How Much Does It Cost to Build an E-commerce Website UK?

Many entrepreneurs and businesses have various business ideas that require them to have an effective e-commerce website. These websites help expand their reach and make them recognisable in the growing online market.

It is essential in the UK because it is one of the world’s largest e-commerce markets across Europe, with people opting to shop online everywhere in the UK.

According to Statista, the country is also expected to have about 50 million e-commerce users. So, building an e-commerce website in the UK can be beneficial for businesses looking to enter the digital market.

However, one of the first questions that comes to mind is, “How much does it cost to build an e-commerce website UK.”

That is why we will break down the cost of e-commerce website development, the factors that influence its cost, and so much more in this guide.

So, without any delay, let’s get started.

Why You Should Invest in Building an E-commerce Website?

Whether you want to open the SEOmerch for the best SEO t-shirt store, fashion website, or any other business idea, investing in building an e-commerce website for your business is a great idea. It is required for more than just the online presence. Here’s why:

Expand Market Reach

What is the point of building a website when no customers are reaching your website? That is why an e-commerce website opens the door to expanding the market reach and connecting with border audiences.

It helps make your products and services reach potential customers, whether local or globally.

Lower Operating Costs

Running an offline store can cost you more than an online digital store. You don’t have to pay any rent and hire more employees.

These problems can be solved if you opt to invest in building an e-commerce website. With the right effective digital and marketing tools, you can also save time and money.

Increased Sales Potential

Many are opting for online shopping instead of going to physical stores, which leads to an increase in online sales. E-commerce websites allow customers to browse and purchase their favourite products anytime.

Many studies also show that customers feel more comfortable shopping online, which means that an online store can increase sales by reaching these customers.

Better Customer Insights

Digital platforms allow you to understand your target audience better and gain insights into their behaviour, preferences, and buying patterns.

Tools like Google Analytics can help improve your marketing and product strategies to meet customer needs.

Scalability

When your business starts growing, you can scale your e-commerce website, which is a simple and cost-effective way compared to expanding an offline store. You can easily add new products, features, or payment methods.

Enhanced Brand Awareness

However, the best SEO strategies are the ones that will help increase the brand's online presence. So, get the help of the best SEO expert to ensure the growth and success of your e-commerce website.

Types of E-commerce Websites

There are various types of e-commerce websites that have different benefits and features to meet business needs and goals. Here is an overview:

Basic Informational Websites: These are ideal for businesses that want to build their website to display product information with a few purchasing options. The costs can range between £500 and £3,000.

Small Business E-commerce Websites: These are best for small businesses or companies with small to medium product ranges. It also includes features like shopping carts and secure payment options. The expected costs may range between £3000 and £8,000.

Large-Scale and Enterprise Websites: It is the best option for large-scale and enterprise websites. They have large product inventories, and that is why they want advanced features and functionalities. It can cost £10,000 and can range upwards depending on the fully customized and coded websites.

Overview of Basic E-commerce Website Requirement and Its Cost

When creating an e-commerce website, there are several key components and requirements that need to be met.

It includes the domain name, hosting, and website design. You can also hire a professional developer or website development agency, or you can do it yourself using a website-building platform.

Other requirements also include obtaining an SSL certificate, which you may need if the development agency doesn’t include it in their services.

You will have to start by securing the domain name and hosting service. For website design, you can choose the template-based or custom design approach based on your budget and preferences.

The website development agency is a great choice because the cost of an e-commerce platform can be reduced.

However, suppose you are using an e-commerce platform. In that case, the cost can vary depending on the platform you choose, such as Shopify, which costs around £25 - £259 per month, WooCommerce charges no cost but requires hosting and plugins, or Magneto, which costs £15,000+ per year for enterprise-sized websites.

Here is an overview of the basic requirements and the cost associated with them.

How Much Does it Cost to Build an E-commerce Website UK?

The total cost of building an e-commerce website can vary based on many factors, such as the scale of the project, the type of e-commerce website, and custom requirements.

Let’s break down the e-commerce website development costs to have a clear understanding.

These e-commerce website development costs are the average figures, and the prices can vary based on the particular requirements, features, website design type, or the pricing structure of the developer or the website development agency.

It is always recommended that you consult expert developers to learn about accurate pricing based on your business or project requirements, including SEO prices if you also want to increase rankings or traffic.

Also Read: Why Do We Need Web Development Services?

What are the Factors that Affect E-commerce Website Development Costs?

