Developing an eCommerce website is analogous to starting a real business from scratch. Not to forget it involves money, investments, planning, efforts more than we might have thought.
With so many options for developing an Online E-Store, there is one significant question that tops our mind upfront: I need my own Ecommerce Store but how much would it cost to me?
And on top of it, if you are thinking of making it mobile-friendly, the developing cost of its mobile version (i.e. a mobile app) would be the second big thing that would pop up into your mind and would leave you anxious and in dilemma how to proceed with and which best company to hire for your next-gen business project.
Well, this article will help in the best possible way to answer this recurring question and the second big thought in a qualitative and quantitative way, following a very practical approach.
Ecommerce Website & its Development
Online and Virtual stores developed by hard-core coders and expert programmers are widely tested with extended support and offer a full guarantee. These stores possess infinite functionality and highly rich features that are expandable but if you require something special, you can program a custom module for your specifications and particular tasks.
Today, entrepreneurs realistically do not consider starting a project with betting as hard with just a business idea in mind, nevertheless, they understand that there is a minimum investment to start professionally.
Ecommerce has become a choice of many, be it unemployed, self-employed or people who want to generate extra income have turned to this form of business. And, considering that selling products and services on a virtual platform requires fewer expenses than a physical store, nobody today leaves a chance to make the most out of this platform.
There are a number of factors that influence the creation of an e-store and its cost. Launching an online business with a website and its mobile application is just one post-stage before that there are a lot of significant aspects to deal with.
You must have a domain of your store, choose a hosting service, select the platform where you will create it, and work on an attractive design, user interface, and more.
Next, you need to work on payment methods, store features, legal aspects, etc. Also keep in mind that the requirements change from one e-commerce to another depending on the number of products to sell, for example. For this reason, you have to choose a service that suits your needs.
To all this, we must add that the cost of a virtual store is added to the marketing actions as there is no use of having a website if you don’t have visits. You have to develop a strategy that includes content creation, social media, and paid advertising to attract customers.
Ecommerce Website Pricing Breakdown (An Example):
Project Cost is Variable, a simple project involves less investment than a more personalized one. There are periodic expenses that require renewals and there are others that you only pay once.
Now let’s start with the basics:
#Domain and Hosting
The domain is the name that will identify the website of your e-commerce and the hosting is the service where all its files and information are stored. No website – be it a store or not – would work without them. So after having a reliable internet connection, this is the second step you should take.
The generic domains are the most economical. For example, registering a .en extension with Axarnet will cost from $8 to $10(+ VAT); If it is .com or .net, you will get it for $12 to $18
There are other domains available that are new and more specialized (for example .store) and are much more expensive than generic ones.
As for the hosting service, the cost will depend on the space and processing speed that the store requires. It is recommended to start with a simple plan and increase it if necessary.
Web hosting options are varied. You can hire a managed or unmanaged VPS server.
Usually, its cost is from $12.00 / month, but you can get interesting offers if you require something more specialized. These are even more expensive than VPS but in return, they have many advantages for your online store. Calculate a minimum investment of $35 a month, but it can be much more.
Crucial Consideration: the cost of the domain is paid annually and that of the monthly hosting. To be clear about the best option for your e-commerce, consult the provider
#Online Store Design
Once you have possessed the domain and done with the hosting you need to work on the design and need to make a choice over the available platforms, say, WordPress, Magento, Prestashop to name a few.
Different platforms offer their own set of benefits and functionalities so there is a real need to do the ground up regarding each platform, know them well, align them with your business requirements and evaluate each before making a decision. Else you could end up with a complicated store to manage when you need something simple and easy to deal with.
The platform you choose would offer you different templates to design your store where they can be used as-is or can be altered as and when by changing colors, graphics, and other elements. The good news is that many templates come for free while others are paid and usually cost between $99-$250.
Theme customization runs between the range of $300 to $1000 which can’t be said as expensive as the range is less when compared to complete custom web designing.
Website User Experience (UX)
User Experience is undoubtedly the most significant part of an online store irrespective of the type of business conducted over it.
Ecommerce UX design is focused on the wishes and needs of your visitors and is a key component in turning them into paying buyers and customers.
An intuitive e-commerce interface means that visitors are more likely to make a purchase. By helping the visitor quickly and easily find your desired product, avoiding frustrating mistakes and delays, you will see an immediate increase in sales.
A good UX design tailored to your requirements can cost around $2500 or more. Measuring the effectiveness of UX design is an ongoing process, past development, and initial release.
For eliminating the hassles of your web store designing you may rely upon a leading eCommerce website development company to get a customized design and themes as per your needs and desires. NetSet Software offers various web and app development packages and hiring models that have been designed as per the basic wants of a fresh startup or a growing enterprise.
#Programming and Functionality
Many platforms (like Magento, Prestashop, or WordPress) provide module or extension support for many functionalities that can be added to your site (at a much lower cost than custom development). Therefore, an important part of the development process is to validate if there are extensions available for the desired functionalities since this will affect the price.
Be prepared, however, that some of the extensions require some customization. We always audit / evaluate extensions for quality, security, features, and support before recommending them to our clients.
