QT Drink: a custom webshop on top of Shopify, live in 13 days

I first spoke with QT Drink on 30 March 2026. On 12 April, their new webshop went live: a fully custom design running on their existing Shopify store.

Homepage of the QT Drink webshop, designed and built by Samy’s Studio
The map of bars in Ghent on the QT Drink webshop, on a smartphone
qtdrink.com on desktop, and the bar map on a smartphone. Visit qtdrink.com
Client
QT Drink, hard iced tea from Ghent
Built
Custom webshop on top of Shopify
Timeline
13 days, from first conversation to launch
Technology
Next.js, Shopify, Payload CMS, Judge.me, Vercel

Who is QT Drink?

QT Drink is a hard iced tea brand from Ghent, founded by Bart and Laurent. Their drink has no bubbles: cold-brewed oolong tea brought to 5% alcohol, in two flavours (Peach and Lime). They sell online across Belgium and in four bars in Ghent.

Cans of QT Oolong Lime and QT Oolong Peach hard iced tea on an orange and green background
Product image, made with AI.
Bart and Laurent, the founders of QT Drink, holding a can of QT at a party
Bart and Laurent, the founders.

Where were they before?

They already had a Shopify store and an Instagram page. The store ran on a standard theme, and it showed. It looked cheap, while the brand itself doesn’t feel that way at all.

The goal was clear: a better webshop that makes the brand look more professional. With two conditions. Their existing Shopify store and orders had to stay. And the budget was very small, because they were just starting out.

Why not just a better Shopify theme?

A more expensive theme seemed the obvious choice. I went for a custom front end on top of Shopify instead, for two reasons:

  • Full design freedom. A theme decides what your store looks like. With a custom front end, the brand does.
  • No monthly theme costs. For a brand that’s just starting, every fixed cost counts.

Shopify still does what it does well: products, payments and orders. Behind the scenes, nothing changed for Bart and Laurent.

What did I build?

The second big choice was the design itself: yellow, dark burgundy and near-black, clean and no frills. It was exactly what they had in mind. The site also includes:

  • Shop and cart, with a bar showing how much more you need for free shipping.
  • A map of bars, so you see right away where in Ghent you can drink a QT.
  • Reviews pulled live from Judge.me, plus a form to leave your own.
  • A CMS (Payload), so Bart and Laurent can edit texts and the bar list themselves.
  • An 18+ age check, a contact page, legal pages and a solid SEO foundation.

I created the product images with AI. The copy and the story came from Bart and Laurent.

How did it go?

  1. 30 March 2026

    First conversation.

  2. The first days

    Design, shop, cart and the bar map.

  3. Early April

    Connection to the live Shopify store, then the CMS.

  4. 12 April 2026

    Launch, 13 days after the first conversation.

What does the client say?

“My drink brand has a whole new look. The website is clean, professional, and exactly what I had in mind. The integration with our Shopify store was smooth and surprisingly easy to set up. Really impressed.”

Laurent, Founder, QT Drink

What can you take from this?

A fully custom webshop is possible on a starter budget. And you don’t have to give up your Shopify store to get one.

Frequently asked questions

Can I keep my existing Shopify store?

Yes. For QT Drink, Shopify stayed the engine behind the store: products, payments and orders still run through it. Only what your customers see is new and custom-made.

Can I edit the content myself afterwards?

For QT Drink, yes. Through a CMS, Bart and Laurent edit the homepage text and the list of bars themselves, without having to call me.

What does a project like this cost?

It depends on what you need, so pricing is on request. Ask for a free design preview first, so you see what you’ll get.

Want a webshop that fits your brand?

Tell me briefly what you sell. You’ll get a free design preview, no strings attached.

Get a free design preview