How long does it take to build an eCommerce store? If you build a store with Shopify that stocks 10 items, you could probably build a very basic site in a couple of hours with no technical skills at all. Modern website builders simplify the process of building very basic eCommerce stores.
But if you need to build a customised online store with thousands of items, you’ll need to hire a development team, and the project could easily take 6-12 months and cost tens of thousands of dollars.
There’s so much variation because every store is different. Building a website is never a “one-size-fits-all” project. The amount of time (and money) it takes to launch an eCommerce site depends on the size of your eCommerce website, your industry, the platform you’re using, and much more.
So in this blog post, Australian Internet Advertising will go over everything you need to know step-by-step, and discuss what factors may affect how long it takes to design and develop an eCommerce website. Let’s get started.
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Custom Vs. Off-The-Shelf Websites
This is probably the biggest factor that affects overall development time. If you decide that you want a fully customised eCommerce website, you may provide users with a better experience, but the cost of web design and website development will be much higher – and it will take much longer, too.
This is why most eCommerce entrepreneurs and business owners today choose Shopify or another “off-the-shelf” website builder for their store. These platforms contain most of the tools that you will need to set up a website and provide a high quality user experience, without requiring the entire website to be built from scratch.
Want an analogy? Building a custom website is like buying an empty plot of land and building a house. It takes a long time and is expensive – but you can build it however you like!
In contrast, using a platform like Shopify is like renovating a house that’s already been built and has most of the features you want. You won’t be able to change quite as many aspects of the house – but you’ll save a lot of time and money, and still end up with a great house!
The Number Of Products At Your Store
This has a major effect on the time it takes to build your eCommerce store. Each individual product needs its own webpage, product descriptions, photos, reviews section, and lots of other elements – and high-quality descriptions and images are essential for making sales.
If you have thousands or tens of thousands of products you want to sell, this can easily be one of the most time-consuming parts of launching a new eCommerce store – but it can’t be overlooked. Customers rely on quality descriptions and photos to understand the products you have to offer – and to convert and buy what you’re selling.
Integrating Payment Gateways & Shipping
Most eCommerce platforms like Shopify integrate payment gateways and shipping solutions, but if you’re interested in using alternatives to their default solutions or you’re building a custom website, you will need to work with your developers to find the right solution and implement it in your store, which could take days or even weeks, depending on your store.
It’s also important to test these integrations regularly to make sure they work properly, and that your customers will not have billing or shipping issues when it’s time for your website to launch.
Developing A Customer Support Solution
You need to think through customer support, and how you’ll handle customer complaints, returns, and other such things. You may also need to hire additional customer support staff if you’re launching a very large eCommerce store.
The best option is usually to integrate a customer support tool like Zendesk into your website. Dedicated customer support platforms typically integrate easily with platforms like Shopify, and provide you with powerful tools that enhance the customer experience.
Optimising For SEO And Digital Marketing
This is an essential part of building any website. Whether you’re creating a custom website or using a tool like Shopify, you need to take the time to optimise your website for search engines and for future digital marketing campaigns.
SEO, or “search engine optimisation” refers to a number of best practices that you can use to rank higher in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. This is no easy task – even if you work with a professional agency or web developer, this could add quite a bit of time to your website project.
However, it’s worth it. Great SEO prepares your eCommerce store for success, and ensures that additional digital marketing efforts through websites like Facebook and Google will help your store thrive.
Every Project Is Different – Contact Us To Learn How Long Your Launch May Take
So, how long will your project take? We don’t know! As you can see from the information above, it depends on your website, the platform you want to use, the features you need, and a lot of other factors.
The best way to find out how long it takes to build an eCommerce website is to contact Australian Internet Advertising. As experts in web development and Shopify development, we can learn more about your project, discuss the specifics, and come up with an informed estimate. Get started today – and take the first step toward launching your own eCommerce website.
