Why a Blueprint?
We pride ourselves on providing excellent service at affordable prices, which you'll see from the testimonial from one of our clients in Los Angeles, Arrae who has been working with us for roughly 2 years.
In fact, many of our ongoing clients have been let down by other 'Shopify Experts' in the past and we've fixed any of the substandard work. Most of our clients continue to work with us on an ongoing basis not only due to the level of expertise in our team, but we are proactive in making recommendations that will increase the bottom line of your business.
Our recommendation would be to kick off the process with an in-depth discovery session so we can outline the details of the project and prioritize them in order of importance. The strategic discovery workshop will produce a detailed project brief outlining every aspect of the project.
We will present you with a few options according to your ideal timeline, budget and expectations. You can then choose which option most suits you and we will agree on the next steps together. Our goal is to tackle the most important tasks first so we can achieve an MVP version of the new website, and then we will continue to support you on an ongoing monthly basis to make continuous performance and functionality improvements as needed that fit within your brand's means.
What we will accomplish:
- 5 collaborative workshops with your team
- Mapping your unique customer journeys and personas
- Deep understanding of technical needs and solves
- Technical stack planned for integration
- Structural and aesthetic architecture plan
- Detailed Build timeline
- Strategic launch plan
WHO THIS SERVICE IS FOR:
→ You may have many complex integrations with multiple apps, workflows, and automations across your store experience and downstream fulfillment logistics
→ You have an existing store that needs to be re-integrated and fully reorganized (e.g. Online Store 1.0, deprecated apps or legacy systems)
→ There may be multiple stakeholders (or a CEO with brand new team members) with unclear directives that need a strategic long-term solution with a strategic growth partner and alignment on ecommerce launch plans
→ You may have a "higher risk project" or brand with high visibility or venture capital investment and product launch success on the line
→ You want a guaranteed delivery date and cost, however your scope is not well defined for a comprehensive build without risk of a critical system failure
→ You have expressed customization desires and emphasized wanting to emulate other top-tier website experiences of 7-figure/successful brands
The Design and Build Blueprint
This cost credited towards cost of your Ambitious Shopify Design & Build Project if we agree to work together
Measure twice, cut once.
The strategic ecommerce plan specifically for Shopify will produce a detailed project brief outlining every aspect of the project. We aim to make sure you are absolute 100% certain of the project cost, and how long it will take to build so you can create marketing deadlines and work towards business goals while your site is being created.
If at the end of the discovery process you wish to work with another agency you can take the investigative and prelim work we've done and get them to execute, so this is the lowest risk for you as well.
Our expert team will work with you to define your goals and create a personalized design and build strategy that caters to your unique business needs.
Timeline
A typical Discovery runs for 3 to 4 weeks. The timeline is heavily impacted by the following factors
- Availability of Client and Arq team to hold key meetings
- Time needed to audit existing website (if applicable)
- Complexity of the technical requirements and research needed to vet integrations/custom features
- Timing of feedback and sign-off of roadmap, schedule, and budget from Client
To ensure success, we encourage full participation from the primary stakeholders throughout the entire Discovery engagement. Video meetings for key workshops are highly recommended, but not required. We would recommend 1 video call engagement for the architecture review, and the visual alignment workshop in person involving the Account Manager and Creative/Technical Director.
Meetings
The Discovery typically consists of 5 meetings (listed below; details are on the next page). In certain cases, there may be follow-up meetings and calls to wrap up any overflow discussions. There may also be instances in which these meetings are combined to accommodate scheduling challenges. Arq will work with Client to align on schedule and dates after Client Orientation.
- Kickoff Workshop
- Site Architecture & Nav Presentation and Content Planning
- Visual Design Alignment Workshop
- Roadmap Review Workshop
- Project Schedule and Budget Review
Involvement
The Client will sign-off on the project schedule and budget estimate and set a start date with Arq. The Discovery will involve the following Arq personnel:
- Creative Director
- Design Lead
- Account Manager
- Other team members executing on the project
FAQs
FEEDBACK
DAY-TO-DAY
Pre-Work
DO YOU OFFER PAYMENT PLANS?
For Shopify services, how soon can we begin?
WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A FULLY CUSTOM DESIGN AND THE ACCELERATOR?
Accelerator Shopify websites do not allow for fully custom functionality - like a "whatever you want" - we mostly have to work with what comes in the box, with a few exceptions. During the theme selection process, we will walk you through the capabilities and limitations of each Shopify theme. Additional features and functionality can always be requested but will require a re-scope of the project and its pricing.
CAN'T WE USE A TEMPLATE TO SAVE ON COSTS?
Shopify templates also come in varying degrees of flexibility, speed, well-engineered sections, and documentation for upkeep.
I only use templates I would recommend, trust and have used in the past. If you wanted to just use a template you still won’t be much closer to that design, aesthetic and usable quality you’re after.
All templates need some level of customization to achieve what you want without extra apps slowing you down. Semi-custom helps bridge the gap between faster and cheaper but still on-brand and beautiful, where with custom we are achieving speed, functionality, and bleeding-edge performance goals that templates tend to box us out of.
What platforms do you develop websites on?
We have extensive design and development experience in Shopify - we don't claim to be experts in anything else.
Do you work with platforms other than Shopify?
No, this service is ONLY for Shopify entrepreneurs.
WHAT DO I NEED TO PROVIDE?
For web design: To start the web designs, we’ll need high-resolution professional brand or product photography selected to begin. We can, if you choose, provide copywriting services for all of our website clients. Here's some truth for you: professional brand and product photography is an absolute game-changer for your brand and website.
It's not just a trend, it's become the industry standard. Your audience can instantly sense when you've skimped on your visuals, so if you're ready to take your brand to the next level, investing in top-notch photography is a no-brainer. Ask us how we can help you with your brand photography in preparation for your website.
What's Next?
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.