Naturally, when your business is booming, the next step is creating an ecommerce website to showcase and sell your products online. Having your website allows you to control and customize branding — ensuring you create a surreal customer experience.

When starting an ecommerce store, it's all about finances. If you've chosen Shopify to take your business to new heights, you're likely wondering: How much does it cost to build a Shopify website?

Well, you'll be thrilled to know that starting your Shopify website can be incredibly affordable. With the Shopify Starter plan, you can get started with as little as $5 per month, while Shopify Plus offers extensive features (pricing starts from $2300 per month).

In this comprehensive Shopify guide, we will break down how much it costs to make a Shopify website and explore the various factors that influence your investment. 

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Why Choose Shopify for Ecommerce?

What began as a snowboarding gear store soon became a leading ecommerce platform.

Although Shopify started as a stand-alone platform for building and managing online stores, it did not remain one-dimensional and offered support beyond its initial scope. 

Now, Shopify is a full-service website builder that offers all the tools you need to create, launch, and run an online business.

The platform has not only branched into website hosting but also supports selling through third-party marketplaces such as eBay and Amazon. In our comparison of WooCommerce and Shopify, we explored the many advantages Shopify has to offer. 

With over 700 million customers, Shopify websites boast a user-friendly interface, which is built to help businesses connect with their customers, manage smooth operations, and drive sales.

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Shopify Plans and Costs

Shopify’s versatile plans are suitable for businesses of all sizes, giving everyone a chance to run their online store without worrying about the cost of Shopify development. 

Whether you have a brand-new small business or a well-established enterprise, you will likely find a plan that suits your requirements and budget

Moreover, it's an incredibly scalable platform. This means that if you are currently a small business, you can start with the basic plan and, as your business grows, easily adjust to more advanced plans.

All four plan options include 24/7 customer support, automatic orders, inventory, and product updates, unlimited inventory options, and a variety of other tools. 

As you move to higher plans, you get additional features, including perks like fraud analysis, language translation, shipping discounts, and labels.

Let's explore the different plans Shopify offers.
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Starter Plan

Cost: $5 per month
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The Shopify Starter Plan is a stripped-down version that includes the most crucial Shopify features. 

If you already have a website, all you need to do is integrate Shopify to add a "buy" button. With a simple code snippet, Shopify will automatically display all your products on the page with their photos, descriptions, prices, and most importantly, the BUY NOW CTA.

This plan is ideal for those who don't want to worry about how to build a store on Shopify. If you don't already have a website and are using social media platforms to sell your products, you can still use the Shopify Starter plan. 

Wherever you can put a link to market your products, you can use Shopify Starter. Think Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and even SMS!

Shopify Starter is the best way to get a taste of ecommerce when you are unsure and unwilling to take on the hassle of building and maintaining a "proper" website. If things work out for you, you can always upgrade to a more advanced plan.

However, you need to be careful about the transaction fees on Shopify Starter as the card processing fees are significantly higher compared to all the other plans. 

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Basic Plan

Cost: $25 per month ($19 per month if paid annually) 
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Now, let's talk about the platform that will give you a fully functional, standalone ecommerce website. The Shopify Basic plan is loaded with more features than those offered in the Shopify Starter plan. 

From basic reporting to one-click checkouts and advanced cart recovery features, Shopify Basic has everything a small to medium business could ask for.

You start by getting a responsive website with more than 90 themes to choose from, 17 of which are free. You can add unlimited products, manage up to 10 inventory locations, and receive consistent customer support. 

If that's not enough, the basic reporting feature helps you analyze your store's performance, making this plan even more attractive.

Shopify Basic is an excellent choice for businesses looking to streamline their shipping and sales processes. It offers collaboration with most major carriers, providing you with discounted shipping rates, which can be a significant cost saver.

If you need a point-of-sale (POS) system, Shopify Basic has you covered with its POS Lite feature, making it easy to manage both online and offline sales. Plus, the ability to print shipping labels in bulk simplifies your workflow.

In addition to these features, Shopify Basic supports drop shipping integrations, allowing you to expand your product offerings without holding inventory. You can also sell in multiple currencies and languages, giving your business the flexibility to reach customers across the globe.

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Shopify Plan

Cost: $65 per month ($49 per month if paid annually)
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The next step up from the Basic plan is Shopify plan. 

The plan's ecommerce website development cost is higher than the previous but with the ability to automate certain tasks, the Shopify Standard plan includes everything from the previous plan and adds a few more features for you to enjoy.

You start with 10 inventory locations and 5 staff accounts. Then, you get more advanced reporting covering the nitty-gritty of orders, sales, customers, profits, and more. Besides that, automation of tasks includes low inventory notifications and notifying customers of wishlist inventory restocks.

Plus, you get to enjoy bigger shipping discounts depending on size and weight and even a $200 insurance. This plan ensures you feel secure and thrive in the ecommerce industry. 

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Advanced Plan

Cost: $399 per month ($299 per month if paid annually) 
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With a big price jump from the previous plan, Shopify Advance is tailored for larger corporations looking to leverage its comprehensive features. 

First of all, the Advanced plan has the most extensive reporting feature, justifying the Shopify website development cost. Following that, you get all the features and functionalities of the previous plan and more.

The reporting tool comes with custom report and filter options. You can add up to 15 staff accounts and 10 inventory locations. 

If you don't qualify for the Shopify shipping feature due to using a different carrier, you can also get real-time shipping rates from other carriers besides Shopify Shipping.

