Chapter 01
Shopify website design and development: managed hosting, custom storefront
Shopify’s appeal for a lot of Nepali online stores is straightforward: reliable managed hosting, a secure checkout that already handles PCI compliance for you, and an app ecosystem that covers most functionality a store needs without custom development. Where stores commonly go wrong is stopping at a purchased theme with a logo swap, missing the customization that actually differentiates a store and moves visitors toward checkout rather than off the site.
As a Shopify design and development agency, we customize the storefront around your actual product catalogue and customer journey, product page layout, collection browsing, upsell placement, and checkout-adjacent details like shipping and return policy visibility, all of which measurably affect conversion rate, not just visual appeal.
Managed
Hosting, security, and PCI compliance handled by Shopify, not you
Custom
Theme customization built around your actual catalogue and journey
Curated
App selection, chosen deliberately, not stacked without review
Conversion
Focused checkout and product page optimization, not just visual polish
Chapter 02
Who Shopify fits best
Businesses that want to focus on running the store, not managing server infrastructure, updates, or security patching, since Shopify handles all of that. Brands planning to scale traffic and order volume, Shopify’s infrastructure handles traffic spikes (sales, festival promotions) without the performance concerns a self-hosted platform can run into. And stores that want a large, well-tested app ecosystem for functionality like subscriptions, loyalty programs, or advanced shipping rules without custom development for each.
Chapter 03
What a Shopify project with us includes
Theme customization or, for more complex catalogues, custom section development beyond what a purchased theme offers. Product and collection page structure built around how customers actually browse your category, not a generic grid. Curated app integrations for the specific functionality you need, reviews, upsells, subscriptions, chosen to avoid app bloat slowing the storefront down. And conversion-focused checkout setup: trust badges, clear shipping information, and abandoned cart recovery configured properly from launch.
Theme Customization
Built around your catalogue and brand, beyond a purchased theme’s defaults.
Product & Collection Structure
Browsing and product pages designed around how your customers actually shop.
App Integration
Curated app selection for reviews, upsells, and subscriptions, without bloat.
Checkout Optimization
Trust signals, shipping clarity, and abandoned cart recovery configured properly.
The next five chapters go deeper into the disciplines that produce most of the return for Nepalese businesses, on-page, off-page, technical, local and the new world of AI / answer engine SEO.
Shopify vs. WooCommerce, for a new ecommerce project
| Factor | Shopify | WooCommerce |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting & maintenance | Fully managed | You (or us) manage hosting |
| Ongoing platform fees | Monthly subscription | None, just hosting |
| Best for | Wanting less maintenance overhead | Wanting full control & lower fees |
Our Approach
The 3-Pillar Shopify Development Framework we run every store on
The same three pillars behind every Shopify store we design and build.
- Customized, not just themed : Built around your catalogue and journey, not a purchased theme with a logo swap.
- Apps chosen deliberately : Curated for what you need, avoiding the bloat of stacking apps without review.
- Checkout treated as its own project : Trust signals and cart recovery configured properly, since this is where sales are won or lost.
Have an existing Shopify store that isn't converting?
We'll audit it before recommending a rebuild
Sometimes it needs a redesign, sometimes just checkout and app cleanup. We’ll tell you honestly.
Get a free store reviewChapter 04
Common Shopify mistakes we see in existing stores
A purchased theme left almost entirely default, so the store looks like dozens of others using the same template. App bloat, five or six apps installed and half-configured, slowing the storefront and sometimes conflicting with each other. And product pages that describe the product but give no reason to buy now, no urgency, no social proof, no clear shipping expectation. We audit for these specifically before recommending a rebuild versus a targeted fix.
Chapter 05
What we need from you before we start
Your product catalogue (or a plan for it if you are launching new), brand assets, and admin access to your Shopify store, or we can help you set one up if you do not have one yet.
Chapter 06
Checkout and cart recovery, in more detail
Shopify’s checkout is already strong technically, secure, fast, mobile-optimized, but what surrounds it matters just as much: whether shipping costs are shown early enough to avoid surprise at the final step (a leading cause of cart abandonment), whether trust badges and return policy are visible at the point of hesitation, and whether an abandoned cart triggers a well-timed, well-written recovery email rather than a generic template. We configure all of this deliberately rather than leaving Shopify’s defaults untouched.
Common causes of Shopify cart abandonment
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Surprise shipping cost | Show shipping estimate early in the journey |
| No trust signals | Security badges, clear return policy visible |
| No recovery follow-up | Configured abandoned cart email sequence |
Losing sales at checkout?
We'll review your funnel for free
A quick look at where visitors are dropping off before they buy.
Ask usChapter 07
Migrating to Shopify from another platform
If you are moving from WooCommerce, a custom build, or another ecommerce platform, we handle product, customer, and order history migration, plus redirect mapping so existing product page rankings are not lost in the switch.
