Stargazer Studio Blog
Shopify insights from
a developer who builds it daily
Practical guides on Shopify performance, conversion optimization, development, and migrations - written from 10 years of hands-on experience, not theory.
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Latest articles
Recent practical writeups from real client work - migrations, AI-assisted workflows, and engineering war stories.
Replacing a Shopify product options app with native metafields
How I migrated a D2C furniture brand off VO Product Options onto native metaobjects - the data architecture, the shared "option products" pattern, and the QA approach that caught two pre-existing bugs.
Read article →How I cleaned up a six-week WordPress compromise in one morning
60 malicious files across 5 attack waves, a PHP webshell broadcasting to every visitor, and the forensics that revealed whose credential actually leaked. Full incident response playbook.
Read article →Why I stopped using Recharge for free trials (and what I learned)
Five bugs in a Recharge placeholder product architecture, the UX problems that couldn't be fixed, and why the clean solution was Stripe's native trial_period_days all along.
Read article →How I built a reusable CRO audit system (and shipped two audits in a week)
The format, the template, and the three lessons - including why headless screenshot capture always fails and why locking page height in HTML-to-PDF is non-negotiable.
Read article →How to migrate a 5,500-product catalogue from Bluepark to Shopify
5,578 products, pipe-delimited multi-dimensional variants, 2,211 metafield values backfilled, and thousands of redirects generated from the data. The decisions that kept it clean.
Read article →The Shopify dry-run that almost wasn't: bulk price updates via Admin API
A "price increase" across 13,824 variants turned out to be a £680k revenue restructure. How a dry-run CSV caught it before a single write hit the API - and the productVariantsBulkUpdate setup that made it work.
Read article →From Figma to a Live Shopify Preview in a Day
How I built a 12-page premium clinic site on Shopify with an AI coding agent - the static-first workflow, the screenshot-and-flag review loop, and the three gotchas that bite every launch.
Read article →How to Migrate a Marketing Site From WordPress to Shopify in a Week
Same content, different codebase. 7 pages, 30 case studies, 29 blog posts ported with source-of-truth scraping and section-by-section visual diffing. Lighthouse 67 -> 96.
Read article →How to Move a 7,500-Order Shopify Store to WooCommerce With Every Penny Reconciled
A custom Python + PHP migration pipeline that landed 75 products, 6,441 customers, 7,476 orders and £406,695.36 of trading history, exactly reconciled.
Read article →How to Change 1,183 WordPress URLs From Underscore to Hyphen (and What Went Wrong on the Way)
Two failed approaches, one Cloudflare gotcha, six hours of debugging - and the ten-line filter that finally solved it. A WordPress routing war story with Claude Code.
Read article →How to Get an AI to Build a Shopify Theme from a Figma File, Section by Section
The screenshot-driven feedback loop that turned a full Figma file into a matching Shopify Horizon theme, page by page. The model isn't the trick - the loop is.
Read article →More articles
The full library
Practical guides on Shopify performance, CRO, development, and architecture.
How to Fix Shopify Core Web Vitals in 2026
LCP, CLS, and INP - what causes each one on Shopify stores, and the specific fixes that actually move the needle. A developer's field guide, not a lighthouse score chase.
Read article →Shopify CRO: 12 Changes That Actually Improve Conversion Rate
Homepage, collection pages, PDP, cart, and checkout - the specific changes that consistently move conversion rate on Shopify stores. Based on 120+ audits, not best-practice lists.
Read article →WooCommerce to Shopify Migration: The Complete 2026 Checklist
Everything that needs to happen before, during, and after a WooCommerce to Shopify migration - including the SEO preservation steps that most migration guides skip entirely.
Read article →Shopify Liquid Template Architecture: A Practical Guide
How Shopify's Liquid template system actually works - rendering contexts, section groups, metafields, and the Online Store 2.0 architecture explained by someone who writes Liquid daily.
Read article →Shopify Headless vs Traditional: When Does It Make Sense?
Headless Shopify is powerful - and often the wrong choice. A framework for deciding when Hydrogen and a decoupled storefront genuinely outperforms a well-built traditional theme.
Read article →How Much Does Shopify Development Cost in 2026?
Real price ranges for every type of Shopify project - theme builds, migrations, audits, headless, retainers. No ranges disguised as answers.
Read article →How to Design a Shopify Product Page That Converts
Buy box hierarchy, variant selectors, social proof placement, mobile UX, sticky ATC - the layout decisions that determine whether a product page converts or loses the sale.
