Quick answer: A professionally built online shop for a UK small business typically costs £1,200–£3,500 for up to around 50 products, and £3,500–£8,000+ for a larger store. On top of that, expect to pay for hosting or a platform subscription (roughly £150–£800 a year), card processing fees of around 1.5%–2% plus 20–25p per sale, and any paid apps or plugins you need.
Ecommerce sites cost more than brochure websites because they do more: product listings, a basket, secure checkout, payments, shipping and VAT. This guide breaks down the real costs of selling online in the UK, so you can budget for the build and for running the shop afterwards.
How much does it cost to build an online shop?
| Type of shop | Typical build cost (UK) | Typical build time |
|---|---|---|
| DIY shop on Shopify, Wix or Squarespace | £0–£300 plus your time | 1–4 weeks of your evenings |
| Small professional shop (up to ~50 products) | £1,200–£3,500 | 4–8 weeks |
| Medium shop (hundreds of products, filters, variations) | £3,500–£8,000 | 6–12 weeks |
| Large or custom store (integrations, trade accounts, subscriptions) | £8,000+ | 10–16+ weeks |
At IceRocket Design, our Professional package includes ecommerce and starts from £999 for a smaller shop. See our pricing for what’s included.
What affects the cost of an online shop?
- Number of products and variations. Ten products with no sizes is quick to set up; 500 products with sizes, colours and stock levels takes much longer.
- Who adds the products. Supplying a tidy spreadsheet of products, prices and photos keeps costs down. Having your designer write descriptions and edit images adds time.
- Shipping and VAT rules. Simple flat-rate UK delivery is straightforward. Weight-based rates, international shipping and VAT on overseas orders need more setup and testing.
- Extra features. Subscriptions, trade or wholesale pricing, gift cards, booking slots, product personalisation and stock links to other systems all add cost.
- Integrations. Connecting to accounting software, an EPOS till system, a warehouse or Royal Mail Click & Drop takes extra development.
- Design. A bespoke design built around how your customers shop costs more than a lightly customised theme, but usually sells better.
Shopify or WooCommerce: which costs less?
The two most common choices for UK small businesses are Shopify (a hosted subscription platform) and WooCommerce (a free shop plugin for WordPress).
| Shopify | WooCommerce (on WordPress) | |
|---|---|---|
| Software | Monthly plan: about £19–£49 a month for most small shops on annual billing (Basic and Grow plans) | Free |
| Hosting | Included | Good WordPress hosting, typically £150–£400 a year for a small shop |
| Card fees | Shopify Payments: about 1.7%–2% + 25p per online sale on Basic and Grow | Your choice of provider, e.g. Stripe at about 1.5% + 20p for standard UK cards |
| Extra fee if you use another payment provider | Yes, up to 2% on the Basic plan | No |
| Apps and plugins | Many paid monthly apps | Many free or one-off paid plugins |
| Ownership | Rented on Shopify | You own the site and can move hosts |
Shopify is quick to start and handles hosting and security for you. WooCommerce usually costs less to run over several years, gives you full control over SEO and design, and sits on the same WordPress site as the rest of your content. Figures are typical UK prices in late 2026; providers change their pricing, so check before you commit.
What are the ongoing costs of running an online shop?
| Running cost | Typical UK cost |
|---|---|
| Domain name | £10–£20 a year |
| Hosting or platform subscription | £150–£800 a year |
| Card processing | About 1.5%–2% + 20–25p per sale for UK cards; more for international and premium cards |
| Paid apps or plugins | £0–£500 a year |
| Maintenance, updates and backups | £30–£150 a month, or DIY |
| Marketing (ads, SEO, email) | Varies; often the biggest cost after launch |
Worked example: a small UK shop selling £3,000 a month online at an average order of £40 makes 75 sales. At 1.5% + 20p per sale, card fees come to about £60 a month. Add hosting and maintenance, and running costs might be around £100–£200 a month before marketing.
How can you keep online shop costs down?
- Start with your best-selling products and add the rest later.
- Prepare a product spreadsheet and good photos before the build starts.
- Keep shipping simple at launch: one or two UK delivery options.
- Choose a platform without extra transaction fees on top of card fees.
- Only buy the apps or plugins you actually need.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a small online shop cost in the UK?
A professionally built small online shop with up to around 50 products typically costs £1,200–£3,500 in the UK, plus hosting or a platform subscription and card fees on each sale.
Is Shopify or WooCommerce cheaper in the UK?
Shopify is cheaper to start, but its monthly plan, paid apps and possible extra transaction fees add up. WooCommerce is free software and usually costs less to run over several years, though it needs good hosting and regular updates.
What card fees will my online shop pay?
For standard UK cards, expect around 1.5%–2% plus 20–25p per online sale, depending on the provider and plan. International and premium cards cost more.
How long does it take to build an online shop?
A small online shop usually takes 4–8 weeks to build, and a larger store 6–12 weeks or more. Having product details and photos ready makes the biggest difference.
Thinking about selling online?
We build WordPress and WooCommerce shops for small businesses across Gloucestershire and beyond, with fixed prices and no surprise fees. See our ecommerce web design service, request a free quote or call 01666 817151.
Related reading: How much does a small business website cost? · WordPress vs Wix vs Squarespace
