Shopify Web Design & Development FAQs

FAQs — Shopify Design & Development by Nutmeg Studio

Questions about working with Nutmeg Studio, Shopify website design, pricing, timelines, redesigns, migrations and what to expect from your project.

Nutmeg Studio is an independent Shopify design and development studio based in Cape Town, South Africa, founded by Shopify designer Meg Hodson.

As a Shopify Select Partner, Nutmeg Studio has earned recognition for a proven track record of bringing active, revenue-generating businesses onto the Shopify platform. This is a performance-based partner status, reflecting demonstrated experience rather than simply completing a certification.

The studio designs, builds, redesigns and migrates Shopify stores for product-led businesses, with a particular focus on beauty, skincare, health and wellness, supplements, fragrance, apparel, jewellery, food and beverage, home and lifestyle brands in South Africa and internationally (including for brands based in the UK, USA, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand).

The studio's approach combines thoughtful design with a practical understanding of eCommerce: how customers find products, what information they need to make confident purchasing decisions, where they might hesitate and how easy the store is for the business to manage in house.

Nutmeg Studio works directly with businesses of all sizes, from start-ups launching their first online store to established brands generating seven-figure monthly revenue.

You'll work directly with me, Meg Hodson, throughout your project.

Nutmeg is intentionally a small, independent Shopify design studio rather than a traditional agency. I handle the strategy, design and Shopify build, so there isn't an account manager between you and the person working on your website.

I've been building Shopify stores since 2015 and have been an official Shopify Partner since 2019. I'm now a Shopify Select Partner, a performance-based status earned through a proven track record of bringing active, revenue-generating businesses onto the platform.

Over the past decade, I've worked with businesses ranging from new product brands launching their first online store to established eCommerce businesses needing redesigns, platform migrations, and international selling capabilities.

This experience means I understand both the design and technical sides of Shopify, as well as the practical challenges of running and growing an online store.

Nutmeg Studio is based in Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa, and works with clients throughout South Africa and internationally (including for brands based in the UK, USA, Sweden, Australia and New Zealand).

Projects are managed remotely, so you don't need to be based in Cape Town to work with me.

I specialise in product-led businesses and eCommerce.

I particularly enjoy working with beauty and skincare, health and wellness, supplements, perfume and fragrance, apparel, jewellery, food and beverage, home and décor, and other independent lifestyle brands.

Most of my clients are founder-led businesses or established independent brands that care about how their products are presented and want a store that is straightforward for customers to shop.

Shopify is my primary eCommerce platform and the platform I recommend for most product-based businesses.

I've specialised in Shopify for more than a decade, so my work goes beyond setting up a theme. I consider catalogue structure, navigation, product discovery, product pages, mobile shopping, apps, SEO and how your team will manage the store once it launches.

For many product businesses, Shopify offers a good balance between flexibility and ease of management.

It handles the underlying eCommerce infrastructure while allowing businesses to manage products, collections, orders, promotions and website content without needing a developer for everyday changes.

It also has a large ecosystem of apps and integrations, which means additional functionality can usually be introduced as the business grows.

Yes, but not every business needs a bespoke Shopify build.

My Launch package uses an existing Shopify theme and its available sections and functionality. Momentum allows for significantly more design exploration, theme customisation and custom-coded elements. Bespoke projects are scoped individually for businesses with more complex requirements.

I recommend the simplest approach that will do the job properly rather than adding custom development simply because it's possible.

That depends on the project.

Launch stores are deliberately template-based and use an existing Shopify theme as their foundation. I refine the typography, colour, imagery, layout, navigation, product presentation and information hierarchy within that framework.

Momentum and Bespoke projects allow considerably more customisation and development where the brand or customer experience requires it.

Using a Shopify theme isn't inherently a compromise. A good theme provides a tested technical foundation. The important question is how much flexibility your particular business needs.

Yes. Mobile shopping is considered throughout every Nutmeg Shopify project.

For many eCommerce businesses, the majority of website visits happen on phones, so I don't treat mobile as a smaller version of the desktop design. Navigation, product information, imagery, buttons, filters and the path to checkout all need to make sense on a small screen.

Yes. That's an important part of how I build Shopify stores.

Your website should not create unnecessary dependence on a developer. I provide practical training and custom video tutorials so you and your team understand how to manage products, update content and handle the normal day-to-day running of the store.

You shouldn't need to contact a developer every time you want to change a banner or add a product.

Conversion is considered throughout the design process, but I don't promise arbitrary percentage increases.

I look at practical things that influence whether people buy: how quickly they understand what you sell, whether they can find the right product, how products are presented, what questions remain unanswered, what creates trust and where unnecessary friction exists.

Good conversion work is usually the result of many sensible decisions and long-term strategies rather than one clever trick.

Yes. WooCommerce to Shopify migrations are one of the more involved types of projects I take on.

The scope depends on the size and complexity of the existing store, but may include products, collections, customers, order data, navigation, content, redirects, SEO considerations and the rebuilding of functionality currently handled by WordPress plugins.

A migration is also a useful opportunity to simplify a store rather than carrying every old workaround into the new platform.

Learn more about my WooCommerce to Shopify service here.

Yes.

The exact process depends on the amount of product and customer data involved and how the existing Wix store has been structured.

A platform migration always needs to consider SEO carefully.

Existing URLs, important pages, metadata, content and search visibility should be reviewed before the move. Where URLs change, appropriate redirects need to be put in place so search engines and visitors are directed to the correct new pages.

No responsible developer can promise that rankings will never fluctuate during a migration, but careful planning can significantly reduce unnecessary SEO loss.

The cost of a Shopify website varies considerably depending on the size of the catalogue, design requirements, functionality, migration requirements and amount of custom development involved.

Nutmeg Studio's pricing for design and development of new Shopify stores starts at R38,000 (or $3,000 USD). View pricing here.

The right budget depends less on how many pages you want and more on what the store actually needs to do.

Timelines depend on the scope of the project.

A straightforward Shopify build can usually be completed more quickly than a substantial redesign, migration or custom eCommerce project.

Your readiness also matters. Projects move much more efficiently when branding, photography, copy, product information and key business decisions are prepared before the build begins.

For most projects you'll need your brand identity, product information, pricing, photography, website copy and the information required to configure things such as payments, shipping and policies.

For Launch projects in particular, the quality of the supplied brand assets makes a significant difference. Photography, video production, copywriting and broader art direction are separate disciplines and aren't automatically included as part of a template-based website build.

Yes, payment and shipping configuration can form part of a Shopify project where included in the agreed scope.

The available options depend on where your business operates, what you sell and how orders are fulfilled.

Yes.

For businesses selling internationally, Shopify Markets can help manage different countries, currencies and regional shopping experiences.

International eCommerce can become considerably more complex once payments, shipping, duties, taxes, currencies and fulfilment are involved, so the exact setup needs to be considered around the way your business operates.