A Shopify Plus agency built by former merchants
We ran stores before we became an agency. That experience shapes the questions we ask: how will the catalog change, who needs to edit each page, which systems own the data, and what happens after launch?
BlackSwan designs, builds and improves Shopify and Shopify Plus stores for ambitious brands. We work exclusively within the Shopify ecosystem. This focus keeps strategy, design and development centered on the decisions that make an e-commerce business work.
Shopify-only, because platform depth matters
An e-commerce platform is much more than the storefront customers see. It carries the catalog, markets, promotions, accounts, checkout, payments, integrations and day-to-day work of the merchant team. A choice made in a design file can affect Shopify admin, analytics or the ERP.
We chose to specialize in Shopify so we can work at that depth. Our designers understand Shopify component constraints. Our developers know when to use a native capability, connect an app or build something specific. Our project leads connect those choices to content, operations and quality assurance.
That focus means we do not need to relearn the platform on every engagement. It does not make discovery optional. Two Shopify Plus brands can need very different architectures because of their products, markets, teams and systems.
We start with how your store needs to work
The first useful deliverable is not a homepage. It is a shared understanding of what the store must do.
We map business goals, priority journeys, commercial rules, dependencies and ownership. We examine how customers discover, compare, configure and buy products, then what the team needs to manage after an order. We also document the exceptions: products unavailable in selected countries, bundles with unusual inventory logic, local pricing, translated content or product data controlled by a PIM.
This work gives e-commerce, design, engineering and operations teams a common foundation. It brings hidden decisions forward, before they return as expensive questions during development or client acceptance testing.
Strategy & Architecture
We turn the commercial brief into product and architecture decisions. Depending on scope, that includes catalog structure, data models, markets, integrations, analytics, apps, content governance and the migration plan.
We first look at what Shopify already does well. A well-configured native capability is often easier to maintain than custom code. An app can be the right choice when it meets the requirement without creating an excessive dependency. We reserve custom development for functions that make a meaningful difference to the brand or its operating model.
We document the tradeoffs. Teams can see what will be configured, connected, developed, migrated or kept outside the engagement.
40+ projects since 2017
→ Discover our references of creation, revamp and migration to Shopify Plus stores
Design & Build
Design has to serve the brand, the product and the buying process. We define journeys before decorating screens. Product information, variants, media, availability, delivery details, proof and recommendations need a clear hierarchy. Adding every possible block usually makes that hierarchy worse.
A design system organizes components, states and layout rules. It helps merchant teams create new pages without losing visual or functional consistency. Conversion mechanisms are considered during the design process. We do not assume a brighter button can repair unclear product information or a weak offer.
Development brings those decisions into Shopify. We test components, templates and priority journeys before client acceptance. The client should not be the first person to find obvious defects.
Sharp V3 gives each project a worked foundation
Sharp V3 is our proprietary Shopify foundation. It includes editable components and commerce features developed around needs that recur across ambitious stores. We use it to direct custom development toward what is genuinely different about the project.
Every public Sharp statement must remain tied to a method.
Sharp does not remove the constraints of a real build. It provides a developed base that we adapt to the brand's catalog, markets, content and integrations.
Ownership is designed into the details
Merchant teams gain ownership when routine changes have been anticipated. They need editable templates, reusable components, clear rules and an admin experience they understand. They also need to know which changes deserve design or engineering review.
When included in the engagement, we document components, train users and organize the handover. We aim to reduce agency dependency for daily content and merchandising work. Changes to the data model, checkout or a critical integration still need suitable controls. Ownership works better with clear boundaries.
"The team was able to deliver our ambitious project for a fraction of the cost demanded by the other CMS platforms or agencies we consulted. Despite a tight timeline, high requirements, and a Shopify Plus solution pushed to its limits, the team managed to meet and even exceed our expectations by proactively offering innovative solutions and delivering on time. BlackSwan demonstrated a level of commitment, expertise, and professionalism that I had never seen from an agency before."
Romain Vandevoorde
E-Commerce Manager @ Dries Van Noten (PUIG group)
Launch should prepare the next phase
Going live is a transition, not the end of the product. Before launch, we check priority journeys, content, data, payments, analytics, technical SEO, markets and in-scope integrations. Responsibilities and acceptance criteria need to be clear across the team.
After launch, the work should follow actual needs: fix issues, measure behavior, maintain the store, improve a component, reduce app debt or prepare another market. Our Run & Scale approach puts those decisions into a roadmap rather than treating them as disconnected requests. Specific service terms belong in the contract and are not promised on this page.
What to expect from a Shopify Plus agency
Specialization cannot be judged by a partner logo alone. Ask to see the decisions and the work behind them.
An agency should be able to explain why it recommends a store architecture, how it structures product data, who owns redirect validation, how integrations are tested and what the merchant team can change without help. It should separate Shopify capabilities from custom development. It should also state exactly what it delivered for every reference it presents.
That is how we want BlackSwan to be assessed.
References should show the work, not just the logo
Our public portfolio includes fashion houses, beauty brands, sports businesses and retailers. The useful proof sits behind those names.
For Dries Van Noten, potential proof includes market-specific work, product experience and complex product logic, subject to confirmation. For Laboratoires SVR, the scope to verify includes international storefronts, product pages and an ERP integration. For Schiaparelli, content, markets and production features must be confirmed before publication.
FAQ
Tell us what your Shopify store needs to do next
Share your catalog, markets, constraints and the decision in front of you.
We will tell you whether we are the right agency, which questions still need answers and how to frame the next step.