Shopify · Melbourne
A Shopify expert in Melbourne, for makers, shops and small brands.
I build, fix and speed up Shopify stores for Melbourne creative businesses. One person across the build, the product-page SEO and the order admin, paid once, no monthly retainer.
I'm Eric, and The Quiet Engine is a one-person studio in Preston, in Melbourne's inner north. If you sell online, or you're about to, I set up Shopify the way a working shop actually needs it: a store that loads fast, reads well on a phone, gets found on Google, and quietly handles the admin behind every order.
Most of the businesses I work with are not enterprise. They are makers, jewellers, ceramicists, dealers and small retailers doing real revenue who do not have time to wrestle with theme code, app settings and SEO at midnight. I take that off the table.
Everything is one-time and scope-based. When the project ends, the store is yours: your Shopify account, your domain, your theme, your data. No lock-in, no monthly fee to me, and a fixed quote in writing within 24 hours of a 20-minute call.
What I do on Shopify
Shopify store build
A complete store set up from scratch on a theme that fits your brand, with collections, products, checkout, shipping and tax configured properly for an Australian business.
Shopify SEO
The work that gets a Shopify store found: rewritten product and collection titles, descriptions, metafields and structured data, so you stop being invisible on Google and start showing up for what you actually sell.
Product page refresh
A cleaner product-page layout that actually converts the visitor once they land, instead of a pretty page that loses the sale at the last step.
Migration to Shopify
Moving from Squarespace, Wix, WooCommerce or Big Cartel to Shopify without losing your products, your URLs or your search rankings.
Speed and technical health
Image and theme optimisation so the store passes Core Web Vitals and stops losing mobile shoppers to a slow load.
Apps and reviews
Reviews, email capture and the handful of apps worth installing, set up cleanly instead of bloating the store with twelve you do not need.
Order and admin automation
Connecting Shopify to the tools you already use so paid orders, shipping and bookkeeping update themselves instead of you copying data between tabs.
When it is worth hiring someone
- You have more than a handful of products and inventory you actually need to track.
- You are launching a brand and want the store right the first time, not rebuilt in six months.
- You are on Squarespace or Big Cartel and outgrowing it, but scared of losing your Google rankings in a move.
- Your store works but it is slow, hard to find, or every order means ten minutes of manual admin.
- You would rather spend your hours making the work than learning Shopify theme code.
Recent Shopify work
A B2B and dealer Shopify store for an Australian electric-vehicle brand: wholesale catalogue, dealer pricing and a clean ex-GST setup.
Shopify Prestige store for a Melbourne fashion label: SEO, Google Business Profile, analytics, order automation and a bespoke landing page.
Real projects, shown with permission. I keep the client list short on purpose.
What it costs
Starting prices, one-time, scope-based. Final fixed quote after a short call. Full pricing.
Common questions
How much does it cost to set up a Shopify store in Australia?
A full store build starts at $2,500 AUD as a one-time, scope-based job. Simple catalogues land near that figure; larger stores with many products, custom sections or B2B pricing are quoted after a short call. On top of that you pay Shopify directly for their monthly plan, which is yours and starts around $40 AUD a month.
Will I own my Shopify store when it is done?
Yes, completely. The Shopify account is in your name, the domain is yours, and the theme and data go with you. I do not hold logins hostage and there is no monthly fee to me after the build.
Can you migrate my Squarespace or Big Cartel shop to Shopify?
Yes. I move your products, set up redirects from your old URLs so you keep your Google rankings, and rebuild the look on a Shopify theme. Migrations are quoted to scope based on the number of products, pages and integrations.
Why is my Shopify store not showing up on Google?
Usually one of a few things: product and collection pages with generic titles, no structured data, a theme that loads slowly on mobile, or the store was never properly submitted to Google. Shopify SEO fixes all of those. I start with a quick audit so you know which one is costing you traffic before you spend anything.
Do you offer ongoing Shopify support?
The work is sold one-time, but I honour what I build. If something I set up breaks, I fix it. For peace of mind beyond launch, ask me about a light ongoing arrangement instead of a locked-in retainer.
Is Shopify the right platform for a small Melbourne business?
If you sell more than a few products with real inventory, usually yes. If you only need a one-page portfolio with the occasional sale, Squarespace or Big Cartel can be enough, and I will tell you that honestly rather than sell you a Shopify build you do not need.
Thinking about your store?
Tell me what you sell and where you are now. I will give you a straight read on whether Shopify is the right move and a fixed quote in writing, no pressure, no jargon.
Get in touch