Getting a webshop made that helps your brand grow (without the standard template look)

First: is getting a webshop made the smartest step for you right now?

Getting a professional webshop made is a serious investment, and that means it isn't the right choice for everyone at every moment. Do you already have an established brand, proven demand through social media or a physical shop, and do you want to grow in a scalable way through your own channel? Then now is the time to have your own webshop built. But if you don't have a product yet, no budget for strong photography and content, or you just want to experiment? Then start small with a simple setup or a marketplace, and gather proof of demand first.

At Design by Karina, we specialize in Shopify stores for fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands. Our focus is on combining brand story and conversion, because a webshop that looks beautiful but doesn't sell isn't a successful webshop. In the Netherlands, the average conversion rate is between 1.9 and 2.3%, and in fashion it's often lower (1.5 to 2.3% in the EU). The best quarter of Dutch webshops reaches 3.5 to 4.5%.

What you can expect from a professionally built online store:

• Higher conversion through a user-friendly webshop that's built to sell

• A stronger brand experience, so your webshop looks like an extension of your brand, not like a standard template

• More repeat purchases thanks to retention elements like email marketing and loyalty programs

• A scalable foundation you can grow on with new products, markets and integrations

Want to know whether a custom Shopify store makes sense for your brand right now? Book a free, no-obligation intro call and we'll look at your situation together.

Finally, a webshop that fits your brand (not the other way around)

Many business owners recognize the problem: you have a webshop, but it feels like "a template with a logo on it." The branding is off, the checkout is clunky on mobile devices, and your brand story doesn't come through anywhere. The result? Visitors drop off, conversion is low and there are few repeat purchases.

That's why the Design by Karina approach always starts with your brand, your audience and your positioning, not with the tech. Only once it's clear what your brand wants to convey and who your customer is do we start designing and building. The difference is in that order.

Familiar pain points for fashion, beauty and lifestyle business owners:

• Your webshop converts below the industry average and you don't know why

• The UX is messy: visitors can't find products, or drop off at the checkout

• The shop isn't mobile-friendly, while \~43% of all online purchases in the Netherlands happen on a smartphone

• There's no coherent brand story: your collection doesn't get the attention it deserves

• You see few repeat purchases because there's no retention strategy

Compare that with the result of a well-built online store of your own: clear brand positioning, products that shine with strong photography and content, and a smooth customer journey from inspiration to checkout. That's the foundation of building a successful webshop.

Why have a professional webshop made (instead of building it yourself)?

Building your webshop yourself with a Shopify template, Wix or WooCommerce looks attractive, especially at the start. But as soon as your brand grows, you run into limits you didn't see before. Need integrations with accounting or fulfillment? Standard templates often don't offer them. A checkout that works well on mobile? Without technical knowledge, that becomes a challenge. Choosing an ecommerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce depends on your needs and budget, but the execution makes the difference.

Concrete benefits of having a specialist make your webshop:

• Conversion-focused design based on UX principles: clear product filters, a professional photo layout, clear product pages that build customer trust. A user-friendly webshop demonstrably increases the conversion rate.

• Technical SEO set up properly from day one: good structure and metadata are crucial for being found. Technical SEO helps search engines understand your webshop, and fast loading is important for Google indexing.

• Integrations sorted properly right away: integrations with email marketing, fulfillment, inventory management and accounting are set up properly in one go. Any integrations with external systems are important for data migration.

• Time saved: as a business owner, you can focus on your collection, content and marketing, while the technical foundation is handled professionally.

Why have your webshop made by Design by Karina

Design by Karina is a boutique web design studio from Rotterdam, specializing in ecommerce for fashion, beauty and lifestyle. We also build high-end websites for service providers on Framer, but our core is developing webshops that help brands grow.

This is what makes working with us different:

• Specialized in Shopify stores: not "everything for everyone", but in-depth knowledge of what works in fashion, beauty and lifestyle ecommerce

• Strategy, UX/UI design, development and conversion optimization combined: no separate links in a chain, but one integrated project

• Personal, with one fixed point of contact: direct contact, no account manager layer. A good working relationship with the web developer you choose is essential for a successful webshop

• A strong focus on brand story and visual identity: no generic standard templates, but a unique webshop that fits your house style

• Mobile-first design: for an audience that mostly shops on their phone. Mobile optimization is essential for a good user experience

• Technical SEO and performance included as standard: fast loading times, correct structure and basic SEO are part of every project. Search engine optimization is crucial for a webshop to be found

Besides webshops, we also build websites on Framer for service providers who don't sell through ecommerce (yet) but do need a beautiful website.

How getting a webshop made works, step by step

Getting a webshop made follows a structured process. Our process is transparent and runs in clear phases, within an agreed timeline of 4 to 5 weeks (The Launch) or 7 to 8 weeks (The Atelier), depending on the complexity. Below you can read exactly what happens in each step.

Step 1: Strategic kick-off and brand positioning

Every project starts with an in-depth kick-off session (online or in Rotterdam) where we sharpen your brand, audience, competitors and goals. The steps in a webshop project have strategy and getting to know each other as their foundation.

