Ceramics makers and factory shops
Potteries selling seconds, collectables and personalised pieces need shops that handle fragile-item shipping, backstamp and pattern search, made-to-order personalisation and trade accounts for stockists.
West Midlands
Web and software development for Stoke-on-Trent
Stoke-on-Trent is still The Potteries: a city that fires tableware, figures and tiles alongside advanced ceramics, and welcomes visitors to factory shops and bottle-oven museums. We build the online shops, web applications and websites that help potteries, materials firms, distributors and attractions in the city sell and operate better, with every project delivered remotely.
- Delivered remotely to businesses in Stoke-on-Trent
- Video calls in UK working hours
- A written proposal before any work starts
- Progress, files and invoices in your client panel
Local context
Centuries of ceramics, and a new materials economy
Government investment guidance describes Stoke-on-Trent as the heart of the ceramics industry for centuries, and the city has been recognised by the World Crafts Council as a World Craft City for Ceramics. Famous names remain part of daily life: the World of Wedgwood, Emma Bridgewater's factory beside the Caldon Canal, Middleport Pottery, home of Burleigh, and the Moorcroft Heritage Visitor Centre. Burslem is still known as the Mother Town of The Potteries.
Heritage is also a visitor economy. The Gladstone Pottery Museum, the Potteries Museum and Art Gallery and the Dudson Museum in a listed bottle oven sit alongside hands-on pottery studios, factory tours and the Trentham Estate with its gardens, shopping village and monkey forest. For many potteries, visitors, workshops and online orders now sit alongside traditional wholesale, and that changes what their websites need to do.
The industrial story continues too. The Ceramic Valley Enterprise Zone was set up to attract firms in advanced materials, energy and power generation, advanced manufacturing and engineering, business and professional services and warehousing, and the city is developing advanced ceramic technologies for the future. Staffordshire University, which has a campus in the city, teaches computing, games and esports alongside engineering and business.
Sectors
Sectors we build software for in Stoke-on-Trent
Advanced materials and manufacturing
Technical ceramics and materials firms deal with batch records, kiln schedules and customer specifications. We build web tools that make those records searchable and share the right documents with each customer.
Warehousing and distribution
Warehouse operators drawn to the enterprise zone sites ask for booking-in slots, stock visibility for clients and delivery confirmations captured on a driver's phone.
Attractions, workshops and heritage
Museums, pottery studios and family attractions want timed tickets, workshop booking with materials included, group visit enquiries and gift vouchers sold online.
Games, esports and digital start-ups
Graduates and small studios coming out of the university need launch sites, community features and simple subscription products they can grow without a large team.
Common requests
Briefs we expect from across The Potteries
From Burslem to Trentham, the businesses of the city have some very particular requirements.
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Personalised ceramics ordered online
Customers choose a shape, pattern and message, preview it and pay, and the order reaches the decorating team with every detail attached.
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Workshop and tour booking
Paint-your-own sessions, throwing classes and factory tours booked by time slot, with group discounts and capacity managed automatically.
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A trade catalogue for stockists
Retailers and hospitality buyers log in to see trade prices, pack sizes and availability, then reorder without phoning the sales desk.
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Batch and quality records for materials
Kiln runs, test results and certificates linked to each batch and customer order, ready for audits and customer queries.
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Breakage-aware delivery
Shipping rules that choose packaging and courier by weight and fragility, with claims and replacements tracked in one place.
Services
Software, app and web development services in Stoke-on-Trent
Website design and development
For potteries, attractions and makers we build websites that celebrate the craft, show products and experiences clearly and turn visitors into bookings, orders or trade enquiries.
Custom software and web applications
Materials manufacturers and distributors in the city get batch tracking, quoting, scheduling and customer portals that replace paper travellers and shared spreadsheets.
App development
Decorators, warehouse teams and front-of-house staff can share one installable web app on phones and tablets, from picking lists to ticket scanning at the door.
SaaS product development
If you want to turn an idea from the city's ceramics, games or logistics world into a subscription product, we help you launch a focused first version and grow it.
E-commerce development
We build ceramics shops that handle personalisation, seconds and limited editions, fragile shipping and international orders from collectors.
API and system integrations
We connect the shop, stock, accounting, courier and booking tools so an order or a workshop place is recorded once and updates everything else.
How we work
How remote delivery works for Stoke-on-Trent firms
Our work with businesses across the city happens over video calls and in your client panel. That means short, scheduled reviews that fit around firing schedules, factory shifts or visitor peaks, and a written record of every decision so nothing depends on memory.
You approve a written proposal covering scope, milestones and price before anything is built. At each milestone you test the working software, and only after your approval do we move on to the next stage.
A call about your brief
A video call to understand the business, the people who will use the software and what has to change.
A written proposal
Scope, milestones and price in writing. Nothing starts until you accept it.
Build in visible stages
Each milestone is reviewed with you; progress, files and decisions stay in your client panel.
Launch and look after it
Go-live when you are ready, then maintenance and hosting if you want them.
Nearby
Also working with businesses near Stoke-on-Trent
Sources
Sources for the local facts on this page
- Visit Stoke: official tourism site of Stoke-on-Trent (accessed 5 November 2026)
- Business.gov.uk: West Midlands investment region (accessed 5 November 2026)
- GOV.UK: Enterprise Zones (Ceramic Valley) (accessed 5 November 2026)
- Staffordshire University (accessed 5 November 2026)
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council (Gladstone Pottery Museum, Potteries Museum and Art Gallery) (accessed 5 November 2026)
FAQ
Questions from businesses in Stoke-on-Trent
Do you work with potteries and ceramics businesses in Stoke-on-Trent?
Yes. Online shops with personalisation, trade ordering and fragile-item shipping are a natural fit. See e-commerce development.
Can you build booking for pottery workshops or factory tours?
Yes, with time slots, capacity limits, group bookings and vouchers. See our travel and hospitality software.
We run a warehouse in the city. Can you help?
Yes. Booking-in, client stock views and proof of delivery are common requests. See our logistics software.
Will you need to come to our factory?
No. Everything is run remotely, and photos, short videos or a screen share are usually enough for us to understand a process on the factory floor.
How do we get a price?
Every project is priced on its own scope in a written proposal. The questions in our project quote are the first step.
Plan your project with us
Prefer to give the full picture? The quote wizard asks about your business, your current systems and what should change, and we reply with a clear, competitive proposal.