Shopify design and development for brands in Ireland

What do Irish shoppers expect from an online store?

Irish shoppers expect euro prices with VAT included, no surprise charges on delivery and a store that clearly ships from, or is set up for, the EU. Since Brexit, they have learned to check where a shop is based before they buy.

Ireland is an English-speaking EU market. That makes it look like an easy add-on for UK and US brands, but legally and operationally it behaves like the rest of the EU: euro, EU VAT, EU consumer law and EU customs. For Irish brands, it means your store should feel local and trustworthy against big UK retailers that now charge customs on delivery.

Why does Brexit still matter for selling in Ireland?

Because goods sent from Great Britain to Irish consumers are imports. Revenue says import VAT is due on all goods arriving from outside the EU regardless of value, and customs duty is added when the goods alone are worth more than €150.

If those charges land on the customer at the door, along with a parcel operator handling fee, you lose the sale next time. The fix is a duty-paid model where the price at checkout already includes Irish VAT and duties. For low-value consignments up to €150, the EU's import One-Stop Shop scheme lets non-EU sellers collect VAT at checkout and declare it in one return. Irish brands, on the other hand, can use "shipped from Ireland, no customs" as a genuine selling point.

Ireland vs the UK: what changes in your Shopify setup?

Many brands sell to both. This is where the two markets differ in a Shopify build:

With Shopify Markets you can run both from one store with separate prices, taxes and policies, or run two stores if your inventory, brand or legal entities differ. Our guide to Shopify Markets explains when each makes sense.

Which payment methods work for Irish Shopify stores?

Shopify Payments is available for businesses based in Ireland and covers cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Shop Pay. Klarna is built in for Irish customers, and PayPal Express Checkout runs alongside it.

Ireland has no single national payment method like iDEAL or Bancontact, so a clean card and wallet checkout does most of the work. Our take: make Apple Pay and Google Pay prominent on mobile, and add one pay-later option rather than several.

What legal must-haves apply in Ireland?

Irish consumer law follows the EU framework, set out in the Consumer Rights Act 2022, and is enforced by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC).

• Pre-contract information. Your name, physical address, phone number and email, product details, total price including extra charges, and how to cancel.
• Cancellation. Consumers have 14 days from receiving the goods to cancel and then 14 days to return them. Refund within 14 days of being told, once the goods are back, using the original payment method. If you don't tell customers about this right, the period extends to 12 months.
• Exceptions. Personalized or made-to-order items and goods that can't be returned for hygiene reasons are excluded; say so clearly on the product page.
• Withdrawal button. The EU directive applies from June 19, 2026. As of mid-2026, Ireland had not yet transposed it into Irish law, but Irish courts and regulators are expected to read existing law in line with the directive, and if you sell to other EU countries you need it for them. Shopify supports self-serve cancellation requests in customer accounts; ask your legal advisor whether you also need a guest form, since the function shouldn't require a login.

How does delivery work in Ireland?

An Post and DPD Ireland are the best-known domestic parcel carriers, and Eircode gives every address a unique postcode, so make it a required checkout field. Shopify Shipping's built-in label buying is not listed for Irish fulfillment locations, so Irish brands usually connect carriers through an app. If you ship from Great Britain or the US, be clear about duties and delivery times for Ireland specifically.

How do we work with Irish brands?

We're a remote studio, so there's no local office; we work with brands in Ireland remotely. We work asynchronously by email and Basecamp and schedule calls within your working hours.

1. Discovery call, booked at silverarc.youcanbook.me.
2. Written proposal with scope and timeline.
3. Design questionnaire, first Figma design in under a week, up to 3 revision rounds.
4. Development in your own Shopify account.
5. Launch and handover: you own the store, theme, domain and data.

Shopify services for Irish brands

• Shopify store design built around your brand.
• Shopify development: themes, custom sections and integrations.
• Shopify migration from WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace or Magento.
• Shopify B2B for wholesale to Irish and UK retailers.
• Shopify Plus for brands selling across several markets.
• Shopify SEO and CRO for Irish search and conversion.
• Web design for simple non-Shopify sites.

Selling into Britain as well? See Shopify for the UK, or contact us.