Creating an Online Store: Steps, Costs, and Pitfalls to Avoid
Creating an online store requires choosing a platform suited to your volume, building a clear catalog, integrating reliable payment, and organizing logistics before launch. With a solution like Shopify, plan for at least $29 a month plus commissions; for a custom project, the realistic range is between €3,000 and €15,000.
The real problem: focusing on design before logistics
Most project owners spend the most time on how the store looks: colors, theme, homepage banner. That's understandable, but it isn't what determines whether the store works. What most often makes an online store fail is poorly anticipated logistics: vague delivery times, stock that isn't synced with the site, or absent after-sales service when a problem comes up.
A simple store that's well organized behind the scenes converts better than a visually polished one where the customer doesn't know when they'll be delivered.
Choosing the right platform for your situation
For most store creators, an off-the-shelf solution is largely enough to get started:
- Shopify: the easiest to pick up, a large extension ecosystem, hosting included.
- WooCommerce: worth considering if you already have a WordPress site and want to add a store to it.
- PrestaShop: more technical, often chosen for large catalogs in France.
Custom development only becomes relevant once your needs exceed what these tools natively support: complex B2B pricing, integration with existing management software, or a sales volume that makes these platforms' commissions costly.
Concrete steps to launch a store
- Validate the sales model: stocked products, made-to-order production, or digital products.
- Choose a domain name and a platform suited to your starting budget.
- Build the catalog with quality photos and descriptions that answer concrete questions (material, size, lead time).
- Set up payment via Stripe or PayPal, checking the actual fees applied to each transaction.
- Define shipping and returns policy, displayed clearly before purchase.
- Write the legal notices and terms of sale, mandatory from the first sale.
- Test the purchase funnel under real conditions, including on mobile.
Realistic budget by project type
| Approach | Starting cost | What's included | What's on you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic Shopify | ~$29/month + commissions | Hosting, simple theme, payment | Extensions, advanced customization |
| Shopify with support | A few hundred to €2,000 extra | Custom theme, business configuration | Content, product photos |
| Custom development | €3,000 to €15,000 | Site built for your exact needs | Ongoing hosting and maintenance |
What's often underestimated before launch
Beyond the platform choice, several aspects are regularly underestimated by online store creators. The first is the time needed to write product pages: properly describing around thirty items, with quality photos and descriptions that anticipate customer questions, often takes several days of work, not a few hours. The second is managing organic search visibility from launch: a store that just opened has no immediate organic visibility, which means you often need to plan an advertising budget or a content strategy to generate traffic in the first months.
The third underestimated point is customer service. Even a small store gets questions before purchase (lead time, availability, compatibility) and after purchase (tracking, returns, complaints). Not setting aside dedicated time for these exchanges, even limited, slows down sales and damages reputation if response times are too long.
Online stores and social media
A growing share of an online store's traffic today comes from social media rather than direct search, particularly for visual products (fashion, decor, crafts). Integrating an online store with Instagram or TikTok Shopping, when the chosen platform allows it, makes it easier to move from social content to purchase without leaving the app. This integration isn't systematically available on every solution and is worth checking before choosing a platform if social media is an expected sales channel.
The costliest mistakes
- Launching with too broad a catalog without having tested demand on flagship products.
- Neglecting product photos, even though they weigh heavily on the purchase decision when there's no physical trial.
- Underestimating order management time, often much heavier than expected past a few dozen sales a month.
- Ignoring legal obligations (terms of sale, 14-day right of withdrawal, VAT disclosures), which expose you to avoidable disputes.
Retaining customers after the first order
Attracting a first customer generally costs more than getting them to come back. Yet many online stores put all their effort into acquisition and neglect the post-purchase relationship. A follow-up email after delivery, a simple loyalty offer, or a newsletter that provides real value (not just promotions) often turns a one-time customer into a repeat one, which improves the store's overall profitability far more than an expensive new ad campaign.
This retention approach requires few additional technical tools beyond the store itself: most e-commerce platforms natively include a basic email marketing system, enough to get started without significant extra investment.
What to remember
- An online store's success depends more on logistics and customer service than on design.
- Shopify or an equivalent solution is enough to get started in most cases, from $29 a month.
- A custom project is justified only by a real business need, with a budget of €3,000 to €15,000.
- A legal status (registered business number) is mandatory from the first commercial sale.
- Testing an idea with a small catalog limits risk before investing further.
Frequently asked questions
What budget should I plan to open an online store? From $29 a month plus commissions with Shopify. A custom project starts between €3,000 and €15,000 depending on complexity.
Do I need a registered business before opening an online store? Yes, a legal status with a registered business number is required from the first sale made in a commercial context.
How many products do I need to launch an online store? No imposed minimum. Some stores start with fewer than ten well-presented items.
Can I test a store idea before investing heavily? Yes, a solution like Shopify lets you test at low cost before investing in more advanced development.
In summary
A successful online store depends less on the tool chosen than on preparing logistics and customer service ahead of launch. For a standard showcase site, VeryAppi offers a website subscription plan; for an e-commerce project, the technical solution should be chosen based on your actual volume, not the current trend.
Frequently asked questions
›What budget should I plan to open an online store?
With Shopify or an equivalent solution, plan for at least $29 a month plus sales commissions, on top of the theme, extensions, and possibly some support to set it up. A custom project starts more in the range of €3,000 to €15,000 depending on the complexity of the catalog and the integrations needed.
›Do I need a registered business before opening an online store?
Yes, regularly selling online requires a legal status (sole trader, company) with a registered business number, regardless of expected sales volume. It's a requirement from the very first sale made in a commercial context, not only above a certain revenue threshold.
›How many products do I need to launch an online store?
There's no imposed minimum. Some stores start with fewer than ten well-presented items and grow their catalog progressively. A catalog that's too broad from the start often complicates stock management and spreads marketing effort too thin across too many products.
›Can I test a store idea before investing heavily?
Yes, a solution like Shopify lets you launch a low-cost test version to validate demand before investing in more advanced development or significant stock. It's a sensible approach before committing to a more expensive custom project.