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An e-commerce website costs between £1,161 and £23,217 on average globally. The average cost of building a basic e-commerce website in the UK ranges between £1,500 for a basic setup all the way to £25,000 for a more complex or customised e-commerce website.
The main factors that drive up an eCommerce website costs include platform choice. For example, a platform such as Shopify, which is the cheapest option to build an e-commerce website in the UK, costs £25 per month. The cost goes up when you need a lot of custom design work or integration, pushing the cost up to thousands.
Another factor influencing an e-commerce website pricing is design costs. Design complexity can range between £3,000 to £100,000. Payment processing costs also influence your overall e-commerce website costs. For UK businesses, you must factor in specific requirements like VAT compliance, which adds an extra cost of 20% on most goods and services sold to end consumers, including online sales.
Other key considerations when building an eCommerce website in the UK include the integration of local payment gateways. You have the choice between using hosted platforms, which are more straightforward but less flexible, or custom developments, which are more costly but give you more control. You must ensure GDPR compliance, consider hosting costs, and ongoing maintenance of your e-commerce website.
The average cost to build an e-commerce website in the UK ranges between £1,500 to £25,000 or more.
UK e-commerce website building costs are slightly higher compared to the global average of £1,161 to £23,217. This is due to ecommerce website building requirements and higher labour costs.
The final price for an e-commerce store depends on which ecommerce platform you choose and how much customisation you need. Popular e-commerce platforms include Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento and BigCommerce.
The web development of your e-commerce store involves several key processes. First, you need to think about design costs, which cover how your store looks and works. You also need some integrations and plugins to add features your customer needs. Ensure to add reliable payment gateways so people can buy from you safely.
Expect to pay average initial costs of £1,500 to £25,000 all across the UK, whether you’re in England, Scotland, Wales, or Northern Ireland. In addition, expect to pay monthly running costs including hosting costs, which keep your site running smoothly.
Most store owners spend between £210 to £480 each month on basics like domain names, hosting, and security certificates. Expect a transaction fee typically between 1-3% of the transaction value.
Your e-commerce website requires maintenance, which adds another £3,000-£5,000 to your budget per year. For your store to succeed, focus on ecommerce SEO, which helps rank your website on search engines.
The common factors affecting e-commerce website development costs are as follows:
The main factors affecting the e-commerce website costs are explained below:
An e-commerce platform is a software and service used to build an online store. The e-commerce platform you choose influences the overall development cost from £15 to £7739 or more.
Here’s a comparison of the four most popular e-commerce platform options and their costs:
| E-commerce Platform | Free Plans | Starting Price (per month) | Drag and Drop Editor | Transaction Fees | Free Website Hosting |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | 3-day free trial | £30 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| WooCommerce | Free and open-source | £30 | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Magento | Free, open-source option | Magento Commerce £1537 | Yes | Yes | Additional cost |
| BigCommerce | 15-day free trial | £30 | Yes | No | Additional cost |
Design complexity is the look, feel, and how detailed an e-commerce website is. A simple pre-made design is cheaper compared to a fully custom, unique design. A simple pre-made e-commerce website template ranges from free to over £155. On the other hand, a fully custom, visually striking design runs anywhere from £3,865 to £23,191.
Design complexities such as the number of unique page designs, use of graphics and illustrations and use of UI elements contribute to your eCommerce website design complexity and associated costs.
Features and functionalities are the different tools and capabilities you want your eCommerce website store to have. This includes product listing, shopping carts, checkout process, etc. The more features and functionalities you want on your e-commerce website, the more it’ll cost. The features and functionalities of your e-commerce website account for 40 to 55% or more of the e-commerce website's overall costs.
Third-party integrations are services that you connect to your e-commerce website store, such as payment processors and shopping providers, and customer relationship management (CRM). Third-party integrations provide a seamless customer experience, costing between £773 to £7,735.
Content creation is images, text or videos you create for your products on your ecommerce website. The cost of the type of content and the expertise to create each of these contents varies. Here's a clear breakdown of content creation costs for your online store.
Writing (text) content costs
| Type of Content | Hourly Cost | What’s Included |
|---|---|---|
| Hourly writing | £20 to £150 | General content writing |
| Single piece | £23 to £200 | One article or product description |
| Full article | £100 to £300 | Research, writing, images, editing |
Photography costs for product images
| Photographer Level | Costs Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Basic/Amateur | £10 to £30 | Per product photo |
| Freelancer | £25 to £150 | Per image, may have hourly rates, too |
| Professional | £1,000+ | Per day, includes extra services |
| Custom Photoshoot | £500 to £3,000+ | Full shoot with setup and editing |
Video content costs
| Video Type | Costs Range | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Promotional | £2,000 to £4,000 | Includes planning and editing |
| Corporate | £3,000 to £30,000 | Professional business videos |
| Commercial | £1,200 to £5,000 | 3-minute video |
| Social Media | £200 to £1,000 | 30 seconds video |
These prices cover what most UK online stores pay for their content. Remember that higher prices usually mean better quality, but you can start with basic content and improve it as your store grows.
