Look before quoting
I go through the store, the theme and the app footprint before putting a number on anything. If what you have asked for is the wrong fix, that is the point at which it is cheap to say so.
Shopify developerSpeed specialistLiquid & 2.0
Custom redesignsPlatform migrationsCRO sprints
Available for freelance & fulltime
Senior Shopify Developer for D2C Brands Remote, London & USA
Custom Liquid theme builds, page speed optimization, and seamless platform migrations for growing D2C brands. I currently lead Shopify development for a high-traffic wearable-tech storefront.
Based in Karachi, Pakistan·UK & US overlap
GMT+5Capabilities & Services
Engineered for revenue, built for speed.
Six high-impact specialisms designed to maximize conversion rates, eliminate app lag, and scale paid traffic without downtime.
From $6,000 · 2–4 Weeks
Bespoke Shopify 2.0 theme builds and store redesigns engineered from Figma. Pixel-perfect frontends, modular Liquid sections, and lightning-fast mobile checkouts built to convert paid traffic.
- Custom Shopify 2.0 theme architecture
- Figma to clean Liquid development
- Mobile-first PDP and cart drawers
- Commented, documented code handover
Measured Before & After
Stores get slow as apps, tracking tags and unoptimized media accumulate. I audit what real shoppers experience, defer render-blocking scripts, and prune third-party bloat so the store is fast on the phones people actually buy from.
- Core Web Vitals field-data audit
- Script deferral and app bloat pruning
- Responsive image delivery & WebP tuning
- Liquid loop and server response refactoring
Zero Downtime · 301 Redirects
Move from WooCommerce, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace, or Magento to Shopify without losing catalogue structure, customer histories, or search rankings through strict 1-to-1 redirect mapping.
- 1-to-1 301 URL redirect map for SEO equity
- Product catalogue, variants, and order transfer
- Customer account data migration
- Staged cutover with zero live downtime
From $2,500 Sprint
Data-backed UX sprints designed to turn ad clicks into buyers. Faster slide-out cart drawers, high-intent product badges, mobile sticky add-to-cart, and streamlined checkout flows.
- Frictionless slide-out cart drawers
- Sticky mobile add-to-cart bars
- Device compatibility & variant selectors
- Trust badge and social proof integration
Zero Monthly Apps · Liquid 2.0
Bundles, cross-sells, size charts, lookbooks, and alteration options built directly into your theme. Save hundreds in monthly app subscriptions while removing heavy external JavaScript.
- Native Shopify 2.0 section blocks
- Line item properties for custom items
- In-theme bundle and volume discounts
- Theme editor controls your team can edit
$1,500/Month Retainer
Dedicated senior Shopify developer on retainer for growing brands. Priority turnaround, new feature launches, bug fixes, campaign landings, and continuous speed and conversion monitoring.
- Priority developer support (< 24h reply)
- Continuous speed and health monitoring
- Campaign page builds and new features
- Monthly performance and CRO audit
Nothing here is a surprise later.
Measure the starting point
Lighthouse, Core Web Vitals field data, and where customers actually drop off. Without a baseline there is no way to prove afterwards that anything changed.
Build on a staging theme
Your live store keeps taking orders throughout. Nothing is published until you have seen it working and told me to go ahead.
Deploy in stages
Changes go out in isolated pieces rather than as one release, so if something regresses it is obvious which change caused it and it can be rolled back on its own.
Hand over properly
Commented code, a written summary of what changed and why, and theme editor settings for anything your team will want to adjust. You should not need me for a copy change.
Crafting digital experiences with purpose.
Live storefronts across the UK, Australia and Pakistan. Each one is still in production.
01Zero LifestyleConsumer tech brand selling smartwatches, earbuds and audio across Pakistan.Theme architecturePerformanceCampaign tooling
02Ox & ArmorHandcrafted full-grain leather jackets and luxury accessories, sold from the UK.Custom themeEditorial sectionsMega-menu architecture
03ProShieldiPhone cases, MagSafe accessories and charging gear, sold across Australia.Device compatibility selectorBundlesPDP conversion
04Elan by ZunairaModest fashion label with a catalogue organised by fabric rather than type.Fabric filteringBundle productsMega-menu
05Mia & MilaLuxury ethnic wear spanning children's, teens' and women's ranges.Custom add-onsVariant architectureSeasonal merchandising
06ComforshErgonomic comfort products for home, office and travel, sold across the EU in four languages.Full store buildFour-language storefrontCategory architecture
07NRChia FoodsOrganic plant-based protein bites — vegan, gluten-free and made without artificial sweeteners.Full store buildProduct storytellingConversion-led PDP
08Inelia RecordsAn independent music label selling albums, lyrics and merchandise direct to its own audience.Full store buildAlbum and merch catalogueRelease merchandising
09Inelia Benz BooksA publishing storefront for fiction and non-fiction, organised by series rather than by title.Full store buildSeries-based collectionsPre-order and release flow
10GK TechnovaPremium tech accessories — ambient lighting, audio and gaming gear for desk setups.Full store buildCollection architectureMobile-first PDP
Why Brands Choose Bilal
Senior engineering. No agency hand-offs.
