How Much Does It Cost to Start an Ecommerce Business?

Whether you're thinking of moving your brick-and-mortar store online, venturing into the world of eCommerce for the first time, or making sure you are spending less, considering the cost of an eCommerce website will help you get a grip on the most important things. So, let's analyze how much it costs to create and maintain an online store in 2023.

What Do You Need To Start An Ecommerce Business?

Everybody knows Jeff Bezos started Amazon in his garage and became a billionaire only four years later. But every business doesn't fly high as Amazon; there are a few things required to get going for every online business:

• Differentiate your product or service with a unique selling proposition (USP).
• You need to determine the production method and distribution channel for your goods.
• One must understand the required authorizations, certifications, and coverages.
• Breakdown of the total cost for the initial and ongoing expenses involved.

Common Startup Expenses For Traditional Businesses Include

• Retail or Office Space
• Tools and Furniture
• Supplies
• Telephone, Internet, and other communications channels.
• Electricity, water, gas, and other utilities
• Professional services as an accountant and legal services.
• Insurance
• Staff wages
• Inventory
• Promotional activities and more

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Things To Consider For Assessing The Cost Of An Ecommerce Website

Choosing different website components will result in varying costs for a website. Knowing your budget constraints will enable you to select the optimal platform and determine which expansions you can realistically afford. When you don't establish a budget beforehand, overspending becomes commonplace.

We'll answer your query directly and promptly.

• Setting up shop on the web will require between $1,000 and $100,000. Creating an online storefront cost is different because it depends on the specific requirements of the business in question.
• A startup may spend anywhere from $1,000 to $10,000, whereas a large corporation may spend between $50,000 and $100,000.

Why do estimates vary so widely?

We must consider the size of your catalog, the level of customization you require, your annual sales, and your other needs to provide an accurate quote.

A small online shop may only need free Shopify themes and a few essential plugins. Larger online shops will need additional customization to their specific needs and extra security and redundancy measures.

Though, don't fret. We'll point out where you can cut costs (and where you should probably splurge) in the sections below and run through the various costs you'll incur.

Factors That Can Make Or Break Your Budget When Estimating The Cost Of An Online Store

We have answered the question "how much does it cost to have an online store?" but you require additional information. Why do some shops charge only $1,000 while others charge a hundred grand? Different businesses have varying requirements, which account for the wide price range.

The following factors can affect the price of creating an online storefront:

Domain Name

Cost: $0.95+ You need a domain name to launch a website. Your company's website will be accessed by customers using your domain name.

To make your website accessible online, you need to register a domain name. Where you purchase a domain name will greatly affect its cost.

NameCheap only charges $7.99 per year for ".com" domain names. GoDaddy offers plans starting at $7.99 per month. The wide variety of domain extensions and registrars available can cause price differences.

Web Hosting

The price of web hosting may include some or all of this architecture, depending on your eCommerce platform. SaaS solutions such as Shopify or BigCommerce include domain name registration and hosting in their packages.

Self-Hosted: You must purchase a different hosting solution for self-hosted applications (such as WooCommerce self-hosted). You must overcome another unique technical hurdle to self-hosted solutions: installing the eCommerce software on your server.

Small to Medium-Sized Businesses Web Hosting Cost: SaaS solution web hosting enterprises, ranging from micro to medium, can charge up to $250 per month, whereas self-hosted web hosting can cost as low as $2.99 per month.

Enterprise Businesses: Hosting a website costs over $1,000 monthly per month.

Ecommerce Software Costs

E-commerce platform prices vary based on the number of pre-installed features, the type of software included, and the quality of customer support. When launching an online store, choosing the best platform out of the many available is crucial. Let's examine a few of the available options.

Cost of a Wix eCommerce site: The bare minimum for running an online store on Wix is the Business Basic plan, which costs $13 per month when paid annually. They include hosting and an SSL certificate but do not offer advanced features such as specialized reports, currency support, tax automation, etc.

Cost of a Shopify eCommerce site: When paid annually, the Basic Shopify plan costs $29 per month, which is the least expensive option. They do not include advanced features like duty and import tax calculation and market-specific custom pricing at no cost, but they include hosting and an SSL certificate.

Cost of a BigCommerce eCommerce site: BigCommerce offers its standard plan for $29.95 monthly or yearly. They offer complimentary hosting and an SSL certificate. The Plus plan costs $79.95 per month and caters to businesses that generate annual sales of $50,000 or more.

SSL Certificate

SSL certificate providers average charge between $20 and $70 per year. This relatively inexpensive component can provide security over a network that customers must visit and shop on your website. An SSL certificate can impact search engine rankings. Remember that your hosting plan may include this feature in its price.

