Are you considering launching an online store on Shopify? Understanding the Shopify website costs is crucial for effective budgeting and planning. Whether starting from scratch or enhancing an existing store, knowing the expenses upfront will help you make informed decisions.
This article will highlight the costs of developing a custom Shopify website and provide tips and tricks to help you manage and reduce these expenses. We’ve divided the costs into two main categories:
- Costs related to Shopify website setup
- Costs related to Shopify customization
This article is crafted by experienced eCommerce experts, ensuring you receive accurate data and valuable advice for your eCommerce business:
- Webster Webmeridian: An eCommerce Expert and Business Development Manager with over 6 years of experience in business growth strategies.
- Oleg Fediv: A Shopify Guru with a decade of experience developing Shopify solutions, offering insights on maximizing the Shopify platform for your business needs.
- Kate Odyntsova: Lead of Project Managers with over 4 years of experience in eCommerce development, website customization, and problem-solving for online stores.
- List of Costs to Set Up a Shopify Website
- List of Costs for Shopify Website Customization
- How Much Does a Custom Shopify Store Cost?
- Tips and Tricks to Reduce Shopify Store Costs
- Final Thoughts
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List of Costs to Set Up a Shopify Website
Creating a custom Shopify website that meets your needs and preferences can be a worthwhile investment for your online business. However, there are some Shopify website costs to consider. These include:
| Cost Object | Description | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Domain Name | New domains cost $10 to $20 per year. Buying aged domains (previously registered by another user) costs $100 to several thousand dollars, as older domains can have better search rankings due to established trust with search engines. | $10-$20 per year for a new domain or $100-$1,500 for a PRO domain. |
| Shopify Plan | Shopify charges monthly fees for its platform and offers five different plans:
- Starter Plan: $5/month (sell on social media and messaging apps or use a ‘Buy Button’). - Basic Plan: $39/month (standalone store, unlimited products, two staff accounts). - Shopify Plan: $105/month (five staff accounts, professional reports, gift cards, abandoned cart recovery). - Advanced Plan: $399/month (15 staff accounts, advanced reporting, custom shipping rates). - Shopify Plus Plan: Negotiated pricing (~$2,000/month, high-volume businesses, dedicated support, API access). | $5 to $2,000 per month, depending on the plan. Optimal choice: Shopify Plan at $105/month. |
| Shopify Theme | Choose from hundreds of free or paid themes on the Shopify marketplace or other platforms.
Examples: - “Wokiee” – Universal and highly functional. - “Motion” – For large shops needing visual storytelling. - “Material” – Multipurpose, responsive, well-organized product layout. - “Doni” – Minimalist design, great features. - “Local” – Ideal for the food industry. | Average cost of a paid theme: $150-$350. |
| Shopify Apps | There are various of free or paid apps available to enhance marketing, sales, customer service, inventory management, etc. Examples:
- Judge.me Product Reviews: $15/month, free plan available. A reviews and ratings app that facilitates the collection and display of customer reviews and photos. - Tidio Live Chat & AI Chatbots: From $29/month, free trial available. A customer support app that provides multi-channel support, including chat, email, and social media. - Oberlo: From $1/month, free trial available. A dropshipping app that simplifies product sourcing and order fulfillment. - Klaviyo: From $15/month, free installation is available. An email marketing app for the creation of personalized email campaigns based on customer behavior and preferences. - Smile.io: From $49/month, free trial available. A loyalty program app for management of a loyalty program, rewarding and retaining customers effectively - Gorgias: From $10/month, free trial available. A customer support app with automated responses and personalized customer interactions - ShipStation: From $10/month, free trial available. Manage shipments, print labels, and track packages all from one place - AI Inventory Management Report: $15-$99/month, free plan available. Precise inventory forecasting and replenishment advice, along with comprehensive sales reporting - Tiny SEO Image Optimize, Speed: $14-$96/month, free plan available. An SEO image optimizer & page speed booster with redirects, sitemaps, and lazy loading to improve site speed. - Shopify Bundles: Free app that offers your customers better product curation and discounts and increases your average order value with product bundles - Moreover, we recommend installing necessary tracking apps such as Google, Facebook, TikTok, etc. | Average cost of a paid app: $10-$50/month. Optimal choice: 7-10 apps, totaling $200-$350/month. |
