Coalition Technologies is the stronger fit when Shopify Plus development is the main job, because it is a development-led agency with deep ecommerce build experience. WebFX is the better fit when you want a broad marketing partner and the Shopify build is secondary to SEO, paid media and analytics. 1Digital Agency is a third path worth weighing, and this guide explains how to decide using criteria rather than brand names.
One note on scope: this article does not compare named agencies on invented facts. Neither agency's pricing, team size or case results are quoted here, because those change and you should verify them directly. What follows is a framework you can apply to any Shopify Plus partner, plus where 1Digital Agency fits.
What Shopify Plus development actually involves
Shopify Plus is the enterprise tier of Shopify. Development work on it typically falls into these buckets:
- Theme and storefront builds: custom Liquid themes, section architecture and checkout-adjacent design.
- Checkout customization: Plus unlocks checkout extensibility that lower tiers do not offer.
- Integrations: ERP, inventory, CRM, subscriptions, loyalty and email platforms.
- Migrations: moving products, customers, orders and redirects from another platform without losing rankings.
- Performance and QA: Core Web Vitals, app bloat cleanup and mobile testing.
An agency that is strong in only one or two of these will leave gaps. Ask which buckets are done in-house and which are subcontracted.
Development-led vs marketing-led agencies
| Factor | Development-led agency | Marketing-led agency | What to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core strength | Builds, theme code, integrations | Traffic, SEO, paid media | Who writes the code? |
| Best for | Replatforms and custom features | Growth after launch | Is this a build or a growth project? |
| Risk | Thin post-launch marketing | Generic builds, templated themes | Can I see Plus-specific work? |
| Team structure | Developers and designers lead | Account managers lead | Will I talk to the developer? |
| Pricing model | Project or retainer | Monthly retainer | What is out of scope? |
Use that table as your sorting tool. If your roadmap is a replatform, a custom checkout or a heavy integration stack, lean toward the development-led option. If your store already runs well and the bottleneck is traffic, lean toward the marketing-led one.
Five questions to ask any Shopify Plus agency
- Which Shopify Plus stores have you launched? Ask for live URLs, not screenshots.
- Who does the development? In-house staff, contractors or an offshore partner.
- How do you handle migrations and redirects? A weak answer here costs organic traffic.
- What happens after launch? Look for defined support terms, not vague availability.
- How do you measure success? Conversion rate, page speed and revenue per visitor beat vanity metrics.
Where 1Digital Agency fits
1Digital Agency builds websites on WorkspaceCMS and is not a Shopify Plus specialist. If your project is a full Shopify Plus build with custom checkout extensibility and ERP integrations, hire a partner whose daily work is Shopify. Where 1Digital Agency fits is the web presence around the store: brand and marketing sites, landing pages, content hubs and an SEO foundation that supports a storefront's growth.
That split is common. Many ecommerce brands run the store on Shopify and keep editorial and campaign pages on a separate site they control. 1Digital Agency covers that second half. Forms are available on every WorkspaceCMS plan, and booking and scheduling come with Growth and Premium. Ongoing SEO and AI campaigns are a separate add-on, not part of a website plan.
How to decide in one afternoon
- Write down your top three goals for the next 12 months.
- Mark each as build, integrate, migrate or grow.
- Shortlist agencies whose main work matches the majority of those marks.
- Request a scoped proposal from each, with deliverables listed line by line.
- Check references on stores of similar size and catalog complexity.
Choose on fit to your roadmap, not on brand size. A large marketing agency can be excellent and still be wrong for a code-heavy replatform, and a build specialist can be wrong for a store that needs content and search growth.
Shopify Plus Agency FAQ
Is Coalition Technologies or WebFX better for Shopify Plus development?
Coalition Technologies leans development-led, so it suits build-heavy Shopify Plus projects. WebFX leans marketing-led, so it suits teams that want SEO, paid media and analytics under one roof. Verify current capabilities, pricing and references with each before committing.
Does 1Digital Agency build Shopify Plus stores?
No. 1Digital Agency builds sites on WorkspaceCMS. It fits the marketing, content and landing-page layer that sits alongside a store, with an SEO foundation included in the build.
What should a Shopify Plus development contract include?
It should list deliverables, integration scope, migration and redirect handling, QA and testing, post-launch support terms and ownership of code and accounts. Anything not listed is out of scope, so push for specifics.