Have you ever wondered what it takes to transform your store into a thriving e-commerce empire? Maybe it’s just about time. But with a wide range of Shopify agencies prevailing, how do you choose the one that is best for you?
The moment you reach out to the vast populace, there arises a need to collaborate with experts in various fields, be they designers, developers, or strategists. You must learn to choose the one that suits you best and not the one who claims to be the best. You must aim to enhance your online presence, maximize sales, and boost your customer experience.
Here, we shall provide a guideline for you explaining the factors you must consider before selecting a Shopify agency.
What is a Shopify agency?
A Shopify agency is an organization that assists an e-commerce merchant in starting, selling, marketing, and managing his business. Every Shopify agency has Shopify experts who specialize in various departments, such as website design and development, theme customization, app integration, SEO optimization, etc. These certified professionals work together to upgrade your selling experience by earning a higher return on investment.
For example, let’s imagine you own a fashion boutique store wishing to establish a strong online presence. You approach a Shopify agency for assistance. The agency's experts tweak your online store's appearance to match your brand's style and needs.
They also add features like easy payment options and inventory management. They make sure your store shows up well in online searches. Moreover, the agency's digital team runs ads and promotes your store on social media to attract more customers.
Why hire a Shopify agency?
“What is in it for me? How will I be benefitted? Will it be worth it?”
You must be asking yourself these questions while reading this article. Well, here are a few reasons why you must hire a Shopify agency.
Creative expertise
It’s nearly impossible for one person to master every aspect of running a business. That’s where support from external sources becomes crucial. Shopify is a place where you can find help from experts in every department, from inception to execution.
For example, while a Shopify expert is working on the theme of your boutique store, you can devote time to a different line of work, say, designing more products where you have expertise. It saves time and effort and increases efficiency.
Customization
Shopify agencies can craft the e-commerce experience to meet the specific needs and branding experience of the clients. It works as per the requirements and demands of the clients for that particular business.
Taking the same example, Shopify, with its customization options, may be able to give an elegant look to the ethnic section of your store while giving a loud look to the western clothing section of your store.
This will lead to a smoother buying process, where one won’t need to go through the entire boutique collection and choose from only what he/she requires. This will also attract customers from all over the world and help your business thrive in the digital age.
Professional touch
These days, people are highly intrigued by what they see and tend to trust more on the visuals. Hence, it becomes very important to impart a professional look to your business. That’s where Shopify’s professional designers, developers, and strategists can help by creating visually attractive and user-friendly websites. Once a customer opens your website, it gives them a professional feel, inducing trust to purchase the product.
Marketing expertise
Shopify agencies are equipped with experienced marketers who can identify the most effective channels to reach your target market. As these experts use a plethora of analytical tools to gain insights, you can track the performance of your marketing campaigns and gain insights into customer preferences and behaviors.
Ongoing support
Shopify agencies provide ongoing support and maintenance services to ensure the smooth operation of client’s e-commerce stores. Therefore, any type of hindrance occurring during the functioning of the business is handled promptly.
How to choose a Shopify agency
Now that we are aware of the benefits of hiring a Shopify agency, let’s see how you can pick a Shopify agency that fulfills your needs.
Get clarity on your goals
Before you start hunting for a Shopify agency, take some time to get clarity on what you want your online store to achieve. Think about the features you need, your target audience, and how much you're willing to spend. The type of help you'll need from the agency also depends on whether you're starting fresh, giving your existing store a makeover, or looking to reach new customers.
For instance, say you wish to launch a new eco-friendly clothing line and establish a Shopify store to promote sustainability and drive sales. Here are some questions you can dwell on:
- Where do you want to see your business in the next five years?
- Are you planning to expand your business into the international market as well?
- What is your expected growth in sales in the next five years?
- Are you planning to come up with a diverse product line shortly?
If your objectives are well-defined, then you can look for a Shopify agency capable of achieving the same.
Set a budget
When selecting a Shopify agency, consider your budget by establishing a realistic financial framework per your business objectives. Compare pricing models among agencies and request detailed quotes to understand the cost breakdown for services offered.
