The Shopify platform, explained
Everything we have written about the Shopify platform itself: metafields and metaobjects, checkout extensibility, Markets, Plus, and how it compares to WooCommerce.
Most decisions that turn out expensive on Shopify are platform decisions made early: where custom data lives, what the checkout can and cannot do, how multi-market selling is configured. None of them are urgent at launch and all of them are hard to unwind later.
These are the articles about the platform itself rather than about marketing on it. They are written for people who have to make or approve those decisions, not only for developers.
Articles on this topic
Shopify vs WooCommerce: The Real Total Cost of Ownership (2026)
WooCommerce is 'free' and Shopify is 'expensive' — until you add up hosting, plugins, developer time and downtime. A line-by-line comparison over three years.
Is Shopify Plus worth it? A straight answer for growing brands
Plus is priced per month, not per feature. Here is what actually changes when you upgrade, what does not, and the four situations where it pays for itself.
Metafields or metaobjects? A working rule for Shopify data
Both extend Shopify's data model, but they solve different problems. The rule that decides it in one question, and the mistakes that force a rebuild later.
checkout.liquid is gone: what actually replaces it
Shopify retired checkout.liquid in favour of checkout extensibility. What the replacement architecture is, what you can and cannot customise, and where the old customisations went.
Custom Shopify theme or premium theme? The honest test
A premium theme costs a few hundred pounds; a custom theme costs thousands. The question is not budget — it is whether your store has a requirement a theme cannot meet.
Headless Shopify: when Hydrogen actually earns its cost
Headless is not faster by default and it is not a growth strategy. The three situations where it genuinely wins, and what you take on when you choose it.
Shopify B2B: running wholesale in the same store as retail
Company profiles, per-company price lists and payment terms are native on Plus. What that replaces, and what still needs building.
Custom Shopify app or public app? Choosing the right build
Most merchants who need an app need a custom one, and most who ask for a public one have not decided what business they are in. The distinction, and what each costs to run.
Frequently asked questions.
Should I use metafields or metaobjects?
Metafields when the value belongs to one record only; metaobjects when it is shared. If twelve products use the same size chart, define it once as a metaobject and reference it — copying it into each product means editing ninety records the day it changes.
What replaced checkout.liquid?
Three mechanisms: checkout UI extensions for interface elements at defined targets, Shopify Functions for logic like discounts and delivery rules, and the branding API for colours and typography.
Do I need Shopify Plus?
Only for a specific wall: checkout customisation, native B2B, multi-store management, or API limits. High traffic, custom themes and multi-currency selling all work on standard plans.