Ecommerce Website Design: an online shop on your own domain

A small online shop rarely fails because of its design. Customers leave when shipping costs appear too late, when the payment step feels unfamiliar or when they cannot work out how returns work. So most of our setup time goes into the parts customers only notice when they are missing. These are the points we settle with you during the build.

The platform: WooCommerce or Shopify

We build shops on either platform. WooCommerce is the open-source shop system that runs on WordPress: product options, stock, coupons and shipping zones are part of the system, and the shop and its data sit on your own hosting. Shopify is a hosted shop platform that looks after servers and updates for you; you pay its monthly subscription directly to Shopify, and the current plans are listed on Shopify's pricing page. Our build price is the same for both platforms.

Payment methods

Card payment is the common ground of online shopping, so it is the first method we set up. Depending on where you sell, other methods may be popular as well, from digital wallets to local bank payments. Which ones you can offer depends on the payment provider your business signs up with. You hold the contract with the provider; we connect it and check it with test orders. Card details are never stored in the shop; they are processed by the payment provider.

Splitting shipping into zones

WooCommerce calculates shipping by zone. A typical setup for a small shop might look like this:

• Domestic: a flat rate, free above a set basket value.
• Nearby countries: a separate rate for the countries you ship to most.
• Everywhere else: a weight-based rate, or shipping on request only.
• Local pickup: a free option for customers in your own town.

For fragile or perishable goods, it is often wise to limit the destinations you ship to from the start.

The product page does the selling

Online, customers can't pick a product up and turn it over; they decide from the photos and the details on the page. Every product should show clear photos, size or weight, ingredients or materials, stock status and an estimated delivery time, always in the same order. Well-written descriptions answer most questions before they reach your inbox.

Returns, terms and the pages a shop needs

• Terms of sale: prices, delivery and payment rules.
• Returns page: how a return works and who pays for the return postage.
• Privacy page and cookie notice: for the data the checkout collects.
• Seller details: your business name, address and contact information.

Consumer rules on returns and on how prices are shown differ from country to country. We build these pages and the checkout notices around the rules and the tax setup you tell us apply to your business.

Getting started

The shop opens as quickly as your product list, photos, shipping arrangements and returns rules come together. You can see our cosmetics and perfume shop concepts on this page; the full package scope is on the website pricing page. If you only want to present your business without selling online, a business website is the better fit. Products need a stronger look first? Start with logo and brand identity. Questions are welcome via the contact page. To compare platforms and running costs, read Shopify vs WooCommerce costs.