Website Development Durban
Web Builds for the HARBOUR City
The port sets Durban’s rhythm, from the freight moving through the harbour to the factories in Pinetown, the trade along the CBD, and the tourism trade from Umhlanga to Ballito. We build the web tools that keep that trade moving: custom-coded applications, Shopify stores and fast marketing sites, none of them dressed-up themes. Delivered remotely from our Pretoria studio. From R25,000.
Juicy Designs builds custom-coded websites and web applications for Durban firms, delivered remotely from our Pretoria studio. Durban is South Africa’s busiest cargo port, and the harbour anchors a KwaZulu-Natal economy built on freight and logistics, manufacturing in and around Pinetown, coastal tourism from Umhlanga to Ballito, retail, and the sugar and agriculture trade. That work needs software, not page-builder templates: booking and tracking portals, trade and retail stores, and marketing sites that load fast on a coastal 4G connection. Juicy Designs delivers three things for Durban clients: custom web applications (freight and logistics tools, booking portals, SaaS platforms, B2B areas from R75,000), Shopify and e-commerce stores (hand-built themes, Shopify Partner, South African payment and courier integrations from R35,000), and custom marketing sites (bespoke design, React or Next.js, headless CMS, performance-first from R25,000).
Every build ships with an SEO technical foundation, Core Web Vitals tuning, WCAG AA accessibility and POPIA-compliant data handling. Maintenance plans from R5,000/year. Durban work runs on a structured remote process: a Notion board, weekly Loom updates, a shared staging link and video milestone reviews, with on-location shoots and couriered print by arrangement. Founded 2015. Founder-led. Google Partner. Shopify Partner. WCAG AA certified.
Reviewed by Cobus van der Westhuizen, Google Ads Certified CEO, Juicy Designs. Updated .
Sources: Google Core Web Vitals | IAB South Africa
Three jobs. One founder-led team.
Software for freight, stores & upkeep
Durban trade runs from the harbour to the shopfront, and each part needs something different from the web. We do three of them well: custom applications for operators moving goods and data, e-commerce for KZN retail and coastal brands, and steady maintenance that keeps a live site healthy long after launch.
Custom applications
The harbour and the transport corridor around it run on data, so we build the tools that move it: freight and booking portals, tracking dashboards, quote engines and B2B areas, coded from scratch in React, Next.js and Node.js. Stacks that grow as the operation does.
Each build carries an SEO technical foundation, Core Web Vitals tuned to excellent, WCAG AA accessibility and POPIA-compliant data handling. Marketing sites from R25,000, applications from R75,000. A technical discovery session comes before any quote.
Explore Custom DevE-commerce & Shopify
The KZN coast turns out a distinctive crop of retail and DTC brands: surf and swim labels, homeware, food and beverage producers, and goods that trade well beyond Durban itself. They need a store that sells, not a template.
We hand-build the Shopify theme (never Debut or Dawn), load the catalogue, wire up Shopify Payments against South African banks, and connect couriers that actually serve the coast and inland (The Courier Guy, PostNet, Fastway), plus LoyaltyLion, Klaviyo and Yotpo reviews. Stores from R35,000. WooCommerce where a business already runs on WordPress.
Explore E-commerceMaintenance & upkeep
A launched site is an asset that quietly rots without care. Our plans cover hosting management, CMS and plugin updates, security scanning and patching, uptime monitoring, performance reports (Core Web Vitals and load speed) and a 48-hour ticket response.
None of it needs us in the same city as you. Durban clients get clear response times, plain change logs and a monthly performance summary. Plans from R5,000/year, with a business-critical option at a 24-hour SLA from R12,000/year for a store or portal that cannot afford downtime.
Explore MaintenanceWhat we build for Durban
Six ways we put Durban online
All of it built in-house by the same small team. No outsourcing, full documentation, and code that belongs to you at the end.
Custom Web Application Development
For the Durban operators who have outgrown a brochure site: freight and fleet tools, booking and tracking portals, SaaS platforms, B2B customer areas and workflow automation for the businesses moving goods through the port and the KZN corridor.
We run the whole cycle in-house, from technical discovery and specification through UX wireframes, front-end work in React or Next.js, Node.js API design, database architecture, third-party integrations, testing, staging and production deployment. Every application is documented and handed over with its full source code.
No lock-in. Applications from R75,000, with scope setting the final figure. A written quote follows the discovery session see full pricing.
Learn moreShopify & WooCommerce
Juicy Designs is a Shopify Partner and we build stores for the KZN retail scene: coastal surf and swim labels, homeware, food and beverage producers, and DTC brands shipping goods out from Durban.
We build the Shopify theme by hand (never a stock template), set up Shopify Payments against South African banks, connect the couriers that serve the coast and inland (The Courier Guy, PostNet, Fastway, Aramex), and lay out product pages, collections and a checkout tuned to convert.
