Are you creating an e-commerce website for your business in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE for the first time? If yes, you may have several questions in your mind related to the costs, such as:
Here, we will share some helpful insights and information about e-commerce website costs in Dubai/UAE. We will also share the significant determinants of e-commerce website costs, which will help you make better decisions when hiring a website agency or a web developer in the UAE.
Let’s start!
> Cost of E-commerce Websites in Dubai/UAE
E-commerce Website Costs Using WooCommerce
The cost of creating an e-commerce website in Dubai/UAE using WooCommerce (a WordPress plugin) may start at AED 5000. At Innomedia, we charge AED 4000 to create a WooCommerce store.
E-commerce Website Costs Using OpenCart
OpenCart is a robust and commonly used CMS for building e-commerce stores. The cost of an e-commerce website in Dubai/UAE using OpenCart may start at AED 7000.
E-commerce Website Costs Using Shopify
Shopify is another great platform for creating e-commerce websites. The cost to create a Shopify store in Dubai/AE may start at AED 7000.
E-commerce Website Costs Using Custom PHP
The costs of an e-commerce website using custom PHP may increase because of the effort involved. The cost of an e-commerce website in Dubai/UAE using PHP may start at AED 10000.
The e-commerce website development cost in Dubai/UAE is not fixed. It may vary depending on factors like the scope of work, freelance developers vs companies, CMS platform, etc. However, the average price of building an e-commerce store in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE starts at AED 5000. At this cost, you will get all the essential features needed to run your e-commerce business.
Launch Your E-Commerce Store
> What's Included in E-commerce Packages?
Below is the list of items that your web developer or agency must provide you with under their e-commerce packages (even with the basic one):
#1 CMS (Content Management System)
Most web development agencies in Dubai/UAE include CMS (like WordPress, OpenCart, or Drupal) as part of their e-commerce website package. They won’t charge you additional costs for using a CMS. Instead, using CMS can reduce the overall cost of an e-commerce website. A CMS enables you to manage your website’s content easily without hiring a web developer. Therefore, before signing off on an e-commerce quotation, you must ensure that it has CMS as an integral part of it.
#2 SSL (Secure Sockets Layer)
No matter the e-commerce cost you pay to any web developer or website agency in Dubai/UAE, make sure SSL is part of your package. SSL stands for Secure Sockets Layer. It is an internet security protocol that encrypts data to keep it safe. All websites that capture users’ sensitive data (name, email, payment details, address, etc.) must run on SSL. To enable SSL for an e-commerce website, your developer has to ensure that their server has an active SSL certificate and that all the pages of your e-commerce store open with https://. Your web developer should be able to handle and ensure that your e-commerce website runs on SSL.
What’s more! SSL also helps websites rank on search engines. And it’s a mark of trust among informed shoppers.
#3 Assistance to Upload Products
An e-commerce website quote should also include assistance from the web developer in uploading the products. At least before launching your online store, your developer or agency should help you with uploading the product. They should also be able to provide you with a manual or documentation so that you can manage existing products and upload new products after your website is launched.
If your web developer asks for additional costs to upload the products to your site, wait to sign off and avoid them. Product uploading assistance should always be included in the cost of an e-commerce website in Dubai/UAE.
#4 Basic On-page SEO
If the basic on-page SEO is done correctly, your e-commerce website can gain visibility and traffic from search engines. Most professional e-commerce developers in Dubai include on-page SEO in their quotations. Before hiring a developer to build your e-commerce website, check their quotation to see if they offer basic on-page SEO. Basic SEO integration may include SEO-friendly URLs, meta titles, meta descriptions, header tags, etc.
#5 Website Training
To take control of your website and manage the products & content quickly without the help of any web developer, you must learn the basics of your CMS/backend. Your web developer should also provide manual or one-on-one training to manage the essential things on your e-commerce store. This will help you make immediate changes to your website and save you maintenance costs.
#6 Logo Design
Some professional e-commerce service providers (like Innomedia) also offer free logo design, free web hosting, and domain names with their e-commerce website packages. Getting a free logo design service can reduce the overall e-commerce website costs.
#7 Service Warranty
All the professional e-commerce developers & designers in Dubai/UAE provide a service warranty on their work. After the launch of an e-commerce website, business owners may need the assistance of web developers to resolve issues & bugs that may appear post-launch, which is why a service warranty from your web developer should be part of their e-commerce package.