Are you looking to sell overseas? Then you don't have to worry about import tax and duty calculations for international shipments as this plan automates that for you as well. This gives you a chance to expand your business worry-free.

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Additional Shopify Website Costs to Consider

When we ask how much it costs to build an ecommerce site, it's essential to factor in the additional costs of the Shopify plans. You may be required to pay for premium themes and other add-ons.

The following are some common additional charges that come with ecommerce website development costs. 

1. Theme

While most businesses are fine with free themes, they place greater emphasis on their branding and prefer the specific premium themes that come with features and functionalities to match their requirements. 

Premium theme costs hover around $75 to $300. However, with proper planning, this can be much more cost-effective than getting a customized website built from scratch. 

2. Domain Name

Get your domain directly from Shopify. They offer domain registration services, making it easy to purchase and manage your domain through their platform. Once you buy a domain from Shopify, it's automatically configured to work with your Shopify store. 

3. Premium Apps and Plugins

If you want to expand the functionality of your Shopify website, you may want to get some premium plugins. These could range from anywhere between $5 a month to hundreds of dollars, depending on the one you need. 

4. Transaction Charges

When using Shopify, be aware of additional costs such as the Shopify Payments fee, which varies based on the credit card type and location, with domestic and cross-border fees. 

Third party transaction fees apply per transaction if you use an external payment provider, but are waived when using Shopify Payments

Additionally, there's a currency conversion fee when accepting payments in a different currency than your payout currency, which is 1.5% in the US and 2% in other countries. These costs are essential for effective cost management. 

5. Time

Along with the monetary cost of building a Shopify website, you must also consider non-monetary costs, such as time. The more time it takes to build your website, the more revenue you would be losing out on.

6. Development Costs

Some businesses may choose to hire a web developer or designer to help them build their ecommerce website or to assist them with any technicalities or issues. Hiring a developer for your Shopify website can cost anywhere from as low as $350 to over $5000, depending on your needs.

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Key Factors Influencing Shopify Website Development Cost

How much does it costs to build an ecommerce site depends on a variety of key factors, which we have briefly outlined below. How you want your website to be will depend on these factors.

Design Complexity 

Firstly, you may require expert developers for highly intricate and customized designs. Not only do they cost more, but also require more time and effort.  On the other hand, simpler designs are more cost-effective. 

Functionality Requirements 

The more features you want to add for enhanced functionality, the higher it would cost. Some hard strikes for development costs may be due to subscription models, complex product customization options, or multi-language support. 

Always prioritize these based on your business needs and goals. 

Business Size

Larger stores may have higher development costs compared to smaller stores due to the need for more product categories, extensive catalogs, frequent product updates, and customization.

Building and maintaining the infrastructure for these features can be more expensive.

Website Responsiveness 

With a world full of diverse screen sizes and devices, stores must provide their customers with a smooth user experience. Fast and hassle-free websites are customer favorites, and a corresponding design may require higher costs. 

SEO Requirements 

SEO strategies are important for ecommerce stores, and some businesses may want to incorporate them during development. 

However, these benefits are long-term rather than immediate and require upfront investment, which may cause hesitation among business owners. 

Content Creation

Blogs, videos, images, and product descriptions are all essential for engaging and informing customers. 

However, with a pool of resources and hours of working for high-quality content, you would need to increase the development budget. 

Support and Maintenance 

Finally, maintaining your Shopify website after launch is crucial for smooth operation. Regular updates, security patches, bug fixes, and technical support are essential to keep your site sustainable and performing well over time.

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Tips for Keeping Your Ecommerce Website Cost Low

The actual cost will depend on your vision for your online store, but we are going to let you in on this secret: there are ways you can minimize your ecommerce store development costs. 

Consider the following tips if you are keen on reduced costs: 

• Opt for pre-made templates since they already have all the design and layout elements in place.
• Instead of adding unnecessary features, focus on the essentials. Not only does this save you costs, but it also makes the interface more user-friendly.
• Simpler color palettes and clean lines mean lower design costs.

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FAQs about Shopify Store Development

1. How much are Shopify charges after 1 month?

Shopify offers a 3-day trial period and then a discounted plan for 1 month, where you get charged $1 regardless of your chosen Shopify plan. After that, you get charged the monthly fee depending on the plan you select. 
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2. What is the difference between an ecommerce platform and ecommerce hosting?

An ecommerce platform provides the tools to design an attractive web page or series of pages for customers to visit and learn more about your business. 

However, these websites need to be hosted somewhere, which is the role of an ecommerce website host. Hosting platforms ensure that your website can handle the traffic it receives.
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3. Can I try Shopify before committing to a plan?

Yes. Luckily, Shopify offers a 3-day free trial period that allows you to try and explore the platform before you commit to it. 
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4. Is Shopify a good fit for small businesses?

Shopify is an excellent choice for small businesses that rely on online sales. It's a user-friendly website builder with robust features. You can feature unlimited inventory and track it with ease. Since the platform is beginner-friendly, you may not even require a designer. 

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The Takeaway 

When budgeting for a Shopify website, remember that development costs are just part of the picture. It’s important to consider the features your store will need and how it stacks up against the competition.

At DIGITORM, we craft Shopify stores that are not only tailored to your business needs but also designed to give you a competitive edge. With a 100% satisfaction rate, we’re here to help you build a store that truly stands out.

Let’s bring your vision to life together!