Do you implement changes or just provide recommendations?

FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions

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CRO

What is Conversion Rate Optimisation (CRO)?

CRO is the process of improving your website so that a higher percentage of your existing traffic completes desired actions — like making a purchase, signing up, or adding to cart – without increasing your ad spend. It focuses on removing friction points and guiding users toward conversion.

Why should my eCommerce business invest in CRO?

Traffic alone isn’t enough; if visitors don’t convert, you’re leaving revenue on the table. CRO helps you turn more of your current visitors into customers, improving ROI from your marketing spend and boosting long-term growth.

What does your CRO process look like?

We analyse real user behaviour, identify drop-off points, form hypotheses, and test changes that are likely to move revenue, not vanity metrics.

How quickly will we see impact?

Some changes help straight away. Bigger gains take time and iteration.

Can you guarantee results?

No. Anyone who does isn’t being honest.

Does this include mobile optimisation?

Yes. Mobile is usually where the biggest issues sit.

Do you implement changes or just provide recommendations?

We do both. We identify what needs fixing, test where appropriate, and implement changes so improvements actually go live.

Strategy

What is eCommerce strategy and why does my business need one?

An eCommerce strategy is a comprehensive roadmap that outlines how your business will grow online, from customer acquisition and conversion optimisation to retention and scaling. It helps you align your goals, data, and customer experience for measurable growth.

When should I invest in eCommerce strategy services?

You should consider eCommerce strategy services if you’re launching a new store, planning to replatform, facing stagnating online sales, or ready to scale your digital revenue.

What does the eCommerce strategy process involve?

Our process typically includes benchmarking your current setup, auditing performance data, understanding your audience, setting goals, and outlining a tailored plan that drives performance.

How long does it take to develop an effective eCommerce strategy?

The timeframe can vary depending on your business complexity and goals, but most strategic engagements take several weeks to a few months to fully develop and begin implementation.

Will you help with technical platform decisions as part of strategy?

Yes, part of building your strategy is assessing your current platform and advising on the best solution for your growth, whether that’s Magento, Shopify, Adobe Commerce, another platform, or even staying with the one you’re already on.

Do you provide ongoing support after the strategy is created?

Yes, our strategists stay involved long-term, evolving your plan as your business grows, including optimisation roadmaps and CRO insights.

Can eCommerce strategy help improve conversion rates?

Absolutely, by analysing user journeys, behaviour data, and site performance, we identify opportunities to reduce friction and boost conversions across your store.

Is your strategy tailored for B2B as well as B2C businesses?

Yes, we build bespoke strategies that fit your audience type, customer journey, and commercial goals, whether you’re B2B, D2C, or multi-channel.

How do we get started with your eCommerce strategy services?

The first step is a conversation, we take time to understand your business, challenges, and ambitions to create a strategy that helps you move from A to B with clarity and confidence.

Next Nice Problem Workshop

What is the Next Nice Problem (NNP) Success Workshop?

The NNP Success Workshop is a practical, data-led ecommerce audit that shows you exactly how your site is performing and what you can do to improve results, delivered as a clear walkthrough video with actionable insights.

Who is the NNP Success Workshop designed for?

It’s ideal for ecommerce businesses at any stage, from early growth sites to established stores, that want clarity on where performance issues lie and how to fix them.

What will I receive after the workshop?

You’ll get a performance score, expert insights on your site’s user journeys and experience, plus a prioritised roadmap of improvements with estimated ROI.

How is this workshop delivered?

The workshop is delivered as a face-to-face session with key stakeholders, where we deep-dive into your website, users, commercial goals, and business history. This is followed by structured follow-up sessions, either in person or via video calls, to refine insights, align on priorities, and turn findings into clear next steps.

What aspects of my ecommerce site are analysed?

The workshop analyses customer journeys, site usability, performance metrics (like speed), and how your store benchmarks against competitors.

Is there any benefit if I decide to work with Actuate after the workshop?

Yes, if you engage us for work after the workshop (e.g., CRO sprint, rebuild, or replatform), 50% of the workshop fee is deducted from the project cost.

How quickly will I get the results?

You’ll receive your detailed insights and roadmap soon after the assessment is completed, typically much faster than traditional audits.

Do I need technical expertise to understand the results?

No, the workshop is designed to be clear and actionable for business owners and teams, focusing on real, practical recommendations rather than technical jargon.

How does this differ from a standard ecommerce audit?

Unlike lengthy, confusing reports, the NNP Workshop delivers expert insight in an easy-to-digest video format with a clear plan of action tailored to your site.