The cost for developing an e-commerce website is affected by many factors, and some of them are as follows:-

Website Size and Complexity: If your e-commerce website has more pages and complex features, like filters or advanced search, then it can cause an increase in the costs of building an e-commerce website.

Design and Customisation Level: Custom designs are often more expensive than using templates, but they offer flexibility by allowing you to add features of your choice and scalability if your business grows. It is also necessary for branding.

Functionality and Features: The addition of various features of e-commerce website like customer accounts, wish lists, product recommendations, and multi-language support can lead to more development costs.

Integration with Third-Party Platforms: The cost can be increased if you are connecting your website to systems like inventory management, shipping calculators, or customer service platforms. It is because of the extra development costs.

Developer Experience: Experienced web developers or development agencies cost higher upfront costs, but it can save you money in the long run by ensuring higher quality work and fewer issues down the road.

Mobile Responsiveness: If you want your e-commerce website to be optimised for mobile devices, it will lead to increasing costs due to extra development work.

Additional Services: Content Creation, SEO optimisation, ongoing support, domain, and hosting services can add to the development cost of the website.

Location and Market Rates: The cost of building an e-commerce website can also vary depending on the region within the UK and the market rates of that particular region.

E-commerce Development Cost Based on Technology Used

The cost of building an e-commerce website can also vary based on the technology used to develop the website. Below are the details regarding the technology used in e-commerce development, as well as their costs and benefits.

WordPress

WordPress costs range between £500 £1,500 + depending on customisation. WordPress is a popular content management system that allows users to easily create and manage their websites.

It is a user-friendly and cost-effective option for small or medium-sized businesses. It is a versatile tool that is used for building various websites, including e-commerce stores.

It offers pre-designed themes that you can choose depending on your preferences. If you are using less customisation, then you will likely cost less. However, a highly customisable website with various plugins can cost you more.

Custom Development (HTML/CSS/Javascript/PHP)

Custom development costs are around £10,000 - £50,000. Custom development e-commerce websites are an excellent choice because these websites are made from scratch.

It gives you full access to the website design and its functionality. It is best for businesses wanting to add new and unique features to their websites.

They have higher upfront costs but give the option for more flexibility as they offer a unique user experience that meets the business's needs.

E-Commerce Platforms (Shopify, WooCommerce, Magneto)

The estimated cost of using e-commerce platforms, such as Shopify, Magneto, etc, is £600 - £20,000 +.

They are often used for building an e-commerce website because of their ease of use and scalability.

Whether a small or large business, there is an e-commerce platform for everyone that handles everything from hosting to security.

These are ideal for those looking for a quick and easy setup while also wanting comprehensive support and security features.

Explore More: Shopify App Development Benefits for E-Commerce

Frameworks (React, Node.js, Next.js)

The framework costs range between £10,000 - £40,000. The modern frameworks-based e-commerce websites allow for the development of highly interactive and performant applications.

They are known for offering high performance and scalability. These technologies are new and modern and help offer custom solutions. You can use React for front-end development, Node.js for back-end, and Next.js for server-side rendering.

Mobile Responisveness

The cost of making your website mobile-friendly or enhancing mobile responsiveness is £500 - £50,000.

It is used to create an e-commerce website that is mobile-friendly, which is essential because of the increase in mobile shopping.

It can be achieved by using responsive design techniques, which will help enhance user experience and improve SEO rankings.

Content Management System (CMS)

The CMS cost is £1,000 - £5,000. Some businesses also opt for Content management systems (CMS) platforms, such as Drupal or Joomla, along with e-commerce plugins. CMS can manage many content types, reflecting its versatility.

You can consult a reliable developer or website development services to know precisely how much it will cost to build your e-commerce website in UK if you are using any of the technologies mentioned above.

How Can You Reduce the Overall E-commerce Website Development Cost?

We already know that investing in building an e-commerce website is beneficial. However, if you still want to reduce the overall costs without compromising the quality, you can use these strategies.

1. Define Clear Requirments

Before you decide to build your website, you should clearly outline your goals and requirements. Determine your target audience, business type, key features, and functionality.

It will help avoid misunderstandings and ensure you and the developer or web developing agency are on the same page.

Identify which features, such as product pages, checkout, add-to-cart visuals, and others, will help drive sales.

2. Plan & Research

Planning and research play an essential role when you're looking for ways to reduce the development cost.

Look for different website design and development options, such as freelance developers, custom website development agencies, etc.

Go through their reviews and ratings, compare different services, and evaluate their portfolio, as it will help you find and choose the option that best suits your budget and needs.

