An online store can be the most challenging web project, but also the most profitable. E-commerce in Europe grows 15–20% annually. Here's how to build a store that actually sells.
Before You Start: Key Questions
Before choosing a platform and commissioning a project, answer a few questions:
- How many products will the store have? (10 vs. 10,000 have very different requirements)
- Do products have variants? (size, colour — variants complicate the architecture)
- Which integrations are critical? (warehouse system, couriers, ERP)
- Who will manage the store? (a technical person vs. a non-technical client)
- What is the target traffic? (100 vs. 100,000 visits/month is different infrastructure)
E-Commerce Platform Comparison
WooCommerce (WordPress)
For: Stores up to 5,000 products, owner wants to manage independently, starting budget: €2,000 – €5,000.
✅ Huge community and plugin ecosystem ✅ Easy management through the WordPress panel ✅ Many ready-made integrations (couriers, payments) ✅ Lower implementation cost
❌ Performance at high traffic requires optimisation ❌ Security — requires regular updates ❌ Premium plugin costs add up
Shopify
For: E-commerce startups, dropshipping, stores focused on fast launch.
✅ Very fast start (days, not months) ✅ Reliable infrastructure ✅ Good apps and integrations
❌ Monthly fees ($29–$299/month) + transaction fee ❌ Limited customisation ❌ Closed code — vendor dependency ❌ Less suited to European market specifics (invoicing, local payment methods)
Next.js + Headless Commerce (Medusa.js, Commerce.js)
For: High-traffic stores, advanced requirements, budget €7,000+.
✅ Best performance (PageSpeed 95+) ✅ Full code ownership ✅ Unlimited scalability ✅ Best technical SEO
❌ Higher implementation cost ❌ Requires technical management ❌ Fewer out-of-the-box integrations
Essential Integrations for an Online Store
Payments
Customers expect popular payment methods. At minimum:
- Stripe — the standard globally
- PayPal — required by many customers
- BNPL (Buy Now, Pay Later) — increases conversion by 15–30%
- Apple Pay / Google Pay — essential for mobile
Couriers and Shipping
- Local parcel lockers — huge in many European markets
- DPD, GLS, DHL, UPS — home delivery
- API integration — automatic labels, shipment tracking
Invoicing
Automatic invoice generation is legally required in most countries. Popular integrations:
- Xero, QuickBooks, FreshBooks
- Custom integration with your accounting system
Marketplaces
Most online stores also sell on Amazon, eBay, or local marketplaces. Inventory synchronisation is critical here — that's why multi-channel management platforms like BaseLinker are so popular.
BaseLinker — Why It's a Must-Have for E-Commerce
BaseLinker is an e-commerce integration system that lets you manage orders from all sales channels in one place.
What BaseLinker does:
- Synchronises stock levels between your store, Amazon, eBay, and other platforms
- Automatically prints shipping labels
- Generates sales documents
- Automates order processing (statuses, customer emails)
For whom: Every store selling on more than one channel.
Integration cost: €1,500 – €4,000 (one-time, during store implementation). At Soft Synergy we deliver BaseLinker integrations in 7 days.
SEO for Online Stores
E-commerce SEO is a discipline in itself. The most important elements:
1. URL Structure
Bad: shop.com/product?id=1234
Good: shop.com/category/product-name
2. Product Descriptions
Unique, detailed descriptions — don't copy from the supplier. Google penalises duplicate content.
3. Structured Data for Products
Schema.org Product with price, availability, and reviews — shows stars and prices in Google results.
4. Core Web Vitals
A slow store = worse SEO. Google officially considers LCP, INP, and CLS in rankings.
5. Internal Linking
Categories → subcategories → products. Maximum click depth from the homepage: 3.
Monthly Store Maintenance Costs
| Item | Monthly Cost |
|---|---|
| Managed hosting | €30 – €150 |
| Multi-channel management | €30 – €100 |
| Premium plugins | €30 – €150 |
| Technical maintenance | €100 – €300 |
| Payment gateway fees | ~1.5% of revenue |
| TOTAL | €190 – €700 + fees |
Most Common Mistakes When Starting a Store
❌ Under-budgeting — a "€500 store" is a brochure site, not a store ❌ Skipping multi-channel management — essential for selling on multiple platforms ❌ Neglecting technical SEO — a store visible on Google attracts free traffic ❌ No mobile version — over 60% of online purchases happen on mobile ❌ Complex checkout — every extra step = less conversion
Pre-Launch Checklist
✅ SSL certificate (HTTPS) ✅ Terms and conditions and privacy policy ✅ Payment gateways configured and tested ✅ Courier integration ✅ Automatic invoicing ✅ Transaction emails (confirmation, shipping, return) ✅ Google Analytics 4 + Google Merchant Center ✅ Sitemap (sitemap.xml) submitted to Google ✅ Testing on mobile devices ✅ Automatic backups
Summary
An online store is a complex project, but a well-executed one pays for itself in months. The key decisions are platform selection (WooCommerce for small stores, Next.js for large ones), integrations (multi-channel management, couriers, payments), and SEO from day one.
At Soft Synergy we've delivered dozens of e-commerce stores — from small boutiques to platforms with millions of products. Book a free consultation.