eCommerce Support
A shop is never finished. The platform issues security patches, the payment provider retires an old API, a browser update moves a button, and the courier changes its label format. None of this is dramatic. All of it stops orders if nobody is watching.
A support retainer gives your store a named engineer who knows its code and its history. They apply updates, watch the checkout, fix what breaks and make the small changes that otherwise wait for months.
What the hours are spent on
In a quiet month most of the time goes on prevention. That is the intention.
Updates
Platform, theme and extension updates applied to a staging copy first, checked against a test order, then released to the live store.
Backups
Database and files copied off the server on a schedule. A restore is carried out from time to time, because an untested backup is only a hope.
Fixes
Faults reported by your staff or customers, reproduced, corrected and recorded so the cause is known next time.
Small changes
A new shipping zone, a banner slot, a field on the invoice, a report for the warehouse.
Housekeeping
Expired discount rules, old log tables, abandoned extensions and unused admin accounts removed.
Third-party notices
Deprecation emails from payment, shipping and tax providers read and acted on before the deadline.
What we watch between visits
A page that loads is not proof that the shop can sell. The checks go further than uptime.
Test purchases
An automated script adds a product to the basket and reaches the payment step at intervals. If it fails, we are alerted.
Order flow
An alert when no order has arrived for longer than is normal for that hour and day.
Error logs
Server and application errors collected and grouped, so a new fault stands out from the background.
Certificates and domains
Expiry dates for TLS certificates and domain registrations tracked well ahead.
Disk and database
Free space, slow queries and table growth, which give warning of trouble weeks in advance.
Scheduled jobs
Stock sync, feed exports and email queues checked to confirm they ran and finished.
Before the busy weeks
Sales events and festive trading reward preparation done a month or two ahead.
Review last year
Traffic, order volume and any failures from the previous peak, so the target is based on your own figures.
Load test
Simulated visitors on a staging copy, including basket and checkout, to find the first thing that gives way.
Fix and size
Slow queries corrected, caching tuned, and hosting capacity raised with your provider for the period.
Change freeze
From an agreed date nothing new is released except urgent fixes. New features wait until trading calms.
Contact route
A written list of who to call, in what order, for payment, hosting and courier problems.
What a support retainer costs
Our rates are published. Pick the role and move the sliders for an indicative budget.
Rate card
| Role | Hourly | Monthly* |
|---|---|---|
| Frontend / WordPress | $30 | $4,800 |
| Backend / API | $32 | $5,120 |
| Full-stack | $35 | $5,600 |
| Mobile (React Native / Flutter) | $35 | $5,600 |
| DevOps / Cloud | $40 | $6,400 |
| AI / Automation engineer | $45 | $7,200 |
| QA / Test engineer | $25 | $4,000 |
| UI / UX design | $28 | $4,480 |
*160 hrs/month full-time. Rates are indicative for planning, in USD (other currencies are converted at an indicative rate), and depend on seniority, contract length and timezone overlap. Longer engagements and multi-role teams are discounted — ask.
Does a retainer suit your shop?
It suits you when
- The store takes orders every day and downtime costs money.
- Updates have been put off because nobody dares apply them.
- There is a steady list of small changes.
- Your developer has moved on and the code has no owner.
Look elsewhere when
- You need someone awake at every hour. We work India time unless other cover is agreed in writing.
- The shop needs rebuilding, not maintaining.
- You want help a few hours a year. A retainer would be wasted.
- You need staff to answer your customers. We support the software, not the shoppers.
Retainer questions
Can you support a store you did not build?
Yes. The first weeks go on reading the code, setting up staging and backups, and writing down how the shop works.
What if something breaks at night our time?
Monitoring raises an alert at any hour. Who responds, and how quickly, is agreed per client and written into the agreement. We do not promise a response time that has not been agreed.
Who is our contact?
A named engineer you have spoken to before work starts. If that person leaves, we propose a replacement and you approve them.
Can we stop?
Yes. The arrangement runs month to month. Code, documentation and access details are already in your hands.
Do you need our hosting login?
We need access to your hosting account, granted by you and removable by you. We do not move the store to an account of ours.
Tell us what the store runs on
Platform and version, hosting provider, and the last time it was updated. If you do not know, say so, and we will find out together. We reply within one business day.