3. Utilise Pre-built Themes & Open-Source Platforms

Consider opting for a platform that matches your needs and budget. The smaller businesses can choose hosted solutions and plugins like Shopify or WooCommerce.

They are the more affordable options compared to fully custom websites. You can use pre-built themes that suit your brand. Many platforms, like WordPress, Joomla, etc, offer a wide range of themes and templates.

4. Limit Features Initially

Start with essential features and functionalities. Prioritise the features you want for your website like user authentication, social media integration, etc, to avoid unnecessary features as they can add unnecessary load on the website, leading to reduced loading times and performance.

Opt for those that are required to achieve your business goals. You can also add more features eventually once your business starts growing based on the customer feedback.

5. Get Quoted from Multiple Developers

When hiring developers, consider obtaining multiple quotes and compare their benefits and offerings. It will help you find the best one at a competitive price without compromising quality.

Look for professional developers as they know how to enhance the website design to ensure great speed and efficiency.

6. Maintain Your Website Regularly

Regular maintenance can help avoid costly issues later on. Update your website through different themes, plugins, and CMS to ensure optimum performance and security while preventing potential repair costs and establishing digital trust.

How to Ensure You’re Paying a Fair Price for Your E-commerce Website?

Many wonder if they are paying a fair price for building their e-commerce website when using any new or future business ideas. Here are some tips that can help you.

Understand the Cost Components: Get familiar with the basic requirements for e-commerce website development that contribute to the overall cost of the website, such as domain registration, web hosting, website design, and development costs.

Research Market Rates: Conduct thorough research on market rates for e-commerce websites in your region in the UK to get an idea of the average costs charged by freelance developers, development agencies, and open-source platforms.

Analyse the Proposal: When you receive proposals, look at what is included in them. It is because the lower price sounds appealing, but if the pricing quote sounds too good to be true to other quotes, then you should stay alert.

Consider Ongoing Costs: Don’t just focus on the initial cost to build an e-commerce website. Also, consider ongoing costs like maintenance, updates, and marketing.

Look for Hidden Costs: Check if there are extra charges for particular functionalities, such as custom plugins or transaction fees from payment processors, that were not included in the proposal or initial quote.

Trust Your Instincts: Lastly, trust your instincts. Don’t let the good prices blind you and make the deal. If the provider is charging you less, ask them about their offerings and evaluate the offering value in terms of quality and support.

How Can Arramton Help Build an E-commerce Website in UK that Suits Your Budget?

According to many sources, such as Adobe, about 73% of businesses and companies invest in website development to make their brand stand out.

This increases the need for the best website development agency or company specialising in offering customised e-commerce solutions that suit their budget while ensuring excellent quality and design.

That is why you should opt for the best website development agency like Arramton Infotech. They provide detailed breakdowns of costs associated with each requirement and component of the development process.

With a team of experienced developers and designers, they provide expert consultation to help you choose the technologies and features that align with your budget.

So, if you are looking for agencies who can help you achieve your e-commerce website development goals, you can connect with us to learn about the e-commerce website development costs and how our experts can help meet your goals.

The Bottom Line

Once any business, company, or entrepreneur decides to build an e-commerce website, they are stuck at the question, “How much does it cost to build an e-commerce website UK.”

You can consider investing in building the website to expand your business reach and enhance brand awareness.

The e-commerce website costs can vary depending on your business size, such as small, medium, large, or enterprise. So, it can cost between £500 to £10,000 based on your budget and needs.

The cost of an e-commerce website is also affected by various factors, such as website design, features, size, complexity, and many more.

The prices also vary depending on the technology you will be using to build your website, and its costs are also mentioned in this blog.

If you are looking for strategies to reduce overall development costs, you can plan carefully, use open-source platforms, collaborate with professional developers, and maintain your website regularly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q1 How much does it cost to develop a website on Shopify UK?

Ans The cost of developing a website on Shopify UK is $20 to $10,000 per project. It will also include costs for domain, hosting, and design.

Q2 What is the cheapest way to build e-commerce site in the UK?

Ans The cheapest way to build an e-commerce website can be using platforms like Shopify or WooCommerce with a template.

Q3 What are the ongoing costs for running an e-commerce site?

Ans The ongoing costs for running an e-commerce website include hosting, maintenance, marketing, and payment gateway fees.

Q4 Can I start small and expand my e-commerce website later?

Ans Yes, it is possible to start small and expand your website later because many platforms allow scalability as their businesses grow.