UX/UI Research & Design

What is UX/UI design and why is it important for my eCommerce store?

UX (User Experience) design focuses on how people interact with your site, while UI (User Interface) design is about how it looks and feels. Together, they reduce friction, improve usability, and help visitors move efficiently from browsing to buying, ultimately boosting conversions and loyalty.

What does your UX/UI design process involve?

We start with data-driven user research, analysing analytics, heatmaps and benchmarks to understand real behaviour. Then we map journeys and translate those into clean, responsive UI designs that guide users smoothly through every step of their experience.

How do you measure success in UX/UI design?

Success is measured through improvements in key performance metrics such as conversion rates, bounce rates, average order value, and repeat visits, all driven by frictionless, intuitive design.

Will this work on mobile as well as desktop?

Absolutely, responsive design is a core part of our UX/UI approach, ensuring a seamless experience across mobile, tablet and desktop devices to meet how your customers actually shop.

How long does a UX/UI design project usually take?

Timelines vary based on scope, research depth and the number of interfaces being redesigned, but we’ll provide a clear schedule upfront so you know what to expect.

Do you only redesign entire sites, or can you improve specific parts?

We can tailor engagement to your needs, whether it’s a full redesign or targeted improvements to specific journeys (e.g., homepage, product pages or checkout) that are underperforming or causing friction.

How does UX/UI design tie into conversion rate optimisation (CRO)?

Great UX/UI design and CRO go hand in hand: reducing friction, clarifying call-to-actions, improving navigation, and better visual hierarchy all increase the likelihood that users complete high-value actions like purchases.

What happens after the design is delivered?

Once designs are finalised, we support hand-off to development with assets and specifications, and can also assist with testing and optimisation to ensure your new experience performs as intended

Web Developement

What does your eCommerce web development service include?

Our eCommerce web development covers everything from building new sites and migrating platforms (replatforming) to creating custom features, integrations, and long-term support, all designed for growth and performance.

Do you work with specific eCommerce platforms?

Yes, we develop on major platforms including Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Shopify (including Shopify Plus) and Aero Commerce, tailoring solutions to your business requirements.

Can you help if my current website isn’t performing or is broken?

Absolutely. We offer recovery and rescue projects where we audit your existing code and setup, fix critical issues, and deliver a prioritised plan to make your site fully functional and future-ready.

How do you ensure the site we build will support growth?

Every project is built with scalability in mind, from clean, high-performing code and seamless third-party integrations to future-ready architecture that supports new features as your business grows.

Do you handle integrations with other business systems?

Yes, we connect your eCommerce platform to other tools like inventory systems, CRMs, marketing automation, and payment gateways so your tech stack works in harmony.

How long will a web development project take?

Timelines depend on project scope (e.g., platform choice, custom features, integrations). We’ll provide a clear schedule once we’ve defined the requirements, so you know what to expect. (Typical stages include discovery, design, development, testing, and launch.)

What happens after the website is launched?

Post-launch, we can support you with ongoing maintenance, optimisation, and enhancements, ensuring your site stays secure, fast, and aligned with evolving business needs.

How do I know which platform is right for my business?

We assess your business goals, current challenges, and future plans to recommend the best platform, balancing factors like flexibility, scalability, budget, and feature requirements.

Support

What does your Maintenance & Support service include?

Our ongoing support means your site stays secure, up-to-date, and performing, from platform updates and security patches to performance optimisation and CRO-led improvements that keep your conversion rate moving in the right direction.

Why is ongoing maintenance important for an eCommerce site?

eCommerce sites constantly change, plugins, integrations, payment gateways, and security landscapes evolve. Regular maintenance ensures uptime, prevents security vulnerabilities, and keeps the shopping experience smooth and secure for your customers.

How do your support packages work?

We tailor support to your business needs, whether you want a fixed number of developer hours per month, a fully managed retainer across updates and new features, or specialists working alongside your in-house team.

Can you help with security and compliance?

Yes, we handle regular security patches, platform and extension updates, and help ensure your store remains compliant with key standards like PCI-DSS and GDPR.

Will you improve my site’s performance as part of support?

Absolutely. Our maintenance focuses on performance optimisation, reducing friction, improving load speeds, and addressing user experience issues that can impact conversions.

Do you offer support for specific platforms?

Yes, we support major eCommerce platforms, including Magento 2, Adobe Commerce, Shopify, and Hyvä, with specialists experienced in each environment.

How quickly can you resolve urgent issues?

Our support retainer gives you priority access to developers and specialists, ensuring that critical issues affecting uptime, security, or revenue can be addressed quickly.

Is CMS training included in the maintenance service?