Read article →Shopify A/B Testing: How to Run Experiments That Actually Tell You Something
Sample sizes, hypothesis design, tool selection, test duration, and reading results correctly. Most Shopify A/B tests fail silently - here's how to run ones that don't.
Read article →The Shopify App Stack for DTC Brands in 2026
Reviews, email, upsell, subscriptions, search, loyalty, returns - category-by-category recommendations for apps actually worth running, plus how to audit what you already have.
Read article →Hiring & Planning
Guides for Shopify store owners
Decision-making guides for business owners - how to hire, what to build, and when to rebuild.
How to choose a Shopify developer: what to look for in 2026
The credentials that matter, the portfolio questions to ask, and how to tell a genuine specialist from a generalist who'll learn on your project.
Read article →10 questions to ask before hiring a Shopify developer
The questions that reveal competence, transparency, and fit - and the answers that should make you pause before signing anything.
Read article →Red flags when hiring a Shopify developer
8 warning signs that a developer will cause problems - before the deposit, during the project, and at handover.
Read article →How to brief a Shopify developer: what to include
What goes in a good project brief - and why a complete brief gets you a more accurate quote, fewer questions, and a faster start.
Read article →How long does it take to build a Shopify store?
Realistic timelines for every build type - from a 1-day theme setup to a 5-week custom store - and what makes projects take longer than they should.
Read article →Shopify store rebuild vs redesign: which does your store need?
A redesign changes how your store looks. A rebuild changes how it works. Getting this wrong is expensive - here's how to tell which problem you have.
Read article →7 signs your Shopify theme needs a rebuild
The specific signals that your theme has structural problems a visual refresh won't fix - and what a rebuild actually involves.
Read article →How to improve your Shopify checkout conversion rate
Most checkout problems aren't checkout problems - they're upstream. The specific fixes that reduce abandonment, based on 120+ store audits.
Read article →Shopify Markets: a practical guide to international selling
How Shopify Markets works, what it can and can't do, and what you actually need to set up for each new country you sell to.
Read article →Shopify Hydrogen: is headless right for your store?
What Hydrogen actually gives you, what it costs versus a custom Liquid theme, and the honest answer to whether your store needs it.
Read article →Is Shopify Plus worth it? An honest look for growing brands
What Plus adds over Advanced, what it costs, and the specific signals that tell you whether the upgrade genuinely pays for itself at your current scale.
Read article →Shopify store launch checklist: what to check before you go live
The non-technical launch checklist for store owners - buy something first, check mobile, verify emails, and the five settings that are commonly wrong at launch.
Read article →How to reduce Shopify cart abandonment: what actually works
The specific fixes for unexpected shipping costs, forced account creation, missing trust signals, and the email recovery sequences that recover the most abandons.
Read article →Shopify B2B setup guide: wholesale selling on Shopify in 2026
Standard plan apps vs Shopify Plus native B2B - how to structure wholesale correctly for your situation, and what a proper B2B setup actually involves.
Read article →Shopify subscription setup: how to sell subscriptions on Shopify
App-based vs Stripe, free trial architecture, and the customer portal decisions that determine whether subscribers stay or churn.
Read article →How to audit your own Shopify store: a non-technical checklist
A one-hour self-audit covering homepage, product pages, navigation, cart, and speed - what to check yourself before deciding whether you need professional help.
Read article →What does a Shopify developer actually do?
What you're paying for, what's not included, and when you genuinely need a developer vs when you can handle it yourself - explained without jargon.
Read article →How to review Shopify developer work without being a developer
What to check on a staging site, how to give specific feedback, and when to approve vs push back - for business owners reviewing developer output.
Read article →Shopify vs Etsy: which is right for your business in 2026?
Etsy gives you a built-in audience. Shopify gives you a real business. When each one makes sense, when to run both, and what the economics look like at different revenue levels.
Read article →Shopify vs Amazon: should you sell on Amazon or build your own store?
Amazon gives you customers. Shopify gives you a business. How to use each one, when to run both, and the packaging insert strategy that moves Amazon buyers to your own store.
Read article →Shopify vs Wix: which is better for ecommerce in 2026?
Where Wix is fine for simple ecommerce, where it runs into limits, and when Shopify is the clear answer for businesses where selling is the core activity.
Read article →How to move from Etsy to Shopify: a step-by-step guide
Don't close your Etsy shop first. The practical process for building a Shopify store alongside Etsy, migrating listings, setting up email capture, and gradually shifting your best customers across.
