E-commerce Website Cost UK 2026: What to Budget for Your Online Store

Launching an online store is one of the best investments a UK business can make, but the cost can vary wildly depending on your approach. Here's an honest breakdown.

E-commerce Platform Costs

Shopify

• **Basic plan**: £25/month
• **Standard plan**: £65/month
• **Advanced plan**: £259/month
• **Transaction fees**: 1.5-2% per sale

WooCommerce (WordPress)

• **Hosting**: £5-30/month
• **SSL certificate**: Usually included with hosting
• **Essential plugins**: £50-300/year
• **Payment gateway fees**: 1.4-2.9% per sale

Wix e-Commerce

• **Business plan**: £27/month
• **Business VIP**: £49/month
• **No additional transaction fees** (through Wix Payments)

Design & Setup Costs

DIY Template Approach

• **Cost**: £0-200
• **Time**: 20-40 hours of your time
• **Result**: Basic, template-looking store

Freelance Designer (like me!)

• **Starter store**: From £500
• **Professional store**: From £1,000-2,500
• **Custom-designed store**: From £2,500-5,000
• **Result**: Custom, branded, conversion-optimised

Agency

• **Basic store**: From £3,000-5,000
• **Mid-range store**: £5,000-15,000
• **Enterprise store**: £15,000-50,000+
• **Result**: Similar to freelance but at 2-3x the cost

Ongoing Costs to Budget For

• **Domain name**: £10-15/year
• **Email marketing**: £0-50/month (Mailchimp, Klaviyo)
• **Photography**: £200-500 per shoot
• **Maintenance**: £50-200/month (or DIY)
• **Marketing**: £100-500/month (ads, SEO)

Total First-Year Budget Estimates

| Approach | Setup | Monthly | Year 1 Total |

|----------|-------|---------|--------------|

| DIY + Shopify | £0 | £25-65 | £300-780 |

| Freelancer + Shopify | £1,000-3,000 | £25-65 | £1,300-3,780 |

| Agency + Shopify | £5,000-15,000 | £25-65 | £5,300-15,780 |

My Recommendation

For most UK businesses starting out in e-commerce, Shopify + a freelance designer offers the best balance of quality, cost, and scalability. You get a custom, professional store without the agency markup.

Ready to Launch Your Online Store?

I offer Shopify setup packages starting from £500. Book a free discovery call and I'll give you an honest assessment of what your store needs and what it'll cost.