Having an e-commerce presence has grown more and more important for companies of all sizes as the digital era progresses. The price of creating an e-commerce website will still be a major consideration for small business owners and entrepreneurs in 2025 who want to create an online presence.
Knowing the cost of making an eCommerce website is significant because it allows you to determine the investment required to launch your new online business.
However, the difficulty is that numerous factors go into creating an eCommerce website, and each of them impacts the overall cost of your business. Without a clear action plan, you may wind up overspending.
In this article, we will break down all the facts to give you an accurate estimate of the cost of an eCommerce website. We will also show you many methods for avoiding overpaying and increasing revenues.
Ready? Let’s get started.
Cost of an eCommerce Website and its Key Components
Understanding the financial commitment required for an eCommerce website is critical for any business planning to go online. This section will go over the various costs required, from web hosting and domain registration to design, development, and continuing maintenance.
Domain Titles and Hosting:
Your website requires domain registration and a hosting service. Domains normally cost $10-$15 per year, while web hosting can cost anywhere from $5 to $50 per month, depending on the resources needed.
E-Commerce Platform:
You will need an eCommerce platform to run your online store. Shopify ($29-$299 per month) and Magento (free or premium) are two popular solutions.
Product photography and videography:
High-quality product photos and videos can dramatically boost your online store’s attractiveness. Professional photography and videography services can range from $50 to $500 or more per product, depending on its quality and complexity.
Marketing and advertising:
You’ll need to set aside funds for marketing and advertising your eCommerce store through numerous channels such as social media, search engine optimisation (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC) advertising, and others. Costs can vary greatly based on your strategy and competitors.
Web Design and Development:
This involves the creation of your website’s layout, functionality, and integration with the eCommerce platform. Hiring a professional developer can cost between $1,000 and $10,000 or more, depending on the intricacy.
Payment Gateway Integration:
To accept online payments, you’ll need to integrate a payment gateway such as PayPal, Stripe, or Authorize.net. These services usually charge a percentage of each transaction plus a flat cost.
SSL Certificates:
An SSL certificate is vital for protecting your customers’ data and transactions. Premium certificates can cost anything from $50 to $300 per year, while Let’s Encrypt is free.
Do you know? How Much Does It Cost To Build An E-commerce App?
Key Factors Affecting E-commerce Website Cost
When you begin an e-commerce website project, various elements will influence your development expenses. The following sections discuss the essential factors of ecommerce marketplace development and how they affect costs.
Project complexity
This is the most important aspect in determining how much it costs to make an e-commerce website. The more features your solution has, the more resources it will take. Product discovery, UI/UX design, development, and support are all part of the platform-building process.
Development strategy
Custom development from scratch will cost more than pre-built components. On the other hand, using pre-built parts reduces development costs while limiting customization options. So, you get a low-cost e-commerce website, but scaling and customization may be difficult.
Technical stack and integrations
Choosing latest technology and integrations allows you to design a competitive solution. At the same time, it affects the cost of your website. Modern technology have the potential to cut prices. However, if you want third-party connectors, the cost of developing an ecommerce website may increase.
Maintenance and updates
As technologies and markets change, so will your website. Furthermore, continual security monitoring is required to safeguard you from revenue loss. These characteristics incur additional costs.
eCommerce Site Total Cost
The entire cost of developing and running an eCommerce website can vary greatly, ranging from $5,000 to $100,000 or more. This vast range includes everything from a basic setup on a platform with free web hosting to custom-built solutions that need substantial design and development labour.
Precise figures vary depending on website complexity, special features, marketing and SEO methods, and ongoing support. For customised cost estimates, talk directly with expert website designers or use precise online cost calculators designed for eCommerce projects.
Looking For? Best E-commerce App Development Companies
Cost Comparison: Off-the-Shelf vs. Custom-Built eCommerce Websites
Choosing between an off-the-shelf solution and a custom-built site is an important decision that has a big impact on the cost of your eCommerce website. Both solutions have advantages and disadvantages, which affect cost, scalability, flexibility, and complexity respectively. Let’s look at these two options in closer detail:
Off-the-shelf eCommerce sites
Off-the-shelf eCommerce platforms such as Shopify, BigCommerce, and WooCommerce are popular because they provide a rapid and inexpensive option to launch an online business. These platforms include numerous functions for product management, payment processing, delivery, and basic SEO.
Primary costs include:
Subscription Fee: Most SaaS platforms use a subscription model, with monthly fees ranging from $30 to several hundred dollars depending on the plan you choose.