Assess the potential return on investment (ROI) and seek value-added services to maximize the benefits within your budget. If future expansion is part of your strategy, confirm that the agency offers scalable plans you can upgrade to later. Moreover, prioritize agencies that provide ongoing support and are there to help your team when they feel stuck.
Review portfolios
A Shopify’s agencies portfolio or past work will tell you whether or not it's a right fit for your business. Go through their portfolio and look for visually appealing and user-friendly designs. Pay attention to layout, typography, color schemes, and overall aesthetics. Consider how they align their design style with the brand’s identity and target audience.
Next, focus on the functionality aspect and test navigation, product pages, checkout process, and any additional features. At the same time, see how responsive the stores are on different devices.
As for the experience, look for Shopify agencies that have experience serving diverse industries. This will bring valuable insights and adaptability to your project.
Look for the right experts
Look at the agency’s track records and experience in building Shopify stores. You need an agency that has been in business for a long time with experts thriving in multiple domains. Their expertise should also match your areas of need, such as web design, development, digital marketing, SEO, and eCommerce strategy.
For instance, you can prefer an agency if they are a Shopify Plus partner with relevant certifications and experience serving your relevant domains.
Compare services and pricing
With many Shopify agencies out there, you will likely find the ones with the right expertise to match all your requirements. But the question is—will they fit your timeline and budget?
After you shortlist a few agencies, contact them or review their pages to understand their services and pricing breakdowns. Be on the lookout for any additional costs you might have to incur.
Check the agency’s reputation online
A quick Google search will tell you a lot about the experience of other businesses with the agency. Go through customer reviews, news articles, and other agency mentions online. Also, scour through review websites such as TrustPilot, Clutch, or Google reviews to extract genuine business reviews.
As we already know, Twitter continues to become a platform people use to talk about the shortcomings of businesses. Walk through Twitter and other social media platforms to understand what users say about the brand online.
Or the best place is to actually look at the reviews listed on the Shopify partner directory.
Transparent communication and collaboration
A Shopify agency needs to be open and transparent with its communication. It must listen to your inputs and feedback while keeping you in the loop throughout the project. The idea is to opt for an agency that collaborates with you to help you achieve maximum results.
Ongoing support and maintenance
Choosing a Shopify agency isn’t just an immediate need; it’s a long-term collaboration that requires ongoing support. That’s where you need an agency with a dedicated team ready to assist you with all your hurdles. If something unexpected happens, the team should be there to get things back on track.
Reporting and analytical capabilities
All the efforts put in by the Shopify agency are of use only when they provide measurable results. Discuss the data the agency will gather and present to you, such as the increase in traffic on your store, conversion rates, and other metrics. Inquire about the tools they use to gather data and if they will integrate with your existing tools.
Security measures
Hiring a Shopify agency that focuses on core security protocols that protect your eCommerce website and customer data is crucial. The agency must implement SSL encryption to encrypt data shared between your website and your customer's browsers to protect sensitive information.
It should also integrate secure payment gateways that comply with the necessary standards to protect customers’ payment information. Moreover, it should have a proper data backup in the event of a system failure or security breach.
Start with a demo or trial
Many Shopify agencies out there over promise but underdeliver. Take a trial to understand how they function, assist you along the way, and the quality of their work.
The trial should be enough to tell you what you can expect and see if it matches your requirements. It will also give you a sneak peek into the agency’s creative expertise.
Understand the contracts and agreements
Before deciding to hire a Shopify agency, thoroughly review the contracts, proposals, service agreements, terms and conditions, and payment schedules. There must be absolute clarity to avoid any conflicts later on.
Have an exit strategy in place
You must have an exit strategy in place if you decide to discontinue their services in the future. This ensures that you maintain ownership of your data and continued access to your online store, even in the event of a change in service providers.
Conclusion
With nearly a decade of experience working with Shopify and Shopify plus stores, XgenTech has a team of top professionals across all domains. Whether you are looking to create visually appealing and user-friendly Shopify stores or drive targeted traffic to boost sales, we have experts who can help.
And if you are running your store on a different platform currently, don’t worry about the migration. Our team will smoothly handle the migration process with all your data intact and secure.
Want to know more about how we can help your online store grow? Get in touch today!
