What By Association Only does

By Association Only (BAO Agency Ltd.) is a UK-based, Shopify Plus Platinum Partner agency founded in 2010 and headquartered in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. The firm specialises in designing, building, and operating bespoke Shopify Plus ecommerce experiences for luxury and premium brands — spanning fashion (Victoria Beckham, Self-Portrait, Toteme, Roland Mouret, Temperley London), jewellery and accessories (Astrid & Miyu, Anya Hindmarch, Bremont, Cubitts, Globe-Trotter), cosmetics (Susanne Kaufmann, Lumene), homeware (Joseph Joseph, Oka), and outdoor sports (ThruDark, Burton, Castore). With 51–100 employees and a client roster spanning 14+ countries, BAO is positioned as one of only ten Shopify Plus Platinum Partners globally.

Technically, BAO delivers hand-coded bespoke Shopify 2.0 builds using Liquid theme development, with proprietary build systems supporting complex features such as custom personalisation applications with back-end GUIs, AR Quick Look integrations using Apple ARKit and .usdz/.gltf/.glb 3D models, NFT transaction connectors, complex bundle builders and configurators (e.g., Bremont's 2 custom configurators and 28+ bespoke page templates), and parallel international store architectures with ERP and loyalty integrations. The agency is the most Awwwarded Shopify agency globally, with multiple Awwwards Site of the Day titles, a 2025 Shopify Build Award, and ongoing CSSDA recognition.

The business model combines project-based professional services (multi-month design, development, and replatforming engagements) with two retained service tiers — Production Only (reactive) and Strategy-Led (proactive with a dedicated Ecommerce Account Strategist) — generating a mix of one-off and recurring revenue. Go-to-market is enterprise field sales driven by direct client enquiries, Shopify Partner Programme referrals, and event-led demand generation through Vervaunt's Pulse Ecommerce Summit (sponsored continuously 2022–2026), Klevu's Discovered festival, and Cambridge Shopify Meetups. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based; no public pricing tiers exist.

Name

By Association Only

Legal name

BAO Agency Ltd.

Website

https://bao.agency

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

By Association Only is a UK-based Shopify Plus Platinum Partner agency delivering bespoke design, development, and retained strategy services for luxury fashion, jewellery, cosmetics, and lifestyle brands across 14+ countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

St Ives

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Shopify Plus Project-Based Services: BAO offers one-time design, development, and migration projects for Shopify Plus. Services include UI/UX design, web development, replatforming (from Magento, Salesforce CC, WooCommerce, etc.), data migration, and CRO. These are bespoke, high-value engagements priced on a per-project basis.
2. Retained Services Agreements: BAO offers two types of retained service agreements: 'Production Only' (reactive production resource, design/development/marketing) and 'Strategy-Led' (proactive engagement with dedicated Ecommerce Account Strategist, senior strategic experts, bespoke digital roadmap, and resources across design, development, marketing, CRO, and ecommerce strategy). These generate recurring subscription-like revenue.
3. eCommerce Strategy & Marketing Services: Ongoing strategy and marketing services including SEO, CRO, digital marketing, and conversion rate optimisation delivered as part of retained services packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

By Association Only is a Shopify Plus Platinum Partner agency delivering bespoke design, development, replatforming, and ecommerce strategy services for premium and luxury brands on the Shopify Plus platform. The agency hand-codes bespoke Liquid themes, builds custom Shopify applications (personalisation engines, AR/3D viewers, bundle builders, NFT connectors), and executes complex migrations from Magento, WooCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, and Umbraco. It also offers ongoing retained services (Production Only and Strategy-Led tiers) covering CRO, SEO, digital marketing, and account strategy.

Product overview

By Association Only (BAO) is a Shopify Plus Platinum Partner agency offering a comprehensive suite of ecommerce services centred on Shopify Plus design and development. The core offering comprises bespoke Shopify Plus Design & Development Services supplemented by specialised modules including UI/UX Design, Web Development, Replatforming/Migrations, Data Migration, eCommerce Strategy, Conversion Rate Optimisation, SEO, Custom Shopify Applications, Internationalisation, and Third Party Integrations. The agency provides two retained service tiers: Production Only (reactive execution) and Strategy-Led (proactive partnership with dedicated strategists). Additional offerings include Inner Circle premium content and Augmented Reality Integration services. The agency's technical expertise spans complex migrations from platforms including Magento, WooCommerce, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud to Shopify Plus, with a focus on luxury, fashion, lifestyle, and cosmetics sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shopify Plus Design & Development Services Full-service certified Shopify Plus Partner agency providing bespoke design and development for premium and luxury online merchants, including new builds, replatforming migrations, and redesigns.
• Strategy-Led Retained Services Proactive ongoing engagement led by senior strategic experts and a dedicated Ecommerce Account Strategist, including a bespoke digital roadmap and resources across design, development, marketing, CRO, and ecommerce strategy.
• Production Only Retained Services Reactive production retained service providing dedicated Project Manager and design, development, and marketing resource to execute merchant-defined tasks.
• Replatforming & Migration Services End-to-end ecommerce replatforming service migrating brands from legacy platforms (Magento, WooCommerce, Salesforce Commerce Cloud, Umbraco) to Shopify Plus, including data migration of sales, order, customer, and product data.
• Custom Shopify Applications Bespoke private Shopify application development including personalisation engines, back-end GUIs, AR/3D product viewers, bundle builders, NFT transaction connectors, and complex add-to-cart systems tailored to merchant requirements.
• Augmented Reality (AR) Integration Services Implements augmented reality product visualisation on Shopify using Apple's ARKit and AR Quick Look, including 3D model creation in .usdz and .gltf/.glb formats to enable customers to view products to-scale in their physical environment.
• Inner Circle Content Programme Premium content programme offering white papers, e-books, podcasts, and strategic thought leadership content on luxury ecommerce, Shopify Plus design, and digital strategy for merchants and prospects.