Outside of extensions, the cost of custom developments will depend on the development hours they require. Various companies today provide convenience to their customers by offering them to expand their business team
#Product Images and Graphic Design
Now if we talk about the visual elements of an eCommerce website, it can cost between $550 to $2200, and if you wish to add the custom photography that adds up more dollars and can be quite expensive.
Nevertheless, this aspect of eCommerce website development cannot be neglected as it forms one of the crucial elements to attract a good amount of website visits.
A visually appealing e-commerce website is much more likely to attract visitors and retain them long enough to become customers than one that is too simple. High-quality product images are also essential to a successful online store. You can use available images to use a designer to optimize product images.
A striking and memorable logo is also important. If your company doesn’t have a recognizable logo yet, we recommend hiring a design team.
#Web Store Maintenance
Another aspect to consider is the maintenance that is required by the online store.
Managing the orders, serving the customer, and organizing the products all these could be done easily if you are to handle a small business, but as it grows it will require more dedication, and possibly you will have to hire third parties to help you.
Among these functions also keep in mind who will be in charge of managing social media and creating content. To give more visibility and authority to your online business, it is necessary to invest in good service of this type.
You also need to make your products look attractive to convince the customer to buy them. This is done by taking good pictures of them. Will you hire a professional photographer or can you do them on your own?
To know how much it costs to set up an online store you have to analyze each of these aspects carefully. Although there are sources that indicate that the average cost is $3000 per year, it is risky to give a specific figure because it will depend on the type of business.
If you want to be successful, along with all these points you must also analyze your niche. In this way, you ensure that there is a space for what you are going to offer. And remember to always make yourself known. There are many means through which you can do this, many of them free. You can start by creating a community on social media around your brand.
#Marketing and SEO
SEO and marketing go hand in hand with the online store. What all you need are customers visiting your online store, hooking them to your brand so that they share in their social circles their positive experiences buying your products.
This is where SEO and marketing have roleplay. If you plan to launch your online store or simply generate better results, than the one that already has a marketing strategy, it is necessary.
This includes marketing content, blogs, social media content, PPC, email marketing, SEO, etc. taking all these aspects into account, you will have to establish a monthly budget which can vary from $110 to several thousand, depending upon the size of your store, the areas it covers and the objective it intends to achieve.
Generating Site Content, Contributes a Cost
Don’t Forget: Your website is in great need of SEO-friendly content that merely doesn’t describe your products but is actionable enough to delight visitors and customers and helps you build your authority and foundation in your industry.
Content and information displayed on a website, if useful, relevant, well-structured, and optimized, become a primary source to increase the possibilities of high rankings of your e-store on the search engines.
Thus, content writing can’t be overlooked. Hiring a professional content writer or expert would cost you between $50 to $70 per hour; however, the price might get influenced by the type of deal you make with the copywriter.
#Payment Terminals
Your online store needs a payment system so that you receive the money from sales. The most common is through credit or debit cards. To offer this option, you must have a virtual Point of Sale Terminal (POS), a service that is contracted through financial institutions.
The hiring implies having to pay a monthly maintenance cost that could reach up to $20 to $25, depending on the entity. To this is added the transaction fees.
For the virtual POS to work, you must connect to e-commerce through a connection module. This is an additional cost that is not related to financial institutions, but there are other companies that distribute the program. The license costs between $55 and $200 and is only paid once.
Another payment alternative that you can have is PayPal. This platform will also charge commissions to your online store based on sales.
Primary Factors Regulating the Cost of a Native App
Developing Ecommerce apps and having built their native apps along with it is not less than a supplement given to your e-store as apps are a remarkable source of deriving customers through their easy availability and access which is near at hand.
An Application is a favorable choice of users when it comes to using. Determining the cost of developing a native mobile app includes a lot of attributes if it was to be considered alone, but the cost of app development additional to website development may depend on a few major aspects that deal with the mobile version of the e-store.
Factors to consider are:
-App Platform (Android / iOS / Windows)
The platform for developing your app must be picked at the beginning which gives clarity to the service providers for the sources to align and an estimated price to set.
-App Store Cost
App Store and Play store are the two major applications’ stores that come up with an annual fee to launch your application on their platform. The incurred price, nevertheless, is relatively inexpensive and affordable.
-App Design
Great designs definitely alter the success of your websites and apps. If you wish to have a different, unique, and more personalized design or theme in the mobile version then it may be added at a price that depends truly on the type of work involved.
-Mobile Wallet
This is another differential that tends to include more expenses to your budget as a mobile wallet works on different functionality. Mobile wallet integration for the smooth processing of online payments is something that would influence the cost of website development along with its app.
The above mentions are crucial segments that may modify the overall cost of your business project of creating an intuitive eCommerce web store along with its native application. In such a case, companies offer development packages which are more suitable than opting for individual services.
To know the holistic price of developing an E-store along with its mobile version, book a free consultation with NetSet Software which is one of the leading IT Outsourcing companies well established in the USA, Singapore, and India, and is highly recognized for offering hi-tech custom digital solutions custom web development, mobile app development and offers many other valuable services.
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