Yes, we believe in empowering you. Every build includes CMS training so you can confidently make content updates, product changes, and manage everyday tasks without constantly raising support tickets.

General

How do I choose between Magento and Adobe Commerce?

One of the most important parts of your eCommerce strategy is your choice of digital platform, ensuring this fits with the needs of your growing business. That’s exactly why we take a holistic view of your entire business, assessing your overall aims, sales goals and growth ambitions.

So, what is the difference between Magento and Adobe Commerce?
Magento is a great choice for start-ups and SMEs, offering customisable open-source eCommerce applications, which can be added at any point, it is free to use and therefore provides maximum functionality for no annual fee; once built, the only costs to cover are your domain and hosting.

Adobe Commerce and Adobe Commerce Cloud are commercial platforms with additional features and support options. It’s perfect for national or international businesses with multiple branches or franchises as it can create sub-accounts with different pricing, offers and even products using the tiered account structures, making regional management hassle-free, and far less time-consuming.

Adobe Commerce is usually a better choice for medium-large organisations as both are licenced software and have an annual fee; however, this can depend on your specific circumstances and your projected turnover growth. Our eCommerce experts are always happy to advise; simply hop on a call.

What is the average lifespan of a website?

Ultimately, this depends on your site’s ability to grow with your successful, expanding business. A flexible site with customisable features will offer maximum scalability – growing as you grow. This prevents you from frequently rebuilding your site. In fact, we only build sites that we guarantee will meet your needs for the next 3 – 4 years, minimum.

Is page speed important for SEO?

In short, very.

Okay, we’ll expand on that. Google’s Core Web Vitals Search Algorithm rewards websites that optimise their site speed and performance to better user experience for their customers. So, the faster your site, the stronger your SEO, contributing to your overall position on the search engine results pages, or SERP.

But how fast does a website need to load? The ideal page load speed is 1-2 seconds. But it is worth keeping in mind that delays are costly. According to research by SEO consultancy, Hobo, 53% of mobile site visits are abandoned if pages take longer than 3 seconds to load. A 2-second delay in load time resulted in abandonment rates of up to 87%.
The faster your performance the better. As a certified Hyvä theme partner, we are able to turbocharge your site, delivering lightning speeds, and the very best shopping experience for your customers – which, by extension, maximises your sales.

What payment methods are accepted by Magento and Adobe Commerce?

Both platforms support a wide variety of payment gateways offering wide consumer choices including PayPal, Braintree, WorldPay and Authorize, along with Apple Pay, Google Pay and Amazon Pay. Magento 2 also includes credit options, such as Klarna and Clearpay.

What is the best security for eCommerce websites?

As you’d expect from Adobe, both Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce have a whole host of cybersecurity features to protect both you as a business and the Personal Identifiable Information (PII) of your customers.

Secure Payment methods, as above, mean that you’ll remain compliant with the PCI Standard, whilst frequent updates for Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce ensure that all known vulnerabilities are immediately remedied by Adobe. We highly recommend that all Magento customers migrate to Magento 2, mitigating any cybersecurity risk, keeping your customer data safe, and your business legally compliant.

Can eCommerce be used to sell digital goods or professional services?

Magento 2 and Adobe Commerce both support the sale of digital downloads and services as well as the physical products that you might traditionally associate with eCommerce.

Whether you are selling Business-to-Business, (B2B), Business-to-Consumer, (B2C), or Direct-to-Consumer, (D2C), we can advise on the best platform for your business.

Can I arrange a face-to-face meeting to discuss my website’s development?

Well of course, we love nothing more than meeting new, like-minded people, and as great as video calls are, there is nothing better than getting our heads together around a table.

We offer a free consultation with absolutely no obligation.

Our Magento and Adobe Commerce agency in Manchester is located centrally, right by Piccadilly train station. Let us know when’s good for you, and we’ll pop the kettle on.

Can’t meet us in person? That’s not a problem, just drop us a line and we’ll hop on a video call.

Magento 2

What are the benefits of upgrading to Magento 2?

As the original Magento is no longer supported by Adobe, migration to Magento 2 is essential for your cybersecurity. Unsupported your site will no longer receive updates and security vulnerability patches, putting you, and your customers at risk of a cyber-attack. To ensure your legal compliance with the UK & EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and also the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard, (PCI-DSS), we highly recommend migration to the far more secure, Magento 2.

Supported by the army of Magento open-source developers, Magento 2 is highly customisable, so it grows with your business. As your Magento development agency, we’re here to custom-build additional features and functionality as an when you need it.

