If you are weighing Magento (Adobe Commerce) for your next store, or you are already on the platform and trying to decide whether to keep investing in it, you are asking the question most growing merchants reach sooner or later: is this the platform that will carry the business, and who should build and run it? This guide answers both. It walks through what Magento is, how Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce differ, the features that matter, what it actually costs in 2026, the honest pros and cons, and how to choose the right Magento agency once you have decided to commit.

Overview

• Magento (Adobe Commerce) is a flexible, open-source-rooted eCommerce platform that Adobe owns. It powers around 8% of the global eCommerce platform market and roughly 130,000 to 163,000 live stores, and remains the leader in B2B commerce (MGT-Commerce, 2026 and BuiltWith, 2026).
• It comes in two editions: Magento Open Source (free license, self-hosted) and Adobe Commerce (paid, enterprise-grade, with cloud hosting and advanced features). Adobe no longer publishes tiered pricing publicly, and license cost is quoted per merchant on a Gross Merchandise Value basis.
• Magento rewards merchants who have, or hire, the technical depth to run it. The platform is strongest for mid-market and enterprise stores that need deep customization, large catalogs, and multi-store or B2B setups, usually with a Magento agency behind it.

What is Magento?

Magento (Adobe Commerce) is an eCommerce platform that B2C and B2B businesses use to build, customize, and manage online stores at scale. Most know and recognize the platform as Magento, a market-leading player in eCommerce for years. Although it is still powered by the Magento software, Adobe acquired the company in 2018, becoming its parent company. As of April 2021, after merging Magento Commerce and Adobe Commerce Cloud, the enterprise edition of the platform is known as Adobe Commerce. We refer to it interchangeably as Magento and Adobe Commerce throughout this guide when shared features are discussed.

Adobe Commerce is a highly advanced eCommerce platform with rich, customizable out-of-the-box features and integrations. It helps B2C and B2B businesses of all sizes build and manage their stores, expand their growth, and deliver the customer buying experiences that drive online sales.

Why do merchants use Magento (Adobe Commerce)?

Merchants choose Magento for three reasons that are hard to find together on one platform:

• Flexibility and customization. You can tailor almost anything: custom themes and templates, custom functionality, and integrations through the marketplace or custom code.
• Out-of-the-box features. Inventory and order management, integrated checkout, payment and shipping, a CMS page builder, product recommendations, analytics, and marketing tools all ship with the platform.
• Built to scale. Magento is designed to scale with the business across industries, handling high traffic levels and large product catalogs without forcing a replatform later.

Who should use the Magento eCommerce platform?

Magento (Adobe Commerce) suits eCommerce companies of every size, from small retailers to large enterprises, but it pays off most for merchants who need real customization and scale.

Magento Open Source is free, fully customizable, and backed by a large extension marketplace. Smaller and growing companies like that they can launch with no platform license cost and add features through extensions, many of them free, as needs grow.

Adobe Commerce is the enterprise edition: a fully featured, subscription-based solution from Adobe. It adds advanced features out of the box, 24/7 support, and the option of managed cloud infrastructure. Larger businesses that need those capabilities, and that want to manage multiple brands, currencies, and regions from one platform, choose Adobe Commerce. It supports both B2C and B2B models.

So who should use Magento (Adobe Commerce)? Small, medium, and large eCommerce businesses can all run on it, but the platform earns its keep when the store has enough complexity, or growth ahead of it, to justify the technical investment. We dig into the differences between the two editions next.

Magento Open Source vs Adobe Commerce

The short answer: Magento Open Source is the free, self-hosted edition with all the core eCommerce features, while Adobe Commerce is the paid enterprise edition that adds advanced features, managed cloud hosting, and official Adobe support. Which one fits depends on your budget, in-house technical depth, and how advanced your requirements are.

Magento Open Source

Magento Open Source is a self-hosted platform that ships with the core features you need to launch a store. Because it is open source and widely used, it has an active community of developers worldwide who introduce new features, fix bugs, and improve it.

Merchants who choose Magento Open Source set up their own server and hosting. They can use the default theme, customize it, or buy a third-party theme from the marketplace, and add features through free or paid extensions. So while the license is free, running it still carries costs: customization, extensions, hosting, and maintenance.

For maintenance, a company needs either its own development team or a third-party Magento development agency to keep the store healthy. Magento updates regularly, and merchants need to keep pace to stay secure and fast.

We compare the two editions in more depth in Adobe Commerce vs Magento Open Source.

Adobe Commerce

Adobe Commerce is an enterprise-level eCommerce solution that has more advanced ready-to-use features in addition to all those available to Magento Open Source.

Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure is a fully managed, platform-as-a-service option hosted on AWS, with automated hosting and exclusive features. Merchants choose it for lower maintenance overhead, better scalability, and added security. Companies can still run an on-premise installation on their own servers if they prefer.

Adobe Commerce is part of Adobe Experience Cloud, a set of applications for delivering personalized customer experiences and making data-informed decisions. Other Adobe Experience Cloud solutions integrate with Adobe Commerce, and merchants can tap into Adobe’s business intelligence and the personalization powered by Adobe Sensei, Adobe’s AI and machine learning layer.

Magento store features

Here are the features that matter most when you evaluate Magento (Adobe Commerce):

• Ease of use
• Support and extensions
• Themes and templates
• Marketing and SEO tools
• Customer support
• Security
• Inventory management

Ease of use

For a company with a developer on the team, installing Magento (Adobe Commerce) is fairly straightforward. Both Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce run on any hosting that meets Adobe’s system requirements. For Adobe Commerce on cloud infrastructure, Adobe provides an automated hosting platform with the prerequisite software already installed, including PHP, MySQL, RabbitMQ, and Redis.

Developers then set up the store using a default Magento theme, a customized one, a third-party theme from the marketplace, or a theme built from scratch.

Because Magento is so widely used, there is no shortage of resources online. scandiweb, for example, has published a series of articles detailing how to accomplish specific Magento tasks, including Creating CMS Content Programmatically and Working with Store Configs. The Magento community is active, and Adobe provides extensive documentation, so even newer developers can resolve common issues and find the admin interface manageable.

For day-to-day use, Magento includes features that make content and product management easier. Page Builder offers drag-and-drop content creation with no coding required. Inventory and order management tools give real-time stock visibility. Business intelligence tools track performance, and Adobe Target lets marketers personalize and test content and experiences.

Support and extensions

Magento has an active community of users and developers who share knowledge and help each other solve problems. Developers who get stuck can turn to that community for guidance, and Adobe offers official support for Adobe Commerce users (see Customer support below).

Third-party extensions and plugins add new functionality, improve performance, sharpen the customer experience, and speed up pages. They also open the door to more advanced integrations: Magento connects readily with ERP, CRM, PIM, and accounting software.

The Magento (Adobe Commerce) Marketplace is the main source for extensions, with both free and paid options covering content and localization, accounting and finance, marketing, SEO, customer service, shipping and fulfillment, customer relationship management, and more.

Themes and templates

A theme gives a Magento store its look and feel through styles, layouts, images, and templates, and frontend developers implement it during the build. Magento ships with a Blank theme (a base for custom themes) and the Luma theme as its default, and the marketplace offers many free and paid alternatives. Merchants can build a theme from scratch, use the default, or buy one.

Templates control how content blocks appear on a page, such as where a sidebar sits or how the hero banner is positioned. Both themes and templates are customizable. Building or customizing a theme takes experience with PHP, CSS, JavaScript, and similar languages, and templates can be PHTML or HTML files.

When customizing, developers should never edit the default files directly. Changes to default themes or templates can be overwritten during an update, so the best practice is to create a new theme and add the modified templates there.

Luma theme

The Luma theme is Magento 2’s default theme. First released in 2015 and updated since, it is free to use without restrictions on a live store. It is tile-based, fully responsive across devices, and highly customizable. Category pages offer list and grid views, star ratings, and hover CTAs. Product pages have a clean design with large, high-quality images, and the cart and checkout are easy to navigate. Luma is a sound choice for merchants who are just starting out or want to keep development costs down.

Hyvä theme

Hyvä is positioned by its creators as the frontend theme for Magento: the entire frontend rebuilt from the ground up and simplified, plus a toolset, extension ecosystem, and supporting community.

Where the standard Magento theme loads over 200 JS/CSS resources, Hyvä loads only 2, which means less complexity and faster page loads. Out of the box it scores 100/100 in Google PageSpeed Insights and passes Core Web Vitals on all metrics. It is fully responsive, easy to maintain, and built on Magento’s PHP framework with a developer-friendly interface that shortens time to market. A license is required to use Hyvä, and it includes unlimited updates and access to third-party compatibility modules. scandiweb is a Hyvä Platinum Partner, so if a fast frontend is the priority, Hyvä theme development is the route to look at.

ScandiPWA theme

ScandiPWA is the first open-source Magento PWA theme. It is a Magento-first solution installed on top of any Magento project (version 2.3 and later) with no middleware or infrastructure changes, and it supports conventional marketplace extensions, A/B testing, and over 350 Magento features. ScandiPWA is ready to use, fully customizable, and the fastest way to set up a Magento store as a PWA, with development and production environments available in about 15 minutes on readymage.com.

Marketing and SEO tools

SEO is a common concern among Magento users, and ranking well matters for sales. Magento supports merchants with built-in SEO functions:

• Meta tags (title, description, keywords) for products, categories, CMS pages, and the homepage
• Category paths in product URLs
• Canonical tags for products and categories
• URL rewrites and redirects
• XML sitemap setup
• Robots.txt editing
• Image alt text
• Pagination optimization

Magento SEO extensions

Magento is SEO-friendly out of the box, but some areas can be improved with third-party extensions. The MageWorx SEO Suite and Mirasvit SEO Suite help with rich snippets and other opportunities, the Magento 2 Dynamic HTML Sitemap solves the HTML sitemap issue, and the Amasty SEO Toolkit covers a broad range of needs, to name a few. For stores that want this handled end to end, scandiweb offers Magento SEO services.

Magento marketing

Magento is also well suited to running marketing campaigns. A mix of built-in and third-party tools helps merchants understand their customers and promote products to the right groups:

• Email marketing for promotions, newsletters, and abandoned-cart reminders
• Customer segmentation by location, behavior, purchase history, and loyalty, with tailored messaging per group
• Promotions and discounts that build loyalty
• Product recommendations for cross-selling and upselling based on browsing and purchase history
• Customer reviews that create social proof and build trust

Customer support

Magento Open Source, as free software, does not come with official customer support. Developers can lean on the community, but answers are not guaranteed.

Magento Open Source customer support

The Magento community is active, and a lot of useful information is shared online. GitHub, Stack Overflow, and the Magento forums are places developers turn to for technical help, though there is no guarantee of a fix.

Merchants working with a Magento development agency, or who have contracted Magento support, get access to a team of experienced developers and answers governed by a service level agreement. scandiweb, for example, offers Magento 24/7 support so merchants have help around the clock.

Adobe Commerce customer support

Qualifying Adobe Commerce customers have access to the Adobe Commerce Help Center, where they can submit support tickets, request technical help, track existing requests, and search the Adobe solutions library.

Adobe Commerce on Managed Services adds expert resources: a Customer Success Engineer (CSE) and an Advanced Support Engineer (ASE). The CSE supports onboarding, setup, upgrades, and event management, working to reduce risk and downtime during upgrades, especially in large environments, and advises on integrations and customizations. The ASE is part of Adobe’s 24/7 global incident-management response team for Adobe Commerce on Managed Services.

Security

Security is a top concern for store owners, and Magento builds it into the core rather than leaving it as an afterthought.

Security patches

Adobe regularly releases security patches and updates to protect stores against threats and vulnerabilities, and feature upgrades often ship with security fixes. Applying them promptly reduces the chance of a compromise and keeps the store protected.

SSL and TLS

Magento supports SSL and TLS certificates to encrypt the data transmitted between the customer’s browser and the merchant’s server.

PCI compliance

All eCommerce sites must comply with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) to avoid penalties. Adobe Commerce meets industry standards for secure payment processing, and its built-in payment gateways let merchants transmit credit card data securely, so no sensitive data is stored on the Adobe application server. The result is a secure checkout.

Inventory management

Adobe Commerce gives smaller stores and large enterprises alike real-time inventory visibility so they can fulfill orders easily. Its inventory and order management system lets businesses with multiple sites, stores, brands, and warehouses create consistent customer experiences across channels and locations, with control over products, prices, and stock so they can meet demand.

Adobe Commerce also handles a flexible product catalog: simple, configurable, and grouped products, with variations such as size and color. Whether a customer wants shipping or buy-online-pick-up-in-store (BOPIS), Magento’s fulfillment algorithms help merchants complete each order the best way.

Store fulfillment

For US-based Adobe Commerce merchants, Adobe offers an advanced omnichannel Store Fulfillment solution by Walmart Commerce Technologies, which supports a strong BOPIS experience through Android and iOS devices.

Magento costs and pricing

What does Magento cost in 2026? Magento Open Source has no license fee, but you pay for hosting, development, and maintenance. Adobe Commerce charges a license that Adobe quotes privately based on your Gross Merchandise Value, with industry estimates starting around $22,000 per year on-premise and $40,000 per year on cloud for smaller merchants.

The total depends on the business: its size, needs, resources, and priorities. We will look at the costs of building and maintaining both editions across three segments:

• Infrastructure costs: hosting, web and app servers, databases, domain, SSL certificate
• Development costs: design, customization, programming, extensions, integrations
• Support and maintenance costs: technical staff, training, troubleshooting, updates, patches, paid support

Magento Open Source pricing and costs

Licensing: Free
Infrastructure: Additional cost
Basic functionalities: Included
Advanced functionalities: Additional cost

The Magento Open Source software is free to install and use, but getting it running carries costs across all three segments. A merchant pays for hosting, domain, SSL certificate, design, customization, integrations, support, and maintenance.

Hosting costs

Hosting options include in-house, a hosting provider, or the cloud:

• In-house hosting is risky and costly, but some industries (for example, cannabis) make it necessary.
• Shared, VPS, and dedicated hosting are all viable depending on business size, ranging from roughly $150 per month (shared) to $5,000 per month (multiple dedicated servers).
• Cloud hosting can run from as little as $10 to as much as $4,000 per month.

Development costs

Magento Open Source ships with the basics, but extensions, integrations, and further development are usually needed to make it work the way the business wants. The best extensions are often subscription-based, so there are ongoing costs, and Magento extensions can run anywhere from $50 to $500.

