When your shop is running, but something is off.
You run a Shopware shop or lead its tech and you can feel it: there is more in it. Loading times too high, hosting bill too fat, the next big step — update, migration, new feature — feels risky. I take an honest look at code, infrastructure and setup and tell you where the real levers are.
14 unused JS bundles from old plugins are blocking the product listing.
ERP sync runs synchronously in the frontend process — belongs in a queue.
Four areas where an external opinion pays off.
No generic we-do-everything consulting. These four topics come up in 90% of all enquiries — and that is exactly where the biggest leverage in the Shopware business lies.
Note: many audits uncover savings that neutralise the consulting costs within the first quarter — at KRAFT it was 75% lower hosting costs.
Architecture audit
I take your Shopware setup apart and show you where codebase, database and infrastructure are slowing you down — before your customers notice.
- Plugin sprawl: what can go, what has to stay
- Finding database queries and N+1 problems
- Critical bottlenecks before the next peak (BFCM, sale)
- Update readiness: what breaks with the next major
Quick-win promise: small fixes < 10 min that I notice during the audit are often fixed right away — at no extra charge.
from €2,400 net
Performance consulting
Loading times, server load and hosting costs need to be analysed together — otherwise you optimise symptoms instead of causes.
- Core Web Vitals: measuring and improving LCP, INP, CLS
- Using Redis, RabbitMQ, ElasticSearch sensibly
- Images, caching, CDN, ImgProxy
- Hosting setup compared to your actual load
from €1,200 net · often amortised after 3 months
Migration strategy SW5 → SW6
A migration is not an update. Before you start, you need an honest plan: what moves over, what gets rebuilt, what gets thrown out.
- Plugin inventory: migrate vs. rebuild vs. drop
- Data mapping: categories, customers, orders, SEO URLs
- Rethinking interfaces (ERP, shipping, payment) for the future
- Realistic roadmap with phases instead of big bang
from €3,500 net · strategy workshop
Technical sparring
You have an in-house team or an agency — but on specific Shopware topics a second opinion is often missing. I step in where needed.
- Code reviews for critical plugins or pull requests
- Architecture sparring before important decisions
- White label: I stay in the background, you take the stage
- Fixed pool of hours, billed monthly
€110–140/h net · pool from 8 h / month
Analysis is the start — implementation is the success.
An audit is like an MRI: we find out exactly where it hurts before we operate. After the audit you have full control and decide on the next step:
What I find in almost every audit — and you probably have too.
Eight out of ten Shopware shops have the same three or four problems. That is not a weakness of your team — it is the nature of a system that has evolved over years. Here are the classics.
Plugin ballast in the frontend
Even 2–3 unused or badly configured plugins often load their complete JS and CSS bundles into every storefront request. Nobody uninstalled them cleanly after testing — which slows down LCP and time to interactive unnecessarily.
Typical: 0.4–1.2 s LCP, 150–400 KB of unnecessary code per request
Asset overload: images & videos
Wrong formats (PNG instead of WebP), 4000px images for a 200px view or 50 MB videos loaded directly from the server without a CDN. Without lazy loading and compression, mobile shopping becomes a test of patience.
Typical: 3–8 MB page size, massive server load and abandonment rates
Outdated core, missing patches
A Shopware version from two years ago means: dozens of missed performance patches and critical security vulnerabilities. Many shy away from the update for fear of errors — actively risking stability and data protection.
Risk: security vulnerabilities, unstable plugins, missed core speedups
Synchronous processes blocking PHP
ERP syncs, newsletter lists or stock updates run directly in the PHP-FPM pool. At every peak the frontend goes down with them, because no workers take over the background tasks and distribute the load.
Solution: switching to RabbitMQ / Redis queue — a clear head in the frontend
N+1 queries & custom code legacy
Custom extensions load 80 individual queries in a listing loop instead of one efficient JOIN. With Tideways we make these performance killers in the backend immediately visible and find the exact line that drives up your TTFB.
Solution: Tideways profiling and targeted code refactoring
Flying blind in the checkout process
If the checkout converts 20% less after an update, without monitoring often nobody notices for days. I implement Tideways and Sentry to detect anomalies, slow queries or PHP errors in real time.
Setup: Tideways / Sentry, proactive alerting before the revenue loss
Examples are based on typical audit results from real projects — anonymised and generalised.
Three steps. No consulting theatre.
Understand the status quo, deliver a prioritised roadmap, support you during implementation — or let you go if you can continue on your own.
Status quo audit
I get access to code, server metrics and the Shopware backend. In 2–4 days I examine architecture, performance (via Tideways), plugins, hosting and data flow. You get a Loom video in which I show you everything.
Roadmap with prioritisation
We go through the findings together and prioritise by effort × impact × urgency. You get an action board with tickets — not a collection of recommendations, but concrete tasks with estimates.
