Online Store Development: Cost and Budget in 2026

What determines the cost of an online store?

The number of pages is not the main factor. What matters more is what needs to happen after the “Place order” button is clicked. If the order only appears in the admin panel, the project is simpler. If it needs to update inventory, calculate a price based on the customer profile, create a waybill and send a notification, you are planning an integrated system.

That is why a fixed final price without a defined scope is a warning sign. Two quotes may look similar, but one may include a ready-made payment and courier module while the other leaves these tasks for additional development.

What should the catalogue and product page include?

A basic catalogue includes categories, product pages, images, descriptions, prices, stock availability and a shopping cart. For a more complex store, you need to clarify whether products have variants, different units of measurement, bundles, related items or customer-specific pricing.

For auto parts, for example, filtering by make and model is not enough for every situation. Q-Parts.bg demonstrates a more specific approach: VIN number search, make and model filters, and integration with Econt. Here, the cost is determined not only by the design but also by the logic for finding a compatible product.

A B2B store may need different prices for businesses, stock availability by warehouse, quote requests and order approval. Labimex is an example of a B2B e-commerce platform with a product catalogue and quotation system. This is a different scope from a standard shopping cart for end customers.

How do payments and couriers change the quote?

The quote should specify which payment methods will be set up and what happens in the event of a failed payment, cancellation or refund. Card payments are not just a field on the page. They involve confirmation from the payment provider, an order status update and a notification to the customer.

For couriers, check whether automatic delivery cost calculation, office or locker selection, waybill creation and cash-on-delivery handover are included. If an employee copies addresses from the store into the courier's system, this becomes a hidden cost after launch.

Investment products also involve additional rules. UnitGold uses live prices, a secure checkout and delivery of physical bars and coins. The cost of such a project depends on the connection between the current price, order, payment and fulfilment.

What should a good admin panel include?

The admin panel should not be just a place to add products. The owner should be able to view orders by status, update stock levels, manage promotions and get clear information about the customer and delivery.

Roles are important for larger teams. A warehouse employee does not need to change SEO settings, while an order operator should not be able to see every financial report. Also clarify whether there is a change history, product import and export, and bulk price editing.

What do SEO and support mean in a quote?

The store's SEO foundation includes readable URLs, titles, descriptions, category structure, internal links, a mobile version and technical settings. This is not the same as monthly SEO optimisation or writing product copy. The quote should clearly state what is included and who will prepare the data.

Support can also cover different things. It may mean updates, backups and responding to problems, but it may also include small changes, adding modules and monitoring integrations. For ongoing support, the reference price is €100–€350 per month. The price within this range depends on response time, the number of tasks and whether the team takes over a store built by another provider.

When are custom features needed?

Ready-made modules cover a standard cart, payment and delivery. Custom development makes sense when the store follows a process that cannot fit into a standard setup: contract-based pricing, product calculation, automatic enquiries, serial-number servicing or synchronisation with an internal system.

For a luxury brand, design and product presentation are also part of the sales process. Akbari Perfume House uses a premium e-commerce platform with luxury design and storytelling, while Camélia Désir has a bilingual online store with card payments and delivery via Econt. These are not simply different colours applied to a ready-made template, but solutions for a specific brand and market.

How does the store connect to a warehouse, ERP and CRM?

If sales are processed in a separate system, define from the outset which system is the source of truth for prices, stock levels and customers. Otherwise, you may end up with one price on the website, a different stock level in the warehouse and duplicate customers in the CRM.

An API integration can transfer products, orders, statuses, customers and waybills. It is important to clarify the direction of data flow, synchronisation frequency, error handling and resending after an interruption. This is the natural next step for a more complex store and is described in the API integrations and software connectivity service.

To see what such a process looks like, open the demo of the 3D printers and consumables system. It connects the website and the system, transfers prices in both directions, accepts online orders, tracks stock and shipments, manages serial-number servicing and handles sales to businesses.

How do you compare two online store quotes?

1. 01
   Describe the ordering process

   Write down how the customer chooses a product, pays and receives a notification, and how the team processes and ships the order. Also include returns, declined payments and cancelled orders.

2. 02
   Prepare the product data

   Clarify the source of the catalogue, the data format, variants, images, categories and stock rules. A poorly prepared catalogue often delays the project more than the development itself.

3. 03
   Separate must-haves from nice-to-haves

   Separate the features needed for launch from those that can wait. This gives you comparable baseline quotes and shows the cost of each additional idea.

4. 04
   Check the integrations

   Ask for a specific list of payment providers, couriers, warehouse systems and ERP systems. Ask who maintains the connection when the API changes or an error occurs.

5. 05
   Clarify acceptance and support

   The quote should specify the testing, training, content migration, launch and response in the event of a problem. This way, you will not have to argue after launch about whether a particular task was included.

What budget should you plan for?

For a standard online store with a catalogue, cart, payment, cash on delivery, basic filters and an admin panel, the reference price starts at €840. When you add more complex filters, more delivery methods, custom design, B2B rules and integrations, the project can reach €6,300. The full measured range is €840–€6,300.

Instead of setting aside a budget only for the initial development, also plan for catalogue preparation, migration from the old store, payment and courier contracts, content, SEO work and ongoing support. In a real quote, these parts should be listed separately so you know exactly what you are buying.

When should you choose professional online store development?

A ready-made platform can be a sensible starting point if the catalogue is simple, sales follow a standard process and you do not need an integration with your warehouse or ERP. Custom development makes more sense when the store is the operational hub and inaccurate stock levels, manual data entry or slow processing are costly.

For a project like this, the team needs to understand not only the design but also how the warehouse, sales, accounting and customer service operations work. Online Store Development includes a catalogue, filters, card or cash-on-delivery payments and automatic waybill creation, while additional features are defined according to the process.