Twelve weeks for a custom store
- Week 1Scope and payment accountApply for the account at once.
- Weeks 1 to 4Product dataAlongside the build.
- Weeks 2 to 8Design, build, checkoutWith shipping and legal texts.
- Weeks 6 to 11IntegrationsStock, accounting, e-invoicing.
- Week 12Test orders and launchEvery payment method, on a phone.
Hours for product dataAt 10 minutes per product, photos ready
- 300 products50 hours
- 100 products16.7 hours
- 20 products3.3 hours
Where the weeks go
A store takes longer than a regular website, not because of the design but because of what comes with it: product data, payments, shipping and the legal texts a consumer must get before buying. How long a site without a cart takes is in how long does it take to build a website.
| Part | Who delivers it | Runs alongside |
|---|---|---|
| Product data and photos | you, or a photographer and a copywriter | design and build |
| Design, build and checkout | the developer | product data |
| Payment account | the payment provider, after checking your business | everything |
| Shipping rates and returns | you and your carrier | the build |
| Terms, withdrawal, privacy | you or your lawyer | the build |
| Links to stock, accounting or e-invoicing | the developer, with the access you arrange | the build |
| Test orders | together, every payment method, on a phone | nothing |
In the EU the legal side is part of the build, not an afterthought: the 14-day right of withdrawal, the withdrawal button required since 19 June 2026, and accessibility since 28 June 2025. Selling to consumers in other EU countries above 10,000 euro a year means charging the VAT of the buyer's country, usually through the One Stop Shop.
Product data is most of the work
Every product page needs a title, a description that sells, a price, variants, photos and often a weight for shipping. The chart counts 10 minutes per product with photos ready; if they still need cropping or shooting, double it. Whoever delivers 300 products in a well-filled spreadsheet with photos saves weeks; whoever still has to write them loses those weeks.
Good product copy is also how you get found; see ecommerce SEO. Stock that already lives in another system is better linked than retyped, see inventory management software.
The platform has a say
On Shopify you skip hosting and updates but adapt to what the platform does; what that costs per month is in is Shopify free. WooCommerce gives more freedom and more upkeep, see is WooCommerce free. A custom store takes the longest build, but fits your own stock, planning or accounting. What each of the three costs is in ecommerce website cost. Not sure you can start yourself? Read can I build my own online store.
Plan a month after launch to adjust: the first real orders show where buyers hesitate. If an existing store is not working, start with why is my online store not selling before you rebuild.
Ready before the build starts
- A product list in a file: name, price, variants, weight.
- Photos per product, in one style and size.
- Your shipping rates per country, and who handles returns.
- Your terms and withdrawal text, or who writes them.
- The payment methods your buyers expect in each market.