Shopify Architecture Audits
Review platform architecture, app stack, integrations, technical debt, and operational risk with a prioritized action plan.
Los Angeles, CA
William Chong
Staff Software Engineer · Enterprise Commerce Systems Architect · Shopify Architect
I help brands and agencies solve complex Shopify, backend integration, checkout, subscription, shipping, and platform modernization problems.
Staff software engineer and enterprise commerce systems architect with 17+ years of experience building enterprise ecommerce platforms, backend systems, cloud services, and complex integrations. I specialize in architecture-heavy commerce work spanning checkout, subscriptions, shipping logic, fulfillment, order lifecycle systems, and platform modernization.
17+
Years in software engineering and enterprise commerce delivery
Lead
Shopify architecture at enterprise scale, subscriptions, checkout extensibility,
integrations, and the systems behind customer-facing commerce
End-to-end
Enterprise ecommerce, backend systems, cloud services, and complex integrations
Trusted across selected brands
Nestlé Purina
Apple
Mattel
Cisco
Glossier
SKIMS
Netflix Shop
Banana Republic
Bottega Louie
Brandy Melville
Rare Beauty
DraftKings
Material Bank
Quest Nutrition
ReserveBar
Nestlé Purina
Engagements
Consulting offers
Architecture-first work with clear outcomes, not generic “development” buckets. Each engagement is scoped for decision quality, risk reduction, and faster execution.
Checkout Extensibility / Functions Migration
Assess legacy checkout logic, script replacements, discount behavior, and migration paths for modern Shopify architecture.
Subscription & Order Lifecycle Architecture
Design or stabilize subscription workflows, order lifecycle logic, renewal handling, and related backend integrations.
Shipping, Fulfillment & Rate Logic
Audit and improve carrier logic, delivery methods, split shipment behavior, pickup flows, and fulfillment-related systems.
Commerce Integrations
Design and troubleshoot integrations across Shopify, ERP, OMS, ESP, payment, analytics, and third-party services.
Fractional Commerce Architect
Senior technical leadership for brands or agencies needing architecture guidance, delivery oversight, and production issue support.
Scope
How each engagement works
Each engagement is scoped for clarity: what we are solving, what “good” looks like, and what you can execute next, whether that is your internal team, a partner agency, or a blended model.
Shopify Architecture Audits
A structured review of how your Shopify implementation actually behaves in production: app dependencies, integration boundaries, checkout and subscription flows, operational risk, and technical debt. You receive a prioritized roadmap, stabilize first, modernize second, scale third, with explicit tradeoffs so leadership can make decisions with confidence.
Checkout Extensibility / Functions Migration
Legacy checkout logic rarely ages quietly. I assess scripts, discounts, edge cases, and third-party touchpoints, then define a migration path aligned to Shopify’s modern checkout model. The goal is predictable customer behavior, fewer surprises at launch, and a clean story for ongoing maintenance.
Subscription & Order Lifecycle Architecture
Subscriptions introduce long-running state: renewals, dunning, swaps, skips, and order lifecycle coupling across Shopify, and downstream systems. I design or stabilize these workflows so finance, fulfillment, and support see consistent data, and engineering can reason about the system under load.
Shipping, Fulfillment & Rate Logic
Carrier rules, split shipments, pickup flows, and rate shopping are where commerce systems earn their scars. I audit the real-world matrix of SKUs, locations, promises, and carrier APIs, then tighten logic, observability, and failure modes so operations can run without heroics.
Commerce Integrations
ERP, OMS, ESP, payments, analytics, and bespoke middleware: integrations are architecture problems first. I help teams design contracts, retries, idempotency, and monitoring, and when things break in production, I can drive root-cause analysis across vendor boundaries.
Commerce Architect
For brands and agencies that need senior technical judgment, I provide architecture services: steering discovery, reviewing designs, de-risking releases, and supporting incident response. This is leadership work, standards, sequencing, and accountability, aligned to your delivery reality.
Proof
Selected impact
Why teams bring me in on hard problems, outcomes over buzzwords.
- Led enterprise Shopify architecture across major consumer retail programs spanning subscriptions, checkout extensibility, backend integrations, and customer experience systems.
- Drove modernization of legacy commerce logic, release workflows, and cloud-hosted services into more scalable, maintainable architectures.
- Built and supported complex order lifecycle, shipping, fulfillment, and analytics integrations across high-traffic ecommerce environments.
- Resolved critical production issues across checkout, third-party integrations, cloud infrastructure, and operationally sensitive commerce systems.
- Provided architectural leadership across multiple teams and client engagements, guiding technical direction from discovery through launch and post-release stabilization.
- Applied AI-assisted engineering workflows using OpenAI, Claude, Claude Code, and Cursor to accelerate delivery and improve technical analysis while maintaining production-grade engineering standards.
Background
Experience highlights
At-a-glance roles, full chronology and skills are in the Resume section below.