We also wire in email automation (Klaviyo), loyalty (LoyaltyLion) and reviews (Yotpo or Judge.me). WooCommerce is on the table for WordPress-based businesses. Stores from R35,000 see full pricing.
Learn moreAPI & Third-Party Integrations
Harbour, logistics and manufacturing systems rarely stand alone. A Durban site or application usually has to talk to something else: CRMs (Salesforce, HubSpot), ERP systems, payment gateways (PayFast, PayGate, Peach Payments, Stripe), freight and shipping-line APIs, accounting software (Xero, Sage) and analytics platforms.
We design and build RESTful integrations and webhook flows with proper error handling, retry logic and monitoring, so a dropped connection to a courier or bank does not quietly break an order. We also build internal APIs that expose data to mobile apps, partner systems and reporting tools.
Integration work is scoped after a technical discovery session.
Learn moreProgressive Web Apps (PWA)
A Progressive Web App gives a Durban business the feel of a native mobile app, with offline use, push notifications and a home-screen icon, without the cost and app-store overhead of building for iOS and Android separately.
That suits a lot of the local picture: logistics and service firms with drivers and field crews out on the coast, retail brands that want push notifications to bring shoppers back, and startups that need something mobile-first before committing to a native app.
We build PWAs on Next.js with service workers, a Web App Manifest and offline-first data handling, so they keep working when a signal drops between the harbour and the highway. For most consumer cases they do the job of a native app at a fraction of the cost.
Learn moreWebsite Maintenance Plans
You do not have to be down the road from us for reliable upkeep. Our plans are fully remote-managed with a clear rhythm: a monthly performance report, plain change logs, ticket tracking you can follow, and response times we hold ourselves to.
Plans cover hosting management and uptime monitoring (24/7 alerting), CMS and plugin updates, security scanning and patching, Core Web Vitals monitoring, and a ticket system for content edits and small changes. Standard plan from R5,000/year (48-hour SLA).
Business-critical plan from R12,000/year (24-hour SLA and an after-hours emergency contact) for a store or portal in constant use see full pricing.
Learn moreTechnical Consulting
Sometimes the right first step is advice, not a build. Durban businesses come to us for stack decisions, build-versus-buy calls, an audit of an existing codebase, a performance review, or help getting technical due diligence in order before raising money.
These engagements usually run as a half-day discovery session over video, followed by a written recommendation you can act on with or without us.
It earns its keep for a business making its first serious web investment, one weighing up a rebuild, or a founder who wants an independent read before hiring a development team. Consulting from R8,500 per session.
Learn moreHow we work
Remote, structured, no surprises
From the first call to go-live, here is how a Durban project runs with us, and where the coast-to-Pretoria distance genuinely makes no difference.
-
Scoping the work
A 30 to 60 minute video call to understand your goals, your users and the technical realities, then a written specification: user stories, architecture, stack recommendation, timeline and a fixed quote. Nothing gets built until you have approved the spec and paid the deposit.
Week 1 -
Design & architecture
Wireframes first, then high-fidelity design in Figma that you sign off before any development starts. The database schema, API architecture and integrations are planned and documented up front. A weekly Loom video keeps you in the loop without eating into your day.
Week 2-3 -
Build & review
Development happens on a shared staging link you can open from anywhere in Durban, at any time, to see exactly where things stand. We review each major feature together over video. Fixes and revision rounds are included, and Core Web Vitals tuning, accessibility testing and cross-browser QA all happen before handover.
Week 4-8+ -
Launch & handover
Production deployment with DNS cutover, SSL and post-launch monitoring, then a full handover: source code, documentation, a CMS training video and your admin credentials. We recommend a maintenance plan for anything live, and Durban clients on one get a monthly performance report by email.
Final week -
Support & grow
Ongoing support, performance monitoring and steady improvements after launch. The site keeps getting sharper over time, rather than peaking on day one and drifting.
What makes us different
Why Durban firms brief Juicy Designs for the web
Coded by hand, obsessed with speed, and built to run at arm’s length. No templates, no hand-offs to strangers, no surprises on the invoice.
No templates. Ever.
Every site and application we ship is coded from scratch. No Divi, no Elementor, no bloated theme dragging 4MB of CSS onto a five-page site. On a coastal 4G connection that weight is the difference between a sale and a bounce, so our builds stay lean and fast, averaging 94/100 on PageSpeed Insights. And the code is yours, in full.
Built to run remotely
You brief us from Durban and get the same collaboration as a client across the desk. A Notion board, a weekly Loom, a live staging link and video milestone reviews carry the whole project, and when something needs a human on-site, an on-location shoot or couriered print is arranged. Dozens of projects delivered this way without a missed deadline, so the run up the N3 changes nothing about the result.
In-house. Founder-led. Accountable.