SEO requirements are what make your e-commerce show up better in search engine results such as Google. Main SEO practices include keyword research, meta tag optimisation, and content optimisation. Optimising your eCommerce website comes with an extra cost of between £1,160 and £3,869 per month.
Mobile responsiveness is ensuring your online store looks and works well on all devices, from desktops to phones. For better responsiveness for your e-commerce website, you need to design and test the website across multiple devices and screen resolutions, which comes at a cost ranging from £386 to £3,869.
Security measures are the protections you put in place to keep your customer's information safe, especially payment details. You’ll need robust security measures such as secure payment gateways, SSL/TLS encryption, and regular security updates, increasing your overall e-commerce website cost with an extra £103 to £964 per month.
Here’s a breakdown of these security costs you need to protect your online store and keep your customer’s data safe.
| Security Measures | Cost |
|---|---|
| Payment Gateways | Around 2% of the transaction rate |
| SSL/TLS Encryption | £6 to £1389 yearly |
| Firewalls | £250 to £10,000 yearly |
| Antivirus Software | £27 to £155 monthly |
| Regular Security Updates | £50 to £500 monthly |
Hosting, domain, and maintenance costs are the ongoing monthly or yearly fees you pay to keep your website online and up to date. Expect to pay between £2–£10 per month for shared hosting to over £300 per month for dedicated hosting.
For a basic domain name for your online ecommerce store, you pay around £15 yearly when you first buy it. After that, to keep your domain name active, you pay a yearly renewal fee ranging between £1 to £17, depending on which domain ending you choose (like .com or .co.uk). You will pay an extra cost of between £250 to £417 a month for maintenance.
Developer or agency fees are the cost of hiring a website developer to build your online store for you, be it a freelancer or an agency. The price of hiring either of these varies, costing you between £30 to £232.
| Web Developer | Charges per Hour |
|---|---|
| Freelancer | £30 to £116 |
| An Agency | £77 to £232 |
Website maintenance is ensuring that your website runs smoothly over time, which involves fixing bugs and making updates. Website management cost ranges between £3,000-£5,000 yearly. Main website maintenance includes;
The common considerations when building an e-commerce website in the UK include:
Legal compliance is laws and rules you have to follow as given by a country’s government. This includes data privacy rules, consumer protection laws, and licensing requirements. Selling things online in the UK, you have to ensure your e-commerce website follows all the legal requirements, including;
Following these regulations help protect your customers and ensure your business is operating properly. Failure to comply with these laws and rules results in hefty fines.
Value Added Tax (VAT) is a type of tax you have to charge customers when they buy from your business. You have to charge 20% VAT on most goods and services sold online in the UK. This significantly impacts the final price customers pay, so it's important to factor it into your pricing. You'll also need to register for and manage your VAT obligations properly.
Payment gateways are special payment services that allow your customers to pay for your products or services online. The common payment providers in the UK to integrate into your e-commerce website include Stripe or PayPal.
These gateways allow you to safely and securely accept credit card payments online. Integrating these payment options charges a transaction cost of around 1 to 3%, and monthly fees range from £0–£20.
Shipping and logistics are ways you get your products to your customers. You need to choose shipping carriers, manage your inventory, and make sure orders are packed and delivered correctly. Getting products to your customers involves costs that you must account for.
Storing your products or inventory management costs about 15% to 30% of your total inventory value. Packing will cost you 10 to 40% of each product's selling price. You also need to factor in shipping costs, which vary depending on where you’re sending the package from and how heavy they are and size. Shipping a 1 kg (2.2 lbs) in the UK costs from £4.25 plus VAT. <
Website design and user experience are how your website looks and how easy it is for your customers to use. The cost to design an e-commerce website and user experience is around £15 to £77 per hour.
Your eCommerce website design should be professional and attractive. Achieve this by focusing on what customers need most. Start with clear navigation that helps people find products quickly, add large, high-quality product photos with helpful descriptions, and keep the checkout process simple.
Make sure your e-commerce platform works well across all devices, includes trusted payment gateways, and loads quickly. Add a good search feature with filters, and keep help information easy to find. Every design choice on your eCommerce website should make shopping easier. This will help your customer find products, add to their cart, and complete purchases with ease. Avoid anything that confuses customers-simplify it or remove it.
SEO or search engine optimisation ensures your website shows high in the search results when customers in the UK search for the products you sell. Use the right keywords, create helpful content, and ensure the technical aspects of your online store are well set up. Expect to pay as follows for the SEO project.
| SEO Service | Hourly Price | Monthly Price |
|---|---|---|
| Basic SEO | £50 to £150 | £200 to £2,000 |
| Complete SEO Campaign | £100 to £300 | £1,000 to £10,000+ |
For a one time SEO project, it costs between £1,000 to £30,000. Getting your store checked for SEO problems (called an audit) usually costs between £500 to £7,500+, depending on how big your store is.