Although it is already super-fast right out of the box, we can also add Hyvä to Magento for blazing-fast performance and near-perfect page load speed; whilst Adobe Sensi, powerful AI-driven merchandising, helps increase your average order total by making personalised product suggestions to your customers.

Does Magento integrate with third-party systems and applications?

As your Magento 2 agency, we’re here to make your life simpler. Our eCommerce site developers know a thing or two about third-party integrations and will advise on all potential system integrations to streamline your sales and delivery processes.

Integrating your ordering, warehouse, accountancy and logistics operational systems, you’ll reap the benefits of real-time inventory tracking, whilst your customers experience seamless delivery and returns.

Is Magento the right platform for selling B2B?

Magento is the highest-ranked B2B eCommerce platform on the Internet Retailer 300 list.# and currently, over 30% of Magento stores are in the B2B sector.

Magento B2B offers a truckload of convenient and easy-to-implement features to get your B2B eCommerce store working efficiently, helping you achieve more so you reach your sales targets with ease.

As a highly experienced Magento B2B agency, we’ll support your transition away from more traditional B2B sales methods, such as catalogues and telephone ordering. Faster, efficient online procurement and inventory tracking simplifies your day-to-day business management and provides a swift, easy system for your suppliers, stockists or service providers.

How long before my shiny new Magneto website is up and running?

Your Magento eCommerce development team understand that you want to start selling asap, (Of course, you do). We’ve been specialising in this open-source platform ever since its launch, which means our Magento-certified developers can deliver your attention-grabbing design, with all the functionality and performance you’ll ever need, in record time. Although all sites vary in size, on average, our eCommerce experts will design, build and launch your site in just 3 – 6 momths.

How much will it cost to build a new Magento website?

All of our quotations are tailored to your future eCommerce strategy and your specific requirements as a business; it is how we provide the most accurate and cost-effective quotations, saving you money overall. Prices for a brand-new, bespoke Magento 2 website start at £36,000 +VAT.

When it comes to our customers, there is no such thing as average – every business is unique, so we adapt to suit you, creating sites for all budgets. We offer flexible payment plans too to help spread the cost, if that works best for you.

If you are looking to migrate from Magento version one with a Magento 2 upgrade, the process is a little different, prices for Magento migration start from £32,000 +VAT.

How does the Magento website development process work?

We’ve designed a straightforward, 7-step design, build and launch process, helping you manage your Magento 2 website development project, so you always know where you stand. We believe that uncomplicated is always better.

Can you help with ongoing website maintenance and management after launch?

As your Magento agency, we’re here for the long haul. As your eCommerce website development partners, we are here to provide Magento 2 support whenever you need us, whether that is helping you to maintain and manage your site, ongoing conversion rate optimisation developments, or to add functionality that helps you scale.

Hyvä

How long will it take to build a new eCommerce website with the Hyvä theme?

The Hyvä theme can be incorporated into the Adobe Commerce or Magento 2 eCommerce platforms to boost performance delivering frighteningly fast page load speeds – great for your SEO and your conversion rate optimisation.

The even better news is that building a Hyvä store not only improves your site speed, but it reduces your design and build time, too. We’ve found that it cuts our eCommerce store development time by up to 50%. On average, we can launch your new Hyvä site within 3 – 6 months.

What does it mean to be a Hyvä silver partner?

We’ve proud to have been recognised by Hyvä’s merit-based accreditation scheme for our experience and expertise when it comes to building performance-driven eCommerce stores with their ground-breaking technology.

By working with a Hyvä Silver Partner agency, you know that we’re committed to the highest professional standards. Our Hyvä specialists have gained access to exclusive training and additional resources that help us build a fully optimised, high-converting, lightning-quick site that boosts your SEO as well as your site’s performance.

How much does Hyvä cost?

Making it work as hard as possible for you, we maximise every penny of your budget by devising a bespoke, tailored eCommerce solution to the specific needs of your eCommerce business.

Prices for a brand-new eCommerce website with Hyvä themes start at £46,000 +VAT. We provide fixed-price quotations, offer flexible payment solutions and provide regular progress updates so you always know where you are.

How does the website development process work when using Hyvä?

Hyvä themes works away secretly in the background of your site, unnoticed, but making a huge impact on your SEO, customer engagement, brand loyalty, conversion rate optimisation and consequently, your sales. Kerrrching!

Hyvä speeds everything up, so whilst we follow the same simplified 7-stage design and build process as we would with any site, it is a little faster with Hyvä themes.

Can you help manage my Hyvä powered eCommerce store after launch?