Read article →Shopify for small business: is it the right platform in 2026?
What Shopify actually costs, when you can set it up yourself vs when you need a developer, and the most common mistakes small businesses make on the platform.
Read article →Shopify Payments vs Stripe: which should you use?
Both are built on Stripe's infrastructure. The difference is fees, checkout integration, and available countries - here's which one fits your situation.
Read article →Shopify apps worth paying for (and what to skip) in 2026
The apps that consistently deliver ROI by category, the ones merchants overpay for, and how to audit your current app stack for waste and gaps.
Read article →How to improve Shopify SEO: a practical guide for store owners
Page titles, product descriptions, collection pages, site speed, content, and backlinks - what to prioritise and what to do yourself before hiring a professional.
Read article →Shopify Klaviyo setup: how to connect and configure Klaviyo
How to integrate Klaviyo with Shopify and set up the four flows that recover the most revenue - abandoned cart, welcome series, post-purchase, and win-back.
Read article →Shopify developer retainer vs project: which engagement model is right?
When each model makes sense, what each includes, and the questions that determine whether you need a one-off build or ongoing development access.
Read article →How to set up Google Analytics 4 on Shopify: the correct method in 2026
Why manual theme snippets are the wrong approach, how to use Customer Events correctly, and the four GA4 reports that tell you something actionable about your store.
Read article →Shopify for clothing brands: what fashion stores need to set up correctly
Variant structure, size anxiety, returns policy, photography requirements, and size filtering - the fashion-specific Shopify setup most stores get wrong.
Read article →Shopify Black Friday checklist: how to prepare your store
Six weeks of preparation broken into weekly actions - speed, offers, discount code testing, email sequences, and what to monitor on the day.
Read article →Shopify shipping setup: how to configure rates, zones, and carriers
Zones, flat rates, free shipping thresholds, calculated rates, and the configuration mistakes that cause checkout abandonment and missing shipping options.
Read article →Shopify collections: how to structure your catalogue correctly
Smart vs manual, URL structure, SEO content for collection pages, navigation design, and filtering setup - the decisions that affect both browsing and rankings.
Read article →Shopify discount strategy: how to use discounts without destroying your brand
The discounts worth running, the ones that train customers to never pay full price, and the question to ask before creating any discount.
Read article →Shopify vs Magento: which is right for growing ecommerce brands?
Total cost of ownership comparison - hosting, development, maintenance - and the narrowing set of circumstances where Magento is still justified over Shopify Plus.
Read article →Shopify product photography: what your store actually needs
The minimum photography set per product, what the best-converting stores have that average stores don't, and image specs for Shopify.
Read article →Shopify international shipping: how to set up and what to expect
Duties, DDP vs DDU, VAT by country, carrier options, and how to set customer expectations when you ship across borders.
Read article →How to set up Meta Pixel on Shopify in 2026 (the right way)
Why manual theme snippets cause duplicate events, how to use Shopify's Customer Events correctly, and how to verify the Conversions API is working.
Read article →How to write Shopify product descriptions that rank and convert
The structure that serves both Google and customers, what to avoid, and how to prioritise rewriting across a large catalogue.
Read article →Shopify store design: what makes a store actually convert
The design decisions that move conversion rate - trust signals, buy box placement, mobile-first thinking - versus what's just decoration.
Read article →Shopify returns management: how to handle returns without losing customers
Policy structure, native Shopify tools, Loop Returns vs AfterShip, exchange-first flows, and using return reason data as product feedback.
Read article →Shopify print on demand: how to set up and what to know in 2026
Printful vs Printify vs Gelato, what the margins actually look like, and what separates successful POD stores from ones that never get traction.
Read article →Shopify dropshipping: how it works and what to expect in 2026
A realistic look at the margins, supplier options, and why the arbitrage approach is effectively dead - and what actually works instead.
Read article →Shopify for food and beverage brands: what you need to set up correctly
Regulatory labelling, subscription setup, perishable shipping constraints, and the product page content that converts food buyers.
Read article →Shopify email marketing for beginners: getting started without Klaviyo
Shopify Email, Mailchimp, and Omnisend compared for early-stage stores - and the three automations to set up regardless of which tool you use.
Read article →Shopify vs PrestaShop: which platform is right for your store?
Total cost comparison, developer availability, hosting burden, and the signals that tell you it\'s time to migrate from PrestaShop to Shopify.
