PIPELINEGuide
How long does an online shop take? Realistic timeline
An online shop project is not a weekend task, but not a six-month project either. What happens in what order, where bottlenecks typically occur, and how to shorten the timeline.
An online shop takes 6 to 12 weeks in practice. The biggest time factor is almost never the implementation itself, but how quickly content, access, and decisions come from your side.
01 — Timeframe
How long it takes
- Typical duration
- 6 to 12 weeks
- Price
- Individual based on effort
The timeline starts after approval of the quote. Lead time for initial meeting and quote: typically one to two weeks. We provide a fixed price after this initial meeting.
02 — Process
The steps in detail
Product range and workflows
How many products, which variants, how shipping and returns currently work.
Choose platform
Based on product range size, integration needs, and who will maintain the shop later.
Setup
Shop, payments, shipping, integration, legal texts.
Test orders
We process test orders — including returns, cancellations, and payment failures.
03 — Bottlenecks
What typically causes delays
- Content and deliveries. By far the most common cause of delay. Text, images, price lists, access credentials — what's missing blocks progress.
- Decisions. When it's unclear who approves, the project waits. A named contact person with decision-making authority noticeably shortens the timeline.
- Access to third-party systems. Getting access to inventory management, phone systems, or CRM regularly takes longer than the integration itself.
- Endless review rounds. Two correction rounds are normal, five are a sign that the goal wasn't clear at the start.
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
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.
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.
What about returns?
The cancellation policy and the technical process for returns are part of the legally compliant basic setup. How you handle returns in practice remains your decision — we implement what you define.
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.
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.
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.
06 — Next
Related pages
- Online shop — Overview
- Online shop — Measuring success
- Online shop — Team and acceptance
- Online Store — Case Studies
- Online shop — Where to start
- Online shop — Data protection
- Online Store — Pros and Cons
- Online shop — Common mistakes
- Have a website created
- SEO
- Process automation
- All guides
Online shop by region
Next step
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We read every inquiry ourselves and respond personally. No sales team, no callback form into the void.