Nestlé Purina
Technical Lead / Solutions Architect
Spiegel Design Group
Staff Software Engineer
Quest Nutrition
Lead Developer
Earlier roles
ONVI Media, Trendology, Golden Chart USA
Resume
William Chong
Staff software engineer and enterprise commerce systems architect with 17+ years of experience building enterprise ecommerce platforms, backend systems, cloud services, and complex integrations, with deep work across Shopify, checkout extensibility, order lifecycle systems, shipping logic, and platform modernization.
Professional summary
Staff software engineer and enterprise commerce systems architect with 17+ years of experience building enterprise ecommerce platforms, backend systems, cloud services, and complex integrations. Deep expertise in Shopify, Laravel, Node.js, PHP, and systems architecture, with proven leadership across subscriptions, checkout extensibility, order management, shipping logic, and platform modernization. Experienced in AI-assisted software engineering using OpenAI, Claude, Claude Code, and Cursor to accelerate delivery, improve technical analysis, and strengthen development workflows while maintaining production-grade engineering standards.
Core strengths
Enterprise Commerce Architecture · Shopify Architecture & Checkout Extensibility · Backend Services & Systems Integrations · Subscription, Order Lifecycle & Fulfillment Systems · Shipping, Rate Logic & Delivery Systems · Platform Modernization & Legacy Migration · Cloud Infrastructure & Operational Reliability · Multi-Team Technical Leadership · Production Incident Response & Root Cause Analysis
Professional experience
Spiegel Design Group, Inc. - Los Angeles, CA
Staff Software Engineer · Oct 2014 – Apr 2026
Delivered enterprise ecommerce platforms, backend systems, integrations, and cloud-hosted services for major retail and consumer brands including: Apple, Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, DraftKings, Glossier, Korn Ferry, Mattel, Netflix Shop, Rare Beauty, Revlon, and SKIMS.
- Led architecture and implementation across a broad portfolio of enterprise ecommerce and digital platform engagements.
- Engineered backend services, integrations, and scalable commerce solutions for complex client environments.
- Defined technical standards, platform direction, and implementation strategy across multiple concurrent projects.
- Led cross-functional teams across engineering, project management, and client stakeholders, aligning technical execution with business goals across multiple concurrent engagements.
- Modernized legacy systems into more maintainable, scalable architectures with improved deployment and operational reliability.
- Supported the full lifecycle of delivery including technical discovery, system design, implementation, deployment, troubleshooting, and post-launch support.
- Worked directly with clients and internal stakeholders to translate business goals into scalable technical solutions.
- Resolved high-impact production issues and platform failures across ecommerce systems, cloud services, and third-party integrations.
Quest Nutrition - Los Angeles, CA
Lead Magento Developer · Jul 2013 – Oct 2014
- Led architecture and development for the rebuild of QuestNutrition.com and related Magento initiatives during a major growth phase.
- Built custom Magento modules and enterprise features to support scale, performance, and business growth.
- Provided leadership across architecture, infrastructure, development standards, and implementation quality.
- Mentored developers on Magento best practices, implementation consistency, and scalable solution design.
- Supported the platform during a period of rapid company expansion.
ONVI MEDIA - Los Angeles, CA
Lead Web Developer · May 2013 – Jul 2013
- Led frontend and backend execution for a multimillion-dollar travel-based digital initiative.
- Coordinated development efforts across engineering, design, and QA while maintaining delivery alignment.
- Provided hands-on technical leadership, implementation support, and project execution oversight.
Trendology Inc.
Magento Developer / Web Developer · Feb 2011 – May 2013
- Built Magento ecommerce solutions and custom features for small and mid-sized businesses.
- Supported full end-to-end delivery across backend systems, frontend implementation, and launch execution.
Golden Chart USA Inc.
Web Developer · Jun 2008 – Feb 2011
- Developed custom web applications, CMS platforms, ecommerce solutions, and internal workflow tools.
- Supported full-stack engineering across business systems, frontend features, and backend development.
Technical skills
Languages
JavaScript, TypeScript, PHP, HTML, CSS
Databases
MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Microsoft SQL Server
Additional exposure
Ruby, Python
Frameworks & platforms
Node.js, Laravel, Lumen, Express.js, React, Zend, Shopify, Shopify Functions, Checkout Extensibility, Magento, Recharge
Cloud & infrastructure
Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform, AWS Lambda, Amazon SQS, Amazon API Gateway, Amazon EC2, Docker, Git, Fly.io, Netlify
Integrations & systems
NetSuite, Stripe, Braintree, Synapse, Bolt, Authorize.Net, CyberSource, Spreedly, Recurly, FedEx, UPS, ShipEngine, AfterShip, Order Desk, Storis, Full Circle, Sailthru, Twilio, Klaviyo, SendGrid, Searchspring, TikTok Shop, Contentstack, Salsify, Google Tag Manager, ERP integrations
Monitoring, performance & reliability
Datadog, Sentry, New Relic, Raygun, Redis, Varnish, Swagger
Education
University of California, Riverside - Computer Science
Contact
Let’s talk
Hiring, vendor evaluation, or a scoped consulting engagement, send context and timing.