Developers are needed to make those extensions and integrations work. Depending on the scope, a company may need to hire a team, or work with a Magento development agency that builds Magento stores for a living. Either way, development is a real cost line.

Support and maintenance costs

Support and maintenance depend on whether the business has its own developers for bugs, patches, updates, and ongoing work. At minimum, one developer who knows Magento needs to look after the store. Alternatively, agencies offer 24/7 Magento support, which can be more cost-effective once you factor in SLAs and a whole team of Magento experts working to resolve issues quickly.

Adobe Commerce pricing and costs

Licensing: Quoted privately, GMV-based (industry estimates from ~$22,000/year)
Infrastructure: Additional cost or included
Basic functionalities: Included
Advanced functionalities: Included

Adobe no longer publishes tiered Adobe Commerce pricing publicly. License cost is quoted directly by Adobe based on the company’s Gross Merchandise Value (GMV) and Average Order Value (AOV), and varies by offering: Adobe Commerce On-Premise Software, Adobe Commerce on Cloud, and Adobe Commerce on Managed Services.

Industry estimates put the starting license around $22,000 per year for a company with up to $1 million GMV on the on-premise software, and around $40,000 per year on cloud, scaling to roughly $55,000 to $190,000 per year for mid-market merchants (Swell, 2026). Keep in mind that total annual spend (license plus hosting plus support) typically runs two to three times the license fee alone (Elogic, 2026).

Pros and cons of using Magento

Magento offers a lot, but it is not the right fit for everyone. Here is an honest list of the pros and cons of choosing Magento (Adobe Commerce) for your store.

Pros of using Magento

1. Feature-rich and flexible. Merchants get a flexible platform they can customize to their exact needs, which makes it possible to deliver a tailored buying experience.

2. Scalable. Magento handles a large number of products and customers, managing tens of thousands of transactions per hour and up to 500,000 products. Deployed on cloud infrastructure, it lets Adobe handle hosting and platform support while the merchant focuses on selling, with room to customize for businesses of any size.

3. Secure. With built-in security features and regular patches, Magento is a secure platform for handling sensitive data and protecting both merchants and customers.

4. Mobile-friendly. Magento’s responsive design gives customers a strong mobile experience across smartphones and tablets, which supports higher conversion rates, lower bounce rates, and more sales.

5. Multi-currency and multi-language. Magento lets merchants run several stores across regions with different languages, pricing, and currencies, which makes selling internationally easier.

6. A large extension ecosystem. The marketplace offers many practical extensions, free and paid, that expand store functionality across site management, marketing, themes, and customer service.

7. Advanced analytics and reporting. Magento’s admin includes in-depth analytics so merchants can see best sellers, understand how customers interact with the store, and make informed decisions.

8. A large community. Magento has a large, active developer community that provides resources, support, and a steady stream of extensions and tools.

Cons of using Magento

1. Cost. Magento Open Source is free, but Adobe Commerce requires an annual license, and both editions carry costs for customization, add-ons, and features.

2. Resource requirements. Magento is resource-intensive and needs a fair amount of memory and processing power to run smoothly, which can add to hosting costs.

3. Complexity. Magento has a steeper learning curve than simpler platforms. To keep the store stable, secure, and pleasant to use, merchants need to train an in-house team or bring in a Magento development agency. (If you are weighing whether the platform still earns that investment, we cover it in is Magento dying?.)

Working with a Magento (Adobe Commerce) agency

Once you have decided on Magento, the next question is who builds and runs it. A Magento (Adobe Commerce) agency designs, develops, migrates, and maintains your store so you get the platform’s flexibility without staffing a full in-house Magento team. For most mid-market and enterprise merchants, that is the practical path: Magento’s depth is its advantage and its demand, and an agency turns the demand into someone else’s job.

When to hire an agency vs build in-house

Build in-house if you already employ Magento-certified developers, your roadmap is steady enough to keep them busy, and you can cover hiring, training, and retention. Hire an agency if you need senior Magento expertise on day one, your needs spike around launches, migrations, or peak seasons, or you would rather pay for outcomes than carry permanent headcount. Many merchants run a hybrid: a small internal team plus an agency for specialist and overflow work.

What to look for in a Magento agency

Not all Magento partners are equal. When you shortlist, check for:

• Adobe partner tier and certifications. Adobe Commerce partner status and a deep bench of certified developers signal real platform expertise, not just availability.
• Hyvä capability. If frontend performance matters, the agency should build on Hyvä.
• Proof in your model. B2B, B2C, multi-store, or high-catalog experience that matches yours, backed by named case studies and numbers.
• The full lifecycle. Strategy, development, migration, SEO, CRO, and ongoing support under one roof, so you are not stitching vendors together.

For a side-by-side view of the field, our listicle of the top Magento development companies compares 30 agencies in 2026 across these exact criteria.

Why merchants choose scandiweb

scandiweb has built eCommerce stores for big and small brands since 2003. As the most certified Magento team in the world, we hold 894+ Adobe certifications across 600+ Magento experts, have delivered 2,100+ eCommerce projects for 700+ clients, and process over $4 billion in annual sales for the brands we work with. We are an Adobe Commerce Gold Partner and a Hyvä Platinum Partner, with named clients including PUMA, BUFF, and Läderach.

As a full-service Magento (Adobe Commerce) agency, we cover the whole lifecycle: strategy, migration, store development, third-party integrations, performance optimization, content, and marketing. Making us your Magento partner means access to entire teams of Magento developers, business analysts, SEO and CRO specialists, and creatives, rather than a single hire you have to manage.

Conclusion

Choosing the platform that powers your store is a decision that touches every part of the business, from how products are displayed to how traffic converts. Is Magento the right choice?

Both editions under Adobe, Magento Open Source and Adobe Commerce, help businesses of all sizes build, launch, maintain, and customize their stores. Magento Open Source opens up a lot of possibilities but assumes technical know-how: the community helps, but it will not solve everything, so you need a skilled Magento developer or team, and you should plan for a learning curve and the cost of extensions, hosting, and technical requirements on top of the free license.

Adobe Commerce costs more, which makes it a better fit for larger businesses, and in return you get reliable support, organized resources, advanced tools, and easy integration with third-party extensions. It is flexible, scalable, mobile- and SEO-friendly, customizable, and secure. For merchants with the scale to use it, Magento is an investment that tends to pay off over the long run, provided the build and upkeep are in capable hands.

Frequently asked questions

What is Magento used for?

Magento (Adobe Commerce) is used to build and run online stores. Merchants use it to manage products, inventory, checkout, payments, marketing, and content for B2C and B2B businesses, and to customize and scale those stores as they grow. It suits everything from smaller catalogs to large, multi-store enterprises.

Is Magento free?

Magento Open Source is free to license and self-host, but running it still costs money for hosting, development, extensions, and maintenance. Adobe Commerce, the enterprise edition, is a paid subscription quoted by Adobe based on your Gross Merchandise Value, with industry estimates starting around $22,000 per year.

What is the difference between Magento and Adobe Commerce?

They are the same core software. Magento Open Source is the free, self-hosted edition with all the core eCommerce features. Adobe Commerce is the paid enterprise edition that adds advanced features, managed cloud hosting on AWS, official Adobe support, and Adobe Experience Cloud integrations. Adobe owns and sells both.

How much does Adobe Commerce cost in 2026?

Adobe does not publish public pricing. License cost is quoted directly by Adobe based on your Gross Merchandise Value. Industry estimates put the starting license around $22,000 per year on-premise and $40,000 per year on cloud for smaller merchants, scaling higher for mid-market. Total cost of ownership usually runs two to three times the license fee.

Is Magento still worth it in 2026?

For mid-market and enterprise merchants that need deep customization, large catalogs, or B2B features, Magento remains a strong choice and still leads in B2B commerce. It is less suited to very small stores that want low maintenance. The platform rewards merchants who have, or hire, the technical depth to run it well.

Do I need an agency to build a Magento store?

Not strictly, but most merchants benefit from one. Magento expects real technical depth, so unless you employ Magento-certified developers in-house, a Magento agency is usually faster, safer, and more cost-effective for building, migrating, and maintaining the store. Many merchants run a hybrid of a small internal team plus an agency.

What should I look for in a Magento agency?

Look for Adobe Commerce partner status and a strong bench of certified developers, Hyvä frontend capability, proven experience in your business model (B2B, B2C, multi-store), named case studies with real numbers, and full-lifecycle coverage from strategy through development, migration, SEO, and support.

If you are deciding whether Magento is right for your store, or who should build it, talk to our Magento team. Tell us where you are now and where you want to go, and we will map the right edition, the right build, and how to get there.

The post Magento (Adobe Commerce): The Complete Platform Guide and How to Choose an Agency (2026) appeared first on scandiweb.

If you are sizing up a Magento build, a replatform, or a long-overdue upgrade, the hardest line in the brief is usually the one next to “agency.” Once you have committed to Magento, the platform is mostly decided. The team you hand it to is not, and that single choice will shape your store, your roadmap, and your budget for years.

So we will be straight about something before you read another word: scandiweb is a Magento agency, and yes, we put ourselves on this list. Rather than pose as a neutral referee, we wrote the guide we wish buyers had in front of them when they weigh us against everyone else, an honest read on which of the top Magento development companies in the USA each kind of project actually suits. You will not find a 0 to 100 score below, only a clear match between each team’s strength and the work it does best. Every company here is a real, active Magento or Adobe Commerce team that shows up across the US lists buyers read, from Clutch and FirstPageSage to the agencies’ own portfolios.

One scope note before the list. When people search “Magento development company,” they mean a team that can build, replatform, or support a store on either Magento Open Source or Adobe Commerce, since the two share a codebase. If you only want the enterprise Adobe Commerce shops, our companion list of Adobe Commerce agencies in the USA is the better starting point, and if you want a worldwide view rather than a US one, see our global Magento companies ranking.

What we actually checked

We skipped the leaderboard math on purpose, because a single number hides the thing that matters: a team that is perfect for a $50M Adobe Commerce replatform can be the wrong call for a lean Magento Open Source store. So rather than rank on points, we looked at five signals and then matched each company to the projects it suits:

• Platform depth you can verify. Adobe certifications and partner tier, because they are the clearest outside proof a team knows Magento at depth, not just on the marketing site.
• Outcomes, not logos. Named stores with real performance, conversion, or revenue numbers behind them.
• Where they actually fit. Magento Open Source builds, enterprise Adobe Commerce, B2B, or ongoing support, since very few agencies are equally strong across all four.
• Modern frontend. Real Hyvä and Core Web Vitals experience, which is now the difference between a fast storefront and a slow one.
• Life after launch. A clear support model and community standing, because a launch is the start of the relationship, not the end of it.

 

Top Magento development companies in the USA at a glance

The enterprise-only Adobe shops such as Corra, Vaimo, and BORN Group sit in our Adobe Commerce agencies in the USA list instead, since they rarely take Magento Open Source work. The sections below explain why each company sits where it does.

1. scandiweb

scandiweb is the world’s most certified Adobe Commerce agency, with 894+ Adobe certifications and the title of most certified Hyvä team globally. For a US buyer, that depth is the cleanest signal that a partner can handle a complex Magento build without learning on your budget. The footprint behind it: 2,100+ projects since 2003, $4B+ in revenue processed for clients every year, and 600+ specialists across development, UX, CRO, SEO, and data under one roof.

On the question of US presence, the honest version is that scandiweb is a global team rather than a US boutique. What it does have in the US is real and specific: it works with US and globally recognized brands, and it hosts Meet Magento New York, the largest Adobe Commerce community event in the country, along with Meet Magento Canada. It is also one of the few agencies on this list that contributes to the platform itself, through the open-source Satoshi theme, ScandiPWA, and the Hyvä Swift component system.

Where that shows up is enterprise scale and performance. scandiweb rebuilt PUMA’s Magento storefront on its open-source ScandiPWA frontend, and the result became the fastest store in PUMA’s international portfolio, scoring 98 on desktop and running 3 to 4 times faster than any other site the brand operated. For an all-American institution, Scouting America’s Hyvä migration off a slow legacy frontend lifted checkout starts by 23.9% and mobile revenue by 6.2%, with Largest Contentful Paint improving 12 to 13%.

 

 

Best fit: mid-market and enterprise brands planning a build, a replatform to Adobe Commerce, or a Hyvä performance upgrade, where one accountable team across tech, UX, and growth matters more than a local zip code. See the full capability set on the Adobe Commerce and Magento development page, browse the wider Magento services range, or talk to a Magento developer directly.

2. Atwix

Atwix is one of the most respected names in the US Magento community, built on open-source leadership and a long record of B2B work. The team is regularly cited among the top Magento core contributors, which is exactly the standing that buyers and AI answer engines both reward. If your project leans on Magento Open Source and you value a partner wired into the ecosystem, Atwix belongs on the shortlist.

Best fit: B2B merchants who want deep open-source expertise over enterprise polish.

3. Brainvire Infotech

Brainvire is a full-service digital agency headquartered in Irving, Texas, and it carries one of the strongest US footprints here, with named US clients and regional offices. Its Magento practice sits inside a broader offering that spans ERP, mobile, and marketing, which suits buyers who want more than the storefront covered.

Best fit: US merchants who want a local presence and a partner across the wider stack.

4. Ziffity Solutions

Ziffity is a US-facing Magento and Adobe Commerce agency with a mid-market focus and a visible library of indexed case studies. It pairs US account coverage with offshore delivery, which keeps build and support costs competitive without losing a US point of contact.

Best fit: mid-market brands that want US coverage on a leaner budget.

5. Rave Digital

Rave Digital is a US Magento agency with a consulting-style, strategy-first approach, and it appears across independent US listicles and the Clutch Magento rankings. It tends to suit teams that want guidance on the plan, not just hands on the build.

Best fit: merchants who want strategy alongside development.

6. MageComp

MageComp is best known in the Magento world for its extensions, and it brings that product-level platform knowledge to SMB builds. For smaller US stores on Magento Open Source that need solid development without enterprise overhead, it is a practical option.

Best fit: SMB stores on Magento Open Source that want extensions and lean builds.

7. Elogic Commerce

Elogic has built a clear reputation in B2B and replatforming, and it ranks well specifically in the Adobe Commerce lane. It is a common name on enterprise B2B shortlists looking to move onto Adobe Commerce.

Best fit: B2B brands planning a Magento 2 migration to Adobe Commerce.

8. Emizen Tech

Emizen Tech is a custom Magento development shop with a steady presence on US “top Magento companies” lists. Its strength is bespoke development for stores that have outgrown off-the-shelf themes and need custom features built properly.