| Payment Processing Fees | Fees for using Shopify Payments vary based on your Shopify plan:
- Basic Shopify Plan ($39/month): 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. - Shopify Plan ($105/month): 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction. - Advanced Shopify Plan ($399/month): 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction. Using a third-party payment gateway incurs additional fees: - Basic Shopify Plan: 2.0% per transaction. - Shopify Plan: 1.0% per transaction. - Advanced Shopify Plan: 0.5% per transaction. Additional fees may apply for international transactions and chargebacks ($15 per chargeback). | Using Shopify Payments: - Basic Shopify Plan: 2.9% + 30¢ per transaction. - Shopify Plan: 2.6% + 30¢ per transaction. - Advanced Shopify Plan: 2.4% + 30¢ per transaction. Using third-party payment gateways: - Basic Shopify Plan: 2.0% per transaction. - Shopify Plan: 1.0% per transaction. - Advanced Shopify Plan: 0.5% per transaction. |
| Set up the Shopify store | Stages of Shopify website development:
- Domain Registration and Shopify Setup: 1-3 hours. - Store Setup: 3-7 hours, depending on requirements. - Theme Customization: 20-120 hours, depending on customization depth and theme. - Product Listing: 10-60 hours. - Payment Gateway Setup: 2-20 hours. - Shipping Configuration: 8-16 hours. - App Integrations: 10-80 hours. - SEO Optimization: 10-40 hours, depending on request. - Testing: 30-60 hours. - Launch: 2-10 hours. | $4,500- $21,000 |
Breakdown of Costs
- Shopify Subscription Plan: $39-$399/month, depending on the plan.
- Domain Registration: $10-$20/year.
- Theme: Free to $180.
- Customization: $500-$5,000.
- Product Listing Outsourcing (optional): $500-$2,000.
- App Integrations: $0-$200/month, depending on the apps used.
- Professional SEO Optimization (optional): $300-$1,000.
- Professional Testing Service (optional): $500-$1,000.
- Post-Launch Support (optional): $0-$1000/month.
Total Estimated Costs (excluding monthly and optional costs)
- Minimum: $39 (1 month subscription) + $10 (domain) + $0 (free theme) + $0 (free apps) + $0 (internal setup) = $49
- Maximum: $105 (1 month subscription) + $100 (domain) + $300 (theme) + $350 (apps) + $18,000 (theme customization and store launch) + $2,000 (product listing) + $1,000 (SEO) + $1,000 (testing) = $22,285
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List of Costs for Shopify Website Customization
To accurately calculate the cost of developing a Shopify store, it is essential to examine all the factors and stages contributing to the final amount. Design costs should be thoroughly investigated because they are essential to building your brand. Kate Odyntsova, Lead of Project Managers with over 4 years of experience in eCommerce development, will explain the detailed design implementation process on the site, ensuring high-quality front-end development. Additionally, she’ll cover the necessary customizations for a successful online store and the associated costs.
Detailed Costs and Stages of Shopify Store Design
The design stage involves choosing a theme (or creating one from scratch), selecting colors, fonts, images, icons, and other visual elements, and arranging them into user-friendly, responsive, and attractive layouts.
During this stage, developers use wireframing and prototyping to nail the UX design from the very first stages.
The design stage can take anywhere from 80-250 hours, depending on the level of customization required and the feedback process between you and your web designer. Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Choosing an inappropriate theme that doesn’t match your brand or goals.
- Overloading your website with too many elements distracts or confuses users.
- Ignoring mobile optimization or accessibility standards.
- Not testing different design options or getting feedback from potential customers.
By dividing the design process into these stages and estimating the time and cost for each, you can better plan and budget for creating a custom Shopify online store.