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Site Style and Design

Depending on the complexity of your design, the final cost can vary widely from $2000 to $15,000. Businesses vary widely in their pricing for web design.

Businesses that require complex designs will have to spend more money than those that don't because they cost more. The cost of designing your online shop varies depending on the person you hire. A third-party hosting service like WordPress or Shopify may require you to pay a setup fee.

These websites offer templates for your company rather than providing unique designs. However, you'll have to bear the expense of hiring a web design firm to give your site a unique look. For the additional cost, we tailor a website to your specific requirements.

You can also invest more money in developing a mobile-friendly, responsive layout for your website. Responsive layout designers typically charge prices ranging from $3,000 to $25,000. A responsive layout will make your site look great and function smoothly regardless of visitors' device access.

Site Size

$1000 – $10,000+ When pricing out your ecommerce web design project, you should consider the size of your site.

How much it will cost you depends on the size of your site and the design. Increasing your ecommerce web design cost will result from adding more pages to your site. You'll need to consider how many product pages your business will require, in addition to the standard home page, about us page, and contact page.

Payment Processing Costs

People often need to pay more attention to payment processing fees until they become a significant burden. The payment fees at checkout will vary depending on the payment methods you accept (such as PayPal or different credit cards), the currencies you accept, and the regions where you plan to sell.

Each payment gateway provider you use will charge fees. To illustrate, let's consider the following:

• PayPal: 2.9% + $0.30 for transactions over $10.
• Stripe: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
• Authorize.net – 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction + $25 monthly fee.

Any potential bank charges are not included. WooCommerce and BigCommerce top the list when we compare the total fees associated with accepting payments. Additionally, numerous payment processing options are offered by them.

Ecommerce Functionality

It may cost around $2000 – $25,000. Incorporating a shopping cart and other e-commerce features into your website will raise the overall cost.

Opening an online store will become more expensive if you add ecommerce functionality to an existing website. Shopify, a third-party website builder, often incorporates e-commerce features. Adding an online store to your site will be fine, but you may need to invest more in order fulfillment infrastructure.

A third-party provider may require you to pay a monthly fee to add e-commerce functionality to your site. Your hosting fees will increase if you add e-commerce features to your website.

How Much Does It Cost To Have Someone Build An Ecommerce Site?

Hiring a shopify developer to create your ecommerce site costs more if your store requires more advanced features. If you need help coming up with ideas outside the box, consider hiring a professional ecommerce website development agency to create a site for you.

Development agencies can do the following:

• Back-end web development
• Front-end web design
• UI/UX design
• Ecommerce services
• Mobile app design
• Digital strategy
• Custom software development

An ecommerce development agency may charge a cost that is less than employing a full-time developer in-house.

Build An Online Store With Hyperlocal Cloud

Of course, your company's website requirements will determine the cost. If you need help determining your online shop's best course of action, Hyperlocal Cloud can assist you. Our staff includes over 500 web designers who can assist you in creating your online store.

Trust us to assist you in developing a successful online shop.

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FAQs

What is the cost of launching an online store?

You will incur variable online store setup costs based on the specifics of your business and any optional features you choose to implement. Launching an online shop can require an initial investment ranging from a few hundred to several thousand dollars.

Here are the items that you will have to pay for:

• Ecommerce software
• Domain name
• Ecommerce hosting
• SSL certificate
• Payment processing costs
• Store theme and designs
• Add-ons and extensions

Does running an online store incur a monthly fee?

You'll have to renew your domain every year unless you can afford to pay for multiple years in advance. Domain name registration usually costs between $2 and $20 annually. The price determines where you buy it and which extension you choose (.com, .net, .org, .biz, .shop, etc.). An auction or private seller will typically charge you a higher price.

Regardless of the solution you choose, you will incur ongoing hosting costs. Depending on its specifics, your online shop could incur costs ranging from $80 annually to $150,000.

What is the most expensive aspect of running an online store?

You must identify its required features and functionalities to determine how much you will spend on your e-commerce site. Hosting platforms, domain name purchases, and SSL certificates typically have little price difference. Most businesses find having an ecommerce site expensive, particularly due to the high design and development costs.

What is the typical fee that most companies charge for processing a payment?

Each payment gateway provider you use will charge fees. To illustrate, let's consider the following:

• All amounts above $10 incur PayPal fees of 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
• Stripe charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction.
• Authorize.net charges 2.9% plus $0.30 per transaction and $25 monthly.