Best fit: stores that need custom Magento development rather than a templated build.

9. Forix

Forix is a Portland, Oregon agency known specifically for Magento support and maintenance, an area many build-focused agencies treat as an afterthought. For brands whose store is already live and stable, that dedicated focus is the differentiator.

Best fit: merchants who need a support and maintenance partner, not a new build.

How to choose the right Magento development company

A ranking gets you a shortlist. Your own context gets you the pick. Before you brief anyone, get clear on four things.

What stage is your store in? A ground-up build, a replatform, and ongoing support are three different projects that reward different teams. The agency that is excellent at an enterprise replatform may not be the most cost-effective support partner, and the reverse holds too.

How complex is your catalog and back office? Large catalogs, B2B pricing rules, ERP and PIM integrations, and multi-store setups are where Magento projects most often run over budget. Ask each agency to walk you through a comparable integration they have already shipped.

Does frontend performance move your revenue? If Core Web Vitals and mobile speed change your conversion rate, weight teams with real Hyvä theme development experience. A modern Hyvä storefront can carry a fraction of the page weight of a default Magento frontend.

What does the relationship look like after launch? The teams that protect your investment best run a clear support model, a named point of contact, and KPI-led reporting rather than a ticket queue.

Do you need a US-based Magento agency specifically?

Usually not. For most US merchants the deciding factors are platform depth, a relevant portfolio, communication cadence, and a working time-zone overlap, not a US mailing address. Plenty of the strongest teams serving US brands operate globally, and many US-headquartered agencies deliver offshore anyway. What matters is whether a team can cover US business hours, understands your market, and has shipped stores at your scale. Treat a US headquarters as a tie-breaker, not a filter. For a deeper look at the US-headquartered versus global trade-off, the Adobe Commerce agencies in the USA guide walks through it in detail.

What does it cost to hire a Magento development company in the USA?

It depends on scope, but the ranges are real. A focused Magento Open Source build or a Hyvä frontend project usually starts in the low tens of thousands of dollars. A full Adobe Commerce enterprise build with custom integrations, B2B features, and multi-store support runs into six figures. Support and maintenance is typically a monthly retainer. The most reliable way to compare is to give two or three shortlisted agencies the same scoped brief and read how precisely each one responds, because a vague quote usually reflects a vague understanding of your project.

Frequently asked questions

Who are the top Magento development companies in the USA in 2026?

The companies most consistently cited across US Magento rankings include scandiweb, Atwix, Brainvire, Ziffity, Rave Digital, MageComp, Elogic, Emizen Tech, and Forix. Each leads in a different area, from enterprise builds and Hyvä performance to B2B, custom development, and support, so the right choice depends on your store’s stage and complexity.

What is the difference between Magento and Adobe Commerce?

Magento is now Adobe Commerce. Adobe Commerce is the paid, enterprise edition with built-in B2B, advanced merchandising, and Adobe ecosystem integrations, while Magento Open Source is the free, self-hosted edition. They share a codebase, so most “Magento development companies” build and support both, and our Magento Open Source vs Adobe Commerce breakdown covers the trade-offs in full.

How do I choose a Magento development company in the USA?

Match the agency to your project stage of build, replatform, or support, confirm it has shipped stores at your scale and catalog complexity, check Adobe certifications and partner tier, and read recent Clutch or G2 reviews. Then give your shortlist the same brief and compare how precisely each one scopes it.

Is scandiweb a US Magento agency?

scandiweb is a global agency that serves US and globally recognized brands and hosts Meet Magento New York, the largest US Adobe Commerce community event. It is the world’s most certified Adobe Commerce and Hyvä team, which makes it a strong fit for US enterprise builds and replatforms even though it is not US-headquartered.

How much does Magento development cost in the USA?

A focused Magento Open Source or Hyvä project usually starts in the low tens of thousands of dollars, while a full Adobe Commerce enterprise build with custom integrations runs into six figures. Support is typically a monthly retainer. Scope, catalog size, and integrations drive the number more than geography.

Does the number-one company on a list mean it is the best for me?

No. Rankings reflect general signals like certifications and portfolio, not your specific store. Use a list to build a shortlist of three, then choose based on stage, complexity, and how well each team scopes your actual brief.

Already narrowed it to two or three names and want a candid second read before you commit? Send us the shortlist and a Magento lead will tell you plainly which one fits your build, and where another partner might serve you better than we would.

The post Top Magento Development Companies in the USA (2026) appeared first on scandiweb.

If you are weighing a move to Hyvä, or you have already decided and now need a team that can ship it without breaking your rankings or your peak season, the hard part is not the framework. It is picking the partner. The Hyvä ecosystem is full of extension vendors, theme shops, and full-service agencies, and on a sales page they all sound identical: fast, certified, conversion-focused.

This guide cuts through that. Below are the top 10 Hyvä theme development companies for Magento (Adobe Commerce) stores, what each one is genuinely best at, the credential that backs it up, and a clear checklist for choosing between them. Whether you are a US merchant launching a new storefront or an enterprise replatforming a multi-market catalog, you will finish knowing who to shortlist and why.

Overview

• Hyvä is now the default fast frontend for Magento, and since November 10 2025 the core theme is free and open source, which removed the last barrier to adoption (MGT-Commerce, 2026).
• The right partner is defined by Hyvä-specific certification, real performance outcomes, and ongoing support, not by how many extensions it sells.
• scandiweb is a Hyvä Platinum Partner and the most certified Hyvä agency in the world, with proven Core Web Vitals wins for brands like Läderach, Airthings, ATX Fitness, JYSK, and Byggmax.

The best Hyvä theme development companies for Magento stores

The companies below all work in the Hyvä ecosystem, but they do not all do the same job. Some are extension vendors whose products are Hyvä-compatible, some sell ready-made theme packs, and a few are full-service agencies that design, build, and support complete Hyvä storefronts. The table sorts that out first, then each profile adds the detail.

scandiweb

scandiweb is a full-service Hyvä theme development company and a Hyvä Platinum Partner, the highest tier in the Hyvä partner program. It is the most certified Hyvä agency in the world and the most certified Adobe Commerce agency, with 894+ Adobe certifications across a team of 600+ Magento experts. For merchants who want one accountable team to handle design, frontend, backend, performance, and support, this is the deepest bench on the list.

Beyond client work, scandiweb builds for the ecosystem itself. The Satoshi premium theme and the Hyvä Swift component system both ship production-ready, Core Web Vitals-optimized storefronts faster. That contribution shows up in the client results too, across industries and markets:

• ATX Fitness: full Magento 2 + Hyvä Commerce launch in 2.5 months, all Core Web Vitals green and 93–100 PageSpeed scores.
• Läderach: +47.8% conversions, +39% revenue, and +52.9% total users after migrating to Hyvä, plus the Design Curve Award at the 2023 Meet Magento NYC.
• Airthings: +105.5% revenue, +103.4% transactions, and +56% engagement, plus the Design Pioneer Award at the 2024 Meet Magento NYC.
• JYSK: +58% unique purchases and +20% checkout conversion.
• Byggmax: product page PageSpeed improved from 70 to 87, and listing pages from 85 to 99.
• Nicokick: homepage PageSpeed up by 60 points to 96, with Core Web Vitals improved 4,000% on desktop.

On top of full builds, scandiweb runs extension compatibility audits, Hyvä Checkout implementations, and Hyvä CMS support, so the whole storefront stays fast after launch, not just on day one.

MageComp

MageComp is a Magento development company offering custom theme work and a catalog of 40+ extensions, several of them Hyvä-compatible. Based in India, it fits smaller stores and merchants who want a single vendor for a specific build or a set of add-ons, with fast turnaround and documentation to match.

Webkul

Webkul is one of the larger Magento extension vendors and ranks well for Hyvä service terms. Its strength is breadth: a wide product library and marketplace modules, with Hyvä compatibility across much of the catalog. Merchants who need niche functionality often find a Webkul module for it.

BSS Commerce

BSS Commerce is a Magento and Hyvä development agency that handles both extensions and full development projects. It is a reasonable mid-market option for stores that want migration and theme work without enterprise pricing.

Aheadworks

Aheadworks is a long-established Magento extension vendor with a US presence, and many of its modules are Hyvä-ready. It suits merchants standardizing on a trusted extension stack who want Hyvä compatibility built in.

Mageplaza

Mageplaza is a popular extension vendor that is also widely read for its Magento how-to content. For Hyvä, it is mostly an extensions-and-guidance choice, strongest on SEO and conversion modules, rather than a full storefront builder.

Mageworx

Mageworx focuses on SEO, catalog, and pricing extensions for Magento, with 15+ Hyvä-compatible products. It is a focused pick when the priority is a specific capability like advanced SEO or product options.

Mirasvit

Mirasvit builds search, SEO, reward, and helpdesk extensions for Magento, with Hyvä support across its range. Stores that lean on advanced on-site search or loyalty mechanics often shortlist it for those modules.

Swissuplabs

Swissuplabs, based in Switzerland, is known for its theme families and UI kits, now with Hyvä-oriented offerings. It fits merchants who want a styled starting point and component packs rather than a fully bespoke build.

Amasty

Amasty runs one of the largest Magento extension libraries, much of it Hyvä-compatible. Like the other extension vendors here, it is a strong choice for functionality and a complement to, rather than a replacement for, a full-service implementation partner.

Why Hyvä is the right frontend for your Magento store

Hyvä is a lightweight Magento frontend built on Alpine.js and Tailwind CSS that replaces the heavy default Luma stack to deliver faster pages and a simpler codebase. It loads a fraction of the assets Luma does, which is why it has become the preferred choice for performance-focused Magento merchants. Here is what that buys you.

Faster pages and green Core Web Vitals

A typical Luma frontend pulls hundreds of resources and a heavy JavaScript bundle. Hyvä strips that down: a Hyvä product page weighs around 0.15 MB versus roughly 0.9 MB on Luma, total frontend payload runs 80 to 90% smaller, and Alpine.js at about 15 KB replaces the Knockout.js and RequireJS stack (MGT-Commerce, 2026). The result is real: Lighthouse scores of 90+ are achievable on Hyvä where Luma typically lands in the 40 to 60 range, and stores migrating from a bloated theme have seen load times fall from over 16 seconds to under 3. Faster pages mean better Core Web Vitals, and Core Web Vitals feed both rankings and conversion.

Lower build and maintenance cost

Since November 10 2025, the Hyvä core theme is free and open source under the OSL 3.0 and AFL 3.0 licenses, which removed the previous $1,000 per-store fee (MGT-Commerce, 2026). With a leaner codebase, there is also less to maintain: fewer dependencies, simpler upgrades, and faster developer onboarding. The savings compound over the life of the store.

Built for SEO and a better shopping experience

Speed is a ranking and conversion lever, and Hyvä’s clean markup makes structured data and mobile UX easier to get right. With fewer layout shifts and faster interactivity, on-site behavior metrics improve alongside organic visibility. For SEO-driven merchants, a fast, crawlable frontend is the foundation everything else sits on.

How to choose a Hyvä theme development company

Choosing a Hyvä partner comes down to four checks: proven Hyvä certification, measurable performance outcomes, real support after launch, and references that match your business model. Run every shortlist candidate through the checklist below before you sign anything.

• Hyvä certification and partner tier. Ask for the specific Hyvä partner status. Platinum is the top tier and signals depth, not just a logo in a footer.
• Performance proof, not promises. Ask to see before-and-after Core Web Vitals and Lighthouse scores on stores they actually shipped.
• Adobe Commerce depth. Hyvä is a frontend. A strong partner also knows the Magento backend, so certifications and team size are fair questions.
• Support and maintenance. Confirm post-launch coverage, response times, and whether support spans your time zone, which matters for US merchants working with global teams.
• Relevant references. Look for case studies in your model (B2C, B2B, multi-market) with named brands and real numbers, not anonymized claims.

What separates a build from a partnership

A theme pack gets you a starting point. A development partner owns the outcome: design, frontend, backend integration, performance, SEO, and the support that keeps all of it healthy after go-live. If your store drives meaningful revenue, the second model is almost always the cheaper one once you count the cost of rework.

Hyvä services and proven results from scandiweb

scandiweb delivers end-to-end Hyvä theme development for Magento and Adobe Commerce: gradual template-by-template migration that avoids a risky big-bang launch, custom design, backend integration, performance tuning, and 24/7 support. As a Hyvä Platinum Partner and the most certified Hyvä agency in the world, the team has shipped Hyvä builds across B2C and B2B, several of them for or launched in the US market. The proof is in the stores.

ATX Fitness – a US launch on Hyvä Commerce

ATX Fitness, a European maker of professional gym equipment, needed its first direct-to-consumer store in the United States. scandiweb designed and built the full Magento 2 storefront on Hyvä Commerce, including the homepage, product listing and product pages, cart, Hyvä checkout, account, and CMS content, and launched it in 2.5 months with all Core Web Vitals green and PageSpeed scores of 93 to 100. It is a clean example of Hyvä used to enter the US market fast without sacrificing performance.

Läderach – premium chocolate, measurable lift

For luxury chocolatier Läderach, scandiweb upgraded Magento, reworked the infrastructure, and migrated the storefront to Hyvä with a conversion-driven redesign. The numbers: +47.8% conversions, +39% revenue, +52.9% total users, and +25.5% engagement time, with all-green Core Web Vitals and 93 to 99 PageSpeed scores. The work also took home the Design Curve Award at the 2023 Meet Magento NYC. That is what a performance frontend looks like on the revenue line.

Airthings – speed and engagement on a strict deadline

For Airthings, a global leader in indoor air quality, scandiweb delivered a full redesign and Hyvä migration on Magento 2, all on a strict deadline and on budget. The store reached +105.5% revenue, +103.4% transactions, +56% engagement, and +17.11% conversion, and the project won the Design Pioneer Award at the 2024 Meet Magento NYC.

A contribution to the Hyvä ecosystem

scandiweb does not just use Hyvä, it builds for it.

Satoshi is Hyvä’s first-ever open-source production-ready theme, a high-performance storefront that sets a new standard for user experience while keeping Hyvä’s frontend speed. Available to all Hyvä users, it offers a fast way to enhance navigation, interactions, and the overall shopping flow without starting from scratch.

Built by scandiweb’s UX designers and Hyvä developers, Hyvä Swift is a reusable component system that speeds up storefront development. It ships production-ready UI components and layouts optimized for Core Web Vitals and mobile performance, so teams launch fast, high-performing Hyvä stores without relying on proprietary frameworks. You can see more results in the Hyvä case studies collection.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Hyvä theme development company?