Let’s dive deeper into our case study. In this case study, we explore the design development process for one of our projects, breaking it into distinct stages and detailing the actual hours spent versus initial estimates.
Design Development Stages
The design process was divided into three primary stages:
- Defining and approving the Style Guide
- Development and approval of the Main Page
- Consistent design implementation with successive approval of each Subsequent Page
The overall estimate for design implementation was set between 85-90 hours.
Design Tasks and Pages
The design scope included the following tasks and pages:
- Style Guide
- Home Page
- Category Page
- Product Page
- Main Page with Open Catalog
- Email Templates for New and Logged-in Users
- Login / Registration
- Shopping Cart
- Checkout
- Password Recovery Page
- Contact and Feedback Page
- 404 Error Page
- User Account Pages
- Product Comparison Page
- CMS Page Design
- Mobile Version of the Site
Time Allocation and Actual Hours Spent
- Style Guide
- Estimated Time: 2 working days (16 hours)
- Actual Time: 8 hours for implementation + 2 hours for revisions = 10 hours
- Main Page
- Estimated Time: 4 working days (32 hours)
- Actual Time: 20 hours with 2 iterations
- Remaining Pages
- Estimated Time: Remaining from the 85-90 hour total estimate
- Actual Time: 60 hours
The total hours spent on the entire design process were 88, fitting within the initial estimate of 85-90 hours. This included revisions and iterative improvements to ensure client satisfaction at each stage.
This case study illustrates our meticulous approach to project design. It highlights the alignment of our estimated and actual hours and demonstrates our commitment to delivering high-quality, timely design solutions.
Therefore, a typical design project may follow this timeline:
| Stage | Description | Estimated Time | Estimated Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Branding | The overall brand identity, typography, color scheme, and logo design. | 10-20 hours | $400-$800 |
| Home Page Design | The homepage's layout and design include the navigation bar, highlighted products, and banners. | 20-40 hours | $800-$1,600 |
| Product Page Design | Layout of each product page containing related products, images, and descriptions. | 15-30 hours | $600-$1,200 |
| Category Page Design | Layout and design of category pages to organize products efficiently. | 10-20 hours | $400-$800 |
| Product Card Design | Style of product cards that show up in search results and on category pages. | 5-10 hours | $200-$400 |
| Checkout Page Design | Customize the checkout process to enhance the user experience and trust. | 10-20 hours | $400-$800 |
| Additional Pages | Design of additional pages such as About Us, Contact, FAQ, etc. | 10-20 hours | $400-$800 |
| Responsive Design | Ensuring the store is mobile-friendly and looks good on all devices. | 15-30 hours | $600-$1,200 |
| Revisions and Feedback | Time spent on revisions and incorporating client feedback. | 10-20 hours | $400-$800 |
| Total | 105-210 hours | $4,200-$8,400 | |
The total work and time required for Shopify theme customization depends on your needs and requests. The time to implement the design varies based on the design’s complexity, the sections’ reusability, and the availability of additional functionality with corresponding requests. To provide better insight, I’ll share my experience. Some projects were completed in 1-2 days, while others took months to implement. The timeline for a project depends directly on the design and requests. Below, Oleg Fediv, Senior Shopify Expert, will give an example of a “standard project” so you know what to expect.
Let’s consider the design implementation process in the case study described above.
The design implementation process took 11 working days (88 hours). Here is the detailed timeline:
Timeline of Design Realization:
- Implementation of the style guide: 2 days (8 hours)
- Acceptance and approval of the style guide: 1 hour
- Implementation of the main page (1st iteration): 2 days (8 hours)
- Acceptance of the main page (1st iteration): 1 hour
- Implementation of the main page (2nd iteration): 2 days (8 hours)
- Acceptance of the main page (2nd iteration): 1 hour
- Implementation of other pages: 5 days (40 hours)
- Acceptance of other pages: 2 hours
- Total: 69 hours
This timeline showcases our structured approach to design implementation, ensuring thorough review and approval at each critical stage.