Transactional fees: Some systems, such as Shopify and Shopify Plus, charge transaction fees unless you use their payment processing system.
Themes and Plugins: While these platforms often have free themes, premium themes with superior design and functionality can cost between $100 and $200. Plugins offering more features also increase the cost.
Setup and Customisation: While you may set up these platforms yourself, you may prefer to engage a developer for a more customised configuration, which can increase your expenditures.
Custom-built eCommerce websites
Custom-built eCommerce websites offer the most flexibility and control, allowing for a fully customised online store.
Here are the main cost components:
Web Development: Hiring a web development agency or freelance developers can range from a few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars, depending on the site’s complexity.
Design: Custom designs are generally more expensive than prepackaged themes. You may need to budget several thousand dollars for a truly distinctive and professional design.
Hosting and Domain: Custom sites, unlike SaaS platforms, require you to manage and pay for your own hosting and domain registration.
Maintenance and Updates: With a personalized site, you are responsible for all upgrades and maintenance, whether done in-house or through an outsourced supplier.
Off-the-shelf solutions are often more affordable and user-friendly, making them ideal for startups and small businesses with basic requirements. Custom-built websites, on the other hand, allow limitless customization options, making them excellent for larger enterprises or those with specific needs, as long as they are willing to pay the additional fees and maintain the site.
We’ve created a detailed table to help you easily compare the costs and features of Off-the-Shelf vs. Custom-Built eCommerce Websites. This breakdown highlights the key differences in cost, scalability, flexibility, and complexity. Use it to make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals!
| Feature | Off-the-Shelf eCommerce Sites | Custom-Built eCommerce Websites |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Lower upfront cost, subscription-based ($30 to several hundred/month) | High upfront cost (few thousand to tens of thousands of dollars) |
| Scalability | Limited scalability, reliant on platform features | Highly scalable, tailored to business needs |
| Flexibility | Predefined themes and plugins, limited customization | Full customization, unique design and features |
| Complexity | Simple to set up and use | Requires technical expertise for setup and maintenance |
| Subscription Fees | Required, varies by plan | Not applicable |
| Transactional Fees | Often applicable (e.g., Shopify unless their payment gateway is used) | Not applicable |
| Themes & Plugins | Free or premium ($100-$200) | Fully custom-designed, costing several thousand dollars |
| Web Development | Minimal or none required | Required, significant cost depending on complexity |
| Hosting & Domain | Included in the subscription fee | Separate cost, managed by the user |
| Maintenance | Managed by the platform | Managed by the user or outsourced, ongoing cost |
| Ideal for | Startups and small businesses with basic needs | Larger enterprises or businesses with specific requirements |
We have written about Cost to Build an E-Commerce App Like Idealz?
Stages of E-commerce Website Cost
Development requires a more in-depth look as a cost component for an ecommerce website. Knowing the specific stages and their costs will allow you to plan your budget. Let’s look at the stages of development that contribute to the cost of developing a bespoke e-commerce website.
Planning and Research
This stage involves defining the website’s goals, understanding the target audience, and analyzing competitors. It lays the foundation for the project by aligning business needs with technical requirements. A well-researched plan ensures a smooth development process and avoids costly revisions later.
Design and UX/UI
Here, intuitive user interfaces and visually appealing designs are created to provide an engaging user experience. This phase includes wireframes, prototypes, and final design layouts that reflect your brand identity while optimizing usability.
Front-End Development
This step focuses on building the website’s client-side, ensuring responsive design, interactivity, and smooth navigation. It ensures that the site functions seamlessly across all devices and browsers, offering a user-friendly experience.
Back-End Development
Back-end development includes server-side programming, database creation, and API integrations. This stage ensures robust functionality, enabling the website to handle dynamic content, transactions, and secure data management.
Testing and Launch
This phase involves rigorous testing for bugs, compatibility, and performance issues. Once all tests are passed, the website is deployed and made live, ensuring a smooth experience for users from day one.
Maintenance and Updates
Post-launch, the website requires regular updates, security monitoring, and new feature integration. This ongoing process ensures optimal performance and adapts to evolving user needs and market trends.
