01
Performance budget
A written limit for page weight, scripts and images, with Core Web Vitals checked on mobile before launch and after each release.
Custom Shopify theme development in Dubai built to your brand and your speed budget.
A theme written for your catalogue, not adapted from a marketplace template. Editable by your team, fast on a mid-range phone, and handed over with the code and the knowledge. Every section has a reason to exist, every setting is named in plain language, and nothing ships that your merchandiser cannot change on a Friday afternoon without calling us.
Custom themeAED 14,500
Timeline6 to 8 weeks
Built onOnline Store 2.0, Liquid
HandoverGit repo and training
Custom Shopify theme development means designing and coding a theme specifically for your brand, using Online Store 2.0, Liquid, editable sections and metaobjects. Our custom themes cost AED 14,500 excluding 5% VAT and take 6 to 8 weeks, including Arabic RTL, a performance budget, accessibility checks and team training.
Updated · Prices in AED, excluding 5% VAT
- Fixed price in writingScope and AED price agreed before work starts
- You own everythingStore, domain, code and accounts in your name
- 30-day fix windowBugs after launch are fixed at no charge
- Reply in one working dayFrom a senior person, not a form robot
Under the hood
Online Store 2.0, written the way Shopify intends.
We build on JSON templates, so every page is made of sections your team can add, reorder and remove in the theme editor. Reusable blocks keep the code small. Liquid handles the rendering, a thin layer of JavaScript handles interaction, and nothing loads unless the page needs it. The result is a theme that is easy to maintain, not a one-off that only its author understands.
- JSON templates and section schemas with sensible settings
- Snippets and blocks reused across templates
- Native product media, variants and selling plans
- Minimal JavaScript, no jQuery dependency
Content you control
Metaobjects and metafields instead of hard-coded text.
Ingredients, materials, size guides, store locations, press quotes and lookbooks live as structured content, not pasted into product descriptions. Your merchandiser edits a metaobject once and every product that references it updates. It also gives search engines clean, consistent data and makes the Arabic version far easier to keep in step with English.
- Custom product fields for specs and care
- Reusable size guides and shipping notes
- Lookbook and editorial sections from structured entries
- Bilingual content stored side by side
Engineering standards
What we hold every theme to.
These are targets we set and test, not guarantees about your store's results. Each one is written into the project brief, checked at the QA stage and listed in the handover notes, so a future developer knows what standard the theme was built to and can keep to it.
02
Accessibility
Keyboard navigation, focus states, colour contrast, form labels and meaningful alt text, tested against WCAG 2.2 AA guidance.
03
Arabic RTL
Logical CSS properties so layouts mirror correctly, plus Arabic type, numerals and switcher behaviour.
04
Image strategy
Responsive sources, correct aspect ratios and lazy loading, so layout never jumps.
05
Third-party discipline
Every script and app is justified, deferred or replaced with native code where we can.
Workflow
Git, staging and review, every week.
The theme lives in a repository connected to a development store, so changes are reviewed before they touch the live site.
- Week 1
Audit and component plan
We list every section and template needed and decide what is custom, what is native.
- Weeks 1 to 3
Design system in Figma
Type, spacing, components and key templates in English and Arabic, signed off before code.
- Weeks 3 to 6
Build on a dev store
Branches per feature, pull request review, weekly staging links you can open on your phone.
- Weeks 6 to 7
QA and performance pass
Cross-browser and device testing, accessibility review, speed budget check.
- Week 8
Launch and handover
Publish, monitor, then train your team and deliver the repository and documentation.
Custom or premium
A premium theme is not a mistake.
Premium themes are a sensible start for many brands. This is where each wins.
| Premium theme | Custom theme | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | Theme licence plus setup, lower overall | AED 14,500 with us |
| Design uniqueness | Shared with other stores | Designed for your brand only |
| Speed | Carries unused features | Only the code you use |
| Unusual features | Needs apps or workarounds | Built into the theme |
| Arabic RTL quality | Depends on the theme | Designed and tested in |
| Best for | New brands, simple catalogues | Distinct brands, complex catalogues, speed targets |
Our launch tier starts from a refined premium theme at AED 4,950. Upgrade to custom when the brand needs it.
Stack and handover
What you receive at the end.
