Lifestyle Ecommerce Agency | Shopify & Magento

Stores that keep up with a range that changes every season

We’re Actuate, an ecommerce agency in Manchester working with lifestyle brands on Shopify and Magento: gifts, accessories, stationery and the kind of range that’s different every few months. If you’d rather meet in person, we’re right next to Piccadilly station.

Your campaigns change faster than most sites can keep up with. A new range lands, someone has to wait on a developer to get it live, and by the time it’s up, the moment has gone.

So we build stores your team can update for every launch without raising a ticket, and that stay quick on a phone while you do it.

Most projects start with an NNP Workshop.

Book my NNP Workshop

Development That Keeps Up With Your Business

If your team wants to launch quickly and run campaigns without a developer, we’d usually put you on Shopify or Shopify Plus. If you sell to wholesale as well as to shoppers, or need more control over bundles and promotions, Magento or Adobe Commerce does that better, and we’ll tell you which.

Magento Open Source gives you room to customise everything, from how bundles display to how promotions run, without a licence fee.

Adobe Commerce adds automation and customer segmentation, for brands trading internationally or targeting different customer groups from one store.

Shopify and Shopify Plus suit teams that want to launch quickly, try things often and spend less time waiting on development.

Help me choose a platform

Ongoing Support That Keeps Sales Flowing

We work alongside your ecommerce team on the jobs that need a specialist, from campaign prep to CRO. On a retainer we keep the site fast and up to date, with a call every fortnight and a full CRO audit every three months.

Keep my site growing

Be My Bear

Be My Bear sell to shoppers and to wholesale and retail customers from one store. We moved them from CS-Cart to Magento 2, conversion went up 113%, and the average order went up 5% with it.

View Case Study

Client Be My Bear

Sector Hobbies & Entertainment

Platform Magento 2

Project Time 6 Months

Conversion Rate Uplift

A complete redesign and move to Magento 2 more than doubled the conversion rate, even while pandemic traffic was falling.

113%

Increase in Average Order Value

Strategic upsells and cross-sells throughout the customer journey encouraged higher-value purchases without disrupting the experience.

Reduction in Bounce Rate

A faster, more engaging site kept visitors exploring rather than leaving.

What our clients say

"What impressed us most was how quickly Actuate identified the root cause. Within the first call they'd spotted the metadata issue that had been tanking our traffic. Everything that followed has been just as sharp."

Mitch Tamcken AutoID

I like working with Actuate because they care about what they do, they clarify the detail to get the job done right. They have worked incredibly hard with our complex needs and have been on hand for help and advice every step along the way...

Catherine Lund-Barker Elcometer

Without Actuate's help and support, our original website wouldn’t have succeeded. Time was of the essence, and Actuate stepped in to deliver a swift turnaround. The new site has performed exceptionally well ever since. We continue to grow thanks to Actuate. ❤️ Thanks guys!”

Chantelle Telford Robinsons of Bawtry

Their team leverages their expertise to provide sound opinions and advice to guide the project in the right direction.

Daniel Wright Reliant

I worked with Actuate on the redevelopment of the Pickett London website. Their team is an excellent asset for any company or team, it was a pleasure to work with them - easy to communicate with, easy to reach and always willing to help.

Oliver Moser Pickett

Working with Actuate is a pleasure — they are really trying to help, they listen and offer solutions to solve the problems. Thanks for all your help so far.

Rafael Bielinski Buller Ltd

We've worked with Actuate for several years and the results have been consistent. Conversion rate up 113%, AOV up, bounce rate down. They know our business inside out, and it shows.

Rob Dyer Be My Bear

Frequently Asked Questions.

Get in Touch

Yes. Most lifestyle brands we build are direct-to-consumer, focused on brand experience and conversion. We get the foundations right first, then optimise.

Yes. We build Magento stores that serve shoppers and wholesale customers from one system, each with the right pricing and account setup.

Through brand-led design and a fast, frictionless experience. Speed and UX do far more for conversion than gimmicks.

Shopify to move fast, or Magento and Adobe Commerce for more control and B2B. We recommend around where you are heading.