“How much does an online store cost?” is the first question in almost every conversation, and the hardest to answer with a single number. The quotes you get can differ several times over, and they usually don’t compare like with like. Let’s look at what drives the cost and what to ask.
What drives the cost
- The catalogue: how many products, how many variants (size, colour), where their data comes from and who will enter it.
- Integrations: ERP or invoicing software, warehouse, couriers, payment provider, tax reporting. This is usually the biggest difference between a simple store and a serious one.
- Special rules: wholesale prices, customer-specific discounts, special shipping costs, cash on delivery, gift cards, products with conditions of sale.
- Design: a ready-made theme with adjustments, or a design made for you.
- Languages and markets: each extra language or country brings translations, currencies, taxes and shipping rules.
- Migration from an old store: products, customers, orders and redirects, so you don’t lose your Google rankings.
The cost after launch
An online store does not end on opening day. Budget from the start for:
- hosting suited to a store, not the cheapest shared plan,
- maintenance: updates, backups, monitoring, fixes,
- licences for premium plugins or services,
- payment fees and courier contracts,
- marketing: without visitors, even the best store doesn’t sell.
When an off-the-shelf platform is the right choice
If you are just starting, have few products and need no integrations, an off-the-shelf platform with a monthly subscription is often the most economical and fastest option. There is no need to invest in a custom store before you have confirmed demand. We tell our clients this even when it means we won’t take on the project.
When a custom store is worth it
When the store already has revenue or a serious business plan, and the manual work (data entry, stock, shipping labels, invoices) starts to cost more than a proper solution. At that point, integrations and automation pay for themselves quickly.
What to ask before you sign
- What exactly does the price include, and what is charged separately?
- Who enters the products and the copy?
- Which integrations are included, and who maintains them when something changes in the ERP or the courier’s system?
- Who owns the hosting account, the domain and the licences?
- What happens after delivery: is there a maintenance agreement, and at what cost?
To give an order of magnitude: the online stores we build start at €3,000, and the final cost depends on the points above. After a short call we send a written proposal with cost per phase. See how we build online stores.