Read article →How to increase average order value on Shopify: what actually works
Free shipping thresholds, bundles, post-purchase upsells, product recommendations - what moves the number and what doesn't.
Read article →Shopify loyalty programme: how to set one up and make it work
Smile vs Yotpo vs LoyaltyLion, programme structure that drives repeat purchases, VIP tiers, and loyalty email flows.
Read article →Shopify gift cards: how to set up and sell gift cards on Shopify
How gift cards work, what denominations to offer, accounting implications, and how to use them as a marketing tool beyond direct sales.
Read article →Shopify customer accounts: new vs classic, and what you actually need
Passwordless new accounts vs classic login, why you should never require accounts at checkout, and how accounts power loyalty and repeat purchase marketing.
Read article →Shopify inventory management: how to track and control stock
How inventory tracking works, overselling settings, multi-location, low-stock alerts, and when you outgrow Shopify's native tools.
Read article →Shopify live chat: should you add it, and which tool to use?
When live chat helps and when it hurts, Shopify Inbox vs Gorgias vs Tidio, and the configuration that prevents it from creating a worse experience.
Read article →Shopify for jewellery brands: what to set up correctly
Variant structure for complex jewellery, photography requirements, UK hallmarking, gifting setup, and the trust signals specific to fine jewellery buyers.
Read article →Shopify for beauty brands: what skincare and cosmetics stores need
Ingredient compliance, shade variant structure, subscriptions for consumables, and the product page content that answers "will this work for me?"
Read article →How to find products to sell on Shopify in 2026
Demand validation before product selection, what makes a product viable, sourcing approaches, and the validation step before building a full store.
Read article →Shopify beginners guide: how to start your store in 2026
The critical path from account setup to first sale - what to do first, what to defer, and the setup mistakes that cost you time and money later.
Read article →Best Shopify themes in 2026: free and paid options compared
Dawn, Craft, Impulse, Prestige, and the others worth considering - by use case, what makes each one worth choosing, and when to skip themes entirely.
Read article →Shopify TikTok setup: how to connect TikTok Shop in 2026
Pixel tracking, product catalogue sync, TikTok Shop native checkout, and what content actually converts - the full setup guide.
Read article →Shopify SEO checklist: 30 things to check on your store
Technical foundation, GSC setup, on-page content, structured data, internal linking, and performance - prioritised from most to least impactful.
Read article →Shopify store ideas: 25 profitable niches for 2026
25 product categories where independent brands are building real businesses - with honest notes on what makes each one viable and what the differentiation angle is.
Read article →Shopify speed optimization: what you can fix without a developer
Image compression, removing unused apps, video optimisation - the fixes that move Lighthouse scores without touching code, and what genuinely requires a developer.
Read article →Shopify product reviews: how to get more and display them well
Judge.me vs Loox vs Okendo, review request timing and copy, where to place reviews on the product page, and the strategic value of negative reviews.
Read article →How to set up a custom domain on Shopify
Buying through Shopify vs connecting your own, the DNS records you need, common connection problems and how to fix them.
Read article →Shopify for home decor and furniture brands: what to set up correctly
Variant structure for complex furniture, photography requirements, delivery type configuration, and the product page content that earns high-AOV purchases.
Read article →Shopify accessibility: how to make your store usable for everyone
What Shopify handles automatically, what you need to fix yourself (alt text, contrast, form labels), and how accessibility improvements often improve SEO simultaneously.
Read article →Shopify Pinterest setup: how to connect Pinterest and drive sales
Product Pins, Rich Pins, the Pinterest Tag, and what content actually performs on a platform where purchase intent is baked into the browsing behaviour.
Read article →Shopify buy now pay later: Klarna, Clearpay, and Shop Pay Instalments
Which BNPL option fits your price point and geography, how to display installment messaging on product pages, and the merchant cost trade-off.
Read article →Shopify FAQ page: how to create one that reduces support and converts
Where to get the questions, how to structure the page, FAQPage schema for Google rich results, and how product-page FAQ sections outperform standalone pages.
Read article →Shopify upsell strategies: what works on product pages, cart, and post-purchase
Where upsells belong, why post-purchase converts at 10-20% vs 3-7% pre-cart, and what placement mistakes create friction instead of revenue.
Read article →Shopify affiliate marketing: how to set up an affiliate programme
Referral vs affiliate programmes, UpPromote and ReferralCandy compared, commission structures, and how to recruit affiliates who actually send traffic.
Read article →Shopify social proof: every type and where to use it
Reviews, UGC, press mentions, trust badges, guarantee policies - what each type addresses and where it belongs at the moment the relevant doubt is strongest.
