Short version: most UK and EU small businesses pay around £4,000–£15,000 (roughly €4,700–€17,500) for a professional ecommerce store in 2026. A basic store starts near £2,000; a fully bespoke build climbs past £25,000. Where you land depends on the platform and how much is custom.

Rough 2026 ranges

  • Shopify (themed store): ~£2,500–£8,000 to set up, plus a platform plan from about £19/month up to ~£289/month on higher tiers.
  • WooCommerce (WordPress): ~£3,500–£10,000 for an agency build. The plugin is free, so there's no monthly platform licence — but you pay for hosting and maintenance.
  • Custom build: ~£8,000–£15,000 for a larger store with custom design and integrations; a fully bespoke platform runs £25,000+.

What actually drives the price

  • How custom the design is. A themed store is cheaper than a bespoke design system.
  • Integrations. Payment, shipping, ERP/inventory, and marketplace syncs all add scope.
  • Number of products and how the data is handled. A big catalogue needs clean product data — and often content automation to populate it.
  • SEO and performance. Built-in technical SEO and fast Core Web Vitals cost a little more up front and save a lot later.

The monthly costs people forget

An online store also costs money to run: anywhere from ~£20/month for a bare-bones shop to a realistic £150–£400/month once you add apps, hosting, maintenance, and the transaction fee taken on every order. Budget for it from the start.

How to spend well

Don't over-build for launch. Start with the smallest store that can sell, make sure it's fast and structured for SEO, and add features once they're earning. That's how we scope ecommerce builds — see our Ecommerce & App Development service and our transparent pricing.

Want a real number for your store? Tell us what you're selling and we'll give you a straight estimate.