Scale & Trust
Lead developer for a wearable-tech brand
I lead Shopify architecture for Zero Lifestyle, a high-traffic wearable-tech storefront. Your store gets the exact engineering standards and high-concurrency resilience required at real scale.
Measured before & after
Core Web Vitals guaranteed
Speed is treated as a core feature with a budget. On key templates, I defer what blocks first render, eliminate layout shifts, and measure before and after so you see the change rather than hear about it.
Senior Delivery
Direct access. Zero agency overhead.
You work directly with the senior developer writing your code. No account managers, no salesperson pitches, and no junior handoffs — clear daily communication and fast turnarounds.
Zero Downtime
// Staging-first rollout
const release = {
stagingUrl: 'preview-theme',
downtime: 0,
status: 'Approved'
};100% Staging-first safety
All development happens on a private duplicate theme. Live sales, checkout and tracking are never disrupted, and nothing goes live until you test and approve it.
Fixed Milestones
Transparent upfront pricing
Fixed scopes with clear milestones. Store builds start at $6,000, CRO sprints at $2,500, and ongoing store retainers at $1,500/month — no hidden hourly surprise bills.
What the founders actually got.
“Most of our storefront was hardcoded, so every campaign meant waiting on a developer to change a line of text. Those areas were rebuilt so our own team edits them, and the back office work we were doing by hand every day is now automated.”
“We wanted customers to be able to add alterations to a piece, and the app we were paying for could not even tell us which garment an alteration belonged to. What we described is what got built, and we stopped paying for the app.”
“The theme was built from scratch rather than adapted from a template. Every section on the store is ours and behaves the way we asked for it.”
Showcase
Sections I’ve shipped.
Reusable Shopify sections, built and running on live stores rather than sitting in a Figma file. Each one is a native theme section the client’s team can edit.
View showcase →
Writing & Engineering
Latest from the blog
Notes on Shopify architecture, performance, and shipping fast.
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WooCommerce to Shopify Migration: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide (2026)
Planning to move from WooCommerce to Shopify? A step-by-step technical guide covering product data, order history, 301 redirects, and SEO rank preservation.
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7 min readShopify
Custom Shopify Theme vs Pre-built Theme: Which Is Best for Scaling in 2026?
Should you buy an off-the-shelf Shopify theme or invest in a custom build? An honest comparison of cost, performance, conversion rates, and scaling limits.
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Design without revenue is decoration.
I lead Shopify development for a high-traffic wearable-tech brand. I own the storefront end to end: theme architecture, custom sections, performance, and the internal tools the operations team uses every day.
One person, from the audit through to launch. Design and build are the same conversation, so nothing gets translated, approximated or lost in a handover.
View Upwork profile
- Stores shipped
- 10+
- Countries
- 3
- Years on Shopify
- 4+
- Proposal turnaround
- 24h
Common Questions Before Kickoff
How much does a project cost?
Custom store builds start at $6,000, CRO sprints at $2,500 and ongoing store management at $1,500 a month. Smaller pieces of work are quoted as a fixed price once I have been through the store, so the number you approve is the number you pay.
How long does it take?
A custom Shopify redesign is usually two to four weeks; a marketing site one to three. You get the timeline and the scope it assumes in writing before anything starts, so it is clear from the outset what would move it and what would not.
Will my store keep taking orders while you work on it?
Yes. Everything is built on a duplicated staging theme and nothing is published until you have seen it working. Changes then go out in separate pieces rather than as one release, so if something regresses it is obvious which change caused it and that change alone can be rolled back.
Do you build features into the theme, or install apps?
Into the theme, where that is the better trade. Bundles, size guides, quantity breaks and quick view are usually one build rather than a subscription that loads scripts on every page for as long as you keep paying it. But if a forty-dollar app solves your problem better than two thousand dollars of custom work, I will say so.
What do I get at the end, and am I locked into you?
Commented, documented code, a written summary of what changed and why, and theme editor settings for anything your team will want to adjust. You should not need me for a copy change, and the next developer should be able to read the theme without calling me. Being hard to replace is not a business model.
How does working across time zones actually work?
I am based in Karachi and keep hours that overlap UK and US mornings. Calls on Zoom, day to day by email or WhatsApp, and a reply within a working day. Store work is remote by nature — nothing about a Shopify theme needs somebody in the room.
What do you need from me to get started?
The store URL and a sentence about what is bothering you. I go through the store, the theme and the app footprint, then come back with the specific things I would fix first and what I would expect them to be worth. That costs nothing and carries no obligation — and if what you have asked for is the wrong fix, that is the point at which it is cheap to say so.
Send me the store. I’ll tell you what I’d fix first.
No charge for the assessment and no obligation. If I’m not the right person for it, I’ll say so and point you at what is.
hello@bilalburney.com