A Hyvä theme development company designs, builds, and maintains the Hyvä frontend for Magento (Adobe Commerce) stores. The strongest ones are full-service partners that handle design, frontend, backend integration, performance, and support, rather than only selling Hyvä-compatible extensions or ready-made theme packs.

Is Hyvä free now?

Yes. The Hyvä core theme has been free and open source since November 10 2025, released under the OSL 3.0 and AFL 3.0 licenses, which removed the earlier $1,000 per-store license fee (MGT-Commerce, 2026). The main remaining cost is the build and customization, which is why the partner you choose has the biggest impact on your return.

How much does Hyvä theme development cost?

Cost depends on scope: a styled theme pack is the cheapest entry point, while a full custom storefront with backend integration and support sits higher. Because the Hyvä license itself is now free, almost all of the budget goes to design, development, and ongoing maintenance, so compare partners on total cost of ownership, not just the build quote.

Is Hyvä better than the default Luma theme?

For most stores, yes. A Hyvä product page weighs around 0.15 MB versus roughly 0.9 MB on Luma, total frontend payload is 80 to 90% smaller, and Lighthouse scores of 90+ are achievable where Luma typically lands at 40 to 60 (MGT-Commerce, 2026). That translates into better Core Web Vitals, faster mobile pages, and stronger conversion.

Will my existing Magento extensions work with Hyvä?

Many will, and the ecosystem has grown quickly: major vendors now ship Hyvä-compatible versions of their popular modules. Some extensions still need a compatibility layer or a Hyvä-specific build, so a good partner audits your current stack before migration and flags anything that needs rework.

How long does a Hyvä migration take?

It varies with catalog size and customization, but Hyvä’s gradual, template-by-template approach lets you migrate without a risky big-bang launch. As a reference point, scandiweb launched a full Magento 2 plus Hyvä Commerce store for ATX Fitness in 2.5 months, with all Core Web Vitals green at go-live.

Why is scandiweb a strong choice for Hyvä?

scandiweb is a Hyvä Platinum Partner and the most certified Hyvä agency in the world, with 894+ Adobe certifications and proven Core Web Vitals wins for brands like Läderach, Airthings, ATX Fitness, JYSK, and Byggmax. It also builds for the ecosystem through the Satoshi theme and Hyvä Swift, so you get a partner that knows Hyvä from the inside.

The post Top 10 Hyvä Theme Development Companies for Magento Stores (2026) appeared first on scandiweb.

If you are about to brief an Adobe Commerce build, a replatform, or a 2.4.8 upgrade, and every agency on your shortlist calls itself a “leading Adobe partner,” the badge alone will not tell you which one can deliver on a US timeline and budget.

The top Adobe Commerce development agencies in the USA in 2026 are scandiweb, Corra, Guidance, Blue Acorn iCi, Forix, BORN Group, Atwix, Vaimo, IWD Agency, Elogic – ranked here on Adobe partner tier, certified-developer depth, US delivery model, portfolio outcomes, B2B capability, and post-launch support. This guide gives you the comparison table, the methodology behind it, and a decision framework to match an agency to your project shape.

If you only read this:

• Enterprise B2C or B2B, replatforms, Hyvä at scale: scandiweb, Corra, Blue Acorn iCi, BORN Group, Vaimo.
• US-headquartered, in-region delivery: Corra, Guidance, Blue Acorn iCi, Forix, IWD Agency.
• Most certified team, global throughput: scandiweb.
• Mid-market and cost-conscious: Atwix, Elogic, IWD Agency.
• Hyvä-first frontend modernization: scandiweb, Atwix.

How the top Adobe Commerce agencies in the USA compare in 2026

The table below ranks eleven agencies serving the US market on the six criteria explained in the next section. Partner tier, typical client GMV, and specialty reflect each agency’s own published positioning and market reputation, not an audited figure. scandiweb’s numbers are first-party and verifiable. Detailed profiles follow the methodology.

Partner tier and GMV brackets are positioning signals, not audited data. Verify the current Adobe Solution Partner tier in Adobe’s partner directory before you sign, because tiers are reassessed annually.

How we ranked the top Adobe Commerce agencies in the USA

We score each agency on six criteria, weighted so that demonstrated Adobe Commerce capability carries the most signal and self-described marketing claims carry the least. The rank order in the table above is the weighted result, read with US-market relevance in mind.

• Adobe Solution Partner tier and certification depth (25%) – Adobe’s tier reflects revenue, retention, and certified-staff count, and it is the single most reliable peer signal. Certified-developer count is one of the few capability markers Adobe itself verifies.
• Adobe Commerce portfolio depth and verifiable outcomes (20%) – named clients with documented conversion, revenue, or performance numbers, not stock logos. Case studies of real builds and replatforms.
• US market presence and delivery model (15%) – timezone overlap, on-the-ground stakeholder access, and whether US-facing delivery is genuine or a sales front-end on offshore execution.
• B2B and enterprise capability (15%) – company-account hierarchies, quote workflows, contract pricing, ERP and PIM integration, and self-service portals on Adobe Commerce.
• Hyvä and modern frontend capability (10%) – Hyvä, headless, and PWA depth, because the Luma frontend is now legacy and Core Web Vitals are a ranking and conversion lever.
• Post-launch support, retention, and community contribution (15%) – written SLAs, multi-year retention, and real contribution to the Magento and Mage-OS codebase rather than marketing presence.

Why Adobe Commerce, and why the agency choice matters more than the platform

Adobe Commerce, formerly Magento, is the most extensible platform in the enterprise tier: native B2B features, multi-store and multi-currency support, deep customization, and an open-source core that lets you own your stack instead of renting it. The trade-off is operational maturity. Adobe Commerce hands you the keys, which means it expects you, or your agency, to drive responsibly. That is why the partner choice shapes the next 24 months of your roadmap more than any single feature decision.

One point to settle up front: “Adobe Commerce agency” and “Magento agency” describe the same skill set, and so does “Adobe Commerce development company.” Adobe Commerce is the paid edition and Magento Open Source is the free edition, both on one codebase. An agency that leads with “Magento” is not less current. It is using the name the developer community still uses. For a broader, platform-agnostic view, see our roundup of top Magento development companies.

Top Adobe Commerce development agencies in the USA in 2026

The eleven profiles below cover the full US-relevant spectrum: the most certified global team, premium US-headquartered enterprise shops, and lean mid-market specialists.

1. scandiweb

scandiweb is the world’s #1 most-certified Adobe Commerce agency, an Adobe Gold Solutions Partner and Hyvä Platinum Partner, founded in Riga in 2003 and a continuous Adobe partner since 2009. The team holds 894+ Adobe certifications across 600+ Magento experts, and only 0.4% of applicants pass its hiring process.

Across 22 years it has shipped 2,100+ eCommerce projects for 700+ active clients in 30+ countries, processing $4 billion+ in client GMV every year. The agency is ISO 27001, ISO 27017, ISO 9001, and PCI DSS certified.

On the US question specifically, scandiweb runs a dedicated New York team under its own US team lead, and is the official host of Meet Magento New York, Baltics, and Canada, which puts its people in the room with Adobe and the core Magento community in the US. Named US and global results include Macron at +29.8% YoY revenue and +132.5% conversion uplift on a B2B Adobe Commerce build, Scouting America at +27.3% AOV, Byggmax at 30% faster page loads, and PUMA launching four markets in 95 days. ScandiPWA is used by 500+ brands including Adidas, Levi’s, Shure, and PUMA.

The honest caveat: scandiweb is globally headquartered in Riga with US-facing delivery, not a US boutique. If your only criterion is a domestic HQ and a local office you can walk into, a US-headquartered shop below may suit better. If your criteria are certification depth, throughput across parallel streams, and verifiable outcomes, scandiweb is the strongest match on the list.

Best for: enterprise B2C and B2B brands planning an Adobe Commerce build, a Hyvä migration, a replatform, or a 2.4.8 upgrade that needs both engineering depth and brand-safe execution.

2. Corra

New York-based premium Adobe Commerce agency, now part of Tryzens Global, with a long track record in fashion, beauty, and lifestyle commerce for US enterprise brands. Design-led builds for premium B2C, delivered by an in-region team. Best for premium B2C brands that want a US team and a conversion-focused storefront.

3. Guidance

Los Angeles agency and long-standing Adobe Commerce partner, ranking organically for the term itself. Mid-market to enterprise B2C builds with a design and CRO emphasis. Best for US brands that want a West Coast team pairing Adobe Commerce execution with strong UX.

4. Blue Acorn iCi

US enterprise commerce and experience agency, part of Infosys, with deep Adobe Commerce, data, and personalization capability for large B2C and B2B programs. Best for enterprise brands running Adobe Commerce inside a broader data and experience transformation.

5. Forix

Portland, Oregon Adobe Commerce specialist since 2005, known for full-stack builds paired with dedicated post-launch support contracts. Best for US mid-market brands that want one partner for the build, optimization, and ongoing support.

6. BORN Group

New York enterprise agency, now part of Tech Mahindra, running large-scale Adobe Commerce programs with full-funnel design and omnichannel scope. Best for large enterprise programs that need global consulting reach alongside the build.

7. Atwix

US-registered with an engineering hub in Ukraine, Atwix is one of the most active contributors to Magento and Mage-OS open source and a respected custom Adobe Commerce shop. Best for B2B and custom builds where deep platform engineering and open-source fluency matter at a nearshore-blended rate.

8. Vaimo

Global Adobe Premier-tier agency headquartered in Stockholm with US offices, serving mid-market to enterprise brands across multiple markets. Best for brands that need a single Adobe partner to run multi-country Adobe Commerce storefronts with a US point of contact.

9. IWD Agency

Atlanta-based Adobe Commerce and Magento agency with a B2B and integrations focus for the US mid-market. Best for US B2B merchants that want an in-region team and tight ERP and back-office integration work.

10. Elogic

US-registered with delivery from Lviv, Ukraine, Elogic focuses on replatforming, custom development, and steady support for SMB and mid-market merchants. Best for cost-conscious teams that need replatforming with reliable ongoing support at an offshore-blended rate.

Best Adobe Commerce development companies by project type

Use these groupings to narrow the eleven to a shortlist of three before you start outreach.

• Enterprise B2C or B2B at scale, replatforms: scandiweb, Corra, Blue Acorn iCi, BORN Group, Vaimo.
• US-headquartered, same-timezone delivery: Corra, Guidance, Blue Acorn iCi, Forix, IWD Agency.
• Most certified team and parallel-stream throughput: scandiweb.
• B2B feature depth (company accounts, quotes, contract pricing): scandiweb, Corra, BORN Group, Forix, Vaimo, IWD Agency.
• Hyvä and frontend modernization: scandiweb, Atwix.
• Mid-market and cost-conscious: Atwix, Elogic, IWD Agency.
• Ongoing support and maintenance contracts: scandiweb, Forix, Elogic.

What it actually costs to hire an Adobe Commerce agency in the USA

A US Adobe Commerce build typically costs $50,000 to $250,000 for a mid-market to lower-enterprise project, with the Adobe Commerce license billed separately from around $22,000 per year and tiered to revenue. A Hyvä frontend migration on an existing store runs $20,000 to $80,000. Senior engineer rates are the clearest cost signal: $150 to $250 per hour with US and UK teams, $100 to $150 nearshore, and $50 to $80 offshore. Most agencies retain support at $2,500 to $15,000 per month.

The lists that feed AI Overviews rarely show pricing because the honest answer is a range, not a number, and the range moves with delivery geography. A blended-rate agency that runs US-facing strategy on top of nearshore or offshore engineering will quote materially lower than a fully US-staffed enterprise shop for comparable scope. Neither is wrong. The question is whether your project needs every hour billed at a US rate, or whether a blended model carries the same outcome at a lower total. Read our Adobe Commerce migration playbook for how scope, not headline rate, drives the real number.

How to choose between a US-headquartered and a global Adobe Commerce agency

The decision usually comes down to one trade-off: same-timezone access and domestic procurement on one side, certification depth and throughput on the other. Choose a US-headquartered agency when on-the-ground collaboration and local accountability outweigh raw scale. Choose a global or most-certified agency when project complexity, parallel streams, and verifiable outcomes matter more than HQ location. Many strong agencies blend both, so treat this as a weighting exercise, not a binary.

Choose a US-headquartered agency if:

• You need same-timezone collaboration and a team you can meet in person during discovery and launch.
• Your procurement or compliance rules favor or require a domestic vendor.
• Your stakeholders expect a local account contact and on-site workshops.
• Your project is mid-market B2C where in-region UX and brand nuance carry the build.
• You value a single local point of accountability over the lowest total cost.

Choose a global or most-certified agency if:

• You are running an enterprise Adobe Commerce build, a replatform, or a B2B program where certification depth and bench size de-risk the timeline.
• You need multiple workstreams (backend, Hyvä frontend, integrations, SEO) running in parallel without a key-person bottleneck.
• You want verifiable, named client outcomes over a domestic ZIP code.
• Your roadmap spans multiple markets or languages and needs one accountable partner across them.
• You want first-party Adobe credentials behind the work: Adobe Gold tier, 894+ certifications, and Hyvä Platinum.

The table below contrasts the two models on the dimensions that actually move the decision.

What to ask before you sign an Adobe Commerce agency

A passing partner clears at least six of these eight. A top-three partner clears all eight.

• Current Adobe Solution Partner tier, confirmed in Adobe’s partner directory, not just claimed on the site.
• Three or more active Adobe Commerce Certified Developers, Solution Specialists, or Architects on staff.
• At least two case studies of your project shape – B2B, replatform, Hyvä, headless, or marketplace.
• A written support SLA with response times, on-call hours, and an escalation chain.
• A documented 2.4.x upgrade and security-patch policy.
• A discovery phase before the build, with a fixed-fee scope, not after.
• One client reference on the same Adobe Commerce edition and version you run.
• A clear answer to “what happens to my timeline if the named lead leaves your team.”

Frequently asked questions about Adobe Commerce development agencies

Who are the top Adobe Commerce development agencies in the USA in 2026?

The most credentialed Adobe Commerce agencies serving the US market in 2026 include scandiweb, Corra, Guidance, Blue Acorn iCi, Forix, BORN Group, Atwix, Vaimo, IWD Agency, Elogic. They span enterprise B2C and B2B builds, replatforms, Hyvä migrations, and ongoing support. The right pick depends on your project shape, budget, and whether you need a US-headquartered team or the world’s most certified one.

