"How much do eCommerce websites cost?" eCommerce Store 101: Learning Series

This is the one statement that every person we talk to asks. It’s also the hardest one to answer in many cases. Having built several thousand eCommerce stores over the last 16 years and most likely having talked to tens of thousands of prospects, we’ve come to realize that there is no easy answer for this. In fact, that statement revolves around so much more than just the website itself that we’ve begun developing a brand new free learning series called eCommerce Store Redesign 101. Our hope is to shed some light on the usually overlooked aspects of creating and running a company online.

Having worked with many Fortune 500 companies, its fairly obvious that because of deep pockets and greater resources, big companies have a definite advantage when working through a buildout. I’ve found that most customers tend to focus on Cost [understandably], What the site should look like and Which type of features they would like installed. Thats a great start but there is so much more to consider. Our goal over the next few months with this series is to create a better understanding of what it takes to build and launch a successful eCommerce business.

Here are a few topics being covered in addition to the store website design | eCommerce Store Redesign 101:

1. Budget – How much do ecommerce sites cost??
2. Finding ecommerce website designers / developers and helping them understand what you need.
3. Working with your designer / developer
4. Your business Staffing and working with your team. – Should you consider using a team that is remote? Distance Management. Employee issues. Golden Rule Business/team?.  Employee work/life balance.
5. Accounting – You must be able to trust your numbers. Finding them must be efficient.
6. Product Sourcing and product data management
7. Company Data Flow
8. What numbers should you be tracking

Are there topics missing that you think should be addressed? Let us know.

So back to the topic ….. How Much Does It Cost???

Good Question! There is no cookie-cutter answer since every site looks different and has it’s own set of business rules. You’ll find now that most development and design firms have moved to an hourly based cost model simply because every site is different with its own set of problems. In the early years it was fairly simple to put a price on a template styled boilerplate eStore. Now that commerce driven stores are not just an adjunct to offline marketing and has now become an additional business entity, cost has many different facets that need to be addressed since it becomes an intergal part of the business flow.

Here are a few points that you will need to address when speaking with a qualified developer about the cost investment:

1. Needed for the actual ecommerce website build
   1. A discussion about your Brand.
   2. Who are you selling to? Make a list of your customer personas
   3. What are you selling and are there shipping, pricing, configuration and presentation oddities that need to be considered?
   4. What other sites do you like or would like to emulate in some fashion – what do you like about them?
   5. What type of features and functionality would you like built in [Part of this list will come from #3 above]?
2. Developer relations
   1. Would you need a development company to help with ongoing maintenance? Most of our clients are clients on a monthly retainer. This allows a very fluid relationship which fosters a good, healthy, store growth that isn’t stagnant.
   2. How much training do you need? We find that the clients level of eCommerce and technical knowledge play a big roll in cost. We love working with clients and teaching companies about best practices but there is a cost involved. Our Pivot360 product is a great tool for entrepreneurs needing a personal eCommerce coach… long term or short. If you are to be successful, it is important to have a firm grasp on what type of help and training you’ll need. The sooner you know this the better. It will save you a ton of dollars in the long run.
3. Additional Application development – In many cases clients need some type of custom application to help move data around. Here is a possible example: Once you receive an order, it needs to be broken up by item. Each one needs to be sent off to their different corresponding fulfillment centers. In this case you would want the papertrail to be automated and not have to touch the order. An additional application to manage the data flow must be created to minimize employee usage. Work with you developer to discuss what you need and compare it with the standard functionality that comes with the eCommerce platform you choose. Do your best to work through as much of this as possible beforehand to help manage additional build costs.
4. Don’t forget to talk about Social Media. At the moment it’s a must have.

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A good developer will do their best to understand what you need. It is important though for you to make sure they DO understand rather than assuming they do. Good communication and thorough discussion up front will make for a solid quote with hopefully no surprises.

What do you find effecting cost that could be remedied by better communication up front?

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