Shopify Agency Proposal Template (Copy/Paste Sections That Win the Right Clients)

Most Shopify agency proposals fail in a predictable way: they try to be a sales document and a delivery contract at the same time.

That is how you end up with a glossy deck that says all the right things, and a project team that inherits vague promises, undefined deliverables, and no change rules.

This template is built for agencies that want to win the work without selling themselves into a corner.

Search results for “Shopify proposal template” are dominated by proposal software companies (PandaDoc, Proposify) and pricing marketplaces (Wethos). They are useful for structure, but they often blur the boundaries between:

• Proposal: why you, what you will do at a high level, what it will cost, how you will work, and how to say yes.
• Scope of work: the specific deliverables, exclusions, responsibilities, acceptance criteria, and change process.

A strong Shopify proposal:

• makes the client feel understood
• gives a clear approach and commercial offer
• reduces risk by stating assumptions and constraints
• sets expectations for how scope is finalised

A proposal should not:

• list 60 deliverables that nobody will manage
• pretend the scope is fixed before discovery
• hide change control in small print

If you separate the documents, you can keep the proposal persuasive and keep the scope enforceable.

Across proposal template pages, the recurring sections are consistent:

• overview and goals
• problem and opportunity
• recommended approach (phases)
• deliverables (high level)
• timeline
• pricing and payment terms
• social proof
• next steps

The gap is usually the handover point: “how do we turn this proposal into a real scope that the delivery team can use?”

Your proposal should include an explicit line like:

• “This proposal covers commercial terms and approach. The detailed scope of work will be finalised in Google Docs and approved before build begins.”

That one sentence prevents a lot of later confusion.

A generic agency proposal template does not address the Shopify details clients worry about. Add these elements to look senior:

• Theme approach: existing theme, paid theme, or custom theme
• Online Store 2.0 components and flexibility needs
• App strategy: native features first, then apps, then custom where required
• Internationalisation: Shopify Markets, currencies, languages, tax rules
• B2B: company profiles, price lists, permissions, payment terms

• content readiness (product data, imagery, collection logic)
• third-party apps and API limitations
• redirects and SEO migration risk
• sign-off cadence and feedback rounds

Even in a proposal, you can define a “done” standard without turning it into a contract:

• key flows tested
• agreed page list implemented
• integrations connected and validated
• post-launch support window included

Wethos and proposal tools often push line-item pricing that implies everything is included. For Shopify, the safer pattern is:

• price by phases
• list what each phase includes
• list the key exclusions
• state that the detailed scope will be finalised and approved before build

Example:

• Phase 1: Discovery and scope sign-off
• Phase 2: Design
• Phase 3: Build and configuration
• Phase 4: QA, launch, and handover

You can also offer packages (Standard, Plus, Growth) as long as the package rules are clear.

Proposal: Shopify [Build / Redesign / Migration]

Prepared for: [Client name] Prepared by: [Agency name] Date: [DD Month YYYY]

You are trying to achieve [primary outcome] with your Shopify store: [brief context].

Our recommendation is a [build/redesign/migration] delivered in [phases], with a focus on [conversion, merchandising, performance, operational efficiency].

This proposal covers the approach, timeline, and commercial terms. The detailed scope of work (deliverables, exclusions, acceptance, and change rules) will be finalised in Google Docs and approved before build begins.

Business goals

• [Example: increase conversion rate by improving PDP and checkout UX]
• [Example: reduce time to launch campaigns by improving theme flexibility]

Project success measures

• Key flows work end to end: browse, search, add to cart, checkout, account
• Scoped page/templates delivered and approved
• Integrations connected and validated (as listed in the final scope)

• [Constraint 1: duplicated apps, brittle theme, slow changes]
• [Constraint 2: content not structured, collections hard to manage]
• [Risk 3: migration, SEO, redirects, legacy URLs]

Phase 1: Discovery and scope sign-off

• Stakeholder workshop
• Requirements capture and prioritisation
• Confirmation of scope variables (pages/templates, integrations, content model)
• Draft scope of work assembled in Google Docs for approval

Phase 2: UX and design (if applicable)

• Wireframes for key templates
• UI design and component system
• Design handover and implementation plan

Phase 3: Build and configuration

• Theme build/configuration based on approved designs
• Shopify settings configuration (payments, shipping, tax)
• App setup and integration work (as scoped)

Phase 4: QA, launch, and handover

• QA and remediation
• UAT support and feedback rounds
• Launch plan and go-live support
• Handover documentation and training

This list is intentionally high level. The final scope of work will include the detailed deliverables and explicit exclusions.

• Approved scope of work document in Google Docs
• Design and component system (if included)
• Implemented templates/pages for the agreed list
• Integration setup for the agreed list
• QA, launch support, and handover

Estimated timeline: [X] weeks from kick-off, assuming timely access and approvals.

Milestone	Estimate
Kick-off	Week 1
Discovery and scope sign-off	Week 1 to 2
Design	Week 2 to 4
Build	Week 4 to 8
QA and UAT	Week 8 to 9
Launch	Week 10

Option A (recommended): [Fixed price / phased fixed price]

• Phase 1: £[amount]
• Phase 2: £[amount]
• Phase 3: £[amount]
• Phase 4: £[amount]

Payment schedule

• [Example: 40% deposit, 30% at design sign-off, 30% at launch]

What is not included (examples, confirm in the scope)

• Copywriting and photography
• Custom app development
• Ongoing SEO outcomes or performance guarantees

• Client provides access to Shopify admin and required third-party systems
• Client feedback is consolidated and delivered within [X] business days
• Content and product data are provided in ready-to-use format by agreed dates
• Scope changes are handled via a written change request with impact on cost and timeline

• Relevant Shopify projects: [short bullets]
• Team: [roles and names]
• Working style: [communication cadence, tools, governance]

1. Confirm the option and timeline
2. Sign proposal / approve commercial terms
3. Kick-off workshop
4. Scope of work assembled in Google Docs and approved

Client sign-off:

• Name:
• Title:
• Date:

Not usually. A proposal should be persuasive and clear on approach and commercials, while the scope of work should be specific and enforceable. If you combine them, you tend to oversell and under-define the boundaries.

They want clarity on approach, timeline, what is included, and how you handle changes. The “assumptions and dependencies” section is often the difference between a smooth project and a stalled one.

Yes, but be careful about your workflow. Many proposal tools want you to author and sign everything inside their platform, which can create a second source of truth. If your delivery team lives in Google Docs, keep the scope of work there.

Make the proposal explicitly high level on deliverables, then require a separate scope sign-off before build. RuleDox helps by assembling the detailed scope in Google Docs from variables and approved modules, so sales cannot accidentally change the contract.

Into a dedicated scope of work document, approved before build starts. Start with /content/shopify/shopify-scope-of-work-template and, if you want an assembly workflow, /content/ai/automate-scope-of-work-google-docs.

A good proposal wins the right work. A good scope protects the margin after you win. If you want the proposal-to-scope handover to be consistent, see /content/ai/proposal-tools-vs-scope-assembly and /content/ai/scope-of-work-software.