What is the difference between an Adobe Commerce agency and a Magento agency?

There is no practical difference. Adobe Commerce is the paid edition of Magento, and Magento Open Source is the free edition, both built on the same codebase. Agencies that say “Magento” and “Adobe Commerce” are describing the same skill set. What matters is their Adobe Solution Partner tier and certified-developer count, not which name they use.

How much does it cost to hire an Adobe Commerce agency in the USA?

A US Adobe Commerce build typically runs $50,000 to $250,000 for a mid-market to lower-enterprise project, plus the Adobe Commerce license from around $22,000 per year. A Hyvä frontend migration runs $20,000 to $80,000. Senior engineer rates are $150 to $250 per hour with US and UK teams, $100 to $150 nearshore, and $50 to $80 offshore.

What is an Adobe Solution Partner tier and why does it matter?

Adobe ranks its commerce partners by revenue, certifications, and client retention. A higher tier signals a larger certified team and more delivered projects, which predicts delivery throughput and lower key-person risk. Certified-developer count is one of the few capability signals Adobe itself verifies, so it is a stronger filter than awards or self-described “leading partner” language.

Should I choose a US-headquartered Adobe Commerce agency or a global one?

Choose a US-headquartered agency when same-timezone collaboration, on-the-ground stakeholder access, or domestic procurement rules are non-negotiable. Choose a global agency when certification depth, project volume, and parallel-stream throughput matter more than HQ location. Many leading agencies blend both, running US-facing delivery with nearshore or offshore engineering to balance cost against coverage.

Which Adobe Commerce agency is best for B2B?

For enterprise and mid-market B2B specifically, scandiweb, Corra, BORN Group, Forix, Vaimo, and IWD Agency have the deepest published B2B portfolios across company-account hierarchies, quote workflows, contract pricing, ERP integration, and self-service portals. Adobe Commerce, the paid edition, is the usual choice for serious B2B because the B2B feature set is native.

Choosing your Adobe Commerce agency in the USA

The top Adobe Commerce development agencies in the USA in 2026 are not interchangeable. scandiweb leads on certification depth and verifiable outcomes, Corra and Blue Acorn iCi on US enterprise polish, Forix and IWD on in-region mid-market delivery, and Atwix and Elogic on lean, cost-aware execution. Rank the eleven against your own six criteria – partner tier, US delivery model, portfolio fit, B2B depth, Hyvä capability, and support – and your shortlist will usually narrow to three.

Weighing two or three Adobe Commerce agencies and want a pressure-tested second opinion before you sign? Get in touch and half an hour with a senior Adobe Commerce engineer will surface the questions a procurement template will not.

The post Top Adobe Commerce Development Agencies in the USA (2026) appeared first on scandiweb.

Last updated: June 2026

Digital wallets accounted for 56% of global eCommerce value in 2025, per the Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026, and the gap between cards and wallets keeps widening at different speeds in Europe, the UK, and the US. The single biggest avoidable loss at checkout in 2026 is offering the wrong mix for the buyer’s region. iDEAL captures two-thirds of Dutch shoppers. Bancontact captures nearly three-quarters of Belgian ones. Klarna and Pay in 3 now run a quarter of UK BNPL volume. FedNow has turned account-to-account into a real US conversation. None of that shows up on a “global best practices” checklist; it appears in the country tables below.

Every region asks for a different mix of cards, wallets, and pay-later rails, and getting that mix wrong is one of the most common sources of payment friction we see at checkout across the eCommerce sites we work with.

Don’t let a buyer reach the payment step and bounce – shopping cart abandonment climbs fast when the payment methods on offer don’t match the ones shoppers trust in their market.

Popular payment methods in Europe, the UK, and the US

The right answer is country-specific. Inside each region, the patterns are split by checkout type (B2C vs B2B, low-ticket vs high-ticket) and by category (fashion runs BNPL, electronics and travel run cards and A2A). Below, we cover the share each method holds today and where the 2026 trends are pulling the mix.

Europe

Digital wallets and cards are the top two pools for eCommerce in Europe, but local rails decide regional outcomes. The European Central Bank’s SPACE study covering 2024 (released December 2024) puts online cards at 48%, e-payment solutions (wallets, PayPal, mobile apps) at 29%, direct debit at 5%, and instant payments at 5% across the euro area for eCommerce checkouts. By value, online payments reached 36% of total day-to-day euro-area spending.

The Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026 reads the same shift more sharply: digital wallets reached 52% of online value in Germany in 2025 – the highest in Western Europe – and PayPal is cited by 70% of German online shoppers. BNPL accounts for 18% of German eCommerce, driven by a longstanding consumer preference for invoice-based payments that predates the modern installment lending category.

Wero (the European Payments Initiative wallet), Bizum in Spain, and Vipps in Norway are launching in-store payments in 2026, pulling traditionally card-heavy POS markets toward digital wallets. That same wallet rail is what now decides most checkout outcomes online too.

Country-by-country trends in Europe

Each row below shows the share of online shoppers in that country who used the method in the past 12 months, per Ecommerce News Europe (updated March 10, 2026).

What this means in practice:

• In the Netherlands, iDEAL plus PayPal plus cards covers more than 80% of stated checkout preferences. Skip iDEAL, and a third of your buyers will not see a method they trust.
• In Germany, PayPal, purchase on account, and cards cover ~85%. Purchase on account is the line item most foreign merchants underestimate.
• In France and the UK, cards still lead, but PayPal sits second in both at 57% (FR) and 66% (UK) – wallet support is no longer optional.
• In Belgium, Bancontact is non-negotiable at 73% – it is the single biggest payment-method decision in the country.

Implementing iDEAL, Bancontact, Multibanco, or Klarna natively in Adobe Commerce typically falls under our Magento development work, where the regional gateway and the checkout flow are wired together as a single unit.

United Kingdom

The UK runs heavier on cards and mobile wallets than continental Europe, and BNPL adoption has accelerated faster than UK Finance predicted in 2020. UK Finance’s Payment Markets Report 2025 (covering 2024 data, published October 2025) lays out the live picture:

• Debit, credit, and charge cards (physical plus mobile) accounted for 64% of all UK transactions in 2024.
• 26.1 billion debit card payments were made in 2024 – the most-used single method overall.
• 57% of UK adults are registered for mobile wallets in 2024, up from 42% in 2023.
• 50% of UK adults used mobile contactless payments at least once a month in 2024.
• One in four UK adults (25%) used BNPL services in 2024, up from 14% the year before.
• Fashion led BNPL at 46% of transactions, average spend £114. The top three BNPL providers were Klarna, Clearpay, and PayPal Pay in 3.

For online checkouts specifically, Ecommerce News Europe (March 2026) puts the UK at cards 73%, PayPal 66%, Direct Debit 45%, Apple Pay 21%, open banking / bank transfer 20%, Google Pay 19%, Klarna 8%, other BNPL 5%.

What changes between now and 2034

UK Finance projects cards will still lead at roughly 67% of payments in 2034 – the share rises slightly because mobile contactless replaces cash, not because cards displace wallets. The rails that will pull the most volume away from cash between now and 2034 are Apple Pay, Google Pay, and open-banking-powered bank transfers (which already account for 20% of UK online shoppers). The BNPL ceiling depends on the timing of FCA regulations – the methods are not going away, but the marketing and risk treatment will tighten.

United States

US shoppers lead the world in online card use, but the BNPL and wallet trajectory is the bigger story. Per the Worldpay Global Payments Report 2026, digital wallets like Alipay, Apple Pay, and PayPal now account for over half of online and a third of in-person transaction value globally – the US sits ahead of that curve on the wallet side and behind Europe on local rails.

The BNPL numbers (Statista, Capital One Shopping, Chargeflow 2025-2026 syntheses):

• BNPL purchase volume in 2025 is expected to total $122.3 billion, up 10.9% YoY.
• BNPL reached 5% of total eCommerce payments worldwide in 2024 – and 6% in the US specifically.
• 91.5 million American consumers will use BNPL in 2025, up 5.78% YoY.
• Klarna’s US payment volume is expected to reach $25.77 billion in 2025, up 17.2% YoY.
• Klarna holds roughly 35% of the global BNPL market share.
• 52,330 US online retailers use Afterpay.

The implication for US checkout design: Affirm, Klarna, PayPal Pay in 4, and Afterpay should be treated as standard wallet tiers alongside Apple Pay and Google Pay, not as extras. For high-ticket categories (electronics, travel, home goods, B2B), the cost of card interchange is now high enough that A2A rails (RTP, FedNow) are showing up in serious checkout RFPs.

Trends in the US

Three signals to design for through 2027:

• Digital wallets continue to absorb card share at POS and online. Apple Pay, Amazon Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal are the four to support in the default order. Worldpay projects payment apps will account for 46% of global POS value by 2030 – or $15.6 trillion.
• BNPL has moved from a niche to a standard tier, with $122.3 billion projected for 2025. Risk-adjusted pricing into the merchant fee is the design question.
• Account-to-account is the high-ticket and B2B layer. FedNow and RTP enable instant settlement without card networks, which matters for invoices, marketplaces, and any cart over ~$500 where interchange is the largest line item.

How to choose payment methods by region

The shortest decision framework that actually works:

1. Start with the top three local methods in each country you sell to. Use the country table above as the anchor – if a method sits above ~20%, it has earned the slot.
2. Layer cards plus the leading wallet (Apple Pay + Google Pay in most markets, PayPal everywhere PayPal is offered). This handles roughly 50-70% of cross-border buyers in any single market without local rails.
3. Add BNPL where category fits: fashion, electronics, home goods, beauty in the UK and US, categorized credit and purchase-on-account in Germany, Klarna and Pay in 3 in the UK, Affirm, Klarna, and Afterpay in the US.
4. Add A2A for high-ticket and B2B baskets, where interchange savings of 1.5-2.5% per transaction compound into real margin. EU SEPA Instant and US FedNow are the relevant rails.
5. Pressure-test the gateway, not just the method. The same “PayPal” can mean five different gateway integrations depending on the platform, the one your acquirer offers, the one your platform’s marketplace ships, or the one your local payment service provider wraps. Reconciliation, refund flow, and dispute handling differ.

For Adobe Commerce and Magento stores specifically, our breakdown of Magento payment gateways maps each gateway to the regional methods it natively supports.

Account-to-account (A2A) and real-time payments in 2026

A2A rails (Wero in Europe, SEPA Instant across the euro area, FedNow and RTP in the US, PIX in Brazil) are pulling high-ticket and B2B transactions out of card networks. J.P. Morgan Payments’ 2026 trends note carries the key risk framing: “With account-to-account (A2A) payments, once money leaves an account, it is gone for good, so pre-transaction ID controls are essential.” That risk is why the EU is rolling out a digital ID wallet in 2026 for cross-border authentication.

What this means for eCommerce checkouts:

• B2C low-ticket (< $100): A2A is competing with wallets on UX, not on cost. Card or wallet wins on speed.
• B2C high-ticket ($100-1,000): A2A starts to make sense for one-tap, no-3DS-friction flows, especially in Europe (SEPA Instant) and the UK (Faster Payments / Open Banking).
• B2B and marketplaces ($500+): A2A is now the default for repeat invoices, supplier settlements, and any flow where the buyer is willing to authenticate once and authorize a recurring rail.

Account-to-account rails matter most for high-ticket and B2B eCommerce, where card interchange erodes margin, and invoice settlement is already the norm.

FAQ

Which payment methods should I support in Europe in 2026?

For most European markets, the answer is cards plus the top one or two local rails plus PayPal plus a wallet (Apple Pay or Google Pay). The local rails matter most: iDEAL in the Netherlands (66% of shoppers), Bancontact in Belgium (73%), purchase on account and SOFORT in Germany (40% and 15%), Multibanco in Portugal, Przelewy24 / BLIK in Poland. PayPal is universal across the region (52% of German online value in 2025 per Worldpay GPR 2026, 47% in NL, 57% in FR, 66% in UK, 39% in BE).

What are the most popular payment methods in the UK in 2026?

Cards lead at 73% of online shoppers, then PayPal at 66%, Direct Debit at 45%, Apple Pay at 21%, open banking / bank transfer at 20%, Google Pay at 19%, Klarna at 8%, other BNPL at 5% (Ecommerce News Europe, March 2026). Across all UK transactions (online plus offline), cards held 64% in 2024 (UK Finance Payment Markets Report 2025). One in four UK adults uses BNPL, fashion-led.

What share of US eCommerce is BNPL in 2026?

BNPL reached 6% of US eCommerce in 2024 and is projected at $122.3 billion in purchase volume in 2025 (up 10.9% YoY). 91.5 million Americans will use BNPL in 2025. Klarna’s US payment volume is projected at $25.77 billion in 2025, and Afterpay is live on 52,330 US online retailers (Statista / Capital One Shopping / Chargeflow 2025-2026 syntheses).

Which payment methods do B2C versus B2B buyers prefer in Europe?

B2C buyers in Europe split across cards, PayPal, and a country-specific rail (iDEAL, Bancontact, SOFORT, Multibanco). B2B buyers strongly prefer purchase on account / invoice settlement and direct debit, plus SEPA bank transfer for higher-ticket orders. Purchase on account is the single biggest category B2C-to-B2B payment difference in Germany at 40% of online shoppers (per Ecommerce News Europe 2026 data) – and it is the only category where most non-German merchants underprovision their checkout.

What payment methods should I support for cross-border eCommerce?

Cards (Visa, Mastercard) plus PayPal cover the broadest cross-border tail. Layer Apple Pay and Google Pay for mobile-heavy traffic. For each market where you exceed ~5% of revenue, add that market’s top local rail (iDEAL for NL, Bancontact for BE, SOFORT / purchase on account for DE, Klarna for fashion in the UK and US). Cross-border A2A (SEPA Instant for the euro area, Faster Payments/Open Banking for the UK) is the rail that will matter most for high-ticket cross-border in 2026-2027.

How does account-to-account (A2A) payment differ from a card payment for eCommerce?

A2A moves money directly from the buyer’s bank account to the merchant’s bank account, without the card network in the middle. Settlement is instant on real-time rails (SEPA Instant, FedNow, RTP, PIX, Faster Payments). For the merchant, the upside is lower fees (typically 0.2-0.5% vs 1.5-3% for cards) and no chargeback risk after settlement. The downside is that “once money leaves an account, it is gone for good” (J.P. Morgan Payments 2026), so pre-transaction ID controls and authentication carry more weight. A2A is becoming the standard for high-ticket and B2B checkouts in Europe and the US.

