An online store looks like a website with a cart. It is really a small operations system: products and stock, payments, delivery, returns, tax on every invoice. That is why e-commerce quotes vary so much. This guide gives our published prices for India and the UAE, explains when Shopify or WooCommerce is the right answer and when a custom build is, and lists the running costs most quotes leave out.
The Short Answer
A professionally built e-commerce website costs ₹80,000–₹2,50,000 in India and AED 7,000–18,000 in the UAE, typically delivered in 4–6 weeks once products and photos are ready. Where you land depends on catalogue size, how much stock and delivery logic you need, and which platform it runs on.
| Store type | India (₹) | UAE (AED) |
|---|---|---|
| Starter store: up to ~50 products, one payment gateway, simple delivery rates | ₹80,000 – ₹1,20,000 | AED 7,000 – 9,000 |
| Growing store: variants, stock, coupons, delivery zones, order emails and WhatsApp updates | ₹1,20,000 – ₹2,50,000 | AED 9,000 – 18,000 |
| Marketplace, B2B ordering or ERP integration | Priced after a discovery phase, as custom software | |
The AED prices are set for the UAE market, not converted from rupees. If all you need is a simple product showcase where customers order on WhatsApp, you may not need e-commerce at all: a business website from ₹15,000 (AED 1,500) does that job, as our website cost guide explains.
Shopify, WooCommerce or Custom?
Platform choice changes both the build price and what you pay every month afterwards.
| Shopify | WooCommerce | Custom build | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Getting a standard store live fast | Content-heavy stores, full control of hosting | Unusual pricing, B2B, deep integrations |
| Monthly cost | Plan subscription plus paid apps | Hosting plus any paid plugins | Hosting and support |
| Watch out for | App fees that add up, transaction fees on some setups | Plugin updates and security upkeep | Higher build cost; choose a team that hands over the code |
For most first stores we recommend a platform, not custom code: the money is better spent on product photos and marketing. Custom earns its cost when your pricing, ordering or fulfilment does not fit a standard store, for example caterers selling by plate count and date, or wholesalers with customer-specific prices.
What Moves the Price
Catalogue
Number of products, variants and the work of uploading them properly
Payments
One gateway or several, cash on delivery, instalments
Delivery and returns
Zones, courier integration, return and refund flows
Integrations
Accounting, inventory, WhatsApp order updates, marketplaces
India: Payments, Delivery and GST
An Indian store has to accept UPI, cards and net banking through a payment gateway such as Razorpay, PayU or CCAvenue, and most still need cash on delivery. Gateways charge a fee per transaction; compare their current published rates for your mix of payment methods. Courier aggregators make multi-courier shipping practical for small stores, and every invoice needs GST shown correctly, which your platform or developer must set up by product category.
Budget for the work nobody quotes: writing product descriptions, shooting photos, and uploading the catalogue. A store with 200 products and no descriptions will not rank or convert, however good the code is.
The UAE: Payments, Arabic and VAT
UAE shoppers expect cards and Apple Pay, increasingly buy-now-pay-later options such as Tabby and Tamara, and cash on delivery is still common. Choose a gateway that settles in AED to a UAE account; local options include Telr and Network International, and international ones such as Stripe also support UAE businesses. Prices should be shown with 5% VAT handled correctly if you are VAT-registered.
Two things are worth building in from day one in the UAE: an Arabic version with proper right-to-left layout if your customers include Arabic speakers, and WhatsApp order updates, because Gulf customers expect to message about an order rather than email.
Running Costs After Launch
- Platform or hosting: a monthly subscription for Shopify, or hosting for WooCommerce and custom stores.
- Payment gateway fees: a percentage of each order.
- Apps and plugins: reviews, upsells and shipping apps add up quietly.
- Domain and email: small, but in your name.
- Marketing: the cost most new stores forget. A store without traffic sells nothing; plan Google Shopping, Meta ads or SEO from the first month.
Ownership check before you sign: the domain, the hosting or platform account, the payment gateway account and the product data must all be in your company's name. A store you cannot move is a store you are renting.
How to Get an Accurate Quote
Bring a product list (even a spreadsheet), the payment methods you need, where you deliver, and two stores you like. With that we can fix a price and a platform recommendation. Our e-commerce builds start at ₹80,000, and our web application work covers custom ordering systems. Check the build quality first on our work page, then message us on WhatsApp with your product list.
Founder of Growbz (Chennai, est. 2023). Runs the Google Ads, SEO and web builds behind every case study on this site, including the 14-month catering campaign whose numbers we publish in full.