How Much Does It Cost to Build a Shopify Website

Shopify is a firm and constant presence in the e-commerce market, having already conquered 4.12 million stores in 175 countries. This, coupled with how flexible the platform is, makes it an excellent choice for an online storefront. However, cost is also a weighty factor in creating a store, and today, we’ll talk about how to optimize your budget.

When you calculate the cost of your Shopify website, there are various ways to keep expenses low. This isn’t just about saving money, as a well-planned approach will result in a higher-quality website. Using our experience as a Shopify web development company, we will list the components that go into the cost and tricks that can help you lower the Shopify website costs.

Understanding cost components

When asking how much a Shopify store costs, what you really need to know is what comprises that cost. After all, a website isn’t just an out-of-the-box product you can take and instantly apply to your business. Every process that goes into creating a custom online store comes with its own expenses and can be streamlined to keep those budgets down.

The overall Shopify website development cost includes the following aspects:

• design
• development
• feature implementation
• integration
• customization
• content creation
• maintenance and support.

Let’s talk about them in detail and outline why they are crucial to a successful web store, as well as what you can do to spend wisely on these components.

Design

It’s impossible to overstate the importance of good design for an e-commerce website. Research says that 18% of cart abandonment cases in the USA happen due to poorly designed stores that make the checkout non-intuitive. By focusing not just on the user interface but the user experience, design can help you keep conversions high and customers happy.

That said, design isn’t just about making your site’s navigation clear. You also need to focus on how well it adapts to different devices. With the mobile e-commerce market booming, making sure your site looks pristine on mobile is key. This doesn’t just mean an adaptive layout but, ideally, a web app version, which provides faster load times and easier access to your goods.

Now, it won’t surprise you that each of these things will impact Shopify e-сommerce website cost. To make sure you’re spending wisely, plan ahead and negotiate with your design team, prioritizing the tasks that will be most beneficial to your business. While we did say a web app would be ideal, it is one of the things that you can forgo if the budget is a bit tight.

For the UI side of things, an easy way to lower expenses is to use Shopify’s free themes. There are quite a few of them, and they will get the job done. Using a custom-made theme that reflects your brand’s identity is obviously better, but that would increase the cost.

DigitalSuits has talked about our design tactics before, and these are the principles we apply when creating Shopify stores. We created custom yet affordable designs for brands like Artisan Revere and MyBalto, proving that elegant, bespoke design solutions can fit into a project’s budget.

Development

The actual development will most likely not be the most complicated part, thanks to Shopify’s easy onboarding process. This process will primarily be focused on file imports and creating a product database. That means creating new content because how much is a Shopify website worth if it doesn’t efficiently advertise your goods to potential clients?

You can really save on development if you’re migrating from a pre-existing store instead of making one from scratch. So if you have been running a business on WooCommerce or Magento, try to import as much as possible. It may even be possible to transfer some widgets from one platform to another.

Feature implementation

There is no singular answer to a question like “how much for a Shopify website?” because there is no one standard website. The cost will change and rise depending on how many unique features you want. There are some essentials you should not try to go cheap on anything to do with the checkout, payment processing, and user profiles. Basically, focus on the UX.

Remember that you can request custom app development for Shopify if your budget allows. That makes it possible to implement unique features centered around your brand’s goals instead of settling for just a regular storefront. Customizing your store is a worthwhile investment to stand out in a competitive market.

Integration and customization

While it may seem like an extra bit of spending you can do without, we’d like to make the case for extra customization. How much is Shopify website branding worth in terms of client attraction? Research shows that recognizable visuals are a big factor in business profitability, and setting aside part of your budget for a custom theme or a redesign is a wise move.

As is often the case with choosing what’s worth the price, you must look at the long-term benefits. Integrating SEO optimization tools and refining your website’s look may seem like an extra budget strain at first. But wait a year, and, as you climb the SEO rankings, their real value becomes clear.

Similarly, email integration is essential, especially if you want the site to automatically follow up with customers who abandon their carts. This helps raise sales, making it a feature that quickly pays for itself. The integration also includes newsletters and similar marketing functionality that most e-commerce businesses use.

Maintenance and support

Although support comes after the site is launched, it should still be accounted for in the budget. Getting high-quality support will mean higher customer satisfaction and better security of your website. The good thing is that signing a long-term contract for support services can mean a more favorable rate.

With a cart abandonment rate of 72% on desktops and 84% on mobile in the US, it’s clear that customers are extremely picky about not just product selection but the store's quality. Making an investment in your site’s stability, faster loading times, and security will pay off down the line. Our general advice would be not to think of this post-launch expense as an afterthought, it’s a crucial part of development.

Creating Your Shopify Budget

First things first, you need to start by checking out Shopify’s pricing tiers. This is an expense you cannot escape, and that’s the upfront answer to “how much for Shopify website development?”. The Basic tier starts at $39 per month, and the powerful Plus tier, intended for large enterprises, starts at $2000 monthly.

