I'm working on a simple consumer MVP that runs on Shopify. It's an automotive platform designed to help users save money when purchasing new cars. The current site is converting well, but I'm aiming to enhance both conversion rates and user experience. My technical co-founder opted to create a custom Shopify theme from scratch instead of iterating on the theme I had previously purchased. We're both tied up with full-time jobs, so this project is being tackled part-time. It's been four months now, and the theme is still pretty basic and not ready to be the live site replacement, especially on the front-end. While I enjoy collaborating with my co-founder, I find the slow progress quite frustrating. For reference, here's an example of what I envision: [example site link].
4 Answers
Honestly, four months is quite long for a basic custom Shopify theme, especially for an MVP focused on content and forms. Most teams can typically make tweaks to an existing theme pretty quickly. In cases like yours where the existing site is already converting, it can be more beneficial to implement minor UX and conversion enhancements on the current setup instead of starting from scratch. Think of the custom theme as more of a side project rather than the primary focus.
The actual timeline can depend greatly on how complex your needs are. If it's really just a straightforward project, then four months feels long. But if there’s custom functionality or complex designs involved, that could extend the timeframe. In my recent experience with custom themes, the process can certainly stretch out, especially if the team isn’t well-acquainted with Shopify. However, even so, a basic implementation shouldn't take that long. If that’s the case, maybe the scope of the project needs to be reassessed and simplified.
Absolutely, managing the complexities upfront can also impact timelines significantly. Ensuring everyone is on the same page with what's really needed can help.
I once handled a custom Shopify theme project that was quite intricate, and while I was dedicated, it took me around 60 hours total. Depending on the project's complexity, timelines can vary. But yeah, for situations where a quick launch is prioritized and aesthetic isn't the primary goal, sometimes sticking with existing themes is the best path forward.
That’s insightful! I also had a similar experience where I provided a mock theme halfway through to help speed things up.
Four months for a bare-bones custom Shopify theme is pretty lengthy for a minimum viable product (MVP). In my experience, if it mainly involves lots of content and form-based work, it should realistically take around 3 to 6 weeks part-time, or up to 10 weeks if you're being particularly meticulous. Any longer than that usually indicates over-engineering. For an MVP, the aim is to build a foundation that can be improved on over time, rather than trying to create the 'perfect' theme right out of the gate. You might consider setting a clear milestone where the new theme is just as functional as the live site but with a couple of UX improvements, then tackle the rest later on. Otherwise, delays like this can stem from scope creep or unclear success criteria. If your theme isn’t ready to replace the current one soon, it might not be serving the business well.
I appreciate your insight, it makes me feel better about the situation, especially as the non-technical founder here. The issue seems to be that they're essentially rebuilding the entire site before tackling those 1-2 improvements. We’ve missed deadlines a couple of times already.
Exactly. Sometimes I feel like we're using the opportunity to over-architect instead of focusing on what we actually need.
I totally agree! Part of the issue could be a lack of familiarity with Shopify which definitely complicates a custom build.