E-Commerce is one of the fastest-growing industries. More than two billion people use ecommerce websites for their daily errands. There are almost 12 to 24 million ecommerce websites actively serving people worldwide. According to a report, the global ecommerce market revenue is expected to increase to 5.33 trillion by 2027.
Many business giants are investing in the ecommerce sector and making fortunes. If you also want to dive into this massive revenue-generated sector, an ecommerce website development service is your ultimate partner in this journey. However, if you are wondering about the development and maintenance cost, we got you covered.
This blog will discuss the development and maintenance costs of ecommerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon.
Ecommerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon are popular and hold massive market share. Their websites have everything required to provide a seamless user experience or secure payment and delivery. This instigates other ecommerce business entrepreneurs to get similar websites developed.
So, here we are with all the details related to eCommerce website development.
Ecommerce Website Development and Maintenance Cost
It’s important to note that the actual cost of developing and maintaining an eCommerce website like Flipkart or Amazon can vary significantly based on project scope, complexity, technology stack, geographical location of the development team, and additional features or customizations. It is advisable to consult with professional web development agencies or freelancers to get accurate cost estimates tailored to your specific requirements.
Generally, development cost of an ecommerce website can be anywhere between $1,000 to $100,000 and even higher. However, if you choose the right development region, you can cut a significant amount on your development cost. For instance, if you develop your ecommerce website from India, it will cost you ₹60,000 to ₹10,00,000. Furthermore, maintaining this enormous website will cost you $750–5,000/per month.
We will discuss the various factors that will help you understand the expense properly.
Planning and Requirements Gathering
From the start of the journey of ecommerce development, you need to invest a handsome amount in research. This is a crucial part of the development process when you learn about the market, competitors and finalize your objectives. So according to your business model and vision, you must conduct thorough research.
This phase will help you identify your target audience and competitors and determine the core features and functionalities. Also, you need to document all this information and create a detailed project plan. Your ecommerce website development budget needs to cover this expense.
Development Phase
After extensive research, you must consider the development phase for calculating your ecommerce website budget. This phase includes the following:
- Website Design
For the development phase, you must hire a web designer or a design agency to create a visually appealing and user-friendly interface. Generally, if you develop an ecommerce website with 100–1000 products it will cost you between $5,000 and $55,000 to design. The cost may vary depending on the design’s complexity and the designer’s expertise. Also, many more factors influence the cost of ecommerce website design. - Front-end Development
Another cost-influential factor is implementing the design using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create a responsive website that works well on different devices. Depending on the size and complexity of your ecommerce website, the cost may vary. - Back-end Development
It would be best if you also built the server-side logic, database, and APIs to handle user authentication, product management, order processing, payment gateways, and other essential functionalities. The cost depends on the complexity of the features and the technology stack used (e.g., PHP, Python, Node.js, etc.). The cost will increase if you integrate advanced features and use complex technologies. - Third-Party Integrations
Many ecommerce sectors integrate third-party systems. You probably don’t want to spend a lot of money on developing a critical system that you can integrate in less amounts. Therefore you need to Integrate your ecommerce website with external services like payment gateways, shipping providers, inventory management systems, etc. These integrations may incur additional costs based on the APIs and services used. The more you add services to your ecommerce website, the more expense will rise. However, you need to understand that these services are crucial for your ecommerce site. - Testing and Quality Assurance
Testing your ecommerce website is necessary to assure quality. You need to prioritize the performance and functionality of the website to ensure a better user experience for your customers. For that, you must allocate resources for testing the website to ensure it functions properly, is secure, and offers a smooth user experience. To complete this task, you will need an expert team and technologies. Depending on the testing approach and the size of the development team, you need to adjust your development budget.
Hosting and Infrastructure
One of the major things you need to do is choose a reliable hosting provider that can handle the expected traffic and provide adequate storage for your product catalog, images, and other media files. The cost varies based on various factors, including the hosting provider, server specifications, and additional services like content delivery networks (CDNs) or load balancers.
Security
You must ensure that your ecommerce website is a secure place to be and do business. Technological advancement benefits the people and creates ample opportunities for treacherous people to misdeed. So you must invest in robust security measures, including SSL certificates, firewalls, regular security audits, and vulnerability scanning.
If you integrate more security layers and services, the expense of ecommerce website development will increase.
Ongoing Maintenance and Updates
After the development, the most important thing is to maintain your ecommerce website. You need to regularly update the website with new features, security patches, bug fixes, and performance enhancements. These will not only keep your ecommerce website safe but improve its user experience for your customers.
You must allocate a budget for ongoing development and maintenance to ensure the website remains up-to-date and secure. Furthermore, you may need to run a review program to understand your customer views on the website, and depending on that, you can improve it.
You need to consider hiring a dedicated development team or outsourcing maintenance tasks to a reputable agency. Depending on the size of the team, the complexity of the updates, and the frequency of maintenance, your budget will adjust.
Marketing and Promotion
One of the most important things that will require a significant amount of investment is the marketing and promotion of the ecommerce website. This phase will ensure your ROI, enhance your customer base and improve your revenue.
You need to allocate a budget for marketing and promotion activities to drive traffic to your ecommerce website. A long range of factors will come into consideration while you fix a budget for the marketing and promotion of your ecommerce website. This may include SEO, content marketing, social media advertising, influencer collaborations, and other digital marketing strategies.
The cost of this phase depends on the marketing channels and campaigns you choose. Furthermore, integrating several marketing and promotional strategies may ensure your success but take a toll on your budget. Remember to consult your marketing team or agency before investing.
Customer Support
Last but not least, you need to provide excellent customer support to handle inquiries, complaints, and returns. For this purpose, you must invest significantly in handling the resources for customer service representatives, live chat software, and other support tools.
The more facilities you inculcate in your ecommerce website for customer support, the more you need to spend. Your budget will rotate depending on the level of support required and the size of the customer support team.
How to Cut Expenses of Developing and Maintaining an Ecommerce Website?
Indeed, the used technologies, development team, and many other factors influence the cost of developing and maintaining your ecommerce website. However, if you want to make smart decisions, you can save a lot of money on this process by only choosing the right location for the development. Let us explain it to you,
Globally various website development companies provide ecommerce solutions. However, if you compare the service rate of different regions, you will notice that the eCommerce website development cost and maintaining the ecommerce website varies significantly depending on the location. If you consider any of the US, UK, or Indian regions, you will get the same facility and technologies to develop your ecommerce website. However, the hourly expense of the development is different as in the USA; the cost is $95-$120; in Uk, it is $85-$105; and in India, it is $25-$45.
So only by choosing the right location can you cut the development cost by half and more.
Summing Up
The development and maintenance cost of ecommerce websites like Flipkart and Amazon is influenced by several factors. The complexity and functionality of the website, design, and customization requirements, the chosen platform and technology, mobile responsiveness, integration with third-party services, content management needs, security and compliance considerations, project scope and timeline, and ongoing maintenance and support all play a role in determining the overall cost.
It’s important to carefully assess your specific requirements and consult with professionals to get accurate cost estimates for your e-commerce website development project. By understanding these influencing factors and making informed decisions, you can plan and budget effectively to create a successful cost-effective e-commerce website.