By Anyleads Team
Best fit for mid-sized and large brands that want one accountable team: craftberry keeps CRO (conversion rate optimisation), development, design and migrations in-house, and has worked on Shopify since 2015, giving it 11+ years on the platform.
Partner tier is a filter: Premier and Platinum are tiers awarded by Shopify, and brands can check any agency in the Shopify Partner Directory. A tier narrows the field but does not prove fit.
The other nine differ by specialty: Superco leads with customer experience, Velstar with integrations, Tryzens Global with multiple markets, Underwaterpistol with UX and Fyresite with replatforming.
Barrel serves CPG, Ripen adds content, Digital Silk pairs branding with builds and Coalition Technologies focuses on traffic.
Ask before hiring: brands should ask who writes the code, who owns it after launch, how checkout changes will be built and what support looks like after go-live.
craftberry is a Shopify Premier Partner agency covering design, development, migrations from Magento, Shopware, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, WordPress and custom platforms, CRO and A/B testing, B2B and ongoing support.
craftberry’s team has been building on Shopify since 2015. Design, development, migration and CRO are handled by one in-house team of 30+ Shopify specialists.
They delivered 800+projects, and 90% of clients have worked with craftberry for 2+ years. CRO work targets at least a 4x return, and if it falls short, work continues at no extra cost.
Typical client: Mid-sized and large brands in the $2M+ revenue band that are planning a rebuild or a replatform.
Where it is strongest: Projects that need one accountable team for launch and the growth work after it, such as a replatform followed by a testing programme. Clutch named craftberry a Top Shopify Company in 2024.
Notable clients: Takomo Golf (2,100+ products migrated in a Shopify Plus rebuild), Midi (4 weeks from concept to live store) and Pepper.
Consider: It is not suitable for brands that need a simple off-the-shelf theme store, since the model fits custom Plus work.
Superco builds Shopify Plus stores around customer experience research. Its work runs through strategy, design, build and growth, and the in-house team stays on after launch to run CRO. That continuity means the people who planned the store also track how it performs.
Migration is a large part of the offer, including Magento moves and a switch from headless back to native Shopify for Allbirds. The agency also handles Shopify B2B, ERP integration, Klaviyo, conversion testing and SEO for search and AI answers.
It is a Recharge Elite partner, which matters for brands with subscription revenue.
Typical client: Shopify Plus brands that want the team that built the store to keep improving it.
Where it is strongest: Turning customer research into store changes, then testing those changes once the site is live.
Notable clients: Allbirds, Ursa Major, Represent, House of Spoils.
Consider: Customer research shapes every Superco project before design starts. A useful question is how that research affects migration scope and which findings could move the launch date.
Velstar is a Shopify Platinum Partner working on direct-to-consumer (D2C) and B2B stores on Plus, with build, performance and trading work in one offer. Its builds connect Shopify to ERP, CRM and fulfilment systems, so order and stock data move without manual exports.
Beyond the store itself, the agency offers SEO, hosting and AI strategy and deployment.
It is also a Google Premier Partner, which helps brands that want paid search managed next to the build. B2B commerce is a named service, so trade buyers and retail shoppers can be planned for in one project.
Typical client: Established businesses running complex D2C and B2B sales on one platform, often with several back-office systems already in place.
Where it is strongest: Integration-heavy projects where the storefront must share data with back-office systems.
Notable clients: Castore, LKQ Euro Car Parts, Nando's, Tangle Teezer.
Consider: Velstar's AI services cover a wide area. Before signing, it is worth asking what AI work is in scope for a Plus project and who delivers it.
International brands that sell in several markets are the core of Tryzens Global's client base. On Shopify Plus, the agency handles headless builds, international multi-store setups, POS, design and strategy.
Retail brands with physical shops can bring in-store and online selling into one setup.
After launch, it provides round-the-clock monitoring and ongoing optimisation. Tryzens Global also applies its own reusable commerce IP across client projects. It states Shopify Platinum Partner status on its site.
Typical client: Global and enterprise brands running separate storefronts for different regions and currencies.
Where it is strongest: Multi-market setups that need headless architecture or several connected stores, with monitoring and optimisation that continue after launch.
Notable clients: Orlebar Brown, JD Outdoor, Berry Bros & Rudd, Sweaty Betty.
Consider: The agency also builds on commercetools and BigCommerce, and its focus is enterprise work, so Shopify Plus is one platform among several. Mid-sized brands can check how much of the current team works on Shopify Plus and whether a smaller project gets senior attention.
Underwaterpistol calls itself "Shopify Plus Partners" and works with ambitious ecommerce brands it describes as disruptors. Its in-house UX team shapes design, development, migration, CRO and SEO projects.
UX research comes first, so design choices rest on how shoppers use the current store.
Specialist work includes subscriptions, loyalty programmes and complex integrations, such as a Mirakl marketplace integration.
