# What onboarding/setup timeline should a mid-market Shopify Plus merchant expect when implementing Searchspring from scratch?

Reviewed by Martin Dejnicki, Director of SEO & AI Search · facts verified October 9, 2026 · canonical: https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/searchspring-implementation-timeline

## Short answer

Athos Commerce, formerly Searchspring, gives 8 to 12 weeks for an Athos-led build and leaves agency-led builds "Determined by Agency" ([Athos implementation guide](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), October 2026). Its comparison page puts the typical total at 10 to 12 weeks ([Athos support center](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations), October 2026). The clock starts only after you deliver a finalized design, so add your own design phase.

- **Athos-led Snap build:** 8 to 12 weeks. Athos builds, deploys and maintains it; Athos's comparison page puts the typical total at 10 to 12 weeks, with four to six from requirements approval to integration delivery (Athos Commerce, October 2026) ([Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Implementation Guide](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide); [Athos Commerce, Athos vs. API Implementations](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations))
- **Agency-led Self-Snap or API build:** "Determined by Agency". Athos says application programming interface (API) builds typically take 12 weeks on average, and its guide routes Hydrogen and most headless stores to these paths (Athos Commerce, October 2026) ([Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Implementation Guide](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide); [Athos Commerce, Athos vs. API Implementations](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations))
- **Design needed before kickoff:** A coded, production-ready listing page. One Athos page rules out Figma files and mockups, while another lists them as accepted formats (Athos Commerce, October 2026) ([Athos Commerce, What Does Finalized Design Mean?](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893293057947-What-Does-Finalized-Design-Mean); [Athos Commerce, What Implementations Needs to Get Started](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893536540187-What-Implementations-Needs-to-Get-Started))
- **Support after go-live:** Up to two weeks, then tickets. Your team pushes the build live, Athos suggests Monday to Thursday launches, and the project stays open up to two weeks before support moves to tickets (Athos Commerce, October 2026) ([Athos Commerce, Athos-led Integration Process](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process))

## Deploi's call

Add the design phase and a tuning quarter to whatever Searchspring, now Athos Commerce, quotes. Athos's 8 to 12 weeks is the implementation, not the time until the search bar is actually good.

**BUY: Start an Athos-led build when**

- A production-ready product listing page is already coded on a preview theme, which Athos's design guide asks for before an Athos-led build starts ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893293057947-What-Does-Finalized-Design-Mean), October 2026).
- Your theme runs on Shopify Liquid, the architecture Athos's guide assigns to its own team ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), October 2026).
- The contract names the platform you land on, which [Deploi's Athos versus native record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/athos-vs-native-search) lists among the questions to ask Athos directly (October 2026).
- Go-live lands well clear of peak season, because Athos's delivery dates move with its queue and with holiday seasons ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process), October 2026).

**CUSTOMIZE: Have your agency build the integration when**

- Your storefront is on Hydrogen, a single-page app or a headless front end that won't take injected scripts, which Athos's guide routes to its agency-led paths ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), October 2026).
- Your design is still moving, because agency-led builds can start before it is final ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893536540187-What-Implementations-Needs-to-Get-Started), October 2026).
- Your team will own the code, since Athos rates its ongoing support for those builds as limited or minimal.

## How long does Athos say a Searchspring implementation takes?

Athos Commerce says an Athos-led implementation takes 8 to 12 weeks and leaves agency-led builds to the agency's own plan ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), October 2026). Agency-led builds use Athos's Snap software development kit (SDK) or its application programming interfaces (APIs). Athos is the company Searchspring became, and [what Athos runs on a Shopify store](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/searchspring-search-and-merchandising-explained) covers the product itself.

**Athos-led builds run 8 to 12 weeks; agency-led timelines are set by the agency**

| Path | Who builds and maintains it | Timeline Athos publishes | Ongoing Athos support |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Athos-led Snap | Athos | 8 to 12 weeks; typically around 10 to 12 | Full |
| Self-Snap | Your team or agency, on the SDK | Determined by agency | Limited |
| API | Your team or agency, on the APIs | Determined by agency; about 12 weeks on average | Minimal |

Sources: [Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Implementation Guide](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide); [Athos Commerce, Athos vs. API Implementations](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations). Verified October 9, 2026.

On the Athos-led path, the build itself is "a four- to six-week process from requirements approval to integration delivery" ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations), October 2026). So most of the calendar goes to work before and after Athos's own build.

> **Athos's pages give different times to go live**
> Athos's merchandising page says "Most teams are live within a few weeks" ([Athos Commerce](https://athoscommerce.com/products/merchandising/), October 2026). Athos's implementation guide gives 8 to 12 weeks for an Athos-led build, and its comparison page puts the typical total at 10 to 12 weeks.

