What does an online shop cost and what are the biggest cost drivers?

These factors are the biggest cost drivers.

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Many online store operators are often unable to accurately estimate the costs of a new store. Does the investment make sense or is it money down the drain? The costs of creating an online store are often opaque, as many different factors play a role.

In the following, we take a closer look at the individual areas:

→ Shop system and development costs: Modular systems such as Shopify are inexpensive, while solutions with Magento or Shopware are in the five-figure range.

→ Connection to ERP systems and migration: The integration and data transfer from existing systems requires a lot of effort and coordination. This can also result in high costs.

→ Design: Professional themes are unbeatably cheap with Shopify, but a completely individual design usually requires an investment in the five-figure range.

→ Content: Often underestimated! Creating texts, images and videos takes a lot of time and work. Whether done internally or externally, it must be taken into account in planning and costing.

→ Hosting and server costs: Shopify offers cheap hosting options included, while a large infrastructure for Magento can cause high monthly costs.

To minimize these uncertainties and achieve a good cost-benefit ratio, there are some concrete tips and questions that can help you find the sweet spot for your online store:

→ Standard is cheap: Consider to what extent your business model can be implemented with standard processes. Which standards are sufficient to satisfy your customers?

→ Customization is expensive: Evaluate which customizations are really indispensable. What sets you apart from the competition and is essential for your business model?

→ Price in your goal and strategy: Consider what investments are necessary now to enable future growth. Is a quick market entry more important than a comprehensive and perfect solution?

→ Advice and guidance: Get help to make the right decisions. Do you have qualified people in your team or external consultants who understand your situation and can develop suitable implementation scenarios?

To systematically clarify these questions, we at Kombinat always offer a product vision workshop at the start of a project. Here we work together to identify the relevant cost drivers and find the best solutions for your specific requirements.