Security measures are steps you take to protect your customer's personal and financial information. E-commerce website security measures cost around £18 to £210. This includes SSL encryption, secure payment processing, and regular backups.
You should build your e-commerce site on your own if you have the technical skills, time, and resources to do so, or hire an e-commerce website developer if you don't have the necessary skills or time to build. Building your website yourself gives you complete control over the design, functionality, and user experience. It’s a cost-effective solution, especially if you’re on a tight budget.
Hiring an e-commerce website developer comes at an extra cost. However, it saves you time and ensures your eCommerce website is built to the highest standard. An e-commerce expert creates a visually appealing, user-friendly, and fully functional e-commerce website. They ensure your e-commerce store is well-optimised for search engines. Hiring an eCommerce website developer in the UK costs between £10,000 - £50,000.
Hire the best eCommerce website developer in the UK from Intelivita. We are a team of experienced professionals who specialise in creating custom eCommerce solutions tailored to your business's unique needs.
Go with a free e-commerce site if you have a limited budget and your business is just starting, or go with a paid e-commerce site if you have the budget and want more advanced features, customisation options, and better security.
Free platforms like Wix or Squarespace provide a basic online store with limited features, which may be sufficient for your needs. A paid eCommerce platform like Shopify or WooCommerce gives you more robust inventory management, marketing tools, and integration with third-party services. While they may have a higher upfront cost, the increased functionality and potential for business growth make them a worthwhile investment in the long run.
The best eCommerce platforms in the market include Shopify, WooCommerce, Magento, and BigCommerce. Shopify is perfect for beginners and small businesses. You don’t have to know coding to set up your store, manage your products, or track how you are selling on Shopify.
WooCommerce is best when you want flexibility in what you sell. It allows you to sell downloadable items, physical products, monthly subscriptions, and even promote affiliate products. It's perfect if you want to start small but later expand into different types of products.
Magento is perfect for larger businesses. It’s perfect when you want complete control over how your store looks and works, can handle lots of products, and need strong security features. However, Megento's technical side can be challenging.
BigCommerce is best for large businesses selling a lot of products. It’s easy to use and still makes shopping easy for your customers.
The table below shows these e-commerce platforms' different features.
| E-commerce Platform | Business Type | Features | SEO Tools & Services | SSL Certificates | Ease of Use | Pricing (Standard Plan - Monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Small start-ups | Self-hosted | Multiple tools | Default | Easy | £30 |
| WooCommerce | Small to medium businesses | Open source | Multiple tools | Manual configuration | Easy | £30 |
| Magento | Medium to large enterprises | Open source | Limited tools | Manual configuration | Hard | Magento Commerce £1,537 |
| BigCommerce | Medium | Self-hosted | Fewer tools | Default | Medium | £30 |
The best e-commerce sites include Amazon, eBay, Walmart and Target.
Here are the reasons why each of these e-commerce sites is the best.
The cheapest online store website platform is WIX. WIX is a popular option, offering a free plan and paid plans starting at just £13 per month.
Yes. It does cost more to build an e-commerce website than a regular website. A regular website costs about £1,000 in the UK, but an e-commerce site with features such as shopping carts, product listing, and payment processing costs you £1,500. The more complex you want your e-commerce store, the higher the cost.
It takes a week or less to build a website with just a few pages and 2 to 3 months or longer for a more complex e-commerce site built from scratch. Building a website depends on several factors, from complexity to content requirements, which determine how long it will take to build and launch your website.
To start an online business in the UK, you need a solid business idea and about £2,000 to build a basic ecommerce website and showcase your products for a start.
Get your online business registered. It'll cost you £12 to register your business with the UK government, taking only 24 hours to get approved. Pick a business name and get your trademark for £170.
Then, choose if you want to be a sole trader or a limited company, with each choice affecting how you pay taxes. At Intelivita, we help you set up your online store through platforms like Shopify or Woocommerce. Register for VAT if you think you'll make more than £85,000 yearly.
To build a business website, here are the steps to follow;
Yes, it costs more to build an e-commerce website in the USA than in the UK. A business spends between $30 to $10,000 (£23 to £7,712) in the USA, to build an online store with monthly marketing costs ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 (£771 to 7,712). In contracts, UK businesses pay £1,500 to £2,500 for basic e-commerce websites, which include design, hosting and security features.
No, it costs less to build an e-commerce website in India than in the UK. You spend between 40,000 to 70,000 rupees (£366 to £640) for a basic or small business website in India. For a more significant website where many sellers list their items (like a marketplace), you pay between 80,000 to 300,000 rupees (£731 to £2,742).
A basic online shop starts at £1,500 and goes up to £2,500 in the UK for a website featuring good design, hosting provider, and security features.
Yes, it costs more to build an e-commerce website in Australia than in the UK. An e-commerce website costs between $8,500 to $20,000+ (£6,555 to £15,424+) in Australia. Comparing this to the UK, where a basic e-commerce website costs between £1,500 to £2,500, it is four times way up. Even a standard website in Australia starts at $5,000 (£3856), while similar websites in the UK are built for less than £1,500.
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