Development Stages of Сustom Shopify Theme
The planning stage comes first and helps you define what you want to achieve with your website and how you will measure its success. It also helps you communicate clearly with your web designer or developer (if you hire one) and avoid misunderstandings or conflicts later.
This stage can take anywhere from 8 to 30 hours, depending on the complexity of your project and how well-prepared you are.
Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Not having clear objectives or expectations.
- Not researching your target market, competitors, or industry trends.
- Not setting realistic deadlines or milestones.
- Not allocating enough resources or budget.
1. Project Plan
During this stage, the developer will create custom code and integrate features and functionalities according to your project plan and design specifications. They will also ensure your website is user-friendly and responsive to different devices and browsers.
The development stage can take anywhere from 20 to 250 hours, depending on the complexity of your website. As such, a fully optimized website will typically include features such as:
- Search engine optimization
- A product catalogue
- An advanced product filter
- Email marketing integrations
- Related products feature
- Abandoned cart feature
- Custom payment gateway
- Custom cart page, email notifications, and invoices
Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Choosing a developer who doesn’t have enough experience or skills for your project’s complexity.
- Not correctly defining the project scope, resulting in scope creep and delays.
- Not planning for contingency time or budget for unexpected issues or changes during development.
- Not considering the long-term maintenance and scalability of the website during development.
- Not accounting for changes or revisions that may come up during development.
- Do not test and debug your website regularly during development.
2. Development and Customization
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There are many integrations and apps to choose from that impact your Shopify website development cost, including the features and functionalities. During this stage, a developer will install and customize any necessary integrations and apps, such as payment gateways, shipping providers, analytics tools, and social media widgets. This stage can take around 20–120 hours.
Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Installing too many unnecessary apps can slow down your website and increase costs.
- Not researching and choosing the right apps for your business needs.
- Do not test and debug integrations and apps before launching your website.
3. Integrations and Apps
Adding to your Shopify eCommerce website price is the testing phase, which ensures it works correctly and provides a good user experience. During this stage, your development team will test your website’s functionality, performance, security, and compatibility with different devices and browsers. This stage can last up to 30–60 hours overall.
Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Not testing your website on other devices and browsers.
- Not testing your website’s performance under heavy traffic conditions.
- Not testing your website’s security against common threats.
- Not testing integrations and apps with your website.
4. Testing
After accounting for the cost of the Shopify website, you will need to factor in ongoing support and maintenance to ensure that your website remains secure, up-to-date, and optimized for performance. During this stage, your developer will provide support and maintenance services, such as updating software, fixing bugs, and providing technical assistance.
Some common pitfalls at this stage are:
- Not investing in ongoing support and maintenance services.
- Not addressing issues or bugs promptly.
- Not keeping your website up-to-date with the latest security patches and software updates.
- Not monitoring your website’s performance and making necessary adjustments.
5. Support
Custom Functionality
Oleg Fediv, a Senior Shopify Developer, has compiled a list of essential customization options for your Shopify store.
- Customization Enhances Performance and Responsiveness. Customizing your Shopify theme can significantly improve your online store’s performance. While incorporating heavy graphics or complex functionalities may affect performance, a well-optimized approach can ensure optimal loading speeds and responsiveness.
- Customized Collection and Product Pages. You can fully customize the collection and product pages if your theme allows. Tailoring these sections to match your brand’s unique style and functionality needs enhances the user experience.
- Craft Custom Landing Pages for Marketing Campaigns. Create custom landing pages or microsites for specific marketing campaigns or promotions. With functionality-rich pages and customizable sections, showcasing your creativity becomes straightforward, provided your theme supports it.
- Integrate User-Generated Content. Seamlessly integrate user-generated content into your Shopify theme to boost sales. Features like reviews, ratings, and social proof elements enhance trust and credibility, foster engagement, and drive conversions.
- Provide Personalized Product Configurators and Builders. Customers can personalize their product options with custom product configurators or builders. Allowing visitors to tailor their purchases enhances the shopping experience and boosts sales.
