How to Brief a Shopify Agency: The Exact Template We Use

The quality of the brief you send an agency directly determines the quality of the proposal you receive. A vague brief gets vague proposals. A precise brief gets precise proposals — with accurate budgets, realistic timelines, and agencies who actually understand what they're getting into.

Most merchants underinvest in their brief. They send a few bullet points or a short email and hope agencies will figure out the rest. The result is proposals that are incomparable (agencies have interpreted the brief differently), scopes that drift from day one, and costs that escalate unpredictably.

Here is the exact framework for a Shopify agency brief that gets you better outcomes.

Section 1: Company Overview (1 page max)

Give agencies the context they need to understand your brand, your market, and your customers. This isn't marketing copy — it's background information to help the agency understand your world.

• What your business does and what you sell
• Your target audience — who buys from you and why
• Your current annual revenue range (approximate is fine)
• Key competitors — who do you respect in your category?
• Your brand personality and any brand guidelines you have
• Current platform — what are you migrating from, or is this a new build?

Section 2: Project Objectives

Be specific about what success looks like. Agencies need to understand the business problem you're solving — not just the deliverable you want. Good objectives are measurable.

• What is the primary business goal? (e.g. improve conversion rate from 1.8% to 2.5%, reduce cart abandonment, launch into 3 new markets)
• What are the secondary goals? (e.g. reduce page load time, improve mobile experience, enable wholesale B2B)
• What does failure look like? What outcome would make this project a disappointment?
• What is the must-have outcome vs. nice-to-have outcome?

Section 3: Scope of Work

List every page, feature, and integration you need. Be exhaustive. Anything not in the brief risks becoming a change request later.

• Pages required: homepage, collection pages, product pages, cart, checkout, about, contact, blog, custom pages
• Custom features: product configurators, subscription logic, wholesale pricing, multi-currency, loyalty integration
• Third-party integrations: ERP, CRM, email marketing, loyalty, reviews, returns management
• Shopify plan: standard Shopify or Shopify Plus? (determines checkout customisation options)
• Content: will you provide copy and images, or does the agency need to source/create them?
• Data migration: what needs to move from your existing platform? (products, customers, orders, reviews)

Section 4: Technical Requirements

• Current app stack: list every app you currently use and want to keep
• Custom integrations: any existing API connections to other systems
• Performance requirements: specific PageSpeed targets, if any
• Accessibility requirements: WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, if required
• Multi-language or multi-currency requirements
• Any known technical constraints or legacy code issues

Section 5: Design Direction

Even if you're using a theme rather than building from scratch, give agencies your design direction to help them scope correctly.

• Brand assets: do you have a full brand identity (logo, fonts, colour palette, imagery guidelines)?
• Inspiration sites: share 3–5 Shopify stores you admire and say specifically what you like about each
• Existing assets: what photography, video, and copy do you already have vs. need created?
• Theme preference: open to premium themes, or looking for a bespoke custom build?

Section 6: Timeline & Budget

Be transparent about both. Agencies calibrate their proposals to your budget — if you hide your budget, you'll get proposals ranging from $5,000 to $150,000 with no way to compare them fairly.

• Target launch date — is it fixed (e.g. tied to a product launch or sale period) or flexible?
• Budget range — give a range rather than a single number (e.g. '$15,000–$25,000 for the initial build')
• Ongoing budget — are you looking for ongoing support/retainer post-launch?
• Payment preference — milestone-based is standard; note if you require specific terms

Section 7: Selection Criteria

Tell agencies how you'll evaluate proposals. This signals professionalism and helps agencies tailor their response to what actually matters to you.

• Relevant Shopify experience (specific industry or project type)
• Team quality and named individuals who will work on the project
• Proposed approach and methodology
• References from comparable projects
• Price and value
• Communication style and cultural fit

Section 8: Process & Next Steps

• Proposal deadline — give agencies at least 7–10 business days to respond properly
• Proposal format — ask for: executive summary, proposed approach, team bios, timeline, itemised budget, references
• Q&A process — will you hold a group briefing call, or answer questions by email?
• Decision timeline — when will you notify the successful agency?
• Contract terms — note any specific contract requirements upfront (e.g. IP ownership, confidentiality)