Headless Storefronts on Hydrogen + Oxygen.
Custom React storefronts on Shopify's Hydrogen framework, hosted on Oxygen's global edge. Storefront API, Customer Account API, headless CMS (Sanity / Contentful / Storyblok), Markets, Checkout Extensions, Shopify Functions, Core Web Vitals 90+ — the full headless toolkit. Built for Shopify Plus brands ready to outgrow themes. Pair with Plus B2B or subscription brands on the same stack.
When Themes Stop Scaling. Hydrogen Starts.
High-GMV Shopify brands hit a ceiling with Liquid themes — performance plateaus, customization gets hacky, multi-market complexity explodes, and CMS workflows fight with merchandising. Hydrogen + Oxygen unlocks a custom React storefront with sub-1.5s LCP, complete UI control, and a workflow that scales with the org. The investment is significant; the payoff is structural — especially for brands above USD 1M GMV with a dev team or budget for one. Compare costs in our Shopify cost calculator or read the Shopify India pricing guide before deciding.
Performance Ceiling
Hydrogen on Oxygen delivers LCP <1.5s, INP <100ms — numbers themes cannot match. SEO and CR gains compound.
Pixel-Perfect UI
No Liquid constraints. React + Tailwind + your design system. Custom interactions, animations, and component reuse.
Multi-Market Native
Markets + Hydrogen routing handles currencies, languages, tax rules, and pricing at the route level — no app duct tape.
CMS-First Workflow
Editorial team works in Sanity / Contentful / Storyblok. Merchandisers work in Shopify Admin. Clean separation of concerns.
Should you go headless?
The Hydrogen Toolchain.
Battle-tested combination we ship on every Hydrogen build.
Everything a Headless Build Needs.
From storefront architecture to migration — the full scope of a production Hydrogen engagement.
Hydrogen scaffold with Remix routing, React Server Components, route-level data loaders, server / client component boundary, error boundaries, and TypeScript throughout. Production-grade architecture from day one.
Oxygen is Shopify's global edge runtime — built on Cloudflare Workers, 200+ POPs worldwide. Sub-50ms TTFB, automatic preview deploys per PR, zero-config CI / CD, instant rollback. Native Shopify integration, no DNS setup.
GraphQL Storefront API for all read operations — products, collections, cart, customer, blog, pages, metaobjects. Type-safe queries with codegen. Cart and checkout APIs maintained on Shopify's backend, fully PCI-compliant. Wire Razorpay native for Indian checkout.
Shopify's new Customer Account API replaces the legacy storefront customer endpoints — OAuth-based authentication, secure session management, order history, addresses, payment methods, B2B context. Native Shopify identity, zero password handling.
Sanity (live preview, structured content), Contentful (enterprise scale), Storyblok (visual editing), or Builder.io (drag-drop). Editorial team owns content workflows independent of merchandising. We design schemas, migrate content, and integrate previews.
Algolia, Klevu, Searchspring, or Shopify Search and Discovery API. Instant search, faceted filters, typo tolerance, synonyms, personalized rankings, merchandising boost rules. Sub-50ms response times. Built into Hydrogen routes natively.
Shopify Markets routing in Hydrogen — currency, language, tax, pricing, shipping, content variations per region. Localized URLs (/en-in / /en-us). Markets Pro for compliance, duties, and merchant-of-record where needed. Indian shipping via Shiprocket multi-courier.
Native UI extensions on Shopify checkout — gift wrap upsells, custom fields, loyalty redemption, age verification, B2B PO numbers, cross-sell carousels. Plus-only, React-based, deployed through Shopify CLI. PCI scope stays with Shopify.
Custom discount logic, payment method customization, shipping rule customization, cart transform — all written in Rust / JS, deployed as Functions. Plus custom apps (private apps, admin extensions, webhooks). All scoped via Shopify Partners.
Recharge, Skio, or Shopify Subscriptions integrated natively in Hydrogen. Loyalty via LoyaltyLion, Smile, or Yotpo — redeemable directly in cart and checkout via extensions. UPI Autopay for Indian recurring billing. See our subscription brand build.
LCP under 1.5s, CLS near zero, INP under 100ms — benchmarks themes cannot reach. Image optimization via Shopify CDN, route-level code splitting, React Server Components, prefetching, edge caching. Lighthouse 90+ on PDP / PLP / Home. Track with our GA4 + Web Vitals setup.
Phased migration from existing Liquid theme — audit, parallel build on subdomain, gradual traffic split (10 / 25 / 50 / 100%), monitor performance and CR, decommission theme. Zero downtime, full SEO preservation via 301 mapping.
Hydrogen vs Liquid Theme. The Numbers.
Side-by-side benchmark from production migrations — same brand, same catalogue, same traffic. Hydrogen + Oxygen wins every metric that matters for SEO and CR.
Our 4-Phase Build Process
From discovery to migration — how we ship a production Hydrogen storefront.
Audit existing theme + apps + metafields. Map features to Hydrogen routes. Choose CMS, search, subscription tools. Architecture diagram + sprint plan. Deliverable: signed scope + SOW.
Tailwind tokens + component library (Storybook). PDP / PLP / cart / collection / search / accounts. Figma to React with TypeScript. Accessibility (WCAG AA) baked in. Mobile-first.
Storefront API, Customer Account API, CMS, search, subscription, loyalty, Markets, checkout extensions, Functions, analytics. Wire Razorpay, Shiprocket, WhatsApp, GA4. Core Web Vitals tuning. Load + a11y testing.
Phased traffic split from theme — 10 / 25 / 50 / 100%. Monitor CR, SEO rankings, error rate, Vitals. 301 redirect map. Editorial & merch training. Post-launch 4-week stabilization.
Let's Architect Your Hydrogen Build.
Book a free 45-minute architecture call. We'll review your current stack, growth plan, and target Core Web Vitals — then send a phased proposal in 2 working days. Fixed-price option for in-scope builds. T&M for enterprise. Need a quick estimate first? Try the Shopify cost calculator.