No freelancer networks, no offshored dev, no account manager relaying messages to people who understand the code. Cobus and Wynand, the founders, are hands-on in every project, so you deal with the decision-makers directly and problems get solved without an escalation chain. After launch, the relationship is with the same people who built the thing.
Frequently asked questions
Got questions?
Plain answers about building for a Durban business, including how a Pretoria studio delivers it. No jargon, no dodging.
Do you build freight and logistics web tools for Durban harbour businesses?
Yes. A lot of Durban’s economy runs through the port and the transport corridor around it, so we regularly build web applications for freight forwarders, clearing agents, hauliers and warehousing operators: booking and tracking portals, quote and rate tools, driver and fleet dashboards, and B2B customer areas that plug into existing systems.
Every job opens with a technical discovery session to map the workflow, agree the stack and write a full specification before any code is committed. Web applications start from R75,000 and the final figure follows the scope. You get a fixed quote up front, no open-ended billing.
I’m in Durban and you’re in Pretoria. How does that actually work?
Juicy Designs is a Pretoria studio and we deliver Durban work remotely, which for web development changes very little. You get a Notion board showing every task and its status, a short weekly Loom video walking through progress, a live staging link you can open any time from Umhlanga, the CBD or wherever you sit, and WhatsApp for quick questions at Durban’s own pace.
Kick-off and milestone reviews happen over Google Meet. If a project genuinely needs feet on the ground, an on-location photo or video shoot can be arranged and printed collateral is couriered to you. We do not keep a Durban office and we will never pretend otherwise.
What does a website or web app cost for a Durban business?
Custom marketing websites start from R25,000 (bespoke design, custom-coded build, SEO foundation, headless CMS and mobile-first layout). Shopify and e-commerce builds start from R35,000. Custom web applications start from R75,000, with the scope setting the final number. Maintenance plans start from R5,000 a year.
Durban is a value-conscious market and we price plainly: everything is scoped and quoted in writing before work starts. See our pricing page or request a custom quote.
Which tech stack do you use, and do I own the code afterwards?
The stack follows the job, not a house preference. Marketing sites: hand-written HTML, CSS and JavaScript with a headless CMS (Contentful, Sanity or Netlify CMS) so your team can edit content. Web applications: React or Next.js on the front, Node.js behind it, and PostgreSQL or MongoDB depending on the data. E-commerce: Shopify, or WooCommerce for WordPress-based clients.
We steer clear of page builders and heavy themes. Everything is clean, commented and handed over with full ownership, so a future developer in Durban can pick it up without calling us first.
Can you build a Shopify store for a KwaZulu-Natal retail or coastal-lifestyle brand?
Yes. Juicy Designs is a Shopify Partner and builds custom Shopify stores for KwaZulu-Natal retailers and coastal-lifestyle labels: surf and swim brands, homeware, food and beverage producers, and DTC goods shipping up and down the coast.
We hand-build the theme rather than dropping in Dawn or Debut, wire up Shopify Payments against South African banks, connect couriers that serve the KZN coast and inland (The Courier Guy, PostNet, Fastway, Aramex), and set up Klaviyo, LoyaltyLion and reviews. Shopify builds start from R35,000. WooCommerce is available where a business is already committed to WordPress.
Can you keep our site maintained from a distance, and how fast do you respond?
Yes, and distance makes no difference to maintenance. Plans start from R5,000 a year and cover hosting management, uptime monitoring, CMS and plugin updates, security scanning and patching, Core Web Vitals monitoring and a monthly performance summary, all handled through a structured ticket system with a 48-hour response commitment.
If your site is business-critical, for example a live logistics portal or a store in its trading season, a plan from R12,000 a year adds a 24-hour SLA and an after-hours emergency contact. All of it is done in-house, never outsourced.
Credentials
Certified & trusted
Every certification. Every standard. One team serving Durban.
Google Partner
Premium agency certification
POPIA Compliant
Data protection certified
Shopify Partner
E-commerce development
TikTok Certified
TikTok ads specialist
HubSpot Platinum
Marketing automation
WCAG AA Compliant
Accessibility certified
Verified on Clutch
Clutch.co client reviews
Juicy Designs was founded in Pretoria in 2015 by Cobus van der Westhuizen (Co-founder & CEO) and Wynand van der Westhuizen (Co-founder & Creative Director). All certifications are held by active team members.
Related reading
Guides on web design
WordPress vs Custom Website Cost in South Africa
WordPress website cost in South Africa runs R12,000 to R40,000; a custom build starts at R40,000. Compare cost scen
Ecommerce Website Cost in South Africa (2026)
Ecommerce website cost in South Africa ranges from R25,000 to R80,000+. Compare Shopify vs WooCommerce build costs,
Website Development in Pretoria: WordPress vs Custom Builds
Web development in Pretoria: WordPress (from R18,000) or custom build? Compare cost, speed, control and maintenance