An ecommerce website company in Dubai that builds one thing well
Most ecommerce companies in Dubai will build your store on whatever you ask for — WordPress, Magento, a custom PHP stack, an app-builder. We don't. NKM Studio builds ecommerce websites on Shopify and Shopify Plus only, and that focus is the point: every UAE-specific problem (Arabic checkout, Tabby and Tamara, Cash on Delivery, VAT invoices, Aramex and same-day couriers) has already been solved on our stack, so your budget goes into design and growth instead of re-solving plumbing.
We are a small Dubai studio led by Hooman Bakhtekian. We take on one or two builds at a time, and the person you brief is the person who builds your store.
Why Shopify for an ecommerce website in the UAE
| Shopify | WooCommerce / WordPress | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hosting, security, PCI | Included | You manage | You manage |
| UAE payments (cards, Apple Pay, Tabby, Tamara, COD) | Official apps | Plugins of mixed quality | Built from scratch |
| Arabic / RTL storefront | Native multi-language + Markets | Plugin-dependent | Custom |
| Time to launch | 4–10 weeks | 6–12 weeks | 4–9 months |
| Running cost | Predictable monthly plan | Hosting + plugin licences + maintenance | Developer retainer |
| Who can edit it after launch | Your team, no code | Your team, with care | Developers |
There are good reasons to pick something else — very complex B2B pricing, an existing ERP that owns the catalogue, or a marketplace model. If that's you, we'll tell you in the first call. For a UAE brand selling its own products, Shopify is almost always the right ecommerce platform. Compare the options in our Shopify in the UAE guide.
What our ecommerce website development includes
- Ecommerce website design — custom UX for mobile first (most UAE traffic is on phones), product pages built to convert, and a design system your team can extend. See Shopify web design.
- Bilingual English / Arabic — proper RTL layouts, translated URLs and hreflang, not a machine-translated overlay.
- UAE payments — card gateway, Apple Pay, Tabby and Tamara BNPL with on-page messaging, and COD rules by emirate. See payment gateway setup.
- Shipping and fulfilment — Aramex, Quiqup, Jeebly or your 3PL; same-day zones; VAT-compliant invoices in AED.
- Integrations — ERP, POS, CRM, WhatsApp, Klaviyo, Google Merchant Center, Meta catalogue. Custom apps where a public one doesn't fit — see Shopify app development.
- SEO built in from day one — clean URL structure, schema, Core Web Vitals, and redirect maps when replacing an old site. See Shopify SEO.
- Analytics — GA4 ecommerce events, Google Ads and Meta conversion tracking that actually reconciles with Shopify orders.
Who we build ecommerce websites for
- UAE retailers going online — you have shops and stock, and need a store that respects your pricing, inventory and brand. We built the online arm for Dubai Optical / Opti-Vision, a UAE optical retail group, including prescription-lens customisation that became LensPath.
- DTC brands launching in Dubai — a new brand that needs to look established from day one.
- Stores outgrowing their first platform — moving off WooCommerce, Wix, Salla or Zid without losing SEO. See Shopify migration.
- Scaling brands — high volume, multiple markets (UAE, KSA, GCC), B2B. See Shopify Plus.
What an ecommerce website costs in Dubai
| Build type | Typical scope | Indicative range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Launch store | Premium theme customised, payments, shipping, core apps, content | AED 18–35k | 4–6 weeks |
| Custom ecommerce website | Custom design and theme, bilingual EN/AR, integrations | AED 35–80k | 6–10 weeks |
| Shopify Plus / complex | Plus, ERP/API integrations, custom apps, multiple markets | AED 80k+ | 8–14 weeks |
On top of the build you pay Shopify's plan (from about AED 107/month billed annually on Basic), apps you choose, and payment processing. We break all of this down in Shopify pricing in the UAE (AED). Every project gets a written fixed quote before work starts.
Our process
- Discovery (week 1) — goals, catalogue, competitors, licences and payment readiness. If you don't have an ecommerce licence yet, start with our ecommerce licence guide.
- Architecture & design (weeks 2–3) — sitemap, URL plan, wireframes, visual design, signed off before build.
- Build (weeks 3–8) — theme, integrations, payments, shipping, content load, QA on real UAE devices.
- Launch (week 8–10) — DNS, redirects, Search Console, tracking verified with test orders.
- After launch — 30 days of monitoring included; then optional maintenance and support or growth retainers.
What we won't do
We don't sell AED 3,000 template packages, we don't build on WordPress, and we don't lock you in — you own the Shopify store, the theme code and every account from day one.