An ecommerce MVP validates whether people buy the product, not whether you can build a store.
We build custom ecommerce MVPs for founders whose product model doesn't fit Shopify — subscription boxes, custom-configured products, B2B wholesale, and marketplace concepts that need a real checkout flow to validate demand. Fixed scope, fixed price.
If your ecommerce product concept can be launched on Shopify, launch it on Shopify. If it can't — because the subscription logic, the product configurator, the B2B pricing, or the marketplace model doesn't fit — that's when a custom MVP makes sense.
The right answer to "I want to launch an ecommerce business" is almost always Shopify. It's fast, it's proven, and the app ecosystem handles 95% of what an ecommerce operator needs. Custom ecommerce development is warranted in the specific cases where the product model doesn't fit Shopify's architecture — not as a general preference.
Those cases include: subscription models with complex box curation logic that Recharge can't support cleanly; product configurators where the combination of options generates a custom SKU that Shopify's variant model doesn't accommodate; B2B wholesale platforms with customer-specific pricing, net terms, and order approval workflows; and marketplace concepts where the seller/buyer dynamic requires Stripe Connect escrow that Shopify can't facilitate.
If your concept falls into one of those categories, a custom MVP is the right investment. The MVP scopes tightly to the core transaction — the smallest version of the concept that processes real money and validates whether buyers will complete the purchase — and defers everything else.
A custom ecommerce MVP with the specific product model your concept requires — subscription, B2B, configurator, or marketplace — validated with real transactions before the full platform investment.
Subscription box with custom curation logic
Subscriber sign-up with box tier selection and preference inputs. Curation algorithm (manual operator curation or preference-weighted selection) generates a personalised box per billing cycle. Subscription management portal: skip, pause, swap tier. Stripe Billing for recurring charges.
Product configurator with custom SKU generation
Multi-step configuration UI where buyer selects attributes (material, size, colour, text, image) that combine into a unique SKU. Custom product image preview rendered from the selection. Stripe checkout with the configured product at its calculated price.
B2B wholesale portal
Buyer account creation with buyer-tier pricing. Minimum order quantity enforcement. Net-terms order placement with invoice generation. Order approval workflow for orders above a threshold. Stripe ACH or invoice payment.
Early marketplace MVP
Seller listing creation. Buyer product discovery and purchase. Stripe Connect payment with platform fee. Basic seller payout. (Scoped for pre-validation; the full marketplace platform is a subsequent investment.)
Core checkout with Stripe
Regardless of the product model, the checkout handles payment correctly with proper error handling, confirmation emails, order record creation, and post-purchase fulfillment trigger. Built on Next.js, Postgres, Stripe or Stripe Billing, and Stripe Connect for marketplace variants.
One honest number to start.
Fixed-scope, fixed-price. The number below is the starting point — final scope is built from your brief.
A custom ecommerce MVP with the specific product model your concept requires — subscription, B2B, configurator, or marketplace — validated with real transactions before the full platform investment.
Three steps, every time.
The same repeatable engagement on every project. No surprises, no mystery, no billable ambiguity.
Brief & discovery.
We send you questions, then get on a call. Output: a written scope with every step, feature, and integration listed.
Build & ship.
Fixed schedule, weekly reviews. No scope creep unless you change the scope — and if you do, we reprice it transparently.
Warranty & retainer.
30-day warranty on every launch. Most clients stay on a monthly retainer for ongoing features and maintenance.
Why Fixed-Price Matters Here
Ecommerce founders are investing against the hypothesis that there's demand for their product at their price point. The MVP build cost needs to be small enough relative to the expected revenue from early customers that the experiment makes financial sense. Fixed scope, minimum viable feature set, fixed price.
Questions, answered.
Use Shopify if: your product is a standard physical product (one to three variants), your subscription model is standard recurring billing with product selection, or your B2B requirements are basic (discounts, multiple addresses). Build custom if: your product configurator creates unique combinations beyond Shopify's 100 variant limit, your subscription has curation logic that apps can't support, or your marketplace model requires buyer-seller escrow.
Yes — a headless Shopify architecture (custom Next.js frontend + Shopify backend) is a natural migration path for custom ecommerce MVPs that outgrow their initial custom backend. We can scope the migration as a v2 engagement once the MVP validates the model.
For the MVP, inventory management is manual or import-based — the operator updates stock levels in an admin interface. Automated inventory sync with a warehouse or 3PL is a v2 integration after the order volume justifies it.
Core product model (subscription, configurator, B2B, or early marketplace) with checkout and order management typically runs $25k–$55k. The product model complexity is the main cost variable. Fixed-price.
8 to 12 weeks for a custom ecommerce MVP with the core transaction flow validated.
Tell Ryel about your project.
Describe what you’re building and what outcome you need. You’ll have a written, fixed-price scope within the week.