Supported implementation
You decide: your team implements — and I support with code reviews and short calls. Or I take on the critical tickets myself. Or both. The main thing is that the findings do not end up in a drawer.
No PDF graveyard. An action board your team can open tomorrow.
Consulting PDFs get read and forgotten. Instead, you get a living action board (Notion or Linear, your choice) — with prioritised tickets, effort estimates and a Loom video in which I explain every finding to you personally. Understandable for management, actionable for developers.
Action board with all findings as tickets — effort, priority, affected components
Loom walkthrough (20–40 min) — I show you code, metrics, reasoning and the exact spots in Tideways
Executive summary for stakeholders — a one-page business decision basis: what does not acting cost?
Roadmap workshop — joint prioritisation, no one-sided dictation
You now know what you get. Let us talk.
30 minutes, non-binding. You tell me what is going on — I listen and tell you honestly whether an audit makes sense. If not, I will say that too.
Book a 30-min strategy call
Two consulting engagements that demonstrably moved the needle.
Analysis became architecture: both projects started with an audit and led to a long-term partnership that replaced technical legacy with scalable solutions.
Developed a hosting strategy that saves 75% of costs — and runs more stably than before.
At KRAFT I did not just build a plugin — I questioned the complete hosting and infrastructure strategy. Redis caching, RabbitMQ for background jobs, S3 + ImgProxy for media — evaluated point by point, then implemented.
API architecture for sensitive patient data — designed GDPR-compliant and audit-proof.
Demecan needed an API layer between Shopware, a telemedicine service and the ERP. The consulting clarified: what is allowed to live where, who authenticates whom, how we log what. Only then did I build.
Interested in similar results?
Book a strategy callWhite-label sparring when you are missing the senior.
Your agency has a big Shopware client — but the Shopware specialist is stuck in the wrong pipeline or missing entirely. I step in as an external senior, stay in the background and communicate either directly with your client or strictly with your team only. Well-rehearsed with wyreframe and others.
Well-rehearsed with wyreframe. Including a watertight NDA, of course.
What you probably still want to know.
Answers to the questions that come up in almost every first conversation. If your question is not here — just include it in the form, I will answer before the call.
What does consulting with you actually cost?
Performance audits start at €1,200 net, architecture audits at €2,400 net, migration strategy workshops at €3,500 net. Hourly sparring is €110–140/h net, depending on project depth and response SLA.
Performance audits often pay for themselves within three months through reduced hosting costs alone — that is not a promise, but the norm.
Is fixing the issues included in the audit price?
No, the audit focuses on the in-depth analysis and the creation of a prioritised battle plan. That way you do not pay for blind actionism, but for a well-founded strategy.
I bill the subsequent implementation transparently at my hourly rate or as a clearly defined package — you decide whether you do it yourself, involve your agency or commission me directly.
Exception: quick fixes under 10 minutes that I notice during the analysis are often fixed right away — at no extra charge.
When is consulting worth it — and when not?
Worth it: before a relaunch, before a migration, with rising hosting costs without a clear reason, with performance problems, before a major update, before a big sale event.
Not worth it: if you only want confirmation of what your current service provider has already proposed. Then say so openly — I can also tell you in 20 minutes on the phone whether it sounds reasonable.
How long does an audit take from enquiry to handover?
From kickoff to roadmap workshop it usually takes 2–3 weeks. Of that, 2–4 days are the actual analysis, the rest is scheduling and documentation. For urgent topics (before Black Friday, before a migration) it can also be done in a week.
Do I need consulting if I have you do the development anyway?
For smaller jobs, no — there the consulting is part of the project. For larger undertakings (migration, relaunch, new API) I recommend a short separate consulting block in which we nail down architecture and scope before anyone writes code. It saves more during implementation than it costs.
Do you also work directly with agencies without my client seeing you?
Yes, that is the standard mode for agency sparring. I communicate exclusively with your team, all findings end up in your account, in your Notion. NDA and white-label agreement are no issue — a template is ready.
Do I get a PDF to print out at the end?
If you want one — yes. The standard, however, is a Notion action board with tickets plus a Loom walkthrough. That gets read and used. PDFs get archived and forgotten.
For stakeholders there is also a one-page executive summary — which can be printed if the context requires it.
SW5, SW6, both versions — what do you do?
Both. SW6 has been my focus since 2021, SW5 I consult on primarily in a migration context and for existing shops in operation. For pure SW5 new builds I say openly: that is no longer worth it in 2026 — and explain why.
No selling. 30 minutes of clarity.
You spend 10 minutes telling me what is going on. I listen and tell you whether I can help or not — and if so, in which format. If not, you leave with an honest assessment. And with who can help you better in your situation.