What we pin down here:

• Brand story, tone of voice and visual direction

• Key products, collections and margins

• Target markets (NL, BE, EU) and any languages or currencies

• Concrete revenue and conversion goals for the first year

This step stops it from becoming "just a nice design". It forms the basis for every design choice and makes sure every element of your online store contributes to your goals.

Step 2: UX structure and wireframes

Before color or typography come into it, we first decide the structure and user flows. The functional design covers the site structure and usability.

What happens in this phase:

• Information architecture: menu, categories, filters, product types, so customers find products easily, even with thousands of products

• Mapping the customer journey from homepage to checkout

• Wireframes of key pages: home, collection overview, product page, cart, checkout, brand page

All flows are worked out for mobile first and then carried over to desktop. That way we make sure your webshop works just as smoothly on mobile devices as on a big screen.

Step 3: Visual design (UI) based on your branding

The approved wireframes are turned into a high-end visual design that looks good and converts. Custom webshops are fully tailored to the client's wishes and house style.

• Use of existing brand assets (logo, colors, fonts) or refining the branding where needed

• Choices for photography style, typography and micro-animations that strengthen the brand experience

• Specifically for fashion and beauty: an emphasis on product photography, lookbooks, reviews and UGC sections to show products in the way that suits your brand

You get feedback rounds on the design of the key pages. Only after approval do we start the technical build. That way you have full control over how your webshop will look.

Step 4: Technical build in Shopify

The design is built pixel-perfect on Shopify. The technical build means building the webshop in the chosen CMS, without heavy or unnecessary theme clutter.

• Setting up the Shopify store structure: collections, product types, variants (sizes, colors), inventory management

• Implementing the custom design in a lightweight, conversion-focused Shopify theme or fully custom

• Setting up payment methods (iDEAL handles >70% of Dutch online payments, plus Bancontact, Klarna, credit card, Apple Pay)

• Basic technical SEO: URL structure, metadata, structured data, a technically optimized foundation

• An SSL certificate is mandatory for a webshop to send data securely

Speed and scalability are tested, including on mobile. Fast loading is crucial for conversion optimization and Google rankings.

Step 5: Content & product entry

A strong webshop stands or falls with good content and product data. Even the best design doesn't sell without convincing product copy and photos. Clear product pages increase customer trust.

• Support with structuring product information: titles, descriptions, variants, sizes, ingredients, materials

• Tips for conversion-focused writing (focus on benefits, moments of use, FAQs at product level)

• Uploading product photos and optimizing them for loading speed, so your shop loads quickly even with lots of images

• Setting up a brand page and an about page that tell your brand's story

We make sure the roles are clear: what you provide, and where Design by Karina helps or provides templates to make adding products easy.

Step 6: Testing, fine-tuning and SEO check

The webshop has to be tested thoroughly before it launches. That way we avoid teething problems and you launch with confidence.

• Testing the checkout flow (on mobile too), including test orders: a good checkout reduces the number of abandoned carts

• Measuring the loading speed of key pages and optimizing where needed

• Checking for broken links, the 404 page, and redirects for migrations

• Basic SEO scan: titles, meta descriptions, H1 structure, internal links

You get a review round to polish the last details before we go live. Google Analytics and SEO tools are essential for webshops: they're configured in this phase.

Step 7: Launch, training and ongoing optimization

The launch: connecting your own domain name, final checks, and then live. Maintenance after the webshop is delivered needs clear agreements with the developer: we make those in advance.

• Training (online call or videos) on managing products, collections, discounts and basic SEO in Shopify, so that after delivery you can add new products and adjust your webshop on your own

• Setting up analytics and tracking: Google Analytics 4, Meta pixel, Shopify reports, so conversion is measurable

• Monitoring the first weeks: analyzing data and making small improvements (where do visitors drop off?)

• The option of an ongoing optimization program with our Growth Plan (from €590 a month, minimum 3 months) for CRO, email flows, A/B testing

What makes our webshops different from standard solutions?

Many agencies talk about features and functions. But as a business owner, you want revenue, brand recognition and repeat purchases. A good webshop design has to be focused on selling, not on ticking off a feature list.

• Outcome first: every design decision is linked to KPIs (average order value, conversion rate, return rate, repeat purchases). We build a fully optimized webshop, not just a pretty one

• Specific experience with fashion, beauty and lifestyle: knowledge of collection planning, seasonal drops, campaigns, lookbooks. In beauty and wellness, median conversion rates for Shopify stores are around 3.1-3.3%

• No lock-in: your Shopify store is yours. It's important that the owner of the webshop also owns the source code and the accounts. You're not tied to anything

• Focus on retention: integrating email marketing (e.g. Klaviyo) and loyalty elements from the start, not as an afterthought

• Structured backups and security: your data is protected, your shop keeps running

Where low-budget builders offer limited branding, poor SEO and little scalability, we deliver a complete webshop that's ready for growth.

