ECommerce companies offer development and design services that cover the entire digital commerce ecosystem. Primarily, they ideate, design, build, maintain, and optimize web sites for Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, BigCommerce, and custom platforms. 

Their core eCommerce portfolio is often complemented by digital marketing services such as search engine optimization (SEO), pay-per-click (PPC), content marketing, and conversion rate optimization (CRO), to name a few. Other key services include performance tracking, audience research, product listing optimizing, inventory management, sponsored ad management, and online marketplace management for Amazon, eBay, and Etsy. 

ECommerce web development costs from $5,000 to $20,000+, with the platform choice and development complexity accounting for the biggest fraction of the cost. Namely, the platform determines how much of the work is handled out of the box and how much of custom development eCommerce providers will need to do. Businesses can choose between DIY website builders, platform-based builds with customizations, and bespoke builds. 

Of the three, platform-based builds with agency customizations are the preferred choice among businesses, wherein the cost is affected by the design of the storefront, the UX flows, the checkout and cart customization requirements, the product catalog structure, and the additional integrations pertaining to payment, shipping, and inventory. Here’s what to expect: 

• Web development: $3,000 to $20,000 
• Front-end development: $3,000 to $10,000+ 
• Back-end development: $5,000 to $20,000 

For bespoke and enterprise builds, the price can exceed $50,000 for the combined development effort. 

On average, eCommerce agencies need between 4 and 7 months to build a fully-functioning, responsive eCommerce site. The work is divided into design, wireframing, web development, and marketing preparations. Here’s how long each phase entails:  

• CMS and web hosting: 1 to 2 weeks 
• Objectives defining and information architecture planning: 1 to 3 weeks 
• Low-fidelity wireframing: 1 to 2 weeks 
• High-fidelity wireframing: 2 to 3 weeks 
• Web development: 4 to 10 weeks 
• Marketing and brand preparation: 4 to 6 weeks 
• Launch and final quality assurance: A few days 

Yes, the majority of eCommerce development projects come with additional costs for hosting, domain fees, premium themes or plugins, payment gateway fees, and third-party app integrations. In addition to the base fee for the B2C/B2B eCommerce agency, businesses also need to budget for maintenance, security updates, content uploads, inventory setup, and performance optimization.  

While benefits related to inventory visibility and automated order processing can be seen almost immediately, considerable return on investment (ROI) can be experienced within 6 to 9 months after working with eCommerce companies. The value comes in the form of reduced manual order processing, better stock accuracy, faster order fulfillment, lower administrative overhead, and better customer service.