## What must you deliver before Athos starts the build?

Before Athos starts an Athos-led build, you must deliver store access, a coded design and catalog data in the shape Athos reads ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process), October 2026):

1. **Store access.** Athos requests collaborator access to your Shopify store, and other search apps such as Boost, Searchanise and Fast Simon must come off the theme Athos matches.
1. **A coded design.** Athos matches "a finalized, production-ready product listing page" on a preview theme or staging store, and changes made mid-build "will delay the project timeline" ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893293057947-What-Does-Finalized-Design-Mean), October 2026).
1. **Catalog data.** Tags must be Key:Value pairs before Athos can filter on them, and Athos asks you to keep products with metafields to 20,000 or fewer ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893283426587-What-Fields-Does-Athos-Commerce-Pull-From-Shopify), October 2026).

Agency-led Self-Snap and application programming interface (API) builds can start before the design is final ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893536540187-What-Implementations-Needs-to-Get-Started), October 2026). Shopify Plus is not a precondition either, because [Searchspring, now Athos Commerce, runs on standard Shopify plans](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/searchspring-plus-required-or-standard-plans).

> **Athos's pages disagree on design formats**
> One Athos page says it cannot accept Figma files or "other prototype, mockup or wireframe formats" ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893293057947-What-Does-Finalized-Design-Mean), October 2026). Another lists "Figma designs or other design tool exports" among accepted formats ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893536540187-What-Implementations-Needs-to-Get-Started), October 2026).

## Where does the calendar go between kickoff and go-live?

Between kickoff and go-live, the calendar runs through eight steps in Athos's integration process, and your team owns several of them ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process), October 2026):

1. **Kickoff call** with your Athos project manager, who adds every stakeholder to a project portal.
1. **Data and design review**, where Athos checks your feed and the page it will match.
1. **Requirements document** for autocomplete, results, filters, sorts, badges and price displays.
1. **Queue.** Once Athos approves the requirements, the build waits for a slot in its project queue.
1. **Build and testing**, where Athos matches your pages, sets up relevance, filters and sorts, and tests browsers and mobile.
1. **Your review and revisions.** New requirements raised at this stage may cost extra.
1. **Training** from Athos's customer success team.
1. **Go-live**, which your team pushes; Athos suggests Monday to Thursday.

Athos says the timeline "varies depending on the complexity of the project, current queue, and holiday seasons", so a start late in the year competes with peak trading.

## When is search actually tuned after an Athos launch?

Search is actually tuned after an Athos launch, by your own merchandiser, once Athos's project support ends. Athos keeps the project open "for up to two weeks" after go-live, then hands you to its success and support teams ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process), October 2026). The tuning work is synonyms and redirects in the Athos console ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/55950167577627-Athos-Console-Overview), October 2026), plus boost rules, scheduled campaigns, pinned products and A/B tests ([Athos Commerce](https://athoscommerce.com/products/merchandising/), October 2026).

Tracking has to run first. Athos recommends removing the older IntelliSuggest script and enabling its Shopify web pixel, and its tracking report "will take a few days for values to populate" ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46888479295899-Web-Pixel-Tracking-for-Shopify), October 2026). On an Athos-led build, minor enhancement requests may take one to two weeks in Athos's support queue ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), October 2026). So, in our judgment, plan a tuning quarter after go-live before you judge any conversion lift.

## Which platform should a new Searchspring implementation target?

A new Searchspring implementation should target the platform Athos will keep, because a build on the legacy platform adds an upgrade to your timeline. Searchspring is now Athos Commerce, which launched its Intelligent Discovery Platform on 10 June 2026, "available immediately" ([Athos Commerce](https://athoscommerce.com/news/intelligent-discovery-platform-for-agentic-commerce/), October 2026). Its August 2025 rollout plan promised Searchspring customers "a clear upgrade path" ([Athos Commerce](https://athoscommerce.com/news/athos-commerce-updates-platform-for-peak-season-and-2026/), October 2026), and only the Business Wire copy of that plan adds that legacy platforms "will be gradually retired" from 2027 ([Business Wire](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250826844284/en/Athos-Commerce-Updates-Platform-Rollout-to-Protect-Peak-Season-and-Ensure-Smooth-2026-Transition), October 2026).

So ask which platform your contract puts you on, and price the upgrade into this year's business case. [Deploi's Athos versus native record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/athos-vs-native-search) lists the surviving platform and the migration timeline among the questions to ask Athos directly (October 2026).

