With so many options to consider when budgeting for the development of an

eCommerce website, it can be a bit confusing. Some eCommerce websites, like most
things, are easier to build than others, and there are many eCommerce website design
companies to choose from. Some websites perform like Kia's, and some like Ferrari's.
After all, getting the sale is like a race... often whoever has the better website and is
found first, gets the sale (all other things equal). One option or the other, if you're
potentially a start-up, may be better suited for your business. Ecommerce sites can
range from ₹215,000 - ₹2,785,000 +, so it's important to know the factors that go into
pricing. The cost will ultimately be driven by how well you want the website to perform,
the features you need, and the type of company you select.

The main question I ask a potential clients is, "what are your goals?". Think about your
sales and traffic goals and then think what budget would be realistic to achieve those
goals. The eCommerce website cost will be primarily affected by how successful you
want the website to be. For example, if you want to do ₹2,150,000 a year in sales, you
can probably find an eCommerce website for around the ₹215,000 range. If you're
looking to do millions in sales, and many of our potential customers are, then the cost of
your eCommerce website will be higher as more features and functionality will probably
need to be built to gain a market edge. Remember, starting an eCommerce website is
like starting any real business, and it takes capital, planning, and a solid team to be
successful.

Main Items That Determine an eCommerce Websites

Cost:
 Design - There is a big different in cost for a fully custom design vs. a template
 Custom Functionality needs and unique programmed features will increase pricing
 Data Imports - Do you need product date or past order / customer data imported?
 Marketing - A fully integrated marketing plan will boost the cost of the build
 Integrations with an ERP or other 3rd parties often cost thousands
 Choosing a reputable, experienced company, often costs much more
 If the project is being outsourced overseas, it will be less expensive
A Breakdown of Ecommerce Website Pricing:
Small Mid-Size Enterprise

Design ₹50,000 ₹70,000 ₹2,00,000

Programming ₹85,000 ₹1,50,000 ₹8,00,000

Integrations ₹12,000 ₹8,000 ₹25,000

Data Imports ₹0 ₹5,000 ₹10,000

Hosting (annual) ₹8,000 ₹25,000 ₹1,50,000

SEO (annual) ₹60,000 ₹180,000 ₹1,600,000

Average eCommerce Website Cost (Annual) ₹215,000 ₹4,38,000 ₹2,785,000

What affects the cost of an eCommerce website the

most?
eCommerce Functionality / Custom Programming
We all know the basics of an eCommerce website. Categories features, featured items,
product pages, related products, and so on. These are standard features, and they
really shouldn't drive up the cost if you're asking for them. Custom eCommerce
functionality is usually the greatest cost in a project but is often the most important to
make the website easy for your business to operate and to give your site a custom edge
over the competition. For example, you may want customized search functionality
because of the type of product you sell. Not many of your competitors have it, and you
know with that piece, you'll get the sale. Or, stock levels are crucial to you, and your
eCommerce developer will have to sync the website database with your in-house
inventory management system. That will run up the price of the website, but it will also
eliminate hours of paying employees. Create a list of all eCommerce features you feel
will be custom and be sure to share that list with the eCommerce web design company
you're choosing. This will help them to give you an accurate estimate.

Design
Now that we've discussed functionality, we have to consider how the website will look.
The first impression is everything, and it's important that the look matches your
expectation in sales. An amateur looking website will convert visitors into customers at a
much lower rate than a professional custom eCommerce website. Also, consider
branding. If you have a large established brand, the website should reflect this. On the
web, you'll get one shot to impress, so many eCommerce owners spend big bucks
making a site that sells based on the way it looks. If you're in need of a website that will
be responsive, meaning optimized for mobile and tablet, a design will also need to be
created for those devices which add additional time to a project.
The low-cost route is using a pre-made template or design. This means the design is
already done and your logo or colors may be included into it. We do not suggest this for
serious eCommerce websites, but it may fit your needs if you are working on a
shoestring budget.

Marketing and SEO

Ask what services are included in the initial development. Some companies offer
eCommerce SEO services as part of their packages and some don't. Having SEO
features built in is a big benefit and could save you a good amount of money down the
road and will also make your future SEO company's life a lot easier. Having marketing
features built into the website is not the answer to page 1 rankings, but it is a step in the
right direction!
Company Selection
The eCommerce development company you choose will affect pricing. Some
companies are based in the US and some are overseas. Remember, you'll usually get
what you pay for. A higher priced company often will provide more top-end work, while
going overseas to save money often results in headaches and 2am phone calls. Be
sure whoever you choose is reliable, has an office and is easily accessible when you
have questions during the development phase and after the website is completed.

If you would like to receive a free eCommerce website estimate from OuterBox, please
call us at 1-866-647-9218 or request a website design estimate online. We look forward
to talking with you.

When it comes to eCommerce websites, it's all about functionality, features, and design.

But what features are really most important for your success?

Let's explore.

There are features you must have if you're running an online business and have an
eCommerce website. The features below are some of the standard eCommerce
features for online stores and shopping cart platforms.

The success of many websites is determined by not only the products offered and how
well the website is marketed, but also by the features the website offer both the
customer and the website owner. As a business owner, it is important that you have the
tools to manage your website and that the administrative features fit with your business
processes. For example, if you offer payment terms to your customer, you'll need to be
sure the platform you're using gives you the ability to set a credit limit for a customer.
Before diving into an eCommerce project, think carefully about the features needed, or
you'll be regretting it later!

