What is the Cost Of Ecommerce-Web Development in Kenya
eCommerce is a vast sector with a lot of business opportunities in Kenya. The foremost step is an e-commerce website development, that can cater to the needs of your customers. The global e-commerce sales in 2019 were $ 3535 billion, highlighting the tough competition and a need for effective ecommerce website development. One of your primary concerns should be related to identifying prospective software development companies that understand your product and its target market and audience.
The ecommerce website development cost depends on the size of the e-commerce platform to be developed. If you have a low budget, you can use ready-made solutions available in the market to build your e-commerce platform. Customizable and large-scale e-commerce website development needs more time and resources to be developed.
For a better ecommerce website development platform, you should create a budget first. You can build a simple ecommerce website for Kshs 100,000 or less by using ready-made solutions like Shopify. The Shopify Store Development Cost is affordable and is preferred by many store owners around the globe. In this article, we cover all the aspects of developing an e-commerce website and the cost of customizing it. Read on to know more about e-commerce website development costs.
eCommerce Website Development Cost
An ecommerce website development cost can range from $1000 to $1,000,000. This cost can even go higher as it depends on the size of the website. Various factors increase the e-commerce website development cost like UI/UX design, tech-stack, services offered, etc.
While ready-made solutions are good for small-scale ecommerce website development. On the other hand, large-scale ecommerce websites development require custom development. Custom building an e-commerce website will help you in enhancing your customer reach and increasing ROI. For custom ecommerce website development, you can set a budget between 60,000kshs and 100,000 kshs.
It is very important to set a budget according to the features you want in your ecommerce website. Setting a budget will build a framework for setting up your e-commerce platform. The need for personalization is also very crucial, you should opt for custom software development companies that can help you position your brand better.
Various features affect the ecommerce website development cost that is discussed below.
Factors That Add To eCommerce Website Development Costs
In a customized ecommerce website development, the factors can change according to owners and it is very hard to convey the exact set of customizable factors. For example, one can build the user interface of the e-commerce website in many ways with added customizable interaction buttons.
The mechanics of an e-commerce website can also differ for various needs in custom development. Some of the basic factors that add to the cost of ecommerce website development are as follows:
- The cost of ecommerce website development can differ according to the service provider. There are various types of service providers that can help you in setting up your e-commerce platform. Such as freelancer, in-house development team, remote development team. It is better to research the vendors that build custom e-commerce websites in your geographic location to select the most affordable one.
- The location and experience of the e-commerce company can also affect the website development cost drastically.
- The complexity and design of the e-commerce website to be designed also affects the development cost. Complex e-commerce websites tend to have higher development costs.
- The number of website functionalities included in your e-commerce platform also affects the development costs.
- Integrating your website with various third-party websites can increase your ecommerce website development cost. You should try to integrate only required third-party services as stuffing third-party integrations on your website can confuse the site visitors.
- The business objectives of the firm also decide the ecommerce website development costs.
- If you want to build an e-commerce website urgently, the project cost can increase drastically as developers would have to work overtime.
- The security features in your e-commerce website can also add to the development costs. For example, many webmasters opt for SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certification for increasing the security of their website.
- SEO (Search Engine Optimization) strategies included in your e-commerce website can also increase the development cost. However, SEO is one of the most-used marketing strategies and can help you gather more traffic.
eCommerce Website Design Costs
The website design cost forms up most of the total development cost. The design of the website can change according to the scale of the e-commerce platform. In 2021, the ecommerce website development design cost can range from $1000 to $100,000. This budget can even go up if someone opts for complex or large-scale e-commerce website designs.
Various factors that add to the total website design cost of your e-commerce platform are as follows:
- The number of webpages on your e-commerce website can increase the design cost.
- Including graphics and imagery in your e-commerce website can also increase the design cost.
- The level of customization wanted in the e-commerce website can increase the design cost. Various customizable options used by webmasters are text style, background color, etc.
- The e-commerce website domain and hosting costs are also to be managed under the design part of website development.
- The higher the interaction level on a website, the higher is its design cost. Interaction buttons and options help the site visitors to know more about the e-commerce firm.
- If you are optimizing your e-commerce website for mobile devices, the design cost is likely to increase. It is better to invest in enhancing the responsiveness of your website as it provides greater customer reach.
- The amount of content, videos, and branded materials to be included in the e-commerce website also decides the design cost.
Add-on Features
The website features that we have discussed above are a must for developing a robust e-commerce website. However, other features can also add to the efficiency of your e-commerce platform. Some of the website features adopted by the best ecommerce websites in the market are listed below:
- You can enable users to login into your e-commerce platform via their email ID. Email authorization will lend a professional look to your e-commerce website.
- You can also enable users to login via their social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, etc. Social media authorization can also help you in increasing your user base.
- You can add product categories and subcategories that are being sold on your e-commerce platform. Adding product categories will make it easier for customers to search for any particular product and will also provide them a good user experience.
- You can add search filters to your e-commerce website to make it easier for site visitors. For example, you can enable users to filter/sort products by price, category, range, etc. However, one should note that adding these features will increase the total development cost, but will help in the long run.
- Product image, description, and reviews can also be added to the e-commerce website.
- You can add cart management features that can help users shop easily. The cost of added products in the cart should be automatically calculated to aid the users.
- Order history of the users and a ‘favorites’ section can also be added to the e-commerce section.
- CMS admin, order, and product management features can also be embedded in your e-commerce website to lend it a professional look.
Average eCommerce Website Development Cost
As we can see, the cost of an average ecommerce website development can increase and decrease according to the set of features being embedded. Let us see the cost of developing a mid-size e-commerce website with only required/minimal features:
- UI/UX Design – Kshs14000
- Front-end & Back-end Development – Khs 33000
- Website Quality & Security – Kshs 20000+
- Project Management – Kshs 16000+
- Product Log and Description – Kshs 20000+
As you can see that with an amount of around Kshs 50,000, you can set up a medium-sized e-commerce website with basic functionalities. Note that the above cost of setting up an ecommerce website is according to the general perspective. These costs are the average costs of various service providers and can change in different geographic locations.
eCommerce Website Maintenance Costs
You are not done after setting up your e-commerce website as your newly developed website needs constant attention and maintenance efforts. Webmasters that overlook maintenance aspects are not likely to succeed in this competitive era.
The best time to analyze the maintenance costs and efforts is while setting up the website. Once an e-commerce website is launched, it will need constant investment in various maintenance activities that are listed below:
- You will have to update your domain and hosting plans every year or month. While setting up a website, you can choose a website hosting model that is affordable and can opt for higher plans later on.
- Administration features have to be updated from time to time and need constant investment.
- If you choose to go for marketing campaigns or ads, you will have to invest accordingly.
- Website upgrades and adding new features also come under the maintenance process.
- The bugs on your website need to be managed to provide a better user experience.
Finally
There are plenty of software companies in the market and it can be difficult to choose a reliable one for your ecommerce website development. Black Shepherd is a reliable platform that lets you post your requirements and find reliable service providers and developers in less than 24 hours at affordable fees