Similarly, try to add in the design expenses right away. Are you going for a custom theme or one of the pre-built options on Shopify? The answer to that will determine what the budget for this section should be. Any apps, custom or not, will also incur a cost. Custom app development can run anywhere from $1000 to a five-digit number, depending on the complexity.

The development budget depends heavily on how much customization you want, as the number of new features you integrate will multiply the expenses. The simplest development that doesn’t involve any bespoke apps will cost around $ 5,000 to $ 10,000.

Don’t forget that you will also be facing the cost of working with a payment gateway. This is usually a miniscule percentage of each transaction, but it can add up if you deal with a service that takes a higher cut of around 3%. Another “hidden” fee is the hosting cost, which may not be a huge part of the budget but still needs to be accounted for.

Lastly, in addition to support and maintenance expenses, you need to include QA costs. Properly testing your website before launch is crucial, as starting off with a buggy UX will tank your SEO ranking and conversion rate. Proper AB testing is mandatory for a smooth store opening.

With all of these components, you should be able to assess how much you’ll need to spend for your new Shopify website. Remember to factor in a bit of leeway for yourself in case of any unforeseen changes. Now, let’s talk about some excellent Shopify stores and the role of a good agency in creating them.

Real-life examples

One of our team’s favorite projects is the Scentbird store. Created from scratch, this website was all about creating a custom design that enhanced the user experience. With the end goal being user conversion into memberships, the team focused on highlighting the benefits of that paid service and guiding users to it. As a result, 80% of users chose to buy the membership.

Another case where we had to make a more modern website for a plant retailer started off with a pre-built theme. Despite this initial decision to take one of Shopify’s offerings, the client asked for a redesign, as well as the addition of user-friendly features. This was one of our budget-friendly projects, and the client was left satisfied not just by the quality of the work but also by the price.

As you can see, the answer to “how much does a Shopify website cost?” doesn’t have to be outrageously high. What does have to be high is the product quality, at least when you are working with DigitalSuits. We are focused on converting even modest budgets into results that make clients happy and boost conversions.

Strategic Cost Optimization

Beyond simply looking for cheaper options, your approach to the project budget should include measured decisions that help form it. This can and should include:

• Set the scope early.
• Decide if you want to hire an agency.
• Determine essential functionality.
• Leave room for unexpected spending.

Set the scope early

You need to head into development with a clear picture of what to achieve, how far your budget can stretch, and what can be done with the resources you have. Being realistic is the only sensible approach, as this is the point where you can start to see which aspects of the development will receive the most funds.

While shifts in the desired goal or your vision of the finished website can occur, it’s best to work through such issues early on. Changing the scope or reallocating budget percentages later in the process can disrupt the development. This is especially relevant when custom apps or themes are requested. Shopify website design cost can be a surprisingly large part of the budget.

Decide if you want to hire an agency

While developing a store from scratch isn’t easy, some companies might be able to handle it in-house. This is especially true thanks to Shopify’s intuitive interface and flexible nature. Granted, you won’t end up with the most cutting-edge and impressive storefront, but a simple online store made by your own team can be within your budget.

If you do approach a vendor to handle development, don’t come to the table with questions like “how much does it cost to make a Shopify website?” Provide your plan for the site, say what you want at minimum as well as what your loftiest goals are. A professional team should be able to assess your approximate expenses from that and help you get things going.

Determine essential functionality

While there is always a temptation to go all out, you need to set the basics first. Once you’ve agreed on the standard features like a custom checkout and cart, statistics aggregators, and SEO optimization apps, you can look beyond them for extra solutions. An idea of what the necessities will cost should clarify how many extras you can get.

Until then, it’s risky to add popular things like AI-powered recommendations. They might look good, but you need to know if they’ll fit in your budget first. We have seen some companies ask for every hyped-up feature possible and watch their Shopify store development cost balloon out of control. That is not the goal, so focus on the essentials.

Leave room for unexpected spending

No matter how well-prepared you are, it’s smart to account for accidents. Maybe some developments in the market prompt a sharp pivot, or you decide to add some features that weren’t in the budget initially. Regardless of the reason, try to keep a portion of the funds for emergency needs.

In addition to being prepared for problems, this also gives you flexibility in expanding the development team or picking a higher pricing tier from Shopify. Stay prepared for any increase in the development cost of Shopify website, and you’re more likely to end up with the result you wanted.

Takeaway

We covered the core components that make up Shopify development store cost and talked about their individual importance. Using DigitalSuits’ expertise, we gave our tips on streamlining some of these, as well as information on what your website needs to succeed. Knowing the importance of careful expense planning, you should easily order a website within your budget.

In addition to smart planning and optimizing expenses, you can also keep your Shopify development cost manageable by hiring an expert vendor. DigitalSuits has over eight years of experience creating custom solutions and developing e-commerce stores for clients all over the world. We specialize in Shopify, including unique app creation and bespoke theme design.

So, if you want to build a Shopify store that no competitor can match in terms of quality or cost, get in touch today.