Guide

What does an online shop cost? Factors, process and funding options

There is no responsible flat rate for an online shop — the projects behind them are too different. What actually drives the effort, how you get a concrete quote and which subsidies are available in Austria.

Quote on request6 to 12 weeksAs of 2026
In short

A flat rate for an online shop cannot be quoted responsibly — it depends on the scope of the project, not on the provider. Depending on product range size and integrations; migrations separate. The actual proposal comes only after a brief, no-obligation initial consultation.

01 — Price

What it costs

Price
Individual based on effort
Typical duration
6 to 12 weeks

Depending on catalog size and integrations; migrations separate. A fixed price can only be quoted seriously after the initial meeting — send us a brief description of your project, and we'll send a proposal that fits the scope and effort.

02 — Factors

What drives the price

  • Scope and number of integrations. Every additional system that needs to participate costs effort — regardless of how simple the core is.
  • State of your starting point. Clean data, existing content and documented processes significantly reduce effort. Chaos is the most expensive cost factor.
  • How much new material needs to be created. What you can contribute doesn't need to be invented by anyone. This is the biggest lever you have in your own hands.
  • Requirements for design and customization. A solid standard system costs a fraction of a custom solution — and is sufficient more often than vendors admit.
  • Operating model. One-time project costs or ongoing support: calculated over three years, this often gives a different picture than the quote comparison.

03 — Funding

Subsidies in Austria

For digitalization projects, there are several funding programs in Austria, such as KMU.DIGITAL or the aws digitalization funding. Whether and to what extent one of these is currently relevant for your project, we'll review with you individually. Current conditions: kmudigital.at, aws.at.

Which program is relevant, how high the subsidy currently is, and whether the budget for the current funding period is still open changes regularly — plus there are regional funding programs that vary by federal state. Only the information from the funding agencies themselves is reliable, not a fixed percentage stated here.

The most common mistake is always the same: commission first, then want funding. That doesn't work. Allow several weeks of lead time for application and approval.

04 — Scope

What's included

  • Set up on a platform that fits your size, not the largest one
  • Payment methods actually used in German-speaking countries
  • Shipping and tax logic including delivery thresholds for EU shipping
  • Integration with inventory management or accounting
  • Legal texts, right of withdrawal, and button solution correctly implemented
  • Accessibility according to WCAG 2.1 AA — mandatory for shops in B2C business

05 — Questions

Frequently asked questions

How does VAT work for EU shipping?

Above the threshold, tax is paid in the destination country, usually through the One-Stop-Shop procedure. The store must calculate tax rates correctly for each country — this is set up during setup and isn't a detail you patch afterward.

Does our shop need to be accessible?

Yes, very likely. Online shops in consumer business are explicitly listed in the Austrian Barrierefreiheitsgesetz (Accessibility Act), which has been in effect since June 28, 2025. The exemption for micro-enterprises applies to services, not to product sales. Violations can be penalized with administrative fines up to 80,000 euros.

Can we migrate from an existing shop?

Yes, with transfer of products, customers and order history. Redirects from the old product URLs are important — without them you lose the visibility of the previous pages.

Can we sell internationally?

Yes, that's a matter of setup, not platform: languages, currencies, shipping zones and tax rates per target country need to be configured properly — we plan that in from the start if desired.

Shopify, WooCommerce or something else?

Shopify if you want to start quickly and can live with the ongoing fees. WooCommerce if you already run WordPress and have someone who does updates. With complex inventory management, it's worth looking at specialized systems. There's no answer that's right for everyone.

What does ongoing operation cost?

Platform fees, payment providers, hosting and maintenance are ongoing costs, even before the first order comes in. How much that is in each case depends on the chosen platform and the product range — we calculate this transparently in the quote so there are no surprises.

How many products are still manageable without expensive additional systems?

Up to a few hundred products, the standard features of common platforms are perfectly sufficient. Only with several thousand products with complex variants is it worth looking at specialized inventory management.

06 — Error

The most common mistakes

  • Starting too big. Projects where nobody can use anything for months fail more often than average. A small, usable first step is almost always the better way.
  • Not involving the people who work with it. Requirements that only come from management rarely match the actual work.
  • Not defining a success measure. Without a metric defined in advance, you can't say afterwards whether it delivered anything — and the next decision will be made on gut feeling again.
  • Overlooking operating costs. The project price is only part of it. What operation costs over three years belongs in the same calculation.
  • Creating dependency. If you don't get access, documentation and source code, you're locked in. That needs to be clarified before commissioning, not after.

Next step

Let's talk briefly about whether this makes sense for you.

A twenty-minute conversation is usually enough to clarify whether a project makes sense. If not, we'll say so — that's cheaper for both sides than an offer nobody needs.