The costs can quickly add up due to the complexity of e-commerce websites.
Customer facing:
- View your site, including product pages, the homepage, and a contact page.
- Allow customers to add products to and update their baskets.
- Allow customers to checkout using a secure payment option.
- Ideally, you would also have a customer account area where customers can view their order history and update their details.
Admin side:
- Add/update all the pages on the website, including the homepage.
- Add/update products and categories.
- Add/update shipping options.
- View customer orders and reports.
- Add/update media such as product images.
- Other basic admin tasks.
Do You Need a Bespoke Website or an Off-The-Shelf Option?
The answer to this question really boils down to the complexity of your website.
An off-the-shelf option can work well with stores that sell a single brand or product, has fairly simple shipping requirements and don’t need a complicated customer area. You can always upscale later as and when your needs change.
Should You Use a Self-Hosted or Managed Option for an Off-The-Shelf Product?
Quite a few options are available for anyone who wants to use an off-the-shelf e-commerce site.
If you choose an option such as the WordPress plugin WooCommerce, you will need to add it to a WordPress site and host it on their servers or with your hosting provider. An example of a managed site would be Shopify which operates as a software as a service (SaaS), meaning you access it via its servers. Users pay a monthly subscription fee to run their site.
Both have pros and cons, and it’s worth thoroughly exploring if either would suit your business model.
What Should You Expect if You Opt for a Bespoke E-commerce Website?
The agency you choose to work with will initially take some time to understand your business and website requirements fully.
You can expect to receive a carefully planned site with a professional design and functions customised to work for your business. You should also receive hosting, support and maintenance and an SSL certificate as part of your aftercare package (depending on what the agency offers).
The other advantage of a bespoke build is it will be upscalable as your business grows if the correct foundations are in place.
Domain name
Often you will receive a free domain name as part of a managed option or via an agency. If you need to buy one, these can range from as little as a few pence to buy to thousands for a premium name. You will also need to factor in renewal costs.
Initial costs: £0-thousands.
Renewal costs: £1-500+ (prices can vary depending on the domain name purchased and who with).
Support and Maintenance
A managed option will usually have some level of support built into your monthly fee. Whatever option you use to create your site, it is essential to have ongoing support and maintenance to keep it running smoothly.
Costs: varies.
Does the Hideout Design and Build E-commerce Websites?
We have been designing and building websites for more years than we care to remember!
We have the creativity and technical expertise to create stunning e-commerce sites customised to your requirements. We place a lot of emphasis on the discovery phase, where we spend time understanding every detail of how your business works and exactly what you need on your website to succeed. Getting these details right before we move into the design and development phases is essential.
When we hand over the keys to your new website, we like to ensure you have the best possible site!
