Headless Shopify with Hydrogen gives you a real React runtime and streaming where it matters, but the cost is discipline: every Storefront API query has to earn its place in the critical path. We treat Hydrogen loaders and deferred data as first-class citizens so the shell stays fast while cart and account state hydrate predictably.
Storybook is not optional for us on these builds–it is where the design system becomes contract. When Klaviyo, subscription flows, or custom discount apps touch the UI, the components need documented variants and edge cases so marketing and engineering do not fork the same button five different ways.
Integrations like subscriptions and email sit next to conversion-focused UX: lazy below-the-fold modules, skeleton states that match final layout, and careful handling of third-party scripts so we do not tank Core Web Vitals on the pages that pay the bills.
The through-line is scale without sprawl: one library of primitives, Hydrogen tuned for the queries we actually run, and UX that stays pixel-aligned with design because the components were proven in Storybook before they ever hit production.
