labs@atheron:~/industries/retail/apps$ build app --web --mobile

Retail storefronts

Headless stores and shopping apps, on your platform.

When a theme can no longer carry your catalogue, your stores or your brand, the answer is rarely a new platform. We keep the commerce platform for orders and payments and build the storefront and the app on its APIs, so you get the experience you want without moving the back office.

Start a project See the example projects

// what matters here

What is different in this industry.

Keep the platform, change the front

Orders, payments and inventory stay in the commerce platform you know; the storefront and the app are new, built on its APIs.

Store stock customers can trust

Stock per store is read from your point of sale, so reserve and collect only offers what is really on the shelf.

Card data never touches your servers

Checkout runs through your payment provider's hosted fields, which keeps card data and most of the PCI DSS scope with the provider.

Merchandisers run it

Collections, banners and content are edited by your team in a headless CMS, in English and French, without a release.

// example projects

Priced examples for this service.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Headless store and shopping app

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

An apparel retailer with stores and a website runs its online shop on a theme it has outgrown, and customers keep asking for an app with their order history and in-store stock.

// What we would build

A headless storefront on your commerce platform's APIs, with an iOS and Android shopping app sharing the same catalogue, cart, accounts and loyalty, and store stock shown live so customers can reserve and collect.

// What is in it

Orders, payouts and fees posted to QuickBooks Online and kept in step both ways, built on the QuickBooks Online API
Fast product pages and search on your commerce platform's APIs
iOS and Android app with saved carts, order history and push notifications
Live stock per store, with reserve and collect
Checkout with cards and wallets through your payment provider, keeping PCI DSS scope with the provider
Bilingual catalogue and content managed by your merchandisers
Sales and funnel reporting by channel

// Stack

Next.js
React Native
Shopify Storefront API or commercetools
Algolia
Stripe
AWS

// estimate

Build: ≈ US$194,000 to US$296,000, delivered within 43 weeksCAD 275,800 to 421,800
Hosting: ≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support: ≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery: 2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Data mapping and sandbox connection: 0.4 weeks
Design approved: 12.4 to 21.4 weeks
Core features: 1.9 to 3.4 weeks
Full build: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices: 3.9 to 6.4 weeks
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox: 2.4 to 3.9 weeks
Testing and fixes: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Store submission: 1.4 to 1.9 weeks
Launch: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Live cutover: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Hypercare: 0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review: 1 week

How it is paid

Deposit 20%: CAD 55,160 to 84,360
Discovery 7%: CAD 19,306 to 29,526
Data mapping and sandbox connection 2.8%: CAD 7,722.40 to 11,810.40
Design approved 7%: CAD 19,306 to 29,526
Core features 5.7%: CAD 15,720.60 to 24,042.60
Full build 3.8%: CAD 10,480.40 to 16,028.40
First build on devices 15.2%: CAD 41,921.60 to 64,113.60
Sync built and reconciled in sandbox 8.5%: CAD 23,443 to 35,853
Testing and fixes 1.9%: CAD 5,240.20 to 8,014.20
Store submission 5%: CAD 13,790 to 21,090
Launch 7%: CAD 19,306 to 29,526
Live cutover 2.8%: CAD 7,722.40 to 11,810.40
Hypercare 3.3%: CAD 9,101.40 to 13,919.40
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%): CAD 27,580 to 42,180

Start from this example

// questions

Questions we get about this.

Do we need to leave Shopify to go headless?

No. Shopify, BigCommerce and commercetools all publish storefront APIs. Most retailers keep their platform and replace only the front.

Is an app worth it beside our mobile site?

Only if customers will come back to it: a loyalty programme, frequent drops or use in the store. If not, a fast mobile site does the job, and the estimator prices both.

Can the shopping app show stock in our stores?

Yes, if your point of sale exposes stock by location, which most current systems do. We check yours before quoting.

Back to the industry: Retail and e-commerce About the service: Web and mobile apps

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

Start a project Book a call