**[ Ecommerce · Platform selection ]**Ecommerce website design and development

# Pick the store platform on evidence, then build it.

Not sure which platform? We score your requirements against Shopify, WooCommerce and a headless build, recommend one in writing, then design and build the store. The scorecard is yours either way.

[Get a written proposal](https://w3experts.com/start-a-project/)[See how we score platforms](https://w3experts.com/services/ecommerce-development/#choose)

Format**Advisory, then build**

Platform selection**1-2 weeks**

Build**4-14 weeks, by platform and scope**

Platforms scored**Shopify · WooCommerce · headless**

Scorecard**Yours to keep, wherever you build**

Ownership**You own the files and accounts**

![Open sign on a shop door](https://w3experts.com/_astro/media-cd435cff322c3993_5I3Ew.webp)Platform choice · scored against your requirements

![Shopping bags on a dark background](https://w3experts.com/_astro/media-026529228201373d_Txfbe.webp)

![Customer paying at a store counter](https://w3experts.com/_astro/media-7ef27eb61533a58d_1tQFQB.webp)

Platforms scored 3Criteria weighted 8Selection sprint 1-2 wksScorecard YoursStandards on every platform selection

Fit and scope

## Is this the right project for you?

### Good fit if

- You are launching a store and have not chosen a platform
- Your current platform costs more in workarounds than it saves
- Stakeholders disagree and you need the decision in writing
- You want one team to design and build whatever the scorecard picks

### Not a fit if

- You have already chosen Shopify or WooCommerce and only need the build
- You need a build on a platform we do not deliver, such as Magento or Salesforce Commerce
- Your bigger need is ongoing marketing or SEO campaigns, not a new store

Platform fit

## Shopify, WooCommerce or headless? Score it, don’t guess.

We build on all three, so we have no reason to push one. These are the situations that usually decide it.

| Your situation | Shopify | WooCommerce | Headless | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Lean team, growing DTC brand | Strong fit | Workable | Too much | Hosted checkout and security mean less to maintain. |
| Content-led brand with a busy blog | Workable | Strong fit | Workable | WordPress keeps products and content in one editor. |
| Custom checkout, bundles or pricing logic | Plus only | Strong fit | Strong fit | You control checkout code on WooCommerce or in a custom front end. |
| Wholesale and retail in one store | Strong fit (Plus) | With extensions | Workable | Plus has B2B tools built in. WooCommerce needs extensions. |
| App-like browsing or several sales channels | Limited | Limited | Strong fit | A custom storefront on a commerce API, at a higher build and running cost. |
| No developer after launch | Strong fit | Risky | Risky | Hosted platforms patch themselves. WooCommerce and headless need care. |

Headless means a custom front end on a commerce back end, such as Shopify’s Storefront API. We recommend it only when the scorecard shows a clear reason.

How we score

## Eight criteria, weighted for your business.

Each criterion gets a weight from your goals and a score per platform, with the reason written next to it.

01

### Catalog

Product count, variants, bundles, custom fields and how your buyers filter and search.

02

### Checkout

Payment methods, custom steps, discounts, and what each platform lets you change.

03

### Operations

Who runs the store each day, how orders reach fulfillment, and how returns and support work.

04

### Integrations

ERP, 3PL, inventory, accounting, email and reviews, with the connector each platform needs.

05

### B2B and markets

Wholesale accounts, price lists, currencies, languages and expansion stores.

06

### Content

How much you publish, who edits it, and whether store and content belong in one admin.

07

### Ownership and data

Where the data lives, what you can export, and how hard it is to leave later.

08

### Running cost

Plan fees, apps or plugins, hosting and care time, modeled over three years in the scorecard.

Inspectable artifact

## A platform scorecard, as we deliver it.

A sample with illustrative weights and scores. Yours uses your requirements and the current platform terms.

**platform-scorecard · sample-brand**8 criteria · 3 platformsIllustrative artifact

| Criterion | Weight | Shopify | WooCommerce | Headless |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Catalog | ×2 | 4 | 4 | 5 |
| Checkout | ×3 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Operations | ×3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| Integrations | ×2 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| B2B and markets | ×1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| Content | ×2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Ownership and data | ×1 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Running cost | ×2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| Weighted total (of 80) | 16 | 61 | 66 · recommended | 56 |

[04a] Selection only

## Take the decision and build it your way.

The selection sprint ends with a written recommendation, the scorecard, a requirements list and a rough build scope. You can hand them to your own team or another agency. Nothing in the sprint locks you in.

- Weighted scorecard with reasons
- Requirements and integration list
- Build scope and timeline range

[04b] Selection + build

## Have the same team design and build the store.

If you build with us, the requirements carry straight into design. We build on the chosen platform with the same checkout tests, integration tests and migration reconciliation we run on every store.

- Shopify or WooCommerce build
- Headless storefront when the scorecard justifies it
- Migration with a reconciliation sheet

[Shopify development](https://w3experts.com/services/shopify-development/)[WooCommerce development](https://w3experts.com/services/woocommerce-development/)

How it works

## A decision in one to two weeks, then the build.

Selection is a fixed sprint. The build timeline depends on the platform and scope, and the proposal puts it in writing.