Read article →Shopify for sports and fitness brands: what to set up correctly
Technical spec display, activewear size guides, subscription consumables, community-driven social proof, and performance optimisation for mobile-first sports audiences.
Read article →Shopify coming soon page: how to build pre-launch hype and capture emails
Password protection vs custom landing page, what converts pre-launch visitors into subscribers, and what to send the list before launch day.
Read article →Shopify wishlist: how to add a wishlist to your store
Which stores benefit from wishlists, Wishlist Hero vs Swym compared, the email triggers (price drop, low stock, back in stock) that turn wishlist data into revenue.
Read article →Shopify for pet brands: what to set up correctly
Subscriptions, ingredient transparency, breed filtering, health claim compliance, and the UGC that converts protective pet owners.
Read article →Shopify popups and email capture: what works and what annoys customers
Timing, offer types, apps, and what the welcome email needs to do for the subscribers you actually capture.
Read article →Shopify Google Shopping: set up and optimise your product feed
Free listings, feed optimisation (titles, GTINs, images), common errors, and when to run Shopping ads.
Read article →Shopify SMS marketing: how to add SMS to your store in 2026
Compliance requirements, Postscript vs Klaviyo SMS, the flows that generate revenue, and building an SMS list from scratch.
Read article →Shopify influencer marketing: working with creators to drive sales
Why micro outperforms macro, discount code and UTM tracking, the gifting approach that produces authentic content, and how to measure ROI.
Read article →Shopify subscription box: how to set up and run a subscription box business
Billing, pricing structures, product sourcing, fulfilment, and the churn metrics that separate sustainable boxes from ones that fail.
Read article →Shopify multi-currency: how to sell in multiple currencies
Automatic conversion vs fixed local prices via Markets, rounding rules, and what to watch for in payouts and email flows.
Read article →Shopify abandoned browse emails: recovering visitors who didn't add to cart
How browse abandon differs from cart abandon, Klaviyo flow setup, dynamic product content, and when the volume justifies the setup.
Read article →Shopify for wellness brands: what health and wellbeing stores need
Health claim compliance, ingredient transparency, content-led acquisition, and why wellness brands that win earn trust rather than claim it.
Read article →Shopify review 2026: is it worth it?
An honest review from a developer who builds on it daily - what Shopify does well, where it falls short, and who should consider alternatives.
Read article →Shopify pricing and plans 2026: which plan do you actually need?
Basic, Shopify, Advanced, and Plus - real costs including apps and payment fees, and the specific revenue signals that tell you when to upgrade.
Read article →What is Shopify? A guide for UK businesses in 2026
How Shopify works, UK pricing in GBP, Shopify Payments for UK merchants, VAT, GDPR, and UK-specific setup considerations.
Read article →Shopify templates: what they are and how to use them
Themes vs page templates vs email templates - which type you're looking for, free vs paid options, and when you need a custom template.
Read article →Shopify for children's brands: what kids and baby product stores need
Safety certifications, age filtering, gifting configuration, and the cautious parent buyer psychology that differs from every other category.
Read article →Shopify product bundling: how to create bundles that increase AOV
Starter kits, quantity bundles, build-your-own - the types that work, pricing strategy, apps to use, and where to surface bundles in the customer journey.
Read article →Shopify customer segmentation: how to group customers and market to each one
Active, one-time buyer, VIP, lapsed - the segments that drive revenue, RFM framework, and why suppression matters as much as targeting.
Read article →Shopify email flows: the complete guide to automated email sequences
Every flow a Shopify store should have - welcome, abandoned checkout, post-purchase, browse abandon, win-back, back-in-stock - with timing and content guidance.
Read article →Shopify for handmade products: setting up a store for makers and artisans
Production limits, custom order handling, the story that justifies premium pricing, and why correct pricing is the most common mistake makers make.
Read article →Shopify page speed test: how to check and interpret your store's performance
Which tool to use, how to read Lighthouse scores and Core Web Vitals, and what the numbers actually mean for conversion rate and search rankings.
Read article →Shopify free trial setup: the right way to offer a trial in 2026
Why the Recharge placeholder architecture creates bugs and a confusing customer experience, and why Stripe's native trial_period_days is the clean solution.
Read article →Shopify for event-based businesses: workshops, classes, and experiences
When Shopify makes sense for events, setting up classes as products, booking apps, capacity management, and gift vouchers for experiences.
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