About Dewsign
The Story
Dewsign was founded in 1999 by Darren Williams.
This was back in the time before Shopify existed, before SaaS ecommerce was even a concept.
We have spent more than 25 years doing the hard work of digital commerce: not in theory, but in production - running real businesses.
We have worked with all ends of the spectrum: global brands, startups, charities, education and everything in between in many diverse sectors. The learnings have been extensive.
In the early days we had to build our own PHP framework as there were none available.
This led to the creation of our own proprietary Content Management System (CMS), Ecommerce platform & business management software from scratch. We had 6 versions of this over the years and it ran some serious businesses.
We've evaluated most major ecommerce platforms both commercially and technically over the years as the overhead of running your own platform is huge.
Our typical conclusion was the Magento was expensive and complex and Woo Commerce was not a robust enough platform for scaling an online business at the time.
In 2015 we found Shopify, back then an emerging Ecommerce platform. It ticked many of the boxes we were looking for. So we proposed to Origin Coffee, a long-standing client who were on our custom Ecommerce platform and asking for updates; don’t spend your money updating the platform - let's migrate to Shopify as it can do what you are asking for. Since then they, and we, have never looked back.
We now focus exclusively on Shopify and Shopify Plus. Not because it's the easiest choice, but because it's the right one for the businesses we work with. Our Why We Chose Shopify page explains the full reasoning behind that decision.
We now work with ambitious retailers and growing brands across the UK and globally, typically those with a turnover between £1M and £10M, who need a Shopify partner with genuine commercial and technical depth.
Our team works across time zones, typical in this day and age — but our roots always have, and always will be in Cornwall, our homeland. Our commitment to the clients who trust us is just as grounded.
Our Ethos
Our ethos is Conscious Digital® — a commitment to bringing conscious awareness to everything we do. Striving for benevolence in every action we undertake; making mindful decisions across all aspects of our work and working lives.
It's not a marketing line. It shapes how we advise clients, how we approach our pro bono work, and how we build long-term relationships rather than transactional ones.
Some of our client partnerships have lasted nearly three decades. This is unheard of in an industry defined by churn, we don't take that lightly.
We have also undertaken a considerable amount of pro bono work over the years.
About You
Why are you here? What are you looking for?
You may be here because you run a Shopify store — or you're planning one — and you need a partner who can do more than install a theme such as:
- An established retailer on Magento, WooCommerce or bespoke, ready to migrate to a platform built for growth
- A business ready to expand internationally using Shopify Markets and need some help
- A growing brand on standard Shopify, ready for the capabilities Shopify Plus unlocks
- A business that sells B2B and DTC and needs a single platform that can handle both
- A retailer whose current store isn't converting as well as it should
- Ready to start using AI tools in your company to keep up with the progress around you
- A safe pair of hands to partner with and grow
Whatever the situation, we start every conversation the same way: listening to where your business is now and where you want it to be.
We'll tell you what we think, including what you do and don't need; managing risks and expectations and give you a clear picture of what working with us looks like.