As your certified Hyvä partner, we’ll be on hand whenever you need us. Your eCommerce experts are focused on whatever helps your online store scale and your business grow. We are always here to knock a few ideas around, implement new features and optimise your site’s performance. Whatever you need, just call or email; we’ll get right on it.

I’m based further afield – can we still collaborate if I’m not in Manchester or the north-west?

We love technology; especially because it means that we can easily work with clients, big or small, in all industries, throughout the UK. Many clients find it quicker, easier and time-efficient to hop on a video call where we can share our screens, and your design, virtually. Want to visit the agency -that’s great with us, too.

Adobe Commerce

How long will it take to build a brand-new Adobe Commerce website?

From your initial consultation call to launch, typically an Adobe Commerce website takes our specialists between 3 – 9 months – although this does depend on the size of the site. We will always endeavour to deliver all the design, functionality and speed you’re looking for, meeting any deadlines that you might have to launch as soon as humanly possible.

How much will an Adobe Commerce site cost to build from scratch?

We make sure we get to know you and your business, thoroughly, to ensure we tailor your quotation to your needs. By designing your eCommerce strategy around you, we can provide our best, fixed-price quotations, with pinpoint accuracy; we find it helps our clients know exactly where they stand. We are pleased to offer flexible payment options, too, helping you spread the cost, if that’s better for you.

Our prices for a brand-new Adobe Commerce website start at £42,000 +VAT. Our team are always happy to chat with you, and provide a ballpark figure based on your site’s size, if this helps. Tell us more about your business.

How does the Adobe Commerce website development process work?

When you are building a new website that’s pivotal to the success of your eCommerce business, it is important to know exactly what stage your project is at, at any one time. So, with that in mind, we created our simple, 7-stage design process, helping you understand where we are at and what is needed from conception to launch.

Can you help with ongoing website management after launch?

Well, of course, that is what we are here for – just let us know what you need. You might want to build in a new design feature, creating additional functionality, or you might like additional Adobe Commerce support with site maintenance that helps you keep more plates spinning at your end.

We are here to help you grow and scale your business, so your eCommerce dev team will always be chuffed to bits to help out.

Do I have to be based in Manchester or the north-west to work with you?

We work with all manner of different clients, from a huge variety of sectors, right across the country. Our Adobe Commerce agency is in Manchester, but wherever you are, we’re happy to jump on a Zoom call or if you prefer, we’ll hop in the car and visit you. In fact, many of our local clients still prefer to meet online rather than at Actuate Digital HQ. Whatever is best for you.

Shopify

How long will it take to build a new Shopify eCommerce website?

Shopify is one of the best platforms for eCommerce stores that need to be up and running quickly.

If time is of the essence, we can usually publish your Shopify online business within 2 – 4 months.

Whichever platform is right for you, our conversion rate optimisation and eCommerce specialists know that build time is money. So, they will do all they can to boost your audience engagement through pioneering design and clever functionality, which leads them step-by-step all the way through to your checkout.

How much will a Shopify store cost?

By getting to know you, your aims and your ambitions for your business, we can create a highly tailored eCommerce strategy that maximises your budget and drives sales. Shopify can be highly cost-effective with prices for a brand-new Shopify website starting at £12,000 +VAT. By getting to know your business inside out, we can give accurate, fixed-price quotations with flexible payment options that suit you.

How does the website development process work when building a Shopify store?

As your Shopify agency partners, we know how important it is for you to know exactly what is happening with your project at all times; you might need to update your c-suite, your wider team and other stakeholders. It can seem like there are a lot of juggling balls in the air, so, to help uncomplicate matters, we designed this simplified 7-step design and build timeline. You’ll always know what is needed and when, as your eCommerce experts beaver away on your site.

Can you help manage my Shopify online store after launch?

It is our job to help you grow using Shopify. As a conversion rate optimisation agency, we are focused on making that Shopify till bell ring again and again, so much so, that it becomes annoying. (What are we saying, making money never gets old!) Our eCommerce specialists can work with you to help you make data-driven, informed changes that see your sales soar, or on an ad-hoc basis when your business growth means you need a little extra functionality. Whatever you need for your Shopify business, we’ll be here to help you scale.

I’m not based in the north-west, can I still work with you?

Of course, you can. It would be a little mean to say no, just because you aren’t based around the corner. The ability to share our screens with you digitally means that you don’t have to visit our offices in person, in fact, many clients prefer to chat efficiently online as it saves them time and money. If you aren’t local, that’s no problem. We are happy to hop on as many calls as you’d like to discuss your project, and if you do feel like stopping by, just let us know, we’ll pop the kettle on.