Have your web shop built on Shopify or WooCommerce
BIST Consulting builds and maintains web shops on Shopify and WooCommerce for companies. Whether you are launching a new online shop or developing the one you have, we set it up, design it to match your brand and remain your dedicated contact after launch.
What does it mean to have a web shop built?
Having a web shop built means handing setup, design and technical customisation to a service provider instead of assembling the shop yourself from a website builder. BIST works with two proven platforms for this: Shopify, a hosted shop system with a monthly subscription, and WooCommerce, the shop extension for WordPress that runs on your own server. Which one fits depends on your range of products, the systems you already use and how much control over data and technology you want to keep.
Services
Shopify
Your shop on Shopify, set up and designed to match your brand.
- Hosted: Shopify takes care of servers, security updates and payment processing for a monthly subscription
- Design based on a suitable theme
- Products, variants, shipping rules and payment methods set up
- Apps or our own customisations where the standard is not enough
WooCommerce
Your shop in WordPress, with full control over data and hosting.
- Shop and content such as guides or a blog in one system
- Design and features to your requirements
- Extensible through plugins
- Hosting in Germany or the EU possible
Support for existing shops
Support for shops that are already live, too.
- Updates to the platform, theme and extensions
- Bug fixes, new features and adjustments to changed processes
- Moves to another platform, with the data transferred and the new shop tested thoroughly before launch
Typical starting points and our answer
You want to sell your products online for the first time and are looking for a platform that grows with your business.
Shopify takes care of servers, security updates and payment processing for a monthly subscription. We set up the shop, add products, shipping rules and payment methods and design it to match your brand.
ShopifyYour existing shop has aged, loads slowly or can only be extended with considerable effort.
We bring the platform, theme and extensions up to date or move the shop, including your data, to another platform.
Support for existing shopsYou are considering a move from WooCommerce to Shopify or the other way round and need a sound basis for the decision.
We compare both against your product range and your systems: Shopify is hosted, while WooCommerce runs in WordPress on your own server, with full control over data and hosting.
WooCommerceUpdates, security and small changes take up too much of your team's time, and you would like a dedicated contact.
We handle updates to the platform, theme and extensions, fix bugs and make changes.
Support for existing shopsCustomers keep asking the same questions about products, shipping and returns.
Our AI chatbot SOPHAI answers such questions in the shop from your own texts and your product feed, names the source and shows matching products.
SOPHAI
From our projects
Konditorei Carlotta: web shop on WooCommerce
For Konditorei Carlotta, we set up a web shop on WooCommerce. Shop and website thus sit in one WordPress system in which products and content are managed together.
4Classics: web shop on WooCommerce
We also built the web shop for 4Classics on WooCommerce, from setup to adapting it to the client's requirements.
salzhaut: from WooCommerce to Shopify
For salzhaut, we first built a shop on WooCommerce and later moved it to Shopify. A change like this can be planned well when products, content and processes are recorded carefully beforehand.
Technologies we work with
Platforms
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
Why BIST
Research meets practice
We know new AI concepts from research before they reach finished products.
Data protection from the start
As TÜV-certified data protection officers, we plan every solution so that your data stays protected.
Consulting and implementation from a single source
We support you from the first conversation through to operation.
Vendor-independent
We are not tied to any vendor and recommend what suits your task.
Two dedicated contacts
Both founders know your project. You always speak to someone who builds it.
Frequently asked questions
Shopify or WooCommerce: which suits my shop better?
Shopify is hosted: the provider looks after servers and security, in return you pay a subscription and fees and are bound by its rules. WooCommerce is a free extension for WordPress that runs on your own hosting and gives you full control over data and code, but needs more maintenance. We build both, are tied to neither platform and recommend in the intro call what suits your products, budget and team.
What does it cost to have a web shop built?
That depends on the scope. One-off costs cover setup, design, customisation and importing your product data; ongoing costs are the Shopify subscription with apps or, for WooCommerce, hosting and extensions, plus payment fees and maintenance. We work as a project with an agreed scope and price or with a monthly budget of hours, and we set out the framework after the free intro call.
Do you also move existing shops to another platform?
Yes. Before a move, we record which products, content and features come along and what will be solved differently on the new platform. That way you know in advance what changes and when the new shop goes live.
Does my shop have to be accessible?
Since 28 June 2025, Germany's Accessibility Strengthening Act has applied to many shops that sell to consumers. Whether your shop is covered depends, among other things, on the size of your company and on whom you sell to. Please have this checked legally. We take contrast, keyboard operation and alternative texts into account in design and implementation.
How do you handle data protection in the shop?
A shop processes order and payment data and often integrates other services. As TÜV-certified data protection officers, we make sure from setup onwards that only the services you need are included, that consent for tracking is obtained properly and that data processing agreements are taken into account.
Do you look after the shop after launch?
Yes. After launch, you can book maintenance and further development through a monthly budget of hours: updates to the platform, theme and extensions, smaller adjustments and new features. You have two dedicated contacts who know your shop.
Let’s talk about your project
Before we write a proposal, we take the time to understand your company and your requirements. The intro call is free of charge.
Book an intro call