Actuate is an eCommerce agency in Manchester. We fix the things that stop people buying, and we usually start with the frontend, because that is where most of the loss is. Whether you’re a fast-growing brand looking to scale, or you’re fed up with a platform that’s holding you back, we’ll help you fix what’s broken and focus on what comes next.
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Manchester retailers come to us when things stop working like they should. As a leading eCommerce development company in Manchester, we’ve helped brands across fashion, home, garden, lifestyle and beauty to launch new sites, replatform legacy systems, and improve conversion from the ground up.
We start with the NNP Workshop, a rapid audit that gets straight to the point. What’s slowing you down? Where’s the revenue leaking? What can we fix fast?
We don’t waffle. We fix, build, and optimise so you can move quicker, and hit your next nice problem faster.
Your eCommerce platform should keep up with your ambition, not cause delays or dead ends. We build with Shopify, Magento, Adobe Commerce, Aero Commerce, and Hyvä to give you a stack that suits your business and scales when you need it to.
Our development team is tight-knit and well-tested, with lead devs based both in Manchester and offshore. No missed deadlines. Just solid builds and ongoing support from people who know what they’re doing.
We’re not a faceless agency hiding behind process docs and ticket systems. We’re down the road. We’ll sit with you, look at the numbers, and tell you what’s working and what’s not.
We’ve worked with local retailers across fashion, home, garden, lifestyle and beauty to help them launch faster, convert better, and stop wrestling with clunky platforms. If you’re tired of eCommerce that doesn’t deliver, let’s change that.
We’re based at 3b Tariff Street, in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, a few minutes from Piccadilly station. For Manchester and North West brands, that means we can be in your office by lunchtime.
We work with brands across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Lancashire and the wider North West, on Shopify, Magento and everything in between. Come in for a coffee and a proper conversation about where your store could go next.
If Magento is your platform, see our dedicated Magento service in Manchester.
On Shopify instead? Talk to our Shopify agency in Manchester.
Just outside the city? We cover the wider region too. See our North West ecommerce agency.
Helmet City stock Arai, Shark and HJC across five stores, and in-store the business was thriving. Online was the one holding it back, running a ThemeForest theme buried under plugins. We rebuilt the frontend on Hyvä and four seconds came off the load time. Conversion went up 16%, then another 9% once we picked up the retainer.
16%
A complete Hyvä rebuild with a UX-first design started delivering results within four weeks of launch.
21%
A faster, cleaner experience meant customers stayed longer, browsed more, and converted with confidence.
4s
Stripping out a bloated ThemeForest theme and dozens of unnecessary plugins made the site dramatically faster.
We design, build and grow ecommerce stores on Shopify, Magento and Adobe Commerce, from a full replatform through to ongoing CRO. We are based in Manchester’s Northern Quarter, so local brands get a team they can actually sit down with, not a ticket queue.
No. We work with brands right across the UK. Being in Manchester just makes face-to-face meetings easy if you are nearby. If you are further out, we run projects smoothly over video and email.
It depends on where you are heading. Shopify is quick to launch and easy to run. Magento and Adobe Commerce give you more control for large catalogues and B2B. We will give you a straight recommendation, not a sales pitch for whatever we feel like building.
That is most of what we do. We start with the foundations, speed and frontend, because that lifts conversion before a single test runs. Helmet City gained 16% conversion and 21% engagement from the rebuild alone, then more from retained CRO.
Yes. We are at 3b Tariff Street in the Northern Quarter, a few minutes from Piccadilly. Come in for a coffee and a proper look at your numbers.