Wk 1 · Requirements

### Interviews and inventory

Calls with the people who run sales, operations and content, plus a review of your catalog, tools and integrations. Output: a requirements list you approve.

Requirements approved

2-3 hours across your team

Wk 1-2 · Scoring

### Scorecard and recommendation

Each criterion weighted and scored per platform, current plan terms checked, and running cost modeled over three years. Output: a written recommendation.

Platform chosen

One review call

Wk 3-6 · Design

### Templates and checkout flow

Product, collection, cart and content templates designed for the chosen platform, mobile first.

Templates approved

Two reviews a week

Wk 6-14 · Build

### Build, migrate, reconcile, launch

Build on staging, integrations tested with sample orders, migration reconciled, redirects tested, then 14 days of monitoring after launch.

Launch checklist green

Content, product data, final approval

Engagement models

## Three scopes. Numbers in the proposal.

What changes the price: number of stakeholders, catalog and integration complexity, the platform chosen and migration volume.

Scope A · Platform selection

### Scorecard and written recommendation

1-2weeks

- Requirements interviews
- Weighted scorecard, three platforms
- Three-year running-cost model
- Build scope and timeline range

[Scope this](https://w3experts.com/start-a-project/)

Scope B · Selection + build

### Selection, design and store build

6-12weeks

- Everything in Scope A
- Design phase with prototype
- Build on Shopify or WooCommerce
- Checkout and integration tests
- 14-day watch after launch

[Get a proposal](https://w3experts.com/start-a-project/)

Scope C · Replatform or headless

### Move platforms or build a custom storefront

8-14weeks

- Everything in Scope B
- Scripted migration, reconciliation sheet
- Redirect map tested before launch
- Headless storefront when justified

[Scope this](https://w3experts.com/start-a-project/)

From the founder

Every order, customer and product is matched to the source before DNS changes. A migration is accounting, not guesswork.

**Raihanul Roman**Founder & Design Director, W3Experts

Guarantee**100%**Records reconciled before launch

Adjacent

## Bigger, smaller or different?

Three doors next to this one.

[S09

### Shopify Development Services

Stores that load fast, check out cleanly and reconcile every order after a migration.](https://w3experts.com/services/shopify-development/)[S10

### WooCommerce Development

WordPress stores with tested checkout, a short plugin list and updates run on staging first.](https://w3experts.com/services/woocommerce-development/)[S02

### UX Audit of your app

Expert review, analytics and Core Web Vitals check, severity-ranked backlog.](https://w3experts.com/services/ux-audit/)

Questions

## Ecommerce Development questions.

Why pay for a platform recommendation?

Because the wrong platform costs more than the sprint, in workarounds, extra apps and a second migration. The sprint gives you a written decision with reasons, so the choice holds up when someone questions it later.

Will you always recommend Shopify?

No. We build on Shopify, WooCommerce and headless storefronts, and on BigCommerce on request, so the recommendation follows the scorecard. If the scores are close, we say so and explain what would tip the decision.

What if another platform fits better?

We tell you. BigCommerce builds are available on request and scoped like any other store. Magento and Salesforce Commerce we do not build on. If the scorecard points there, you keep it and the requirements, and can take both to a team that does.

What do you need from us for the selection sprint?

Two to three hours across the people who run sales, operations and content. We also need access to your current store or tools if you have them. We do the inventory and the writing.

Can you design the store as well as build it?

Yes. Scopes B and C include product, collection, cart and content templates, designed mobile first and approved before the build starts. If you only need design, our website design service covers it.

When does headless make sense?

When you need a front end no theme can deliver, such as app-like browsing or one storefront shared across several channels. It costs more to build and to run, so we recommend it only when the scorecard shows a clear gain.

How long does the whole project take?

Selection takes one to two weeks. A Shopify or WooCommerce build usually follows in four to ten weeks, and a replatform or headless build in eight to fourteen. The proposal sets your dates once the platform is chosen.

Can we move from our current platform without losing orders or rankings?

Orders, customers and products, yes: the migration is scripted and every record is matched to the source before DNS changes. Rankings we protect but cannot promise. Every old URL gets a tested redirect, and we watch 404s and coverage for 14 days. Search positions also depend on factors outside the move.

Is SEO included?

The build includes technical SEO: clean URLs, structured data, fast templates and a tested redirect map. Ongoing SEO, content and campaigns are run by our sister agency BizAttic, and we can introduce you.

Can you launch before our peak season?

Only if there is time to build and test properly. We don't launch in the six weeks before your peak, and we will tell you on the first call if the dates don't work.

Next step

## Tell us what you sell and what the store has to do.

1. **01 · Today**Instant confirmation and a booking link.
2. **02 · 1 business day**A senior engineer replies personally.
3. **03 · 5 business days**Written, fixed-scope proposal.