Must see! Cost-Effective eCommerce App Development Services for Startups
We have created a cost table to understand all the stages easily.
| Development Stage | Description | Approximate Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Planning and Research | Defining goals, target audience, value proposition, and competitor analysis. | $3,000 – $5,000 for MVP (60–100 hours); $6,000 – $9,000 for complex sites (120–180 hours) |
| Design and UX/UI | Creating intuitive and accessible user interfaces that reflect brand identity. | $6,000 – $9,000 (120–180 hours) |
| Front-End Development | Building the client-side of the website, ensuring responsive and interactive user experiences. | $10,000 – $22,500 (200–450 hours) |
| Back-End Development | Developing server-side logic, databases, and APIs to support website functionality. | $10,000 – $22,500 (200–450 hours) |
| Testing and Launch | Rigorous testing for functionality, compatibility, performance, and deploying the website. | $3,000 – $8,000 |
| Maintenance and Updates | Ongoing support, updates, security monitoring, and feature enhancements post-launch. | $1,000 – $4,500 annually |
How Custom Software in Business Drives Innovation and Growth
How to Reduce eCommerce Website Development Costs Without Compromising Quality
eCommerce website creation can be costly, especially if unexpected costs arise due to website rewrite, a lack of competent resources, the improper CMS decision, and so on. To overcome these obstacles, we have provided some cost-saving methods and expert guidance to assist you reach your aim of obtaining high-quality eCommerce web development at a reasonable cost.
Plan Strategically
Initial planning is crucial for establishing clarity over your business requirements and project scope. At this time, you may provide a solid basis for the entire project, as alterations after completion might be costly. Spending more time considering the project scope, design, and functionality of your eCommerce store will help you save money later in the development phase.
Start with MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
Analyze your business needs and identify the important elements for your online store, such as a product catalog, wish list, shopping cart, payment gateway, and so on. Focus on launching the MVP (minimum viable product) first, which will only include the core functionality. When you have adequate resources and cash, you can continue to grow your eCommerce store. This will allow you to save money on eCommerce website development and get your online business up and operating faster.
Select the Best E-Commerce Platform
Depending on your project, infrastructure, resource availability, and technical skills, choose the best eCommerce platform.
You can choose free and open-source eCommerce systems like Magento or WooCommerce if you have the funds to engage a team of developers internally or contract out a whole project to qualified businesses or independent contractors. However, that would necessitate paying your eCommerce development staff, whether they are in-house or contracted. Nevertheless, since the eCommerce platforms you use are free to download, it will keep your expenses down.
Identify your limitations
Understanding your company’s constraints is crucial when choosing an eCommerce platform. Every company is unique and has its own constraints with regard to finances, resources, location, and other factors.
If you are attempting to develop your store using Magento without technical experience, you may wind up with a store that is full of problems and faults, which will require extra rework. In that case, it becomes easy to build an eCommerce platform using Shopify, which requires no technical expertise.
Apply Design Templates and Plugins
Instead of having an eCommerce website developed from scratch, it is always preferable to use pre-made design templates and plugins offered by platforms such as Shopify, WooCommerce, and others.
These templates and plugins allow for customization up to a certain point, allowing you to achieve the look and feel of your website that matches your business identity. This can considerably lower your eCommerce website development costs.
Choose Outsourcing over In-House Hiring
Outsourcing eCommerce website development saves money and fosters globalization.
If an expert in a certain technology is not available in your area, you can engage an agency or freelancer who is highly skilled in that field. When the project is completed, you can instantly end your contract with the outsourced services provider.
On the other hand, if you have engaged in-house developers, you must pay salaries and cover other expenses even if there are no projects underway.
As a result, outsourcing is less expensive than hiring in-house and can help you save money on eCommerce website development.
Do Rigorous Testing
Testing is extremely important before starting an eCommerce website. It helps to establish that your customers will have a positive purchasing experience. If the eCommerce website requires numerous reworks after launch, you may find yourself paying extra to the web development business or freelancers you engage on an hourly basis.
Furthermore, you lose sales chances due to problems with the website’s functionality, which can be quite expensive for you. The solution is to undertake rigorous testing leaving no room for defects as that can help you to lower your eCommerce website development costs.
Stay Minimal Functionality
Minimalism is a philosophy used in successful eCommerce sites that emphasizes straightforward functioning and eliminates superfluous items that divert visitors’ attention. eCommerce websites with minimal functionality benefit from good aesthetics and fast loading times, which keep users returning and making repeat purchases.
Furthermore, with fewer features in an online store, developers may construct it faster, minimizing the overall cost of eCommerce website development.
Looking for? How To Choose A Best Mobile App Development Company?
Final Say
Finally, spending on eCommerce website development is an investment that should be done carefully. Planning ahead of time, knowing your strengths and limitations, and thoroughly understanding your own business requirements can all help you get an eCommerce website personalized to your specific demands within your budget.
