How to Choose a Shopify Plus Agency: 8 Questions to Ask
Six months into a failed Shopify Plus build, a distributor found out their agency had only run three Plus projects before. All three were apparel brands running standard checkout. The distributor needed ERP integration, customer-specific pricing, and a dealer portal. The agency found out what those things were at the same time the client did.
That is not a horror story. It is a pattern. The wrong agency is not always a bad agency. It is usually an agency built for a different kind of project than the one you need.
This guide gives you eight questions to ask any Shopify Plus agency before you sign. The answers will tell you more than their website does.
A Shopify Plus agency is a development and strategy partner certified by Shopify to work on the Plus tier of the platform. These agencies have completed Shopify's vetting process, demonstrated a track record of Plus-level builds, and agreed to Shopify's partner standards. They handle migrations, custom development, ERP integrations, theme builds, and ongoing optimization for merchants on Shopify Plus. Not all Shopify agencies are Plus-certified.
Before you interview a single agency, understand the partner tier structure. Shopify's Partners program has several levels. The two that matter most when choosing a Shopify Plus agency are Shopify Plus Partner and Shopify Platinum Partner.
A Shopify Plus Partner has been vetted and certified for Plus work. That is the baseline. It means the agency can credibly take on enterprise-level projects.
A Shopify Platinum Partner is in the top tier of the entire program globally. Platinum status reflects consistent high performance across a significant volume of projects: build quality, client outcomes, and revenue generated on the platform. It is not handed out for longevity. It reflects an active track record.
When you see an agency list "Shopify Partner" on their website, that is worth far less than you might think. Ask specifically whether they hold Plus Partner or Platinum Partner status, and confirm it on Shopify's official partner directory.
These are the questions that separate an agency with the right capabilities from one that will figure it out on your project.
Tier tells you where an agency stands in Shopify's ecosystem. Project count tells you whether Plus work is their main business or a side practice. An agency that has delivered 12 Plus projects in five years operates differently from one that has delivered 80.
Ask for the number. Ask for the breakdown by project type: migrations, net-new builds, ongoing retainers. Ask how many of those projects are live and generating revenue today, not just launched.
What a strong answer sounds like: A specific number with context. "We've delivered over 150 Plus projects, primarily for manufacturers and distributors in North America, and currently manage 40 active accounts."
Red flag: "We've done several," or an immediate redirect to the portfolio without a number.
Portfolio relevance is more important than portfolio size. An agency with 200 DTC fashion builds is not the right fit for a wholesale distributor running 3,000 SKUs and complex net terms. The technical decisions, integration patterns, and order flows are different.
Ask for case studies that match your business model, your vertical, and your approximate order complexity. If they cannot point to something close, ask what the nearest analogue is and why it applies.
What a strong answer sounds like: A specific case study with business context, the technical problem they solved, and a measurable outcome tied to it.
Red flag: A polished portfolio of visually similar DTC brands with no mention of what the actual business challenges were.
Agencies sell on their senior people and deliver on their junior people. That is not cynicism; it is a business reality. The principals who handled your sales conversation are often not the ones writing your code, managing your QA, or running your project.
Ask for the names and experience levels of the people assigned to your account. Ask whether they use subcontractors. Ask what the escalation path looks like if something goes wrong. Ask whether the project lead has worked on projects similar to yours.
What a strong answer sounds like: A named team with roles, a clear escalation structure, and a direct answer to the subcontractor question.
Red flag: Vague answers about "our team" or "our developers," or a commitment to tell you "once the engagement starts."
Every Shopify Plus project involves integrations. The question is whether the agency builds them properly or patches them together with off-the-shelf connectors that break under load.
Ask specifically about the ERPs and platforms you use. If you are on NetSuite, ask how many NetSuite-Shopify integrations they have built. If you use Microsoft Dynamics 365, SAP, or QuickBooks, ask the same. Ask whether they build custom integrations or rely on third-party middleware. Ask how they handle sync errors, data conflicts, and real-time inventory updates.
Integration work is where most Shopify Plus projects run into trouble. An agency that has solved the same integration problem five times is not the same as one solving it for the first time on your account. Uncap has handled ERP and integration work across NetSuite, QuickBooks, Microsoft Dynamics, and others as part of our B2B commerce architecture since 2013.
What a strong answer sounds like: Specific integration experience with the platforms you use, a clear methodology, and at least one example of an integration problem they diagnosed and solved.
Red flag: "We can integrate with anything" without the examples to back it up.
The agencies that deliver on time and on budget invest in discovery. They define the scope, document the requirements, map the data flows, and surface the hard decisions before the project starts rather than during it.
Ask what their discovery or strategy process looks like. Ask how they scope a project. Ask what the output is: a technical spec, a data model, a project plan. Ask how scope changes are handled once the project is underway.