Chapter 08
Ongoing support after launch
Once your store launches, we offer optional ongoing support for theme updates, new product page templates as your catalogue grows, and app management, so the store keeps evolving rather than staying frozen at launch-day condition while your business grows around it.
Chapter 09
Pairing your store with paid advertising and SEO
A conversion-optimized store is the right foundation for paid traffic. We also run eCommerce Ads (Google Shopping and Meta catalogue ads) and Ecommerce SEO, planned to work with the store structure we build here rather than fighting against it.
Chapter 10
Speed on Shopify
Shopify’s infrastructure is fast by default, but a heavy theme or too many apps can undo that advantage. We keep the app count deliberately lean and optimize theme assets so page speed stays fast as the store grows, not just on launch day.
Chapter 11
Contract terms
Quoted per project, milestone-based payments. Optional ongoing support plan afterward, month-to-month, 30 days notice to end.
Purchased theme vs. customized Shopify build
| Factor | Purchased Theme | Customized Build |
|---|---|---|
| Matches your catalogue | Generic layout | Built around your products |
| Checkout optimization | Default | Configured deliberately |
| Differentiation | Looks like other stores | Distinct to your brand |
Chapter 12
When we would recommend WooCommerce instead of Shopify
If you want full control over hosting and no ongoing platform subscription fee, or your product complexity needs deeper customization than Shopify’s theme system easily allows, WooCommerce may be the better fit. We say so if that is genuinely the case for your business.
Fashion & Apparel
Catalogue-heavy stores needing strong visual browsing.
Beauty & Wellness
Subscription and repeat-purchase-friendly setups.
Food & Beverage Brands
Direct-to-consumer stores with shipping complexity handled.
Chapter 13
A Kathmandu-based Shopify agency working across Nepal
We are based in Kathmandu and build Shopify stores for brands shipping across Nepal and internationally, delivery is fully remote regardless of location.
Week 1
1 weekDiscovery & Catalogue Review
We understand your products, customers, and goals.
Weeks 2-3
2 weeksUX & Theme Design
Store structure and visual design, built around your catalogue.
Weeks 4-5
2 weeksDevelopment & App Integration
Theme build, checkout configuration, curated app setup.
Week 6
1 weekQA & Launch
Testing, product upload, go-live.
From the team
Queens Digital Agency
We’ve seen too many Shopify stores with beautiful photos and a broken checkout experience. We fix the boring parts, they’re usually where the money is lost.
Kathmandu, Nepal
Chapter 14
Shopify project pricing
Priced by catalogue size and customization depth. Below are starting points; Shopify’s own monthly subscription fee is separate, paid directly to Shopify.
Starter Store
NPR 90,000 / starting, one-time
Up to 50 SKUs, theme customization, standard checkout setup.
- Theme customization
- Product & collection setup (up to 50 SKUs)
- Checkout & shipping configuration
- Basic technical SEO setup
Custom / Migration
Custom / quoted by scope
Large catalogues, migrations from another platform, or complex custom functionality.
- Full catalogue & customer migration
- Custom functionality development
- Dedicated project manager
Chapter 15
What is included vs. billed separately
Our fee covers design and development. Shopify’s monthly subscription and any paid app subscriptions are billed by Shopify/the app provider directly, not marked up by us.
Included vs. separate
| Item | Included | Separate |
|---|---|---|
| Theme customization & development | Yes | - |
| Shopify subscription | No | Paid to Shopify directly |
| Paid apps | No | Paid to app provider, not marked up |
Chapter 16
Pairing this with eCommerce Ads and SEO
Once your store is built to convert, we can also run Google Shopping and Meta catalogue ads, and Ecommerce SEO, to bring traffic to it. See our eCommerce Ads and Ecommerce SEO pages.
Managed
Hosting & security handled by Shopify
Curated
Apps chosen deliberately, not stacked
6 weeks
Typical timeline for a customized store build
Our conversion rate genuinely improved after they rebuilt our checkout page, not just the visuals, the actual flow.
Trusted by teams across Nepal
Ready to build or rebuild your Shopify store?
Let's talk about your catalogue and goals
A free consultation, no obligation.
Contact Queens DigitalChapter 17
Part of our full web design & development range
If Shopify is not the right fit, see our WooCommerce or WordPress pages, or our web design & development overview.
A starter store with up to 50 SKUs starts around NPR 90,000, larger catalogues with custom sections and app integrations start around NPR 150,000. Shopify’s own monthly subscription fee is separate.
Both, depending on your needs. Many stores are well served by deep theme customization; larger or more complex catalogues sometimes need custom section development beyond what a theme offers.
Yes, we migrate products, customers, and order history, with redirect mapping to preserve existing product page rankings.
Yes, this is a core part of every build: shipping cost visibility, trust signals, and abandoned cart recovery are configured deliberately, not left as Shopify defaults.
Yes, delivery is remote-friendly for stores anywhere in Nepal or shipping internationally.