Client's Testimonial

"I had the brand, but I had no idea how to build the tech. The Developers.dev team was my technical co-founder. They guided me through the entire process and built a beautiful, incredibly fast website using their 'Shopify / Headless Commerce' pod. We got our first sale on day one. I couldn't be happier."

Founder & CEO.

Client Overview

A new Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) startup in Australia specializing in sustainable home goods. They had a strong brand and product line but no technical co-founder and a limited seed-stage budget. They needed a fast, modern, and scalable e-commerce presence.

Problem

The founder needed to launch a fully functional e-commerce store before the peak holiday shopping season. Off-the-shelf Shopify themes didn't offer the unique brand experience they wanted, and a fully custom build seemed too slow and expensive. They needed a solution that was both fast to market and flexible for future growth.

Key Challenges

Tight Deadline

Extremely tight 90-day deadline to launch before Q4.

Limited Budget

Limited budget of a seed-funded startup.

High Performance

The need for a high-performance site (fast page loads) to maximize conversions.

Non-Technical Founder

The founder was non-technical and needed a partner to handle all technology decisions.

Our Solution

We recommended a Headless Commerce approach using our Shopify / Headless Commerce Pod. This solution uses Shopify as the powerful, easy-to-use backend for managing products and orders, while a custom, lightning-fast frontend is built with modern web technologies.

Backend Setup

We configured Shopify for products, payments (Stripe integration), and shipping, empowering the founder to manage the business side easily.

Custom Frontend

We built a custom frontend using Next.js (a React framework), providing sub-second page loads and a completely unique design that matched their brand identity.

Content-Driven Commerce

We integrated a headless CMS (Contentful), allowing the founder to easily create rich blog content and marketing pages that seamlessly blended with the shopping experience.

Guided Process

Our project manager worked closely with the founder, translating business needs into technical requirements and providing clear, weekly progress updates.

Implementation and Execution

Shopify Storefront API

Utilized Shopify's Storefront API to connect the backend to the custom frontend.

Vercel Deployment

Deployed the Next.js frontend on Vercel for optimal performance and scalability.

Responsive Design

Ensured the design was fully responsive and pixel-perfect on all devices.

Marketing Integrations

Integrated with email marketing (Klaviyo) and analytics (Google Analytics) tools.

Founder Training

Provided a one-week training session for the founder on how to manage products, orders, and content.

Ahead of Schedule Launch

Launched the full site in 85 days, 5 days ahead of schedule.

Positive Outcome

Launch Under 90 Days

The store was live and taking orders well before the critical holiday season.

Sub-Second Page Loads

Average Page Load Time of <1 Second: Resulted in a bounce rate below 30% and a conversion rate 2x the industry average.

Empowered Founder

The founder could easily manage day-to-day operations without needing any technical help.

Scalable Foundation

The headless architecture provides the flexibility to add new features or sales channels in the future without a complete rebuild.

Why Choose Us

Fixed-Fee Project Model

Our "Fixed-Fee Project" model provided budget certainty.

Headless Commerce Expertise

Specific expertise in headless commerce and Shopify.

Full-Service Tech Partner

The ability to act as a full-service technology partner for a non-technical founder.

Proven Portfolio

Our portfolio of beautiful, high-performance e-commerce sites.

Fast Launch Promise

The promise of a fast launch timeline.

Australian Market Presence

Our presence in the Australian market provided convenient communication overlap.

Transparent Process

Our process was transparent and easy to follow.

Business-Ready Solutions

We focused on delivering a business-ready solution, not just code.

Affordable Cost

The cost was significantly more affordable than hiring a local Australian agency.

Conclusion

For startups, speed and capital efficiency are paramount. By leveraging our headless commerce expertise, Developers.dev provided the founder with a world-class e-commerce platform on a startup budget and timeline, empowering them to launch their brand successfully and build a strong foundation for future growth.

From Concept to First Sale in 90 Days: A Headless Commerce MVP for a D2C Brand

Industry Retail & E-commerce