ExpressionEngine & Craft CMS Ecommerce Support

An ecommerce website on ExpressionEngine or Craft CMS is not like a brochure site. When something goes wrong, it costs money directly. Orders fail, customers leave, revenue stops. The business cannot afford to wait days for a developer who needs to read the documentation before they can help.

Karl Bowers has been supporting ecommerce sites built on ExpressionEngine and Craft CMS since 2007, working with business owners who need a specialist who knows their system inside out and can respond quickly when it matters.

What this service includes:

• Ongoing maintenance and support for ecommerce sites on ExpressionEngine or Craft CMS, keeping the installation secure and running reliably.
• Priority response for issues that affect the ability of customers to browse, add to basket or complete a purchase.
• Performance improvements to keep the site fast, including caching, database optimisation and image delivery.
• New functionality development, such as product filtering, pricing rules, discount codes, shipping logic and custom checkout flows.
• Version upgrades for ecommerce sites, carried out carefully to ensure the shop continues to function throughout the process.
• Integration maintenance for payment gateways, stock systems, fulfilment platforms and other third-party services.

Common questions:

My ecommerce site was built by a previous developer, can you take it on?

Yes. Karl regularly takes over ecommerce sites built by other developers or agencies, including those with complex bespoke functionality. He takes time to understand the system properly before taking on ongoing responsibility for it.

Can you support a site with custom ExpressionEngine ecommerce functionality?

Yes. Karl has extensive experience with bespoke ExpressionEngine ecommerce builds, including custom pricing engines, product configurators and complex order management systems. Inheriting and maintaining bespoke functionality is a core part of what he does.

Which ExpressionEngine ecommerce add-ons do you support?

Karl has worked with CartThrob, Expresso Store and a wide range of bespoke ecommerce solutions built on ExpressionEngine. For Craft CMS he works with Craft Commerce and custom ecommerce builds. He also supports sites where ecommerce functionality has been built from scratch rather than using a third-party add-on.

How quickly can you respond when there is an issue affecting orders?

For clients on a support retainer, ecommerce issues affecting the checkout or order process are treated as the highest priority. Karl aims to respond and begin investigating within the hour during working hours, and will discuss out-of-hours arrangements for businesses where that level of cover is needed.

My site is slow during busy periods, can you help with that?

Yes. Performance issues on ecommerce sites are often caused by a combination of factors including unoptimised queries, missing caching, heavy images and server configuration. Karl can investigate and address the underlying causes rather than applying superficial fixes.

Can you help with payment gateway issues?

Yes. Karl is experienced in diagnosing and resolving payment gateway integration problems, including issues arising from API changes, SSL certificate problems, and changes to gateway provider requirements. He can also assist with migrating from one payment provider to another.

Do you support Craft CMS ecommerce as well as ExpressionEngine?

Yes. Karl supports ecommerce sites on both platforms. Craft Commerce sites are fully within his area of expertise, including custom Craft Commerce plugins, pricing models and order management workflows.

Can you add new products or categories to my ecommerce site?

Content changes such as adding products or categories are typically within the scope of a maintenance retainer. For larger catalogue updates Karl can discuss the most efficient way to approach the work, including bulk import options where available.