Quick and simple set-up.
Other e-commerce platforms like Shopify are actually complicated and difficult to set-up. Many people end up having to hire a web company to do it for them which incurs a significant cost. We know, because people contact us asking us to help them with Shopify because it is too difficult. With ActiveShop all you have to do is fill out this form, pay the deposit, upload your products / content, open a payment gateway account with Stripe. And we can activate your shop as soon as the balance payment is received. 
 

Managing your online store shouldn’t require a degree in web development. Unlike Shopify and other e-commerce platforms that overload users with unnecessary features, our admin panel is designed for simplicity and efficiency. Built on our proprietary CMS, developed over 15 years, it allows anyone with basic computer skills to easily edit and manage their web-store.

With a clean, intuitive interface, you can update products, adjust prices, add images, and process orders without frustration. No hidden complexities, no confusing settings—just a straightforward system that lets you focus on running your business. If you can send an email, you can manage your store with ActiveShop.

Many Kiwis turn to existing platforms like Shopify, only to find themselves stuck with high fees, hidden costs, and an unfavourable USD exchange rate. Because platforms like Shopify have high fees which are charged in USD, when the exchange rate drops, NZ businesses can suddenly find their monthly profits eaten up. For small online stores, there’s little room to absorb these unpredictable costs.

With ActiveShop, you pay in New Zealand dollars, so you always know exactly what you're spending — no surprise currency conversion fees, no fluctuating charges. Our pricing is simple and transparent. You get a full-featured e-commerce store for a fair, upfront price. Plus, with local support, you won’t be left dealing with offshore customer service when you need help.

Keep more of what you earn, avoid exchange rate headaches, and get a powerful e-commerce platform designed for Kiwi businesses.

With big US based platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, getting help when you need it can be a frustrating experience. You’re often stuck navigating complicated support systems and waiting for overseas customer service teams to respond—sometimes at odd hours due to time zone differences.

With ActiveShop, help is available when you need it, right here in New Zealand. You don’t have to deal with chatbots or endless email chains—just real, local support from a team that understands your business and your market. If you run into an issue or need guidance, we’re just a phone call or email away, during normal NZ business hours.

Setting up and running an online store should be easy, and when you do need help, you shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get it. That’s why we keep things simple—straightforward support from real people who actually care.

Many website platforms come with built-in limitations — certain things just can’t be done within their system. Store owners often find themselves restricted by rigid templates, locked-down features, and a frustrating lack of flexibility.

With ActiveShop, there are no such constraints. Our platform is designed to be fully customisable and scalable, ensuring that your store can grow and evolve alongside your business. Need a custom feature? A specific integration? A tweak to suit your unique business model? No problem. Since we’re a development team, we can build whatever you need. And because our system is built on widely-used technology, any experienced PHP developer can extend and modify it if you prefer to work with someone else.

Your business isn’t one-size-fits-all and your e-commerce platform shouldn’t be either. With ActiveShop, you get complete control over your store’s functionality, now and in the future.

Where your website is hosted makes a big difference in speed, security, and reliability. Many e-commerce platforms rely on overseas servers, leading to slow load times, foreign exchange risks, and delays in technical support when you need help.

With ActiveShop, you’re free to host your store wherever you like — but most of our customers host with us because of our fast, secure, and locally managed hosting service. Our servers are based right here in New Zealand, providing better performance for local shoppers and ensuring quick response times if an issue ever arises. We take daily backups of every site we host, and our entire server is also backed up, so you’re covered if anything goes wrong.

If you host with us, you’ll also benefit from local security monitoring and support. If a cybersecurity threat arises, we can act fast — without waiting on an overseas provider to get around to it.

Many people don’t realise that with platforms like Shopify, you don’t actually own your website—you’re just renting space on their system. Your site is 100% locked in, meaning you can’t take it elsewhere or move to a different hosting provider. We’ve had business owners ask if we can take over hosting and management of their Shopify store, only to be shocked when they learn it’s impossible. They’re stuck with Shopify, subject to whatever fees and policies the platform decides to introduce.

With ActiveShop, you’re in control. You own your website and can host it wherever you choose. There’s no vendor lock-in, no unexpected pricing changes, and no restrictions on how you run your store. If you decide to move your site elsewhere, you can—though we believe our fast, secure, and locally supported hosting makes staying with us the best choice for most businesses.

ActiveShop is proudly built in New Zealand, for New Zealand businesses. Unlike global platforms designed for mass markets, our system is developed with local businesses in mind, ensuring it meets the unique needs of Kiwi online stores.

By choosing ActiveShop, you’re not just getting a powerful, easy-to-use e-commerce platform — you’re also supporting a locally owned company that employs New Zealanders and reinvests in the local economy. Our support team is right here in NZ, so when you need help, you’re dealing with real people in your time zone, not automated chatbots or offshore call centres.

We understand the challenges of running an online store in New Zealand, and our platform is designed to remove complexity, reduce costs, and provide reliable local service. If you want a Kiwi-made solution that puts New Zealand businesses first, ActiveShop is the right choice.