Ecommerce Website Development Packages: What You Get
An ecommerce website development package is a priced scope for building an online shop: design, product pages, cart, checkout, payments and the admin you use to run orders. In the UK a straightforward small-catalogue shop usually costs £2,000 to £8,000 as a one-off, or a setup fee plus a monthly price if you want hosting, updates and management included. The headline only means something once product count, shipping rules and payment providers are in writing.
What an ecommerce package actually covers
A brochure package stops at pages and a contact form. An ecommerce package has to take payment. That means product and category templates, a cart, checkout, order emails, and an admin screen so you can change stock without a developer.
Most UK packages are capped by product count. Fifty products is a different job from five hundred. Each item needs a title, description, images, price, VAT rate, variants and a shipping class. If the quote says ecommerce but does not state a product number, ask for it in writing. Variants multiply the work: size and colour on 40 clothing styles can become 400 SKUs.
Payment should go through a gateway such as Stripe or PayPal so card data never sits on your server. SSL is standard. You still need a privacy policy, cookie notice and terms covering delivery times and returns. Some packages write those pages. Many leave empty placeholders.
Training is often one hour on a call. If you have never used shop admin, ask whether extra time is billed and whether you get a short written guide.
Typical UK price bands
Package names such as Starter or Premium mean nothing from one studio to the next. Price follows catalogue size, how custom the design is, and how awkward shipping and tax are. These are ranges I see quoted to small UK firms, not a price list.
| Scope | Typical one-off | What you are buying |
|---|---|---|
| Template shop, under 30 products, UK shipping only | £800 to £2,500 | A tweaked Shopify or WooCommerce theme |
| Designed small shop, 50 to 150 products, Stripe or PayPal, a few shipping rates | £2,500 to £7,000 | The band most independent retailers need |
| Larger catalogue, filters, bundles or customer accounts | £7,000 to £15,000 | Expect extra app fees every month |
| Warehouse, EPOS or custom checkout rules | £15,000 and up | A spec, not a package sheet |
Platform fees sit on top. Shopify plans commonly run from about £25 to a little over £100 a month plus card charges. WooCommerce is free, but usable UK hosting is £15 to £50 a month, and paid extensions for table-rate shipping or subscriptions often cost £50 to £250 a year each. Compare year-one running cost, not only the build fee.
One-off builds and pay monthly
You can pay for the shop once, then handle hosting and updates yourself. That works if you have the lump sum and someone who will apply patches and watch payment plugins. It fails if the shop sits untouched until checkout breaks on a Saturday.
Pay-monthly plans use a setup fee, then a monthly price that includes hosting, updates and ongoing management. For a shop the monthly figure is usually higher than a brochure site because checkouts and stock tools need more watching. Confirm whether product uploads and discount codes are in that fee or extra.
I offer both a one-off website build and a pay-monthly plan of that type. Current figures are on arlowebstudio.com. Pay monthly suits you when there is no budget for a full shop upfront. The trade-off is a contract, so read the notice period and who owns the theme, code and product data if you leave.
How the platform changes the package
Shopify packages launch quickly because hosting, checkout and many apps already exist. The studio designs the storefront, sets up payments and shipping, and loads products. You pay Shopify every month and you rebuild if you leave.
WooCommerce packages take more build hours. The studio assembles hosting, WordPress, the shop plugin, a theme and extras for shipping or invoices. You own more of the stack, which helps if you already run WordPress. You also own the maintenance: plugin clashes after updates are common if nobody is looking after the site.
Builders such as Wix or Squarespace produce the cheapest packages. Product limits, extra transaction fees and weak shipping rules are the usual ceiling. Fine for a handful of items. Poor if you need weight-based UK delivery or trade prices.
If a package does not name the platform, the quote is incomplete.
Work that sits outside most packages
- Product photography. Budget £20 to £80 per item if you hire it, or a day of your time with a consistent background.
- Unique product copy. Fifty descriptions is a writing job.
- Courier APIs, live Royal Mail or DPD rates, and free-shipping rules by region.
- EPOS or warehouse stock sync.
- Multi-currency and selling into the EU with the right VAT treatment.
- Subscriptions, wholesale lists, or feeds to Amazon and eBay.
- App and plugin licences that renew every year.
Ask for a one-page exclusions list before you sign. If the studio cannot say what is out of scope, the package will grow by email later.
Compare two quotes on the same checklist
- Platform named, and whose hosting account it uses.
- Product and variant cap, plus the cost to add more.
- Payment providers, and who pays the card fees.
- Shipping zones and whether rates are flat, weight-based or live.
- Who writes the legal pages, and who is data controller for orders.
- Admin training, and whether you can add products without extra fees.
- Bug-fix window after launch. Fourteen days is common. Ninety is better.
- Who owns the theme, code and product data, and the export format if you leave.
- Platform, app and maintenance cost for the first year, not only the build fee.
If one quote is half the other, it is usually a smaller catalogue, a template, or work left for you to do. That can still be the right buy. It is a problem only when you thought both shops were the same.
Have this ready before you buy
Packages stall when the studio waits on you. Before you sign, make a product spreadsheet with SKU, title, price, VAT rate, weight, stock and variant options. Set delivery rules in pounds and working days, including Highlands, islands and returns. Choose Stripe, PayPal or both, and have your bank and company details ready. Write a returns policy you can actually honour. The package builds the shop. It does not answer a failed order at 9pm. Decide who does.
Frequently asked questions
How much is an ecommerce website development package in the UK?
Most designed shops with under 150 products land between £2,500 and £7,000 as a one-off. Template builds can sit under £2,500. Add platform fees of roughly £25 to £100 a month on Shopify, or hosting and plugins on WooCommerce, when you tot up year one.
Does the package include loading all of my products?
Only up to the product and variant cap in the quote. You still need to supply a spreadsheet. Photography and unique descriptions are usually your job unless you paid for those as extras.
Is a monthly plan cheaper than paying once?
Not always over three years. It spreads the cost and covers hosting and updates, which suits you if there is no lump sum. Add setup plus 36 months and compare that to a one-off plus your own hosting and maintenance.
Should I buy a Shopify package or a WooCommerce package?
Shopify if you want a hosted checkout quickly and accept the monthly platform bill. WooCommerce if you already use WordPress or want more control of the stack, and you have someone to maintain plugins after launch.
What should I check in the small print?
Product caps, exclusions, who owns the theme and product data, notice periods on monthly plans, and app fees that start after launch. Confirm who pays card transaction fees, because those never sit in the build price.
Can I start on a small package and upgrade later?
Yes if the same platform can handle more products and stricter shipping rules. Moving from a cheap builder onto Shopify or WooCommerce later is a rebuild, not a switch. Check how you export products and orders before you commit.