Uncap runs a structured Blueprint process before any build engagement: architecture review, integration mapping, and a clear project plan before a single line of development starts. This is how you avoid the six-month surprise.
What a strong answer sounds like: A named, defined process with a clear deliverable before development begins.
Red flag: "We just jump right in" or "discovery is part of the build."
Fixed-price and time-and-materials engagements each have trade-offs. The important thing is not which model the agency uses. It is whether they are transparent about how cost is calculated and what triggers a change order.
Ask for a breakdown of how their estimate was built. Ask what assumptions are baked into that number. Ask for examples of projects that came in over budget and what caused it. Ask whether post-launch support is included or a separate line item.
What a strong answer sounds like: A clear pricing model, a breakdown of assumptions, and a candid example of a scope change and how it was handled.
Red flag: An estimate that arrives without explanation, or a firm commitment to a number before they have asked you any questions.
Go-live is not the finish line. Shopify Plus stores require ongoing updates, integration maintenance, performance monitoring, and optimization work. The agency that built your store is the one with the most context for supporting it.
Ask what post-launch engagement looks like. Ask whether they offer retainer arrangements. Ask who your point of contact is after launch, and whether it is the same person you worked with during the build. Ask how they handle urgent issues outside business hours.
What a strong answer sounds like: A defined support structure with a named contact, response time commitments, and a clear path from project to retainer.
Red flag: "We hand off documentation and you take it from there," especially for a complex Plus build with custom integrations.
This is the question that most guides skip entirely. It is also the most important one if you are a manufacturer, distributor, or wholesaler.
B2B Shopify Plus is a different discipline from DTC Shopify Plus. The technical requirements are different. Order flows come through email, phone, and sales reps rather than through a checkout. Pricing is account-specific and negotiated, not listed publicly. Payment terms are net 30 or net 60, not instant authorization. Customers have complex account hierarchies with multiple buyers and approval chains.
An agency that has built fifty DTC storefronts has not built what you need. Ask directly: how many B2B Shopify Plus builds have they delivered? What did those projects involve: dealer portals, custom pricing tiers, ERP-connected order management, draft order workflows, quote management? Can they show you a live B2B Plus store that resembles your operation?
The gap in the market here is real. The majority of Shopify Plus agencies are optimized for consumer brands. They know checkout conversion, they know Klaviyo, they know subscription apps. That expertise does not transfer to a distributor managing 400 wholesale accounts and taking orders through their sales team.
Uncap has been a Shopify Platinum Partner since 2013, with over 380 B2B commerce projects delivered for manufacturers, distributors, and wholesalers across North America. All of them are B2B. It is not a vertical we cover. It is everything we do. You can see the kind of work that comes from that depth in our client case studies.
A few signals that should end the conversation regardless of how good the portfolio looks.
They cannot name their project lead. If the person selling you the engagement cannot tell you who will run the project, the project will be run by whoever is available when it starts.
Their case studies have no outcomes. A portfolio full of screenshots is decoration. A case study that tells you the business problem, the solution, and a measurable result is evidence. The absence of outcomes usually means there were none worth reporting.
They talk about tools before they talk about your problem. An agency that opens with their tech stack before understanding what your business needs is not a strategy partner. They are a build shop. There is a time for tools. It is not the first conversation.
They promise a timeline that does not account for your integration complexity. A Shopify Plus migration with a NetSuite integration and custom B2B pricing logic is not a 90-day project. An agency that quotes it like one has not done it before.
No one has actually asked about your data. Your product catalog, your customer records, your pricing tiers, your historical orders. Any agency about to move you to Shopify Plus needs to understand your data before they can quote the work. If they have not asked, they are guessing.
Shopify Plus agency projects range considerably based on scope. A straightforward theme migration might run $15,000 to $40,000. A full custom build with ERP integration, B2B account features, and complex pricing logic is typically $75,000 to $200,000 and up. Ongoing retainers for a Plus store with active development work generally run $5,000 to $20,000 per month depending on scope.
These are ranges, not quotes. The number that matters is what your project specifically requires. The only way to get an accurate number is a discovery process that maps your requirements first.
The Accelerator engagement is how Uncap approaches a full B2B Shopify Plus build: scoped, structured, and built around the order flows your business actually uses, not the DTC patterns that most agencies default to.
The best Shopify Plus agencies are not just build shops. They are partners who have seen enough projects to know what breaks, what scales, and what your buyers actually need from the experience.
Find an agency that has delivered work for a business like yours, can name the team that will do it, and has earned a partner tier that reflects their track record. Ask all eight questions. Pay attention to which ones they answer directly.
If you are a manufacturer, distributor, or wholesaler evaluating Shopify Plus for B2B, the question about B2B experience is not optional. It is the one that tells you whether this is the right conversation.
Book a demo and we will show you what 380 B2B commerce projects on Shopify looks like in practice.