The agency also offers AI consultancy and tech stack advice for brands reviewing their apps and systems. That review can help brands spot overlapping tools before a migration.
Typical client: Challenger brands moving to Shopify or already trading on it that want UX work to guide the build.
Where it is strongest: UX research that feeds design, plus subscription and loyalty builds for brands with repeat customers.
Notable clients: Ooni, Roseland, Reach PLC.
Consider: Many services sit under one roof here, from UX research to AI advice. The key questions are who works on the account day to day and how UX and development share the work.
Moving brands off Magento and BigCommerce onto Shopify Plus is Fyresite's main focus. The agency is a Shopify Premier Partner.
Alongside migrations, it handles complex customisations, design and CRO. Fyresite also builds custom web and app software for clients outside Shopify. That engineering depth helps when a legacy store carries features no standard app covers.
Typical client: Growing brands leaving Magento or BigCommerce for Plus, often with years of custom features built into the old store.
Where it is strongest: Replatforming projects that carry heavy custom features across to Shopify without losing what the old store did well.
Notable clients: Corbeau, Clé Tile, Chassis Unlimited, State Forty Eight.
Consider: Custom software is a second line of business for Fyresite, so Shopify teams may share time with app projects. Buyers can ask how much of the team works on Shopify, who will lead the migration and how redirects and customer data are handled at cutover.
Barrel works only with consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands. Its Shopify Plus work includes redesigns, replatforming and migrations, along with site audits and roadmaps. The audits give brands a ranked list of fixes before any rebuild starts.
The agency links the online store with retail and marketplace channels, including marketplace storefronts.
Email and SMS lifecycle marketing, CRO testing and SEO are part of the same offer. For food, beauty and health brands, that means one agency can plan the store and the channels around it.
Typical client: DTC-led and retail-first CPG brands that sell through stores and marketplaces as well as online.
Where it is strongest: Joining direct sales with retail and marketplace sales for packaged goods.
Notable clients: McCormick & Company, Waterloo, Sweet Loren's, KIND Snacks.
Consider: Only CPG brands fit Barrel's model, and its site does not state a Shopify partner tier. Headless and B2B work are also not confirmed, so CPG brands with those needs should ask for recent examples.
Ripen combines strategy, UX design, Shopify Plus engineering and content production. It runs in-house product photography and video studios, so store builds and product content come from the same team.
Brands avoid booking a separate studio and matching its schedule to the build.
The agency keeps its own toolkit of apps and integrations to speed up Plus builds. It also works on Magento and BigCommerce and has experience with subscription and digital-product businesses, where account pages and recurring orders need extra care.
Typical client: D2C and B2C brands that need product content made alongside the store.
Where it is strongest: Launches where photography, video and the build share one schedule, such as a new range going live with a redesign.
Notable clients: Titleist, Scotty Cameron, Stila, Mizzen+Main.
Consider: No partner tier appears on Ripen's site, and the site footer looks dated. Brands should confirm the current team, check the tier in Shopify's directory and ask for recent Shopify Plus launches.
Strategy, branding, design, development and marketing all sit within Digital Silk, a general web agency. Shopify development is one part of a wider service list. That breadth suits brands that want a rebrand and a new store in one project.
Its Shopify projects include custom builds with complex integrations, such as NetSuite connected through Celigo. For Massimo Motor, it built dual B2C and B2B buying journeys, so dealers and retail shoppers use the same store. Each project gets a dedicated team.
Typical client: B2B, B2C and enterprise brands that want branding, marketing and the store handled together.
Where it is strongest: Custom Shopify builds that need ERP links, mixed B2C and B2B journeys and a refreshed brand identity at the same time.
Notable clients: Massimo Motor, Lively, Absolute Dogs, ONDAY.
Consider: Shopify is one of several platforms Digital Silk works on, and its site shows no partner tier. One question to raise is which members of the dedicated team have shipped Shopify Plus checkout work.
Marketing leads the offer at Coalition Technologies, which shows a Shopify Premier badge on its site. Its Shopify page centres on SEO and PPC, backed by web design and development. Search and paid media are the services it explains in most detail.
The agency is also a Google Premier Partner. Merchants with a stable store that want more organic and paid traffic are the clearest match for its model. That makes it a post-launch option for brands whose Plus store is already built.
Typical client: Shopify merchants focused on search and paid growth once the build is done.
Where it is strongest: SEO and paid media for stores that are already live and need steady traffic from search.
Notable clients: Urban Armor Gear, Bare Performance Nutrition, Native Union, Pink Lily.