## When is an Athos implementation not the fastest path?

An Athos implementation is not the fastest path when your design, data or storefront is not ready for it. The site search record's illustrative estimate gives a self-hosted Elasticsearch build 8 to 14 weeks ([Deploi's site search record](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/site-search), October 2026). That is close to the typical 10 to 12 weeks Athos gives for its own build ([Athos Commerce](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations), October 2026), so, in our judgment, buying saves engineering effort more than calendar time.

> **When not to start an Athos-led build yet**
> - **When the listing page is still in design.** Athos matches a coded page, and changes mid-build delay it and may add fees.
> - **When the storefront is on Hydrogen or a script-locked headless build.** Athos's guide routes those builds to its agency-led paths, which your team owns; Athos-led stays possible where a headless front end accepts injected scripts.
> - **When go-live would land in peak season.** Athos's queue moves with holiday seasons, and Athos timed its own platform rollout to protect peak.
> - **When your markets are not settled.** [How Athos handles Shopify Markets](https://deploi.ca/shopify/faq/searchspring-shopify-markets-multi-currency-support) needs answers before testing can cover each market.

## Deploi's point of view

**Where we disagree.** Onboarding timelines in this category are quoted from kickoff to launch. The number a finance lead needs is kickoff to measurable conversion lift, which includes design up front and tuning after, and is materially longer.

**What we tell clients to do first.** Clean the catalog before kickoff: tags as key:value pairs, metafields filled in, and products with metafields kept to 20,000 or fewer. In our judgment, catalog data quality sets the timeline more than the vendor does, and no discovery platform absorbs a data cleanup for you.

**What this page adds.** The parent explains what Athos runs and how it is sold. This page lays out Athos's three implementation paths and their published timelines, what Athos needs before it starts, where the weeks go from kickoff to go-live, and which platform the build should target.

## When this answer changes

- Athos changes the 8 to 12 week figure in its implementation guide, or its pages settle on one timeline.
- Athos sets a date to retire the legacy Searchspring platform, or adds the 2027 line to its own news post of the rollout release.
- Athos settles whether Figma files and mockups count as a finalized design.
- Athos changes how long it keeps a project open after go-live.
- Athos retires IntelliSuggest tracking or changes its Shopify web pixel setup.

## Sources

1. [Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Implementation Guide](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/47881199261979-Athos-Commerce-Implementation-Guide), checked October 9, 2026
2. [Athos Commerce, Athos vs. API Implementations](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/52456793691163-Athos-vs-API-Implementations), checked October 9, 2026
3. [Athos Commerce, Athos-led Integration Process](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/44269123727643-Athos-led-Integration-Process), checked October 9, 2026
4. [Athos Commerce, What Does Finalized Design Mean?](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893293057947-What-Does-Finalized-Design-Mean), checked October 9, 2026
5. [Athos Commerce, What Implementations Needs to Get Started](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893536540187-What-Implementations-Needs-to-Get-Started), checked October 9, 2026
6. [Athos Commerce, Ecommerce Merchandising](https://athoscommerce.com/products/merchandising/), checked October 9, 2026
7. [Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Updates Platform Rollout to Protect Peak Season and Ensure Smooth 2026 Transition](https://athoscommerce.com/news/athos-commerce-updates-platform-for-peak-season-and-2026/), checked October 9, 2026
8. [Business Wire, Athos Commerce Updates Platform Rollout to Protect Peak Season and Ensure Smooth 2026 Transition](https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250826844284/en/Athos-Commerce-Updates-Platform-Rollout-to-Protect-Peak-Season-and-Ensure-Smooth-2026-Transition), checked October 9, 2026
9. [Athos Commerce, Athos Commerce Launches Intelligent Discovery Platform for Agentic Commerce](https://athoscommerce.com/news/intelligent-discovery-platform-for-agentic-commerce/), checked October 9, 2026
10. [Athos Commerce, What Fields Does Athos Commerce Pull From Shopify?](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46893283426587-What-Fields-Does-Athos-Commerce-Pull-From-Shopify), checked October 9, 2026
11. [Athos Commerce, Web Pixel Tracking for Shopify](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/46888479295899-Web-Pixel-Tracking-for-Shopify), checked October 9, 2026
12. [Athos Commerce, Athos Console Overview](https://support-search.athoscommerce.com/hc/en-us/articles/55950167577627-Athos-Console-Overview), checked October 9, 2026
13. [Deploi Build vs. Buy, Athos Commerce vs. Native Search & Discovery: Upgrade or Wait?](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/athos-vs-native-search), checked October 9, 2026, Deploi research
14. [Deploi Build vs. Buy, Should You Build or Buy Site Search on Shopify?](https://deploi.ca/shopify/build-vs-buy/site-search), checked October 9, 2026, Deploi research