Web design for ecommerce
A store is a brochure site plus a shop, and the shop is usually the larger half. Products, checkout, tax and shipping are where the work actually is.
Build costs typically run £3,000 to £8,000 for a small store and £8,000 to £20,000 for something mid-sized. Product complexity moves that number far more than product count.
What drives the price
- Variants. A shirt in five sizes and four colours is twenty stock items, not one.
- Tax and shipping rules. One country at a flat rate is simple. International, with weight bands and VAT thresholds, is not.
- Integrations. Accounting, inventory, fulfilment, a physical till.
- Migration. Moving an existing store without losing rankings is its own project.
The costs that continue
The build price is the smaller half of owning a store. Payment processing at 1.5% to 3% of every transaction is usually your largest ongoing cost, then the platform fee, then apps, then maintenance.
Model those before you commit. A store costing £6,000 to build and £400 a month to run is a different proposition from the build figure alone. See what ecommerce costs.
Common questions
01Shopify or WooCommerce?
Shopify costs more monthly and handles hosting, security and payments for you. WooCommerce has no platform fee but needs maintenance. For most small stores Shopify is simpler to own.
02How many products should I start with?
Fewer than you think. Twenty well-photographed products outperform two hundred thin ones. Prove the structure, then expand.
03What if the checkout breaks?
You stop taking money until it is fixed, which is why store maintenance costs more than brochure site maintenance. Agree response times in writing before launch.
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