The Most Important Ecommerce Features Include:

 Content management capabilities
 Promotion and discount code tools
 An easy-to-use checkout
 Search engine optimized code and layout
 Reporting tools
 An integrated blog or articles section
 Email marketing integration
 Multiple payment options (Credit card, PayPal, PO, Terms, etc.)
 The ability to scale up with your platform

Catalog Management
Categories
 Search and sort to easily find categories
 Manage categories and sub-categories
 Feature categories within navigation or on the homepage
 Set categories as “active” or “inactive”
 Set page URL's and SEO elements for categories
 Manage categories thumbnails and images

Brands
 Manage brands
 Feature brands on the homepage
 Set brands as “active” or “inactive”
 Set page URL's and SEO elements for brands
 Manage brand logos
Products
 Search and sort to easily find products in certain categories or with specific
attributes
 Easily manage and edit products
 Product fields include name, SKU, product details, additional details, list price, your
price, weight, stock, minimum quantity order amount, handling fee and more.
 Ability to select options such as featured, free shipping, reviews allowed, require
moderation for reviews and more
 Add and manage main product image and additional product images
 Microsoft Word-like editor for managing content block, such as product details
 Feature products on the homepage
 Set products as “active” or “inactive”
 Add products to a single category or multiple categories
 Select product brand
 Add and manage product options and option groups
 Add and manage related products
 Add and manage accessories
 Attach and embed YouTube videos
 Manage (approve and delete) product reviews
 Set product page URL and SEO elements for products
Content Management
Pages
 Manage content pages and create new content pages
 Edit pages using a Microsoft Word-like content editor
 Add images and manage uploaded image library
 Image editing and cropping tool
 Set page as “active” or “inactive”
 Set page URL and SEO elements
Blog
 Manage blog posts
 Set blog publish date
 Set post as “active” or “inactive”
 Add blog summary and full blog post using Microsoft Word-like content editor
 Add images and manage uploaded image library
 Select blog category and author
 Attached blog posts to product pages
 Set post URL and SEO elements
Homepage Banners
 Manage homepage banners
 Set banner sort orders
 Set banner URL or leave unlinked
 Set banners as “active” or “inactive”
Navigation
 Manage your main navigations including header, side and footer
 Add drop down to main navigation
 Manage SEO elements on links such as link title
 Set links to open in same or new window
Auto Email Messages
 Manage main email template design
 Set messaging for order status emails
 Set messaging for thank you email on product reviews and blog comment
submissions

Review Management
 Manage all product reviews
 Set reviews to “approved” or delete reviews
Comment Management
 Manage all blog comments

 Set comments to “approved” or delete comments

Customer Management
Customers
 Search and sort to easily find customers by first name and last name
 Manage customer accounts
 View customer details and previous orders
 View individual customers product reviews
 Add private comments to a customer
 Delete customer accounts
 Reset customer passwords
 Export customers to Excel
 Export customer subscribed to email newsletter to Excel (import capabilities for 3rd
party email systems)

Order Management
Orders
 Search and sort to easily find orders by specific variables
 Manage and updated order status
 View order number and all customer information
 View order information and purchase details (products, tax, shipping, addresses,
etc.)
 Add private notes to the order
 View shipping and billing address maps
 Create and manage custom order statuses
 Receive email when order is placed
 Export orders to Excel

Discount & Promotion Management

Discount Codes
 Create and manage discount codes
 Add discount codes to categories, brand or products
 Add discount codes that affect shipping
 Set codes as “active” or “inactive”
 Ability to set percentages off, amount off or a set price
 “Auto Apply” discount codes when product added to cart option
 Set and manage dates code is active
 Set minimum and maximum quantity requirements for discount codes
 Set number of times code can be used before automatically becoming inactive

Reporting
Dashboard
 Interactive administrative dashboard with charts and statistics
 Ability to change dashboard statistics to reflect specific date ranges
 Dashboard date-range reports include store sales by amount, store sales order
volume, new customers vs. returning, top selling products, top selling brands, most
used discount codes
 Dashboard general reports (not based on date range) include low inventory
reporting, total products in store, total categories in store, customer count, lifetime
orders and lifetime revenue
Single Reports
 Single reports, outside of the dashboard, include sales by date range, top selling
product by date range, low inventory by quantity and new customer by date range.

Search Engine Optimization Management

Dynamic Titles
 Manage all dynamic title tag structure throughout the website
 Configure dynamic title and META tags for categories and sub-categories
 Configure dynamic title and META tags for brand pages
 Configure dynamic title and META tags for product pages
Specific Titles & Meta Information
 Configure site wide default title and META tags
 Configure homepage title and META tags
 Set unique title, META tags and URL information for specific content pages,
category, brand or product pages

Settings
Shipping Options
 Set store static shipping rates based on weight, dollar amount and zone
 Set specific price or percentage of order
 Live shipping rates based on shipping address utilizing UPS, USPS and FedEx
 Set and manage shipping discount codes and promotions
 Set free shipping on individual products
 Set your stores origin of shipment zip code and country code
 Active and deactivate shipping carriers
 Manage UPS, USPS & FedEx available shipping services (ground, first-class,
express, etc.)
Payment Options
 Active and deactivate payment types available
 Manage Authorize.net account settings
 Manage PayPal account settings
 Allow offline payment option
Taxes & Locations
 Manage countries available
 Manage tax rates for each US State or Canadian province by percentage
 Activate and deactivate countries
 Set shipping zones per state or province
Email Configuration
 Set email server configuration and store email address
 Fields include server name, server port, username, password, enable SSL and store
email address
 * Email will be configured during development
Administration Users
o Add and delete administration logins with name, email and password