at volume.
Theme architecture moved onto Online Store 2.0, with JSON templates, sections everywhere, app blocks and metafields, so your team can change pages without booking a developer.
Admin and Storefront API work, custom apps, and Shopify Functions for the cases where the platform’s defaults simply don’t fit how the business trades.
ERP, POS, 3PL, PIM and subscription platforms wired into Shopify, with the sync rules, field mapping and error handling that keep them running after launch.
Bespoke Liquid and theme app extensions, built so the customisation survives your next theme update instead of being overwritten by it.
Figma through to production Liquid, built as reusable sections and blocks rather than one-off pages your team can’t reuse.
Checkout UI extensions plus conditional payment, delivery and discount logic. This is the supported route now that checkout.liquid has been retired.
Bespoke content structures your team maintains themselves, instead of hard-coded blocks that need a developer for every change.
Data, URL and template migration from your current platform, with redirect mapping and QA handled so rankings and revenue survive the move.
App bloat, render-blocking scripts and inefficient Liquid fixed at the source, measured against Core Web Vitals rather than a plugin score.
Three things Australian stores need that offshore builds routinely get wrong, and that we have shipped.
Australia Post, Sendle and courier rate logic surfaced live in checkout through the Carrier Service API, built exactly this way for ProSpeed Racing.
Afterpay and Zip as first-class options, plus conditional surcharges, such as a card fee applied only to B2B customers paying by card, calculated on the fly.
Tax display that behaves correctly for wholesale and retail at the same time, with company accounts and price lists on Shopify Plus.
| LION Digital | Typical Shopify Dev Shop | |
|---|---|---|
| Who writes the code | An in-house development team you can talk to directly, alongside our SEO and CRO specialists. | Offshore subcontractors behind an account manager. |
| Theme updates | Customisation built as theme app extensions and sections, so a theme update doesn’t undo it. | Edits made directly in theme files, overwritten at the next update. |
| Search impact | Redirects, metadata, structured data and Core Web Vitals treated as part of the build. | Handled as a separate SEO project, usually after the damage. |
| Checkout work | Checkout UI extensions and Shopify Functions, on the supported extensibility path. | Legacy checkout hacks, or declined as out of scope. |
| Integrations | Built and monitored, with failure handling agreed up front. | Connected once and handed over untested. |
| Local context | AU carriers, payment methods, GST and B2B tax rules understood first-hand. | US-default assumptions retrofitted late. |
| After launch | Ongoing development capacity, not a handover and a closed ticket. | Project ends at launch. |
We review your theme, apps, integrations and custom code, and document what is actually causing the problem before quoting a fix.
A written scope naming the Shopify surfaces involved (theme, app extension, Function, custom app), so you know what is being built and why.
Work happens in a staging theme or development store, tested against real catalogue and checkout conditions, never straight onto live.
Deployed with a rollback path, monitored after release, with ongoing development capacity if you want it.
The people who scope the work are the people who write the code.
Technical Director
Lead Developer
Working with the team at LION Digital has been like a breath of fresh air. I almost gave up on working with an agency after 4 previous failed…
Fantastic Service and Staff. They were very friendly and easy to deal with, and gave a big boost to our online Traffic and Webstore.
I can’t say enough good things about Lion Digital! From start to finish, their team has been nothing short of outstanding. They took the time to really understand…
These guys know what they are doing!! We have just begun our partnership with Lion but from the get go we have found them to be very thorough…
Working with the Lion team on our ESP migration to Klaviyo was seamless. They were always transparent with information, reporting, updates and needs – he was like an…
James (our director) and Tom (the sales lead) really like the design you made. I’m very happy with what we have done with the design template!
Where do I start? If you’re looking to invest in your eCommerce digital marketing, you won’t regret bringing LION on board. The entire team at LION are veterans…
It builds the parts of your store Shopify doesn’t give you out of the box: custom theme work, integrations with systems like your ERP or POS, checkout logic, custom apps, and API work. At LION that sits alongside our SEO, CRO and email teams, so a build decision gets checked against its commercial impact rather than made in isolation.
Yes. We’re Melbourne-based and work with brands across Australia. Development work is remote by nature; what matters locally is understanding AU carriers, payment methods and tax rules, and being reachable in your business hours.
Yes, and it’s common. We start with a technical discovery so we can document what’s there before changing anything, because inherited custom code and app dependencies are usually where the real risk sits.
Usually, but the reason matters. Online Store 2.0 gives your team sections and metafields on every template, which removes a lot of developer dependency. The risk is that a theme migration done carelessly costs organic traffic. We’ve recovered a store that lost 42% of its organic traffic that way, and got it back in 45 days.
Not if it’s built correctly. Customisation built as theme app extensions, sections and metaobjects survives an update. Customisation written directly into theme files does not. That distinction is the single biggest cause of the work we get handed to repair.
Yes, on the supported path: checkout UI extensions and Shopify Functions. We’ve built conditional payment surcharges, dynamic bundling with individual-item fulfilment, and carrier-calculated shipping rates surfaced live in checkout.
Yes, custom apps for a single merchant, where the requirement is specific enough that no public app fits. Several of our integration and checkout builds are delivered this way.
Either as a defined project with a written scope, or as ongoing development capacity for brands with a continuous backlog. Which one suits depends on how much change your roadmap needs; we work that out in the discovery call.
Bring us the constraint. We’ll tell you which Shopify surface the fix belongs on, and what it takes to build it there.
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