Who is a custom Shopify webshop right for?

Not everyone needs a custom project, and that's fine. By selecting honestly, we avoid misfits and disappointment.

A custom webshop is ideal for:

• Independent fashion, jewelry or accessories brands that want to present their collection better and scale revenue through their own channel, including products from several categories

• Beauty and skincare brands that want to combine education, storytelling and repeat purchases in one webshop experience. There are big opportunities here: subscription models and loyalty can generate a sizeable share of revenue from repeat purchases

• Lifestyle and interior brands that want to link experience (look & feel) to a smooth shopping experience with lots of other products and variants

• Coaches, creative studios and service providers who want a small webshop next to their services for digital products, think templates, courses or digital downloads

When aren't you ready for custom work yet? If you don't have a concrete product yet, if there's no budget for photography and content, or if you're a new business owner who first wants to test whether there's demand. Then start with a minimal version, gather data, and scale up after that.

What does it cost to get a webshop made?

Transparency about costs is essential. The cost of a professional webshop depends on the complexity, the number of products, integrations and specific wishes. But you always want to know the investment clearly up front.

Guide prices at Design by Karina:

• Entry-level webshop for a small collection (up to \~50 products, 1 language): getting a webshop made starts with The Launch, from €4,500

• Mid-sized webshop with extra functionality (different shipping rules, bundles, simple B2B, more products online): count on The Atelier, from €6,900, depending on the scope

• Extensive, fully custom work (multilingual shop, complex product structures, custom functionality): Bespoke, project price by quote, from €9,500. Migrating an existing webshop is an add-on. Custom webshops can be connected to ERP systems

Additional monthly costs to keep in mind:

• Shopify plan: platform plans and hosting costs usually come on top for webshops

• Hosting and maintenance: with Shopify, hosting is included in the plan

• Apps (email marketing, reviews, upsell): depending on your choice

• Transaction fees from payment providers, and shipping costs

During the intro call, we give you a tailored estimate based on your goals and scope. That way you know exactly what getting a webshop made costs in your situation.

Shopify versus other webshop platforms (and why we choose Shopify)

There are several platforms for webshops, like Shopify and WooCommerce. Choosing an ecommerce platform depends on your needs and budget. Design by Karina deliberately chooses Shopify, and this is why.

• Shopify's advantages for fashion/beauty/lifestyle: stable, scalable, lots of integrations, a strong checkout, a good app ecosystem. Ideal as a platform for brands that want to grow fast without worrying about hosting and backups

• Compared with WooCommerce: WooCommerce is the most widely used webshop software in the world and offers more flexibility: it's open source with no platform plan. But a WooCommerce webshop takes more technical management (hosting, updates, security). WordPress webshops are easy to manage yourself without technical knowledge, but as you grow, keeping them stable gets more complex.

• Magento suits larger ranges and complex processes, but needs a considerably higher budget and more technical knowledge

• When Shopify is less suitable: with very complex B2B processes or fully custom logic, another platform can make more sense

We help you make an honest platform choice. And if Shopify turns out not to be the best match, we'll point you to the right solution.

Common mistakes when getting a webshop made (and how you avoid them)

A lot of frustration comes from decisions made before the build, not after. Sites that load slowly or have unclear navigation easily lose potential buyers at the checkout. These are the mistakes we see most often:

• Starting without a clear audience and brand position → leads to a generic design and low conversion. Your webshop becomes many times more effective if you first know who you're building for

• Focusing on "being able to do everything" instead of one clear first version → your new webshop becomes slow and cluttered. Start lean, optimize later

• Investing too little in photography and product copy → even the best design doesn't sell without strong content. Showing products without context doesn't convince

• No attention to mobile → missed sales, because most of your visitors shop on their phone

• No plan for online marketing and retention after launch → your webshop is online, but without traffic it stays quiet. Think about Google Shopping and email flows too

• Underestimating the budget → monthly licenses, apps, transaction fees and your own time investment (content, feedback) are real costs

• Forgetting the privacy statement and terms and conditions: these are legal requirements for webshops, and consumers in the EU have the right to a 14-day cooling-off period

Practical tips before you talk to an agency:

1. Make a list of must-haves versus nice-to-haves

2. Collect examples of webshops that inspire you, and say why

3. Make sure you have an overview of your basic content (photos, product copy, an email address for customer contact, domain name)

Ready to get a webshop made that really fits your brand?

Building a successful webshop comes down to four pillars: a strong brand story, thoughtful UX design, solid Shopify tech and conversion-focused thinking. At Design by Karina, we combine those four with years of experience in fashion, beauty and lifestyle ecommerce.

The next step is simple:

Book a free, no-obligation intro call where we discuss: your current situation, your goals, a realistic budget range, a possible approach and a rough timeline. No obligations, just concrete advice.

Whether you want to get a new webshop made, upgrade your existing webshop, or are still unsure whether this is the right moment: we'll think it through with you honestly.

Book a free intro call →

No long-term commitments. Just a webshop that fits your brand and really sells.