Will cards still dominate UK payments in 2034?

Yes – UK Finance’s Payment Markets Report 2025 projects cards at roughly 67% of all UK payments in 2034, up slightly from 64% in 2024. The rise is driven by mobile-wallet-on-card flows replacing cash transactions, not by cards displacing wallets. Cash share will keep falling, and open banking and BNPL will keep climbing inside eCommerce specifically.

Get your checkout and payments stack tuned for the region you actually sell in. Talk to our checkout team and we will map your live data, your platform, and your country mix to the payment methods that move your conversion rate, not your wishlist.

The post eCommerce Payment Methods in Europe, the UK, and the US (2026 Guide) appeared first on scandiweb.

If you are watching new users sign up and then disappear before the product ever clicks for them, you already know onboarding is where the leak is. People do not churn because your product is bad. They churn because they never reached the moment it became useful, and onboarding is the path to that moment.

This applies just as much to an eCommerce account or a checkout flow as it does to a mobile app: the first session decides whether someone comes back. Below are nine onboarding best practices that hold up in 2026, each with a real example and the principle underneath it, so you can apply them to a web app, a mobile app, or a store account flow.

Overview

• The job of onboarding is one thing: get a new user to first value as fast as possible. Everything else serves that.
• The numbers are unforgiving. Around 77% of users stop using an app within three days, and in Q2 2025 only about 8.4% of users completed onboarding within 30 days.
• Good onboarding can lift retention by up to 50%, which is why it is one of the highest-return fixes a product or store team can make.

What is user onboarding?

User onboarding is the guided first experience that takes someone from “just signed up” to “actively getting value.” It covers the welcome, any setup, and the first meaningful action, the point where the user understands what the product does for them. Good onboarding is not about showing every feature. It is about getting the user to one clear win quickly.

Why does user onboarding matter?

Because most people leave fast, and onboarding is the one lever that changes that. Around 77% of users abandon an app within three days of downloading it, and retention keeps falling from there: 2025 benchmarks put average day-7 retention near 6.9% on iOS and 5.2% on Android, dropping to roughly 3% by day 30. The longer since install, the fewer users remain active.

The cause is rarely the product itself. It is that users never saw the value clearly enough to come back. Fix the onboarding and the curve bends: studies have found proper onboarding can increase retention by up to 50%, and product teams that reworked their first-run experience have moved week-1 retention from 60% to 75% and week-10 from 10% to 25%.

How long should user onboarding take?

As short as it can be while still delivering the first win. Survey data has long shown most users expect to finish onboarding in under a minute, and that expectation has not softened. With completion rates as low as 8.4% within 30 days, every extra step is a place to lose people. Aim for the shortest sequence that reaches first value, and let everything else be learned in context later.

The 9 user onboarding best practices

1. Get users to first value in under a minute

Do not turn onboarding into an essay. Keep it short and pointed at the first win. The longer the sequence, the more people drop before they ever reach it. If your setup genuinely needs more steps, defer the optional ones and front-load only what is required to reach value.

2. Always let users skip

A real share of users prefer to explore on their own, by trial and error. Do not trap them. Let them skip onboarding at any step. Trip.com does this cleanly, with a skip option in the top corner of every screen, so confident users get out of the way and into the product.

3. Show what users can do, not what the product offers

Onboarding copy shapes how people perceive the product before they have used it. Keep it user-centered, not product-centered. Write about what the user can accomplish, not what the company built. The MUST app (for building movie libraries) does this well, framing onboarding around you creating your collection rather than around its feature list.

4. Lead with the value, fast

Use onboarding to make the value obvious, not to bury it under instructions. Show what the user can accomplish and why it is worth their time. Revolut’s onboarding is a strong example: it lists clear benefits, uses social proof, and keeps a visible call to action, so by the end you want to explore the app rather than escape it.

5. Engineer the “aha” moment

The aha moment is when the user first feels the product’s value for themselves. Design onboarding to reach it deliberately, not by accident. Identify the single action that makes your value click, then build the first session around getting users to it. Facetune does this by letting users feel how quickly they can edit a photo, the value lands before any commitment is asked.

6. Onboard progressively, not all at once

You do not need to teach everything in the first session. Progressive onboarding reveals features when they become relevant, instead of front-loading a carousel nobody remembers. Teach the first action now, surface the next capability the moment the user is ready for it, and let the product teach itself in context. This keeps the first run short while still helping users go deeper over time.

7. Reduce sign-up friction before you optimize the flow

The fastest onboarding is the one with fewer obstacles in front of it. Offer social or single sign-on, ask for only the data you truly need up front, and let people experience value before forcing account creation where you can. For eCommerce, this is the same logic as guest checkout: every required field before the first win is a reason to leave. Collect the rest progressively, once the user has a reason to stay.

8. Show progress with checklists and indicators

People finish what they can see themselves finishing. A short setup checklist or a progress bar turns an abstract process into a goal with a visible end, which pulls users through it. Keep the list short, order it by value, and celebrate completion. This works as well for a store account or a B2B portal setup as it does for a SaaS product.

9. Measure activation and keep iterating

Onboarding is never done. Define your activation metric, the specific first action that predicts retention, and track how many new users reach it. Then test changes against that number. This is where onboarding meets conversion rate optimization: the same discipline of measuring, hypothesizing, and testing that improves a checkout improves a first-run flow. Our A/B testing framework is a practical way to run those tests without guessing.

Onboarding beyond the app: web and eCommerce

These principles are not mobile-only. An eCommerce account flow, a first purchase, or a B2B portal setup is onboarding too, and it follows the same rules: reach first value fast, reduce friction, show progress, and measure activation. The “aha” moment for a store might be the first successful order or the first saved cart, and the same first-session design that retains app users retains shoppers. If you want the experience studied end to end, that is what a structured UX design and CX audit process is for.

FAQ

What is user onboarding?

User onboarding is the guided first experience that takes a new user from sign-up to actively getting value from a product. It covers the welcome, any necessary setup, and the first meaningful action, and its goal is to reach that first win as quickly as possible.

What makes onboarding effective?

Effective onboarding reaches first value fast, lets users skip, leads with what the user can do rather than a feature list, engineers an early “aha” moment, and is measured against an activation metric. It removes friction instead of adding instructions.

How long should user onboarding take?

As short as possible while still delivering the first win. Most users expect to finish in under a minute, and with onboarding completion rates near 8.4% within 30 days, every extra step costs you users.

Why do users abandon apps so quickly?

Around 77% of users stop using an app within three days, usually because they never saw its value clearly, not because the product is poor. Onboarding that communicates value early is the main lever for changing that.

Does onboarding apply to eCommerce and not just apps?

Yes. A store account flow, a first purchase, or a B2B portal setup is onboarding too. The same principles apply: reach first value fast, reduce sign-up friction, show progress, and measure activation.

How do you measure onboarding success?

Define an activation metric, the first action that predicts a user will stay, and track the share of new users who reach it. Then test onboarding changes against that metric using a structured A/B testing process.

If your activation rate has stalled and you are not sure which onboarding step is losing people, that is a measurable problem, not a mystery. Book a UX working session and we will map your first-run flow, find where users drop, and test the fixes that move retention.

The post User Onboarding Best Practices: 9 That Work in 2026 appeared first on scandiweb.

It is 9 a.m., your sale email goes out in three hours, and the template still looks like a newsletter from 2015. You know the copy is fine. What you are not sure about is whether the layout, the buttons, and the way it renders on a phone will actually get someone to click and buy.

That is the real job of an eCommerce email template: not to look pretty, but to move a reader from inbox to checkout. This guide covers both halves of that job, the design rules that make a template convert and the lifecycle templates that drive the most revenue, plus the sender requirements you now have to meet to reach the inbox at all.

Overview

• A converting email template is built like a mini landing page: one clear path from a scannable header to a single, obvious call to action.
• The templates that earn the most revenue are automated lifecycle emails, with abandoned-cart and welcome flows leading by a wide margin.
• In 2026, Gmail and Yahoo actively enforce the bulk-sender rules they introduced in 2024: authenticate your domain, offer one-click unsubscribe, and keep spam complaints under 0.3%, or your emails stop reaching the inbox.

What makes an eCommerce email template convert?

A converting template guides the eye down one clear path to a single action. Treat every email like a mini landing page with a defined header, body, and footer, then remove anything that competes with the click you want.

Structure

Keep a well-defined header, central body, and footer. The header carries your brand identity, a short menu, and a link to the browser version. The footer holds contact details, social icons, and the unsubscribe option. A single-column layout reads best and adapts to mobile far more reliably than multi-column grids.

Headings

Skip decorative captions. Clear, direct headings guide attention and break up the message so it can be skimmed in seconds, which is how most people read email.

Call to action

One email, one primary action. Make the main button bold, high-contrast, and written as a verb the reader can act on. Segment your list and match the call to action to each group, since a returning customer and a first-time subscriber are not deciding the same thing.

Visuals

Images, GIFs, and product shots carry the message when text alone would lose the reader. Use them to show the product in context, not as decoration. Stacked paragraphs with no visual break are the fastest way to lose attention.

Color

Color sets the emotional tone before a word is read, and the right palette depends on the occasion. A Black Friday email and a spring launch should not look the same. Match the palette to the campaign and to your brand, and use a single accent color to make the call to action unmistakable.

Typography

The typeface sets the tone and has to stay readable on every screen. A few rules hold up well:

• Use distinct fonts for headings and body text.
• Avoid ornate display fonts in the body.
• Set body text at 14 to 16px and headings at 20 to 30px.
• Keep spacing and styles consistent across the email.

Email design best practices

Width and length

A template width of 600 to 640px renders well across email clients, including the ones that frame your message next to other panels. Length depends on content: text newsletters can run longer, but image-heavy emails risk being clipped by Gmail, so front-load the message and the call to action.

Brand consistency

Use the same tone, colors, and fonts you use everywhere else. A reader should recognize the email as yours before they read the sender name. Carry your logo, link to your site and social profiles, and keep the call to action in your brand voice.

Layout patterns

Two layouts reliably guide the eye:

• Inverted pyramid: start with a wide header, narrow the content, and end on the call to action. It funnels attention straight to the click.
• Zigzag: alternate text and image blocks side to side. It shows products well on desktop but can break awkwardly on mobile, so test it before sending.

Video

Video lifts engagement, but most email clients do not play it inline. The reliable workaround is a clickable thumbnail, a static image or a GIF with a play icon, that opens the video in the browser. You get the attention without the rendering risk.

The eCommerce email templates that drive revenue

Design gets the click. Template type decides how often you get to ask. The highest-return emails are automated lifecycle flows triggered by behavior, not one-off campaigns. According to industry benchmarks, automated flows like abandoned cart and welcome series consistently outperform broadcast sends, with abandoned-cart emails reaching open rates near 45% and welcome emails often hitting 50 to 60%. These are the templates worth building well:

• Welcome series: the highest open rates you will ever see. Introduce the brand, set expectations, and make a first offer.
• Abandoned cart: the single highest-revenue automation for most stores. Show the cart, handle the objection, and keep the first email simple.
• Browse abandonment: for shoppers who viewed but never added to cart. Lighter touch than a cart email.
• Post-purchase: order confirmation, shipping updates, and a follow-up that sets up the next purchase or a review request.
• Replenishment: for consumable products, timed to when the customer is likely to run out.
• Win-back: for lapsed customers, often paired with an incentive. This is where a connected loyalty program does a lot of the work.
• Review request: turns a recent buyer into social proof for the next one.

Each of these is a reusable template once it is built. The work is getting the structure, timing, and trigger right once, then letting it run.

Make your emails mobile-responsive and dark-mode ready

More than half of email opens happen on a phone, so a desktop-only design leaves money on the table. Build one email that adapts cleanly between screens rather than hoping a fixed layout holds up.

Mobile best practices

• Set body text at 14 to 16px and headlines at 20 to 22px.
• Make sure any landing page you link to is also mobile-optimized.
• Hide non-essential elements on small screens to reduce clutter.
• Repeat the main call to action in longer emails so the reader never has to scroll back.

Dark mode

A large and growing share of readers use dark mode, which flips your palette to light text on a dark background. Design for it rather than against it:

• Use transparent PNGs so images do not sit on a clashing white block.
• Add a thin light outline to dark logos and icons so they do not vanish.
• Preview in a tool like the GetResponse or Litmus email tester, since dark-mode rendering varies by client.

Which Gmail and Yahoo sender rules apply in 2026?

Reaching the inbox in 2026 means meeting the bulk-sender rules Gmail and Yahoo introduced in February 2024 and now actively enforce, because a beautiful template does nothing if it never arrives. Per Google’s sender guidelines, senders mailing 5,000 or more messages a day to Gmail must meet three rules:

• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC.
• Offer one-click unsubscribe in every promotional email, and honor it within two days.
• Keep your spam-complaint rate under 0.3%. At 10,000 sends, that is only 30 people marking you as spam.

Gmail ramped up enforcement through late 2025, so in 2026 non-compliant senders see real delivery failures, not just warnings. The practical takeaway: the unsubscribe link and your authentication setup are no longer optional polish. They decide whether the inbox accepts you at all.

How scandiweb approaches eCommerce email marketing

We build email as a system, not a series of one-off sends. That means a template library tied to the lifecycle flows that earn the most, design that holds up on real devices, and a deliverability setup that keeps you in the inbox as volume grows. It is the same retention thinking behind our broader email marketing best practices, and it connects to the on-site work in conversion rate optimization, since the email and the landing page have to tell one story.

Across more than 2,100 eCommerce projects since 2003, the pattern is consistent: the brands that win on email are not the ones with the prettiest single send. They are the ones whose templates, timing, and triggers work together, especially around peak moments like Black Friday.

Frequently asked questions

What is an eCommerce email template?

An eCommerce email template is a reusable, branded layout for a specific type of marketing email, such as a welcome, abandoned cart, or promotional send. A good template defines structure, typography, and the call to action once, so every email stays consistent and renders correctly across devices.

What size should an eCommerce email be?

Use a template width of 600 to 640px, which renders well across email clients. Keep the message focused: front-load your main content and call to action so it is visible before any clipping by clients like Gmail.

Which email templates make the most money in eCommerce?

Automated lifecycle flows outperform one-off campaigns. Abandoned-cart and welcome emails lead, followed by post-purchase, browse abandonment, replenishment, and win-back flows. These run continuously once built, so they compound over time.

How do I make an email template dark-mode friendly?

