Shopify Project Planning and Discovery

Shopify projects that go over budget or miss their launch date usually hit problems that a proper discovery phase would have caught. Shero leads a structured planning and discovery process for every project that produces a documented scope, a confirmed timeline, and full team alignment before development starts.

Book a Discovery Call Our Work
Painful Pleasures logo
Valentine Coffee Co. logo
Razor Emporium logo
Moosehead Breweries logo
Shopify Platinum Partner

16+

Years in business

500+

Projects Delivered

65+

Team Members

98%

Client Retention

2 to 4 weeks

How long discovery usually takes

Paid discovery usually takes 2 to 4 weeks, with recorded workshops for kickoff, features and frontend, SEO, design and UX, and sign-off. You get one document with scope, assumptions, deliverables and responsibilities for every section.

User stories

Every feature written down before development

Discovery ends with a user story for each feature, an integration map and a list of who owns which task. Developers work from that document, so nothing depends on memory.

2,048

Variants per product Shopify now allows

Shopify now allows up to 2,048 variants per product, up from 100. During discovery we check your catalog against that and other limits, so product data problems come up before development.

ERP, 3PL, PIM

Every connection mapped in discovery

If your store connects to an ERP, a 3PL or a PIM, we map each connection during discovery: what data moves, which way and how often. Brands that only need that part can book an integration assessment.

"This has been the most impressive vendor partnership I have experienced. Every meeting felt purposeful, every milestone was clear, and the process was incredibly well-supported from start to finish."

Kendra Borkholder, Operations Support, GEN-Y Hitch

The project is not late because of development

Many Shopify project overruns start before the first line of code is written. An integration that was not scoped. A stakeholder who was not consulted. A platform limitation that nobody flagged. A timeline based on assumptions. Discovery is the process that finds all of that before it becomes a problem. The time you spend on planning keeps the rest of the project on schedule.

  • Project Scoping
  • Stakeholder Alignment
  • Customer Persona Definition
  • User Story Documentation
  • Integration Mapping
  • Timeline and Milestone Planning
  • Design and UX Workshops
  • Shopify Platform Review

Shopify project discovery: your options compared

How Shero compares with Shopify Plus launch support, a spec written by your team and a freelancer who quotes from one call.

Compared on Shero CommerceShopify Plus launch supportA spec written by your teamA freelancer who quotes from one call
Finding problems beyond the brief Discovery workshops cover SEO, search, shipping and integrations as well as checkout.Strong on Shopify setup; your wider business is less in view.You know the business; blind spots are hard to see from inside.Quotes what you asked for and little else.
Custom features the old site depends on Alto Music: Altobucks loyalty program kept through the move.Advises on Shopify options for each feature.Easy to forget features nobody has touched in years.Found mid-project, which changes the price.
Picking the app stack before development We map every plugin or app the old store uses and choose what to replace with a Shopify app or custom development.Can suggest apps; final choice is yours.Apps picked from reviews and demos.Picks the apps they already know.
Hitting a seasonal launch date We create a timeline with milestones from the signed-off scope, so you can plan the launch around your season.Helps plan the launch; the project team sets the pace.Dates slip when the spec has gaps.One person's schedule decides the date.
How you pay Paid discovery, then an accurate estimate.Plus includes launch guidance at no extra cost.Your team's hours writing the spec.Often bundled into the project quote.
Shero Commerce
Finding problems beyond the brief Discovery workshops cover SEO, search, shipping and integrations as well as checkout.
Custom features the old site depends on Alto Music: Altobucks loyalty program kept through the move.
Picking the app stack before development We map every plugin or app the old store uses and choose what to replace with a Shopify app or custom development.
Hitting a seasonal launch date We create a timeline with milestones from the signed-off scope, so you can plan the launch around your season.
How you pay Paid discovery, then an accurate estimate.

Compared with

Shopify Plus launch support

Finding problems beyond the brief Strong on Shopify setup; your wider business is less in view.
Custom features the old site depends on Advises on Shopify options for each feature.
Picking the app stack before development Can suggest apps; final choice is yours.
Hitting a seasonal launch date Helps plan the launch; the project team sets the pace.
How you pay Plus includes launch guidance at no extra cost.

A spec written by your team

Finding problems beyond the brief You know the business; blind spots are hard to see from inside.
Custom features the old site depends on Easy to forget features nobody has touched in years.
Picking the app stack before development Apps picked from reviews and demos.
Hitting a seasonal launch date Dates slip when the spec has gaps.
How you pay Your team's hours writing the spec.

A freelancer who quotes from one call

Finding problems beyond the brief Quotes what you asked for and little else.
Custom features the old site depends on Found mid-project, which changes the price.
Picking the app stack before development Picks the apps they already know.
Hitting a seasonal launch date One person's schedule decides the date.
How you pay Often bundled into the project quote.

Why brands start with discovery at Shero

A discovery phase is only useful if the output is actionable. Here is how Shero structures planning to produce a scope that holds through the entire project.

01

Documented scope before development starts

Discovery produces a documented scope covering every design and development requirement. Nothing moves to development until the scope is signed off by both teams. Clients who skip this step are the ones who face mid-project surprises on timeline and budget.

02

Every integration identified in discovery

ERP, OMS, PIM, and third-party integration requirements are documented during discovery before any development scope is agreed. ERP integration complexity is the most common variable that causes Shopify project timelines to extend when scoped late.

03

Right people identified, right decisions made faster

We define who is involved from each team and what their responsibilities are during discovery. This means decisions that would otherwise stall a project in week six get made in discovery by the people with authority to make them.

04

Customer personas worked into the project from day one

We document your customer types, their behaviors, and their expectations before the first mockup is drawn. Stores set up without this step often miss what buyers need. We make it part of the foundation.

