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“Working with Creative Labs has been a game-changer for our business.”
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Poplar Forest Nursery TeamPoplar Forest Nursery
Headless (hydrogen / astro)
Astro storefronts on Shopify: static speed, your CMS, Shopify’s checkout.
Astro on Vercel, or Astro with the Storefront API, for catalogs and brands that have outgrown Liquid. Shopify stays the back office.
Built Astro storefronts for brands like
Why astro
Astro ships every page as static HTML with islands of React only where needed, the cart and checkout stay on Shopify, and your team edits content in Sanity.
Astro, hydrogen or a theme?
When Astro is worth it, and when it isn’t.
Astro is the right headless choice when content outweighs catalog: brands with guides, editorial and many landing pages. For big, filter-heavy catalogs, Hydrogen fits better. For most stores, a good theme is faster to run.
Shopify theme
Hydrogen
Astro + Shopify
This pageBest for
Most DTC stores, small teams
Big catalogs, custom UX, Plus
Content-heavy stores, blogs, docs
Who edits pages
Your team, in the customizer
Developers; content in a CMS
Content in Sanity; layouts by a developer
Time to launch
6 to 8 weeks
12 to 20 weeks
8 to 12 weeks
Mobile speed
Depends on apps
Sub-second on Oxygen
Sub-second, static
Checkout
Shopify
Shopify
Shopify
Hosting
Shopify
Oxygen (included)
Vercel, Netlify or Cloudflare
Cost
From $10,000
From $25,000
From $18,000
Our own site runs on Astro and Sanity, so we know where it shines and where it bites.
Inside a headless build
Drag to see the Liquid theme and the Astro storefront.
Same catalog, two front ends. Pick a client, then drag.
seavoir.com
Seavoir
Fashion catalog rebuilt on Hydrogen, sub-second product pages
1
Storefront API queries designed around the pages
2
Components built in Storybook before any page
3
Edge-rendered on Oxygen, measured in the field
Our process
How an Astro build runs.
An Astro storefront in 8 to 12 weeks, or a content site in 6. Coloured bars are our work, grey ones are yours.
HYDROGEN STOREFRONTSTRATEGY, DESIGN AND BUILD
WEEK 1
WEEK 2
WEEK 3
WEEK 4
WEEK 5
WEEK 6
WEEK 7
WEEK 8
WEEK 9
WEEK 10
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
Y
You
Access, content, sign-offs
Access
Sign-off
Launch
A
Architecture
Data, routes, caching
Discovery
API + routes
D
Design
System, pages, motion
Design system
Pages
B
Build
Components, pages, QA
Components
Pages + QA
Point at any part to see what happens there.
How we work
Astro, decided before the first commit.
01
A CMS for your editors
Sanity or Shopify metaobjects, chosen for who will actually edit the pages.
02
Hosting you own
Oxygen, Vercel or Cloudflare on your account, with the repo in your GitHub.
03
Rankings protected
Every theme URL kept or redirected; schema and titles carried over.
04
Ready for AI agents
Structured content and a clean API, so an agent can add pages safely.
From our case studies
What Astro actually changed.
Real field numbers from storefronts we shipped.
0.8 s
LCP on Seavoir's product pages
99/100
mobile PageSpeed on the home page
5,000+
SKUs served from one Storefront API
12 weeks
from kickoff to live on Oxygen
Want more examples?
A few of our recent headless builds.
01 / 03
Seavoir
Hydrogen storefront for a fashion catalog
Sunday Golf
Astro landing pages in front of Shopify checkout
Iba Cosmetics
Headless PDPs for a 300-SKU beauty brand
Pricing
One project, or a team every month.
Fixed price for the project, or a subscription that keeps shipping after launch.
One-time project
$10,000
from
A Astro storefront designed and built, with the Storefront API, caching and deploy in your repo.
✓Architecture and data model
✓Design system + pages
✓Hydrogen or Astro build
✓Oxygen / Vercel deploy
✓60-day support
Subscription
$3,000
/ month
Development subscription for storefronts that keep evolving.
✓Senior front-end engineer
✓Updates every 24–48 hours
✓Performance budget kept
✓Pause or cancel monthly
Quality
What every Astro storefront is checked for.
Field LCP under 1s
Measured in CrUX, not a lab run.
Cart and checkout
Shopify checkout, Shop Pay, discounts tested.
SEO parity
Every Liquid URL and tag reproduced.
Caching strategy
Edge caching with correct invalidation.
Accessibility
WCAG 2.2 AA on every template.
Analytics
GA4 and pixels on a headless route.
Content editing
Marketing can publish without a deploy.
You own it
Repo and hosting in your name.
Words from the brands we've built for
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“Creative Labs has elevated our online presence to a whole new level.”
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Care Hope College AdministrationCare Hope College
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“Creative Labs exceeded our expectations in delivering a secure, user-friendly platform.”
Read full quote
Cellocity TeamCellocity
Still got questions?
Your questions about headless
What is headless Shopify?
A headless Shopify store keeps Shopify for products, cart and checkout, and builds the storefront separately, for example in Astro or Hydrogen. You get full control of design and speed while Shopify still runs the back office.
Hydrogen or Astro, which should I choose?
Astro for content-led sites where most pages are static; Hydrogen for storefronts that are mostly product and need commerce features built in. We recommend one after seeing your catalogue and how your team edits.
Do I need Shopify Plus for Hydrogen?
No. Hydrogen and Oxygen hosting are available on paid Shopify plans, not only Plus.
Is headless faster than a Liquid theme?
It can be. Static pages served from the edge are very fast, but a well-built Liquid theme is also fast, and headless adds complexity. We recommend it when speed or custom UX is worth that trade.
Can my team edit content without a developer?
Yes. Content is managed in Sanity or Shopify metaobjects, so your team edits pages and publishes without a developer.
What does a headless build cost?
Headless builds are scoped individually and cost more than a theme build, which starts at $10,000. You get one fixed price after an audit. See pricing.
You've reached the end, so now…
Tell us what you're selling.
Send us your store. Within one business day you get a short Loom from a senior: the three things we'd fix first, what it would cost, and whether we're the right team for it.
- No pitch deck, no discovery-call theatre
- You keep the audit whether or not you hire us
- Fixed-scope quotes, no hourly surprises
Prefer to talk? Book 20 minutes with Haniel or call +1 855-764-4977