Code
- Liquid and JSON templates
- Modern CSS with logical properties
- Vanilla JavaScript modules
- GitHub or GitLab repository
Documentation
- Section and settings guide
- Metaobject map
- Deployment steps
- Known limits and next ideas
Training
- Recorded theme editor session
- Content upload walkthrough
- 30-day fix window
- Optional care plan from AED 395/month
Speed is a design decision
We decide what the page weighs before we draw it.
Most slow Shopify stores were slow by design: a full-screen video, five fonts, a slider, a review widget, a chat bubble and a popup, all loading at once. We set the budget first, then design inside it. Hero media is sized for mobile, fonts are limited and preloaded, and apps that touch the storefront are tested one by one. When a feature would break the budget, we tell you the trade-off and let you choose with the facts in front of you.
- Hero and product images served at the right size per device
- Two font families at most, preloaded, with a fallback that avoids layout shift
- Apps loaded only on the pages that need them
- Speed report attached to the launch sign-off
Pricing
A fixed price for the theme.
Custom theme work is AED 14,500 excluding 5% VAT. Payment is 30% at start, 40% at design sign-off and 30% at launch.
Custom theme
AED 14,5006 to 8 weeks
Design, code, QA and handover for one store.
- Figma design system
- Custom Online Store 2.0 theme
- Arabic RTL and English
- Performance and accessibility pass
- Repository and training
Add-ons
Scoped
Extra features priced after we see the brief.
- Additional languages
- Custom apps and integrations
- Shopify Plus checkout work
- Content and product loading
Who we are not for
When we are the wrong choice.
A fair view, so you do not pay for more than you need.
01
Budgets under AED 14,500
A premium theme set up well looks good and sells. Our Shopify setup starts at AED 3,450 and a launch store at AED 4,950.
02
You change the design every season
A custom theme is built to last. If you redesign often, a flexible premium theme with good sections may suit you better.
03
Very complex catalogues or B2B rules
Wholesale pricing, several storefronts or very large catalogues point to Shopify Plus or headless instead.
Based in Dubai, working remotely
Zelqori is a Dubai-based ecommerce and performance marketing agency.
Zelqori builds ecommerce websites and runs performance marketing for premium brands across Dubai, the rest of the UAE, the GCC and globally. We are based in Dubai and work remotely by design: projects run on Gulf Standard Time over Google Meet, WhatsApp and a shared project channel, and we meet clients in Dubai by appointment.
- Based in DubaiDubai time (GST), replies within one working day
- Remote by designGoogle Meet and WhatsApp, meetings in Dubai by appointment
- Dubai, GCC, globalUAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and beyond
- One teamThe store, the ads and the tracking built by the same people
A store only sells when the right people see it. See our performance marketing →
Design studies
Work that shows how we think.
Stores and systems we designed and engineered to show how we approach a brief like yours.
Maison Verre
A design study of a luxury Shopify Plus theme: editorial collections, a sticky purchase panel and an enquiry form for high-value pieces.
Oud Atelier
A design study showing how we handle a bilingual Shopify store with real right-to-left layout and instalments through Tabby.
Questions
Answers before you call.
Prices are in AED and exclude 5% VAT.
Our custom Shopify theme is AED 14,500 excluding 5% VAT and takes 6 to 8 weeks. That covers design, build, Arabic RTL, QA and handover. Larger scopes with integrations or Plus checkout work are priced separately.
It can be, because it carries only the code your store uses. We set a performance budget and test against it, but speed also depends on images, apps and third-party scripts after launch.
Yes. We build with Online Store 2.0 sections and metaobjects so your team edits pages and content in the theme editor. We record a training session and write the guide.
Yes. You receive the repository and documentation at handover, so you are never tied to us.
Often, yes. We review its quality first. If the base is sound we extend it; if it fights us, we will say so and advise a rebuild.
Yes. RTL is built in from design, using logical CSS and tested with Arabic content, not mirrored at the end.
It helps by delivering clean markup, structured data and faster pages. Rankings still depend on content, links and competition, so we make no promises about positions.
You get 30 days of fixes. After that, choose a care plan from AED 395 per month or request work as needed.
Read next
Start a project
Show us the brand. We will show you the theme.
Share your references, catalogue size and launch date. You get a scoped plan and a fixed AED price.