An online store is not simply a company website with product cards. It is an operational system that receives orders, calculates prices, communicates with payments and couriers, sends customer messages and gives the team a reliable way to manage products and fulfilment.
In 2026, a professional small-business online store commonly starts around €1,800. The final investment depends on the catalogue, design, integrations and how much of the fulfilment process must be automated.
What does the starting price include?
A conventional WooCommerce or comparable store normally includes:
- information architecture and product categories;
- responsive storefront design;
- product and variation templates;
- cart and checkout;
- payment and delivery configuration;
- order emails and administration;
- legal and consent foundations;
- technical SEO basics;
- launch testing.
Product entry, copywriting, photography and complex data imports should be defined separately. “500 products” can mean a clean spreadsheet import or weeks of repairing inconsistent descriptions and images.
What increases the development cost?
Product complexity
Simple products with a price and stock are straightforward. Size and colour variations, bundles, configurable products, subscriptions or business pricing require more logic and testing.
Custom design
A premium brand needs more than recolouring a standard theme. Navigation, filters, product galleries and checkout details must be designed around the catalogue and audience.
Payments and delivery
Every payment gateway and courier integration has its own account requirements, supported countries, test environment and edge cases. Confirm these before development, not on launch day.
External systems
Synchronisation with accounting, ERP, warehouse or marketplace systems can become the largest part of the project. The quote should state what data moves, in which direction, how often and what happens when an external service fails.
Multilingual and multicurrency sales
Translation affects products, categories, emails, legal content and SEO. Currency can affect rounding, payments and accounting. These are system decisions, not only a language switcher.
Monthly and annual costs
Hosting or platform subscription
WooCommerce needs suitable hosting and technical maintenance. Shopify includes hosting within its monthly plan, but applications and transaction conditions add to the total.
Payment fees
Payment providers charge according to the contract, card type and market. These fees are operational costs and should be modelled against the average order value.
Software licences
Some extensions charge annually for subscriptions, advanced delivery, product filters or integrations. We prefer a small, justified dependency list rather than a plugin for every minor request.
Maintenance
An active store needs tested updates, backups, monitoring and support. A broken checkout costs revenue immediately, so ecommerce maintenance should be treated as operations rather than optional housekeeping.
Marketing and content
The store will not sell simply because it exists. Budget for product content, campaigns, SEO, email and measurement. These costs often exceed hosting, but they create the traffic the platform needs.
WooCommerce, Shopify or custom?
WooCommerce offers ownership and flexibility, particularly for content-rich websites and local integrations. Shopify offers a managed operational foundation and a consistent administration experience. Custom development is justified when the sales workflow cannot fit either platform without major compromises.
Our comparison of WordPress and Shopify explores this decision in more detail.
How long does an online store take?
A focused store with prepared content may take several weeks. Complex imports, integrations and custom design require longer. The fastest way to delay a store is to begin development before product data, payment accounts and delivery rules are clear.
Before requesting a quote
Prepare the approximate number and types of products, target markets, currencies, preferred payments, couriers, accounting workflow and who will manage orders. With that information, an estimate becomes much more accurate.
Explore our online store development service or message us with your catalogue and operational requirements.