> E-Commerce Maintenance Cost Breakdown
Website Hosting
For an e-commerce website hosting, you may have to pay between AED 600 and AED 1200 annually. A web developer can help you subscribe to a reliable & affordable web host.
Domain Name
The annual cost of a domain name may start at AED 50 for a ‘.com’ extension. However, for a ‘.ae’ extension domain name, you may have to pay AED 150 annually.
Plugins
Although, most plugins are available either free to use or at a nominal one-time payment. There could be some premium plugins that require you to pay annually to continue using them.
Monthly Maintenance
If you want to hire a web developer to maintain your website regularly, they may charge AED 500 per month or more depending on the frequency of changes required and the nature of your website.
Launch Your E-Commerce Store
> E-commerce Website Cost Determinants
To keep your e-commerce website cost in control, you must know about all the major factors that affect e-commerce pricing so that you can make informed decisions.
E-commerce development platform
The development platform that web developers choose to create e-commerce websites can significantly affect the overall cost. There are many ways to build an e-commerce website. Some developers prefer using a CMS like WordPress, while others may use PHP frameworks like Laravel. Choosing any platform will give you the same result: A functional e-commerce store. However, the cost can change significantly if your developer uses a CMS vs a framework.
For example, the cost of creating an e-commerce website in the UAE using Laravel can start from AED 10000; however, the same website with the same features can cost you between AED 3000 and AED 5000 using a CMS like WordPress.
Website design
Choosing to design your e-commerce website can also affect the overall development cost. There are two main ways to develop a website. The first option can be to use a template/theme and customize it to suit your business requirements. The second option is to create a unique design (from scratch), also known as a custom web design. Choosing between these options can affect the cost of your e-commerce website. Using a template to build an e-commerce website may save you more than 30% of the cost that you may have to pay when using a custom design.
Web hosting
The hosting server plays a significant role in the success & budget of an e-commerce website. There are hundreds of options to host your website. Some web hosting companies charge as low as $100 per annum, while others may charge $250 per annum. When choosing website hosting for your e-commerce site, expensive options are only sometimes the best. Many hosting companies charge much less than others while providing the best support. If your web developer is experienced enough, they can guide you in choosing the best yet reasonable web hosting company for your online store.
3rd party integration
Advanced features: Your e-commerce website costs will rise if you need advanced features such as multilingual web pages, multi-currency options for users, etc.
> How to Save Your E-commerce Website Costs?
Do you need an e-commerce website on a budget? It’s possible! There are many ways in which you can save your money while building an e-commerce store.
Below are some of the best ways to save on your e-commerce development costs in the UAE:
Tip #1: Go for WordPress CMS
Developing an e-commerce website in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE may involve a significant amount of money, which may be difficult to spare, especially for small businesses and startups. However, when your web developer uses WordPress/WooCommerce to create an e-commerce store, it can save you more than 30% on your e-commerce web development.
Tip #2: Subscribe to an affordable host
As mentioned earlier in this blog post, many web hosting providers are reliable and, at the same time, affordable. Choosing one of them can also help you save on your e-commerce website development costs. Some of those hosting providers include InterServer, iPage, BlueHost, etc. Consult a professional web developer in Dubai or anywhere in the UAE who can help you choose the best hosting service.
Tip #3: Launch with basic features
If you want to save on e-commerce development costs, launch your website with the basic yet essential features first. This will help you save some money initially to invest in your marketing and other promotional activities. Gradually, you can enhance your website with new features as you move forward with getting sales & conversions on your website. Your web developer can also help you identify some areas on your existing e-commerce store that can be improved to get more sales & customers.
Tip #4: Use free plugins
Don’t jump in and pay for the plugins. Think about the features that can be added to your e-commerce website with the help of free plugins. Consult a professional WordPress developer in the UAE who can help you suggest some reliable yet free plugins to add great features to your online store. Using free plugins will not only help you save your initial web development cost, but it will also help you avoid paying on an annual or monthly basis for the paid plugins.
Tip #5: Use a theme
Using a WordPress/WooCommerce theme or template instead of a custom website design can save you significant money. Many WooCommerce themes can be used to build your e-commerce store. Most of these premium themes are available at a nominal price of as low as $70. Other than the low cost of these themes, they have several other benefits. These benefits include mobile-responsive design, support from their developers, demo content installation, and more.