- Implement Custom Discounting and Pricing Strategies. We can use advanced pricing strategies, such as tiered pricing or dynamic pricing rules, to incentivize purchases and maximize revenue. By customizing discounting and pricing structures, you can tailor promotions to effectively target specific customer segments, driving sales and increasing profitability.
How Much Does a Custom Shopify Store Cost?
The cost to build a Shopify website can vary widely, depending on several factors.
- The first factor to consider is the level of customization you require. A basic custom Shopify website, which includes a simple design and a few products, may cost anywhere from $5,000 to $10,000. However, the cost can quickly increase if you require more advanced functionality, such as integration with a third-party platform or complex custom coding.
- The number of products you plan to sell also impacts the cost. If you have a large inventory or plan to add a lot of products in the future, this can affect the design and development of your site, which in turn can impact the cost.
- The complexity of your site’s design and user interface is also significant in determining the cost of starting a Shopify store. More customization means increased costs.
- Additionally, the level of integration you require with other systems, such as your inventory management or payment processing systems, can also impact the cost of a Shopify website.
- Finally, it’s important to consider ongoing costs beyond the initial development phase. These can include Shopify’s monthly fees, which range from $29 to $299 per month, depending on your chosen plan.
It can be quite expensive to hire a dedicated Shopify development team from the USA, UK, or Canada because their developer hourly rates are higher than those of offshore countries such as Ukraine, Poland, Indonesia, India, etc.
| Country | USA | UK | Canada | India | Ukraine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hourly Shopify Developer Rates | $85-$120 | $100-$140 | $60-$150 | $25-$60 | $40-$80 |
Let’s go over each stage of building a custom store and provide a final estimate of how much a custom Shopify website will cost.
Note: It is unrealistic to obtain an exact cost estimate for custom website creation without first consulting with an eCommerce development agency.
Shopify Store Costs
| Min Project | Average Project | Fully-Customised Project | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Project plan, hrs | 10 | 20 | 30 |
| Design, hrs | 100 | 160 | 210 |
| Development & Customisation, hrs | 20 | 120 | 250 |
| Integrations, hrs | 20 | 70 | 120 |
| Testing, hrs | 30 | 45 | 60 |
| Total hours | 180 | 415 | 670 |
| Total costs of a custom Shopify website | $7,200-$14400 | $16600-$33200 | $26800-$53600 |
When it comes to reducing your Shopify website prices, there are several strategies you can use. Here are some tips and tricks to help you save money without sacrificing quality:
- Use a pre-built theme instead of opting for a custom theme.
- Alternatively, consider wisely using ready-made sections in your theme at the design stage to ensure the design is easy to implement on the front end.
- To reduce costs, minimize the number of apps you integrate. While not always essential, some apps cost $30–$40 monthly. With multiple apps, these fees can add up significantly. Additionally, too many apps can slow down your site.
- Consider apps that offer multiple functions, such as SEO and photo optimization combined, or apps with additional features for streamlined operations. This approach can help manage expenses and maintain site performance.
- Choose a reliable and affordable hosting provider.
- Use compression tools to reduce image and video file sizes while maintaining quality.
- Monitor your website’s analytics to identify areas that need improvement using data.
- Do your content updates and maintenance instead of relying on a web developer or agency.
These tips and tricks can help you reduce your Shopify store costs while maintaining a professional, high-quality website that meets your business needs and budgets.
Tips and Tricks to Reduce Shopify Store Costs
Developing a custom Shopify website can be a significant investment of time and resources, but the benefits of having a unique and professional online store can be worth it. By carefully planning your project, choosing the right development stages, and using cost-saving tips and tricks, you can minimise what it costs to start a Shopify store.
If you’re considering developing a custom Shopify website but need help figuring out where to start, our development company can help.
We specialise in custom Shopify development from start to finish, and we can work with you to create a tailored solution that fits your needs and budget.
Contact us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you bring your custom Shopify website to life.
Final Thoughts
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