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Quick answer
UnlockLive IT builds headless and composable e-commerce platforms for North American merchants on Shopify Plus, Shopify Hydrogen, Medusa, Commercetools, and BigCommerce — all with custom Next.js storefronts, ERP/3PL/POS integrations, payment architecture (Stripe, Adyen, PayPal, Klarna, Shop Pay), and structured conversion-rate optimization (typical 10-25% lift in 90 days). We replatform mid-market merchants off Magento and BigCommerce, build B2B and DTC commerce in parallel on the same stack, and handle every migration with SEO-safe redirect maps and Core Web Vitals benchmarks. Toronto-managed delivery with engineering from our Dhaka development center.
What we build
Shopify Plus headless storefronts:Custom Next.js storefronts on Shopify Plus via Storefront API and Hydrogen, with custom PDPs, configurators, subscription flows, and Shop Pay integration. Best for $5M+ GMV merchants who've outgrown themes.
Composable commerce on Commercetools / Medusa:True headless / composable commerce for enterprise: Commercetools (managed) or Medusa (self-hosted, open-source) as the engine, Algolia or Typesense for search, Stripe / Adyen for payments, and a Next.js storefront. Best for omnichannel and complex catalog use cases.
Subscription & DTC commerce:Recurring billing on Shopify Subscriptions, Recharge, Stay, or Stripe Billing. Customer portal for plan changes, pause, skip, and one-click swaps. Subscription analytics and churn-reduction workflows.
B2B commerce platforms:Net-terms ordering, customer-specific catalogs and pricing, quote-to-order flows, multi-warehouse fulfillment, sales-rep portals, and ERP integration on Shopify Plus B2B, BigCommerce B2B, or full custom builds.
ERP, 3PL, and POS integrations:NetSuite, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365, ShipStation, ShipBob, Shippo, Square POS, Lightspeed, Clover. Real-time inventory sync, order routing, and tax handling (Avalara, TaxJar).
Replatforming & migrations:Magento → Shopify Plus, WooCommerce → Shopify, BigCommerce → Hydrogen, Salesforce Commerce Cloud → Commercetools. SEO-safe redirect maps, customer / order / subscription history migration, side-by-side performance benchmarking.
Our headless e-commerce stack
Our headless commerce process
- Audit & strategy (1-2 weeks): Current state audit (platform, performance, SEO, integrations), competitor teardown, target architecture, prioritized roadmap, and a written go-live plan.
- Design & merchandising (3-5 weeks): Figma designs, design system, PLP/PDP/checkout flows, mobile-first prototypes tested with real users. Merchandising tooling (sections, blocks, dynamic landing pages) designed for non-technical marketers.
- Headless build (8-16 weeks): Storefront on Next.js, commerce engine wired up, ERP/3PL integrations, search, subscriptions if applicable, content publishing pipeline, abandoned-cart and post-purchase email integrated.
- Migration prep & data audit (2-4 weeks, parallel): URL audit and 301 redirect map, customer / order / subscription / discount-code migration plan, SEO continuity plan, schema.org markup migration. We benchmark Core Web Vitals before and after.
- Cutover (1 week): Soft launch behind feature flag or to a subset of traffic, full Search Console verification on the new property, monitoring of crawl errors, conversion rate, and revenue per visitor for the first 14 days.
- Conversion-rate optimization (ongoing): Structured CRO program — funnel instrumentation, prioritized A/B test backlog (ICE-scored), monthly test reviews. Mature stores typically see 10-25% conversion lift in the first 90 days.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify, headless Shopify (Hydrogen), or full composable commerce?
Standard Shopify (or Shopify Plus with Online Store 2.0) is our default for sub-$50M GMV merchants who want fast time-to-market and don't need custom checkout. Headless Shopify with Hydrogen is the right call when you've outgrown themes — custom PDPs, complex configurators, omnichannel content, or non-standard merchandising. Full composable commerce (Commercetools, Medusa, Saleor) is for enterprise: multi-region, B2B + B2C in one stack, multi-brand, or unique catalog requirements that off-the-shelf can't model. We'll honestly recommend the simplest stack that does the job.
Can you migrate our store to a new platform without losing SEO?
Yes. Every migration includes a full URL audit, a written 301 redirect map (typically 5,000-50,000 redirects for mature stores), preserved meta tags, migrated schema.org markup, breadcrumb migration, sitemap continuity, and Search Console verification on both properties. We benchmark Core Web Vitals before and after to make sure performance also improves with the migration.
How much does a headless e-commerce build cost?
A focused headless Shopify Plus storefront (custom design, standard checkout, 3-4 integrations) typically ranges from $60,000 to $150,000. Mid-sized composable commerce builds (Commercetools or Medusa, custom checkout, 5-10 integrations, B2B + B2C, multi-region) range from $150,000 to $400,000. Enterprise omnichannel platforms with multiple brands, deep ERP integration, and global tax start at $350,000.
How much does conversion-rate optimization typically lift revenue?
Mature stores with healthy traffic typically see 10-25% conversion-rate lift in the first 90 days of structured CRO — driven by checkout flow improvements, page-speed work, mobile UX fixes, and a steady cadence of A/B tests. Newer stores often see larger swings. We measure everything against your existing baseline and report monthly with statistically-rigorous results, not vibes.
Do you handle PCI DSS compliance?
For SaaS-platform stores (Shopify, BigCommerce) most PCI obligations are handled by the platform — you're typically SAQ A. For headless and custom builds we architect to scope PCI down (typically SAQ A or A-EP) by tokenizing all card data through Stripe, Adyen, or Braintree and never letting card data touch your servers. We document the scope in writing for your QSA.
Can you integrate with our ERP, 3PL, or POS?
Yes. We have shipped integrations with NetSuite, SAP Business One, Microsoft Dynamics 365, ShipStation, ShipBob, Shippo, EasyPost, Veeqo, Square POS, Lightspeed, Clover, and most major ERPs and warehouse management systems. For unsupported systems we build custom integrations against their REST, GraphQL, SOAP, or EDI APIs.
Do you do AI-powered merchandising and recommendations?
Yes. Personalization via Klaviyo / Bloomreach / Constructor.io, AI search via Algolia NeuralSearch / Typesense vector, AI product description generation, visual search, and chat-based shopping assistants built on top of our AI agent and RAG practices. We help pick the right tool — most stores don't need bespoke AI when off-the-shelf works.
Ready to outgrow your theme?
Whether you're replatforming, launching headless, or starting CRO, book a free strategy call with our Toronto team.
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