Use transparent images, add a light outline to dark logos so they stay visible, and test in a dark-mode preview tool. Dark mode flips your color scheme, so anything that relies on a white background needs to be checked.

What are the Gmail and Yahoo sender rules in 2026?

The rules, introduced in February 2024, are fully enforced in 2026. Bulk senders to Gmail and Yahoo must authenticate their domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, include one-click unsubscribe in promotional emails, and keep spam complaints under 0.3%.

How long should a marketing email be?

There is no fixed length. Text-led newsletters can run longer, while image-heavy promotional emails should stay short to avoid clipping. Match length to the single action you want the reader to take.

Staring at a template that looks fine but is not converting? That gap is usually structure, timing, or deliverability, not copy. Book a working session with our email team and we will look at your templates and the flows behind them together.

About this guide

Maintained by the scandiweb Growth team. Reviewed by the scandiweb email marketing specialists. Last updated May 2026.

The post eCommerce Email Templates That Convert in 2026 appeared first on scandiweb.

You uninstalled MageMonkey, cleared the cache, hit Connect, and the sync still throws an error. Or every store view synced except the one that actually matters for abandoned-cart emails. If that is where you are right now, you are not doing anything wrong, the Mailchimp connector for Magento (Adobe Commerce) has a handful of well-known failure points, and the documentation for them is scattered across forum threads and old release notes.

We have set this integration up many times across client stores, hit the same walls, and worked out what reliably clears them. This guide is the short version: what the integration is in 2026, why the sync fails, how to connect a multi-store setup cleanly, and when the free connector stops being enough.

Overview

• The integration is now called Mailchimp for Adobe Commerce (formerly Mailchimp for Magento 2), a free connector that syncs customers and order data to a Mailchimp audience.
• Most “sync failed” errors trace back to one of three causes: a leftover MageMonkey install, an orphan Mailchimp store, or a multi-store setup on subdirectories rather than subdomains.
• You can only fully connect one store view per Mailchimp audience, so the real decision is which store view earns the full feature set.

What is the Mailchimp for Magento (Adobe Commerce) integration in 2026?

Mailchimp for Adobe Commerce is a free integration that adds your store’s customers and their order information to a Mailchimp audience, so you can run targeted campaigns, product retargeting, and abandoned-cart automations from purchase data. It used to be branded “Mailchimp for Magento 2” and you will still see both names in the wild, the connector and the underlying behavior are the same.

You install it from the Adobe Commerce Marketplace (it is free), or via Composer, then connect it to your Mailchimp account from the store’s admin. The setup itself is short. The friction is almost always cleanup from a previous tool or a multi-store quirk, which is what the rest of this guide covers.

Before you connect: remove MageMonkey completely

If your store has been live for years and you used Mailchimp before, you were probably running MageMonkey, the older extension. As the Mailchimp documentation states, you must uninstall MageMonkey before you can use Mailchimp for Adobe Commerce.

Here is the part the documentation skips: removing the extension files is not always enough. We have seen connections keep failing after developers removed MageMonkey, because not every path and database table was cleaned up during removal, and the leftovers caused errors. Ask your developers to confirm the database is clean, not just that the module folder is gone.

Why does the Mailchimp Magento sync fail?

When the sync fails, you usually see a generic connection error rather than a clear cause. Based on the extension developers’ guidance, that error points to one of three scenarios:

1. You have a parent scope configured.
2. You are using multi-store on the same domain under one Mailchimp account.
3. You have an orphan Mailchimp store left over from a previous connection.

The next two sections handle the orphan store and the multi-store cases, since those are the ones that send most people in circles.

An orphan store is blocking the connection

If you previously connected Magento to Mailchimp through MageMonkey, uninstalling it leaves an orphan store inside Mailchimp. That orphan blocks the new connector from claiming the store.

To clear it, log in to Mailchimp and open the Connected Sites page. You will see the connected store, and a Disconnect button in the lower-left corner that removes the orphan. If you do not see any connected account but the connection still fails, contact Mailchimp support and ask them to check for orphan stores that are blocking the connection, they can see ones the interface hides.

How do you connect a multi-store Magento setup to Mailchimp?

Mailchimp can connect several store views, but the layout of your store decides how cleanly it works. If your store views sit on separate subdomains, you are fine, you can connect all of them to your Mailchimp account. If your store views are separated by subdirectories, you cannot fully connect all of them.

In a subdirectory setup, one store view connects completely and shows up under Connected Sites. The others will still sync subscriber and order data, but they will not appear in Mailchimp and will not support Connected Site features like product retargeting, abandoned-cart emails, or Google Ads. So the data flows, but the revenue-driving automations only run on the one fully connected store view.

That makes the setup a decision, not just a configuration: pick the store view that earns the full feature set. Usually that is your highest-revenue or highest-traffic market, the one where abandoned-cart and retargeting automations pay for themselves fastest.

One more rule that trips people up: each store view (each subdirectory) must connect to a separate Mailchimp audience. Create a new audience in Mailchimp for every store view you plan to connect, then point each store view’s backend configuration to its own list.

Connection steps after the errors are resolved

Once you have cleaned up MageMonkey and disconnected any orphan stores, connect in this order:

1. Uninstall the MageMonkey extension correctly, with developer help to confirm the database is clean.
2. Open Connected Sites in Mailchimp and disconnect the old sites.
3. Go to the Magento (Adobe Commerce) backend and clear the cache.
4. In the Mailchimp extension settings, save the configuration at the default scope, do not enable the extension for the default scope, just save the configuration.
5. Switch to the store view you want to connect, enable the extension, and save the configuration there. Assign a separate audience to each store view you connect.

If you still hit an error after these steps, it is almost always an orphan store the interface is not showing, go back to step 2 and have Mailchimp support confirm it on their side.

Free connector or custom integration: which do you need?

The free connector is the right call for most stores. It syncs customers and orders, powers the standard automations, and costs nothing. You should look beyond it when one of these is true:

• You run a subdirectory multi-store and need full feature parity across markets, not just one fully connected store view.
• You want data the standard sync does not pass, such as custom attributes, loyalty tiers, or product-level segmentation rules.
• You are evaluating whether Mailchimp is even the right platform. Stores chasing predictable email revenue often move to a platform like Klaviyo, our Klaviyo migration case study covers a 4.8x email-revenue increase after one such move, and our email marketing best practices guide covers what to fix before you blame the platform.

If you need the connector to carry data it does not support out of the box, that is custom Magento integration services territory rather than a settings problem.

FAQ

Is the Mailchimp Magento integration free?

Yes. Mailchimp for Adobe Commerce (formerly Mailchimp for Magento 2) is a free connector available through the Adobe Commerce Marketplace. You only pay for your Mailchimp plan based on audience size and features, not for the integration itself.

Why is my Mailchimp Magento integration not working?

The most common causes are a partially removed MageMonkey install, an orphan Mailchimp store left from a previous connection, or a multi-store setup on subdirectories. Clean up the old install and disconnect orphan stores in Mailchimp’s Connected Sites before reconnecting.

Can I connect a multi-store Magento setup to Mailchimp?

Yes, but with limits. Store views on separate subdomains connect fully. Store views split by subdirectories will sync data, yet only one can be fully connected with retargeting and abandoned-cart features. Assign a separate Mailchimp audience to each store view.

Does the integration work with Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source?

Yes. The same connector supports Adobe Commerce and Magento Open Source on supported 2.4.x versions. “Mailchimp for Magento” and “Mailchimp for Adobe Commerce” refer to the same tool after the Adobe rebrand.

What data does the integration sync?

It syncs customers and their order information into a Mailchimp audience, which powers segmentation, product retargeting, and abandoned-cart automations on the fully connected store view.

Should I use Mailchimp or move to another email platform?

Mailchimp’s free connector is fine for getting started. If email is becoming a serious revenue channel and you need deeper segmentation or automation, it is worth comparing platforms, our email marketing services team can scope that against your current setup.

Still staring at a sync error, or unsure which store view to fully connect? Send us your setup and the scandiweb team will tell you exactly what is blocking the connection. Tell us about your setup, and we will get your Mailchimp data flowing.

The post Mailchimp Magento Integration: A Pain-Free 2026 Setup appeared first on scandiweb.

Last updated: May 2026

If your eCommerce store uses AI – product recommendations, chatbots, pricing tools, fraud detection – the EU AI Act likely applies to some part of your technology stack.

The regulation entered into force in 2024, with rules rolling out between 2025 and 2027. Companies using AI in the EU will need to understand how their systems are classified and what obligations come with them.

You’re probably asking: “How does the EU AI Act actually affect my store?”

We’re here to answer the key questions about this regulatory act and explain what it means for your business.

How the EU AI Act classifies AI systems

To begin with, it helps to understand how the EU AI Act classifies AI systems. The Regulation (EU) 2024/1689 uses a risk-based model, meaning not all AI is regulated in the same way. Instead, AI systems are grouped into four categories:

1. Prohibited AI
2. High-risk AI
3. Limited-risk AI
4. Minimal-risk AI

Most retail AI tools – recommendation engines, AI search, demand forecasting, and merchandising algorithms – fall into the limited-risk or minimal-risk categories. That means businesses can continue using them, though certain transparency or documentation requirements may apply.

Still, there are grey areas. Dynamic pricing, customer profiling, and AI chatbots are all common features in modern online stores, and each of them interacts with the regulation in slightly different ways.

Below are ten questions eCommerce teams ask most often when trying to understand how the EU AI Act affects their business.

EU AI Act for eCommerce: 10 key questions answered

Does the EU AI Act apply to my Shopify or Magento store?

Yes, the EU AI Act applies to your Shopify or Magento store if you serve customers in the EU, regardless of where your business is based. The Act applies based on where the AI’s output is used, not where the AI is built or hosted. A store selling into Germany or France using a US-based recommendation engine is still subject to the Act’s rules for that system.

The EU AI Act applies to companies that use AI systems affecting customers in the EU. That includes eCommerce stores running AI-powered tools.

For a Shopify or Magento (Adobe Commerce) store, the Act becomes relevant when the store uses AI features such as:

• Product recommendation engines
• AI-powered search
• Chatbots or virtual assistants
• Fraud detection systems
• Dynamic pricing tools
• Personalization algorithms.

In these cases, your business is responsible for how the AI system is used, even if the technology comes from a SaaS vendor.

The good news is that many of these AI eCommerce tools fall into low regulatory categories. In practice, this usually means basic transparency or documentation, not heavy compliance procedures. To understand what compliance may be required, ask these quick questions about each AI tool used in your store:

1. Does the AI interact directly with customers?
2. Does it make automated decisions about people?
3. Does it rely on personal data?

If the answer to any of these is no, it will usually fall into a low-risk category and require little additional compliance.

Does the EU AI Act apply to non-EU eCommerce businesses?

Yes, the EU AI Act applies to non-EU businesses, including US-based stores, whenever their AI’s output is used in the EU. A US store using AI to power its European storefront, send personalized emails to EU customers, or operate a chatbot accessible to EU users falls under the Act. The trigger is where the system has effects, not where the company is headquartered.

Is my AI-powered recommendation engine classified as high-risk?

A typical recommendation engine is in the limited- or minimal-risk tier of the EU AI Act and does not trigger the high-risk obligations. It moves into high risk when it crosses into prohibited territory, such as manipulating purchase decisions based on a customer’s emotional state or exploiting vulnerabilities, such as financial distress. The line is set by Article 5 prohibitions, not by the recommendation function itself.

So, in most cases, no. Recommendation engines used in eCommerce are typically not considered high-risk AI under the EU AI Act.

High-risk systems mainly involve areas where automated decisions can significantly affect people’s rights or opportunities. For example, hiring decisions, credit scoring, biometrical identification etc.

Typical retail personalization tools do not fall into these categories.

However, there are a few situations worth reviewing. Regulators may look more closely if an algorithm:

• Excludes certain groups from seeing offers
• Targets vulnerable users with manipulative recommendations
• Makes significant automated decisions without oversight.

Even then, these issues usually fall under consumer protection rules or GDPR profiling requirements, not the high-risk AI category itself.

Can I still use AI for dynamic pricing in the EU?

Yes, dynamic pricing remains legal under the EU AI Act, but with limits. Pricing that responds to inventory, demand, time of day, or location is permitted. Pricing that targets an individual customer based on profiling, especially when that profiling exploits a known vulnerability or operates without their knowledge, risks falling under Article 5 prohibitions. The Act does not ban dynamic pricing; it bans the manipulative use of it.

Problems may arise if an algorithm:

• Targets individuals with higher prices based on sensitive personal data
• Pressures users to buy through manipulative behavioral signals
• Hides discriminatory pricing practices.

These situations can trigger scrutiny under consumer protection law or GDPR.

What does “profiling clients” mean under the Act, and why is it prohibited?

Profiling under the EU AI Act means automated analysis of personal data to predict or evaluate an individual’s behavior, preferences, or vulnerabilities. The Act prohibits profiling that exploits vulnerabilities (age, disability, social or economic situation) to materially distort behavior or cause harm. General preference profiling for product recommendations is allowed, provided it does not cross into manipulation or the exploitation of vulnerabilities.

In simple terms, profiling means using personal data to predict or evaluate a customer’s behavior.

In eCommerce this happens all the time. Stores analyze browsing history, past purchases, and engagement signals to personalize recommendations or marketing messages.

This type of profiling is not automatically prohibited under the EU AI Act Article 5 prohibited practices.

Regulators become concerned when AI systems manipulate users or exploit vulnerabilities. Examples include systems that:

• Target vulnerable users based on age, disability, or financial situation
• Push people toward decisions they would not otherwise make
• Rank or score individuals based on behavior.

The key difference lies in intent and impact. Personalization that helps customers discover relevant products is generally acceptable. Systems designed to manipulate behavior or discriminate against certain groups can trigger regulatory scrutiny.

Do I need to disclose when customers are talking to a chatbot?

Yes. The EU AI Act’s transparency obligation requires you to inform users when they are interacting with an AI system, including chatbots. A short, clear disclosure at the start of the conversation is sufficient. The rule applies even to chatbots in the limited-risk tier and exists to help users make an informed choice about whether to continue.

If users could reasonably assume they are speaking with a human, the system must clearly indicate that the interaction is automated.

Compared with other parts of the EU AI Act, this obligation is relatively light. A compliant implementation for AI chatbots and virtual assistants is usually simple:

• Label the assistant clearly as an AI chatbot
• Show a short disclosure when the conversation starts
• Mention AI usage in the help center or privacy notice.