05

Design and UX workshops before development starts

Discovery includes recorded design and UX workshops where we agree how the store should look and work. Whether you are customizing a Shopify theme or creating something entirely custom, the design direction is set before any code is written.

06

Full Shopify platform review included

Every discovery engagement includes a review of which Shopify plan and features are appropriate for the project. Shopify Plus adds features that affect the architecture of checkout, B2B, automation, and multi-store management, so these decisions are made in discovery before development starts.

Shopify Plus results

Numbers from client stores we have worked with.

View all case studies

Sporting goods

+200%revenue growth since launch
Shopifymoved from Magento, with US and UK markets on one store
STXShopify
Read the case study

Confectionery

Shopify Pluscustom .NET site moved to Shopify Plus, with two more stores added under the same Plus organization
Custom appfundraising dashboards for group chairs and sellers
Sarris CandiesShopify Plus
Read the case study

Entertainment

CBO + RCCtwo Regal stores moved from Magento to Shopify in the same week
+40%faster page loads than legacy Magento
Regal CinemasShopify
Read the case study

Our Work

View All
Musical Instruments

Alto Music

Alto Music, a longtime music retailer with loyal customers, collaborated with Shero to switch from Magento 2 to Shopify. They successfully maintained their popular Altobucks loyalty program while moving to a more user-friendly and cost-efficient platform. The transition ensured all loyalty benefits remained intact, and they achieved a 40% reduction in ongoing maintenance expenses.

Alto Music
Lacrosse and Hockey Gear

STX

Looking to scale alongside growing global markets and competitor consolidation, the premium American manufacturer of lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey equipment, partnered with Shero to migrate from Adobe Commerce (Magento) to Shopify, delivering a unified D2C and B2B experience, custom ERP integration, and a refined storefront that reflects the engineering quality of their products.

STX
Movie Theaters

Regal Cinemas

One of the largest cinema chains in the US, Regal Cinemas, partnered with Shero to migrate from Magento to Shopify, building a 100%Credit-based checkout logic replicated in a custom Shopify app, loyalty reward redemption, Vista Cloud integration, and automated corporate gifting workflows across two distinct eCommerce platforms. As a result, they achieved over 40% faster page load time.

Regal Cinemas
Premium Chocolates

Sarris Candies

Sarris Candies is a family-owned Pennsylvania chocolate maker known for personalized chocolate bars, custom cakes, and gift assortments. Having outgrown its custom .NET platform, the brand moved to Shopify Plus with Shero for a mobile-first storefront, custom personalization, and ordering options for gift buyers and bulk purchasers. With every high-traffic page manually redirected, organic search recovered and grew past pre-migration levels, with Core Web Vitals in the green from launch.

Sarris Candies

When to move to Shopify Plus

We recommend Plus once you pass about $1M a year in sales, or sooner for B2B, checkout changes or selling in several countries.

  • Checkout

    Custom checkout logic with Checkout Extensibility and Functions.

  • B2B

    Full B2B with company accounts, catalogs and terms.

  • Expansion stores

    Up to 10 storefronts in one contract.

  • Support

    Priority support and a lower card rate.

Most Shopify projects take 8 to 16 weeks. Plan yours on a call.

Scope My Project

Process

How Shopify discovery works

Discovery puts every decision, system and requirement on paper before development starts.

  1. 01

    Decision makers

    We name the people on each team who make decisions, so open questions get answered fast.

  2. 02

    Systems map

    Every ERP, OMS, CRM and app the store depends on gets listed, with the data each one sends and receives.

  3. 03

    Buyer personas

    We document your customer types and what each one needs to see before buying.

  4. 04

    Platform review

    We walk your team through what Shopify does natively and what needs custom work for your case.

  5. 05

    Scope sign-off

    You review a written scope and sign off before any development begins.

Who works on your account

Meet the Team

Related services

Shopify strategy and Plus services

Strategy and Shopify Plus services.

Shopify Plus

Plus builds and Plus features.

Strategy

Roadmaps and discovery.

International

Selling in more countries.

Frequently asked questions.

Can't find what you're looking for? Reach out to our team.

What our clients say.

We design experiences that make a difference. See what our clients have to say about working with us.

Benchmade Knife Co.

"I wanted to take a moment to thank you all for a very successful launch! I know there was a lot of great work put in by everyone to make this happen. Our accounting and sales teams are thrilled to have this functionality working, and that means our customers are also taking full advantage of these enhancements.
We appreciate the partnership in the development and testing, and are looking forward to more enhancements in the future."

Bren Rafaelly

Head of Digital Transformation / Benchmade Knife Co.

STX

"Since partnering with Shero Commerce, our eCommerce revenue has grown by 200%. Their 24/7 support and innovative solutions have been game-changers for our business."

James McKenna

Senior Commerce & CX Manager / STX

Memphis Drum Shop

"Working with the Shero team was professional, efficient, and inspiring. The Shero development team was extremely competent and provided solid solutions for our needs, as well as addressing any bugs or issues that arose during the process. Working with Shero exclusively through video technology was a new concept for our team that forced us to embrace modern methods of communication that will likely benefit our future relationships and business endeavors."

Shaun Carman

eCommerce Manager / Memphis Drum Shop

Swag Golf

"We partnered with Shero for the SWAG site development. The dev was highly nuanced, specialized and complex. The Shero team went above and beyond. They were collaborative, organized and professional, consistently setting expectations clearly and usually exceeding them."

Matt Kaminsky

Co-founder & Managing Director / Swag Golf

And you?

Let's build something great together.

Ready to scale your eCommerce business? Tell us about your project and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.

Email
[email protected]
Locations
New York • London • Helsinki • Tirana