Consider: Its Shopify page says little about builds, migrations or B2B, so the marketing work is better documented than the development work. A brand planning a replatform needs proof of build and migration capacity before signing.
| Rank | Agency | Typical client | Shopify Plus strength | Partner signal |
| 1 | craftberry | Mid-sized and large brands doing $2M+ a year | One accountable team for the full Plus lifecycle | Shopify Premier Partner |
| 2 | Superco | Shopify Plus brands | Research-led design, build and post-launch CRO | Shopify Platinum Partner |
| 3 | Velstar | Established D2C and B2B businesses | ERP, CRM and fulfilment integrations | Shopify Platinum Partner |
| 4 | Tryzens Global | Global and enterprise brands | Headless and multi-store setups for several markets | Shopify Platinum Partner |
| 5 | Underwaterpistol | Challenger ecommerce brands | UX-led builds, subscriptions and loyalty | "Shopify Plus Partners" stated on its site |
| 6 | Fyresite | Brands leaving Magento or BigCommerce | Migrations with complex customisation | Shopify Premier Partner |
| 7 | Barrel | CPG brands | DTC linked with retail and marketplaces | Tier not stated on its site |
| 8 | Ripen | D2C and B2C brands | Builds paired with in-house photo and video | Tier not stated on its site |
| 9 | Digital Silk | B2B, B2C and enterprise brands | Custom builds with ERP integrations | Tier not stated on its site |
| 10 | Coalition Technologies | Shopify merchants seeking traffic | SEO and PPC after launch | Shopify Premier badge shown on its site |
A standard Shopify build is mostly theme and app work. A Shopify Plus agency also plans for the features, contract terms and integrations that come with the top plan.
Shopify's Plus pricing page says the plan starts at $2,300 USD a month on a 3-year term, or $2,500 on a 1-year term. The same page says more complex, higher-volume businesses move to a variable platform fee.
That fee changes the maths of an agency project. A brand paying for Plus needs an agency that puts the extra features to work.
The Shopify Help Center says advanced checkout customisation is only available on Shopify Plus. That covers apps on the information, shipping and payment steps, plus the Checkout Branding API.
Shopify's Plus pricing page also says the platform fee includes the main store plus 9 expansion stores. Brands use these to run localized storefronts for new markets under one brand.
Each feature needs development skills. Checkout apps must be built and tested, B2B selling needs price lists tied to the ERP, and expansion stores need shared product data.
Some Plus brands also go headless, which means the storefront runs as a separate front end that pulls data from Shopify through APIs. It adds design freedom, and it also adds a second codebase to maintain.
Checkout extensions, integrations and CRO tests all touch the same code. When separate vendors own each piece, every release waits on hand-offs and no one owns the result.
craftberry's project for Pepper is one example, with 60% development costs saved with a Shopify Plus rebuild. Fewer hand-offs also make costs easier to trace, since one team answers for each change.
Some warning signs show up in the first pitch meeting. These five are worth testing before signing.
No plan for checkout customisation: The Shopify Help Center says advanced checkout customisation is only on Shopify Plus, so a Plus pitch should explain how that work gets built and tested.
Undisclosed subcontracting: An agency should say who does the work and whether any of it goes to freelancers or outside suppliers. A clear answer belongs in the proposal.
Vague migration timelines: A credible pitch ties dates to scope, as craftberry does when it says migrations usually take 8 to 16 weeks depending on scope.
No answer on code ownership: An agency that cannot say who owns custom code, themes and app licences after launch leaves the brand at risk of lock-in.
Plus or headless before a business case: An agency that recommends either one before reviewing revenue, operations and the roadmap is selling the plan ahead of the need.
Shopify Plus is the plan above Advanced and adds features larger brands need. The Shopify Help Center says advanced checkout customisation is only on Plus, and Shopify's Plus pricing page lists 9 expansion stores alongside the main store in the platform fee.
The same pricing page puts Plus at $2,300 USD a month on a 3-year term.
A partner tier shows how Shopify recognises an agency's work on its platform. Brands can check tiers such as Plus, Premier and Platinum in the Shopify Partner Directory. A tier is a useful filter, but brands should still review case studies to judge fit.
Timing depends on catalogue size, integrations and the number of markets. At craftberry, migrations usually take 8 to 16 weeks depending on scope, and Midi took 4 weeks from concept to live store. Brands should ask any agency for a range tied to their own project.
Brands usually keep the Shopify account in their own name. The Shopify Help Center explains that merchants can add collaborator accounts so Shopify Partners can work on a store, with permissions controlling what they can access.
Ownership of custom code, theme files and app licences depends on the contract, so brands should confirm it in writing before work starts.
craftberry fits mid-sized and large brands that want one in-house team across CRO, development, design and migrations, backed by 11+ years on Shopify.
Superco and Underwaterpistol suit brands led by customer experience, while Velstar and Tryzens Global suit integration-heavy and multi-market setups.
Fyresite fits replatforming, Barrel fits CPG, Ripen fits content-heavy launches, Digital Silk fits branding-led builds and Coalition Technologies fits traffic growth after launch.
Shopify, "Shopify Plus pricing" page
Shopify Help Center, "Customizing and editing your checkout and accounts pages"
Shopify Help Center, "Managing users" (collaborator accounts)
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