The challenge
Running a high-traffic ecommerce on a standard Shopify theme meant paying for a storefront you couldn't fully control — slow pages, limited customization, and a growing platform tax as sales scaled. Nebula needed a frontend that felt like a luxury brand, performed like a CDN, and kept operational costs in check.
What we built
A fully custom Next.js storefront powered by the Shopify Storefront API as a headless backend. The store handles real-traffic spikes without throttling, loads in under a second on mobile, and gives the team full control over the UX — without rebuilding the backend that already worked.
How it works
- Shopify as the source of truth — inventory, orders, and checkout flow run entirely through Shopify's battle-tested infrastructure via the Storefront API.
- Next.js App Router storefront — static product pages with ISR, dynamic cart and checkout with server actions, edge-cached for global performance.
- Real-time inventory — stock levels update live on the product page so customers never add out-of-stock items to cart.
- Delivery tracking — integrated carrier webhooks push order status updates directly to the customer's timeline.
Key results
- 99% uptime — decoupled frontend means Shopify downtime doesn't kill the storefront
- Cost reduction — eliminated third-party theme app subscriptions and reduced page weight by ~60%
- Full design control — pixel-perfect brand experience impossible on a standard theme
- Faster checkout — optimistic UI and server actions cut perceived checkout latency significantly
- Real-time stock — live inventory prevents overselling during high-demand drops
Stack
Next.js · Shopify Storefront API · TypeScript · Tailwind CSS · Vercel · Shopify Webhooks