This rule applies regardless of whether the chatbot is built internally or provided by a third-party vendor. If your store deploys the chatbot, your business is responsible for the disclosure.

What are the actual penalties for non-compliance?

The EU AI Act sets penalties at up to 35 million euros or 7 percent of global annual turnover, whichever is higher, for prohibited-practice violations. Other breaches carry lower but still significant fines (up to 15 million euros or 3 percent of turnover). Enforcement is led by national authorities in each EU member state, coordinated through the AI Office.

The EU AI Act penalties are similar in scale to GDPR and depend on the type of violation.

The maximum fines are:

• Up to €35 million or 7% of global annual revenue for prohibited AI systems
• Up to €15 million or 3% of global annual revenue for violations involving high-risk AI systems
• Up to €7.5 million or 1.5% of global annual revenue for providing incorrect information to regulators.

Regulators apply the higher of the fixed fine or the revenue percentage.

The good news is that most eCommerce AI tools typically fall into minimal-risk or limited-risk AI. In these cases, compliance mainly involves transparency and responsible data use. However, the bigger risk is not the fine itself. It is not knowing which AI systems are running in the business and how they fit into the EU AI Act risk categories.

How does the Act affect my use of US-based AI tools like OpenAI or Google?

You can still use US-based AI tools like OpenAI or Google in the EU, but responsibility for compliance often falls to you, the deployer, as well as the provider. You need a lawful basis under GDPR for the data sent to the tool, a documented assessment of the AI’s risk tier, and disclosure to users when AI is involved. The Act applies to the output used in the EU, regardless of where the model runs.

So, using AI tools from US vendors like OpenAI is still allowed. What matters is whether the AI system is used in the European market.

That means that you are responsible for how the AI tool is used in your store, even if the technology comes from a third-party vendor.

When using external AI tools, it is worth checking:

• What data the AI system processes
• How the system generates outputs
• Whether any transparency or disclosure obligations apply.

Many major vendors are already preparing documentation for EU AI Act compliance. Retailers should still confirm how their providers handle data sources, model behavior, and transparency requirements.

For organizations that would rather keep AI compute and personal data entirely within Europe, our guide to sovereign AI covers the three deployment models and when each is appropriate.

What is a “chain of custody” for data, and do I need one?

A chain of custody for AI is the documented record of where personal data and AI outputs come from, how they are processed, and who is responsible at each stage. The EU AI Act does not name it as a chain of custody, but high-risk systems require comparable record-keeping. For eCommerce, even outside high-risk, building this documentation early makes any future audit, GDPR, or AI Act much easier.

In simple terms, chain of custody means knowing where the data used by an AI system comes from and how it moves through the system.

This usually involves tracking:

• Where the input or training data originates
• How the data is processed by the AI model
• Who has access to the data
• How outputs are generated and stored.

Under the EU AI Act, these traceability requirements mainly apply to high-risk AI systems. For most eCommerce use cases, the requirement is relatively light. Retail AI tools typically rely on store data that businesses already control.

The practical step is to keep basic documentation of:

• Which AI systems are used in the store
• What data feeds those systems
• Which vendors provide the technology
• How the AI outputs affect customer interactions.

Many companies already maintain similar documentation through GDPR compliance and vendor reviews.

My AI is purely internal with no personal data – am I still affected?

Internal-only AI with no personal data is in minimal-risk and carries no specific EU AI Act obligations. However, two cautions apply: the moment a model touches employee data, candidate data, or customer support transcripts, it can move into limited- or high-risk territory; and AI that informs decisions about people, even indirectly, may attract scrutiny if outputs are not documented.

So, usually no. Internal AI systems typically fall into the minimal-risk category under the EU AI Act.

These are use cases such as:

• Demand forecasting
• Inventory optimization
• Warehouse routing
• Supply chain predictions
• Internal analytics models

Because these tools support internal decision-making and do not directly influence customers, they are generally considered minimal-risk AI. These are largely unregulated under the EU AI Act. Businesses can continue using them without certification or strict transparency requirements.

That said, companies should still keep a basic record of where AI is used internally. Internal systems sometimes evolve into customer-facing features, such as automated pricing or product recommendations, which can change the regulatory requirements.

Where do I start if I want to become compliant?

Start with an inventory: list every AI system in use across your store, name the purpose, the data inputs, and the risk tier each one likely falls under. Then prioritize by risk and by EU customer exposure. For most eCommerce brands, the fastest practical wins are chatbot disclosure, recommendation-engine review for Article 5 risk, and a documented data-handling map. Larger or higher-risk systems need a formal conformity assessment, which is where bringing in expertise helps.

The fastest path is to bring in a partner to audit AI use, document the risk-tier mapping, and implement technical controls at the code level. scandiweb’s EU AI Act compliance service handles the work end-to-end, from initial inventory through conformity assessment and ongoing monitoring, so internal teams stay focused on the storefront.

The EU Commission’s AI Act page is the authoritative source for both the legal text and the dates each obligation takes effect.

Typical places to check include:

• Recommendation engines and personalization tools
• Search and merchandising algorithms
• AI chatbots or support assistants
• Fraud detection systems
• Dynamic pricing tools
• Marketing automation platforms using predictive models.

Once these systems are identified, classify them according to the EU AI Act risk categories: prohibited, high-risk, limited-risk, and minimal-risk.

Most retail AI tools fall into limited-risk or minimal-risk, which usually require transparency or documentation rather than strict regulation.

After classification, review three areas:

• Transparency – customers should know when they interact with AI
• Data usage – understand what data feeds the system
• Vendor responsibilities – confirm how third-party AI tools handle compliance.

Final thoughts

The EU AI Act does not aim to stop companies from using AI in eCommerce. They want companies to understand where AI influences people and to be transparent about it.

For most retailers, the real work is not removing AI tools or slowing innovation. It is knowing which systems you run, what data they rely on, and where automated decisions affect customers. Once that visibility exists, compliance becomes part of normal governance – much like GDPR did a few years ago.

If you are working out where your store stands across the EU AI Act risk tiers, talk to our team, and we will run a short compliance review against your live AI systems before you commit to a full conformity program.

The post EU AI Act for eCommerce: 10 Questions Every Business Is Asking in 2026 appeared first on scandiweb.

Across 30 million Shopify sessions, Deloitte and Google found that a 0.1-second speed gain lifts sales by 8.4%. If your Shopify store loads in 4 seconds on mobile, that is the gap between the revenue you have and the revenue the same traffic could earn at 2 seconds.

This guide walks through what is actually slowing Shopify stores in 2026, how to diagnose it, and the structural fixes that move a real store from a PageSpeed score in the 20s to the high 80s. Every tip below has been used by the scandiweb Shopify team on live client work.

Overview

• The single biggest cause of slow Shopify stores in 2026 is third-party app sprawl, not the platform itself.
• A good mobile PageSpeed score for a real Shopify store sits between 60 and 80, not 100.
• The fastest wins come from auditing apps, compressing images, and deferring non-critical scripts, in that order.

What slows Shopify stores in 2026

The average Shopify store now installs 15 to 20 apps, and each one can add between 100 and 500 milliseconds of JavaScript to every page load (Easy Apps eCom, 2026). The result is predictable: a default Shopify theme without customisation often scores around 70 on mobile, while the same store with a typical app stack drops into the 20s.

The four root causes the scandiweb Shopify team sees most often:

• Render-blocking app scripts that load synchronously on every page
• Hero images and homepage carousels with unoptimised file sizes
• Third-party tracking pixels firing before the main thread is free
• Legacy theme code with deprecated patterns from earlier Online Store versions

None of these are platform limitations. They are configuration problems with concrete fixes.

How do I check my Shopify store speed?

The right way to audit Shopify performance in 2026 is to run three tools side by side and triangulate. No single tool gives the full picture.

• Google PageSpeed Insights for Core Web Vitals (LCP, INP, CLS) and mobile/desktop scores
• Shopify’s own performance dashboard in the admin for the store-wide trend
• Google Lighthouse in Chrome DevTools for the detailed render trace and the unused-JavaScript report

Mobile results will always look worse than desktop. That is normal. The threshold to aim for: above 60 on mobile is a healthy ceiling for a feature-rich store, above 80 is excellent. Read our guide on reading PageSpeed Insights for the nuance most teams miss.

9 ways to speed up your Shopify store

These nine fixes are ordered by impact. Apply them in sequence, retest after each step, and you will see the cumulative score climb meaningfully within a single sprint.

1. Audit and remove unused apps

App bloat is the single biggest speed killer on Shopify (PageSpeed Matters benchmarks, 2026). Go to your Shopify admin, list every installed app, and remove every one that is not actively earning its keep. Then disable any leftover app embeds under Online Store, Themes, Customize, App embeds. Stopping the script from loading is faster than optimising it.

2. Compress images

Hero images and product photography in PNG or non-optimised JPEG are a common cause of long LCP times. Use a tool like TinyPNG or a Shopify-native image optimiser to bring file sizes down before upload, then verify by re-running Shopify Analyzer.

3. Implement lazy loading

Make sure the hero image above the fold loads eagerly, and every image below the fold uses loading="lazy". Shopify themes from 2024 onward generally do this by default, but custom theme work often breaks it.

4. Minify JavaScript and CSS

Use a tool like JavaScript and CSS Minifier to remove whitespace, comments, and dead code from theme files. The savings per file are small individually but compound across a real-world theme.

5. Reduce HTTP requests

Each request is a round-trip your browser pays for. Run Shopify Analyzer, identify the requests that fire on every page (often analytics, chat widgets, A/B test tools), and either consolidate them through Google Tag Manager or remove the ones that no longer have a business case.

6. Defer or remove third-party scripts

Tracking pixels for Meta, TikTok, Klaviyo, and similar services should not block the initial render. Move them behind a tag manager and load them after the main thread is free. If a script cannot be deferred, ask whether it is paying for itself in attribution value.

7. Optimize theme code

Reduce HTML parent elements where possible. Look for scripts that execute twice on the same page (common when a theme update introduced a duplicate call). Tighten the CSS structure. If your store uses custom JavaScript, profile it in Lighthouse and refactor the worst offenders.

8. Use a lightweight theme

Themes built on Shopify Online Store 2.0 with section groups load faster than older customised themes carrying years of legacy code. For a store with significant performance debt, a controlled theme rebuild often pays back faster than tip-by-tip optimisation.

9. Monitor with Web Vitals

Speed is not a one-time fix. Install a Web Vitals monitoring tool, set up alerts when LCP or INP regresses, and review monthly. New apps, new theme code, and seasonal traffic all push the numbers around.

scandiweb case study: From PageSpeed 20 to 89

The scandiweb Shopify team recently launched a store on Online Store 2.0 for a client who arrived with a mobile PageSpeed score of 20. Within one optimisation sprint, the score climbed to 59. After a second pass with the full nine-tip stack above and a controlled theme rebuild, the same store now sits at 89 on mobile.

The order of operations that produced the 20-to-89 climb:

• App audit and removal first, dropping nine non-essential apps. Mobile score climbed from 20 to 38.
• Image compression and lazy-loading pass next. Score moved from 38 to 51.
• Third-party tracking script consolidation under Google Tag Manager. Score climbed to 59.
• Theme refactor and unused-CSS removal. Final score of 89 on mobile, 96 on desktop.

The store’s add-to-cart rate climbed by 14% in the 30 days after the launch, and mobile bounce rate dropped by 11 percentage points. The 0.1-second-equals-8.4% Deloitte benchmark held up almost perfectly in practice.

How fast should a Shopify store load in 2026?

The honest answer in 2026 is that Largest Contentful Paint under 2.5 seconds on mobile is the target. Most Shopify stores sit between 3.2 and 5.1 seconds, which is above the Core Web Vitals threshold. A PageSpeed Insights mobile score above 60 is healthy for a real-world store with apps and product photography. Above 80 is excellent.

For comparison, the SERP top-three results on most commercial queries load in 1.8 to 2.4 seconds and score above 75 on mobile. That is the bar your store needs to clear to compete for the same traffic.

When should you hire a Shopify performance specialist?

If your store’s mobile PageSpeed score is below 40, or LCP is above 4 seconds, the in-house fixes above will move the number but rarely past 60 without theme-level work. That is the point to bring in a Shopify partner with Liquid optimisation experience and a track record of measurable speed gains on production stores.

The scandiweb Shopify team has shipped Shopify performance work across stores doing seven and eight figures in annual revenue. The pattern is consistent: app audit, image pipeline, theme rebuild, monitoring. The order matters more than the tactics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my Shopify store so slow?

The most common cause is third-party app sprawl. The average Shopify store installs 15 to 20 apps, each loading 100 to 500 milliseconds of JavaScript on every page. Image weight and render-blocking tracking pixels are the next two most common causes.

What is a good PageSpeed score for Shopify?

For a real-world Shopify store with apps and product photography, above 60 on mobile is healthy and above 80 is excellent. Chasing 100 is rarely a good use of engineering time once you are past 80.

Does Shopify performance affect SEO?

Yes. Core Web Vitals are a confirmed Google ranking factor, and Largest Contentful Paint correlates strongly with mobile conversion. A faster store ranks better and converts more of the traffic that arrives.

How long does Shopify speed optimization take?

A first-pass app audit and image compression sprint typically takes one to two weeks and moves the score by 15 to 30 points. A full theme refactor for a store with significant performance debt takes four to eight weeks, depending on the catalog size and integrations.

Can I optimize Shopify performance without a developer?

Partly. The app audit, image compression, and lazy-loading setup can be done in the admin. Theme code optimisation, JavaScript profiling, and the deeper Liquid refactor work need a developer with Shopify experience.

Does Shopify Plus load faster than the standard plan?

Not directly. Shopify Plus and the standard plan run on the same infrastructure. What Plus unlocks is access to checkout extensibility, multi-storefront architecture, and theme customisation depth, all of which can be used to build a faster store but do not deliver speed automatically. See our Shopify vs Shopify Plus comparison for the full breakdown.

About this guide

Maintained by the scandiweb Shopify team. Reviewed by Rolands Popovs, COO. scandiweb is a Shopify Plus Partner with 20+ years of eCommerce delivery and 2,100+ projects shipped across Shopify, Adobe Commerce, and BigCommerce.

If your store is still slow after working through this playbook, the bottleneck is usually in the theme code or in an app that hides its impact behind a lazy load. Get in touch with the scandiweb Shopify team for a performance audit and a concrete fix plan.

The post Shopify Performance Optimization: A 2026 Playbook for Faster Stores appeared first on scandiweb.