Quantifiable outcome

• Cubitts won Awwwards Site of the Day, Developers Award, and Mobile Excellence — making BAO the most Awwwarded Shopify agency.
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers47 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability5 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• ShopifyflagshipTechnology or IntegrationBy Association Only is a certified Shopify Plus Platinum Partner — one of only ten globally in the new Shopify Partner Programme. BAO is the world's leading design-led Shopify Plus agency, delivering bespoke Shopify design, development, and strategy services for premium and luxury brands on the Shopify Plus platform.
• LoyaltyLioncoreTechnology or IntegrationLoyaltyLion is an ecommerce loyalty and engagement platform. Used by ThruDark for points-based incentives and reward programmes as part of a strategic loyalty programme implementation.
• KlaviyocoreTechnology or IntegrationKlaviyo is a sophisticated email marketing platform used by ThruDark and other BAO clients. Klaviyo's EMEA team (Phil Greenwood, Channel Manager) participates in BAO-hosted events such as the Cambridge Shopify Meetup on customer retention.
• KlevucoreTechnology or IntegrationKlevu's AI and NLP-powered discovery suite (on-site Smart Search, Smart Category Merchandising, Smart Recommendations, Personalisation Engine) is used by ThruDark for ecommerce product discovery. BAO also sponsored Klevu's inaugural Discovered festival in London.
• VervauntcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerVervaunt is a London-based ecommerce consultancy and paid media agency. They partner with BAO on client projects (Bremont, Cubitts) and co-host the Pulse Ecommerce Summit, which BAO has sponsored for five consecutive years (2022–2026). George Linton from BAO speaks at Vervaunt-hosted events.
• Apple (AR Quick Look / ARKit)coreTechnology or IntegrationBAO implements AR functionality using Apple's ARKit and AR Quick Look (.usdz file format). The Cambridge Satchel Co's AR project was featured on Apple's developer website as a leading example of AR Quick Look implementation. Apple featured the Cambridge Satchel 'Sophie Bag' on their website.
• MINTcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMINT pioneered the NFT infrastructure for the Chicago Bulls Legacy Collection on Shopify. BAO collaborated with MINT to build the lightweight, fast, and secure connector app that 'plugs' NFT transactions into Shopify, handling high-volume sales events.
• Shopify PlusflagshipTechnology or IntegrationShopify Plus is Shopify's enterprise ecommerce platform for large and growing online stores. BAO is a certified Shopify Plus Platinum Partner serving enterprise brands globally. Shopify and BAO co-produced the white paper 'The Luxury Commerce Realignment' exploring how to leverage Shopify's Renaissance Editions for success in 2026.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• We Make Websites: Australia-based Shopify Plus Partner agency serving premium and enterprise brands globally. Closely comparable to BAO in tier (Shopify Plus), client focus (premium/luxury DTC), and service mix (bespoke design, replatforming, retained growth).
• Swanky: UK-based Shopify Plus agency with a similar enterprise/premium brand focus, providing bespoke design, development, and growth services on Shopify Plus. Comparable in scale, geographic base, and target customer profile to BAO.
• Blend Commerce: London-based Shopify Plus partner agency delivering design, development, and growth services to direct-to-consumer and premium brands. Comparable to BAO in platform focus (Shopify Plus), target market (enterprise DTC brands), and service breadth.
• Eastside Co: UK-based Shopify Plus agency providing design, build, and retained services for premium brands. Comparable to BAO in tier (Shopify Plus), service mix, and UK/European enterprise focus.
• The8th: Shopify Plus design and development agency serving enterprise brands (now operating within the Dept network). Closely comparable to BAO in Shopify Plus specialism, premium-brand client mix, and design-led positioning.
• Outerfield: Shopify Plus agency specialising in design and development for premium DTC brands. Comparable to BAO in platform focus (Shopify Plus), client tier (premium/enterprise), and bespoke project service model.
• Useful Digital: Shopify Plus partner agency providing design, development, and digital strategy for enterprise and premium brands. Comparable to BAO in Shopify Plus specialism and premium brand target market.

Broad incumbents

• Dept Agency: Large global digital agency network offering end-to-end digital services including Shopify Plus implementations via its acquired agency The8th. Overlaps with BAO on enterprise Shopify Plus builds but operates at much larger scale with a broader service portfolio.
• Accenture Song: Global professional services arm of Accenture delivering large-scale commerce transformations, including Shopify Plus implementations for enterprise clients. Overlaps with BAO on Shopify Plus builds but operates at much larger scale with broader services.
• Deloitte Digital: Global consultancy's digital experience practice implementing enterprise commerce platforms, including Shopify Plus, for large multinational clients. Compares to BAO on enterprise Shopify Plus delivery but operates at significantly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/by-association-only

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about By Association Only