Get Started↗︎Building an Online Store: What You Need and What It Costs
More and more people in North Macedonia shop online, yet many businesses still sell only through Facebook and Instagram messages. That works while orders are few. Once they grow, answering every message one by one gets slow and buyers drop off. An online store fixes that: buyers see the products and prices on their own and can order at any time.
Online store or e-catalog?
An online store has a cart and checkout: the buyer picks products, enters delivery details and sends the order. An e-catalog shows products and prices, but instead of checkout it has a button to call, message or request an offer. An e-catalog suits businesses where the price depends on quantity or size, such as building materials or made-to-measure furniture.
With us both are in the same package, so you can start as a catalog and switch on orders later.
What you need to prepare
- A product list with name, price and category. A spreadsheet is the easiest format.
- Photos of every product. Good photos sell better than any description.
- Short descriptions: dimensions, material, colours, what is included.
- Payment method. Cash on delivery is the most common option in North Macedonia and the easiest way to start. Card payments need an agreement with a bank or payment provider.
- Delivery: which courier you use, what it costs and how many days it takes.
- Terms for returns and exchanges.
What it costs
Our online store / e-catalog package costs €630 (fixed price) and includes:
- adding up to 50 products
- a custom store design
- a mobile-friendly layout
- basic SEO
- automatic updates and a secure, stable website
Extras: each additional 20 products +€50, an extra language +€100, a blog +€50. On-demand support is €30 per hour. For a full overview of website prices, read How much does a website cost in North Macedonia.
How long it takes
A store with fewer products is ready in about 2 weeks, while larger projects take 3–4 weeks. It depends most on how quickly we receive the products, photos and descriptions.
The store is live. What next?
An online store without visitors is like a shop on an empty street. The first buyers usually come fastest through Facebook and Instagram ads that link straight to the product. Read what that costs in How much do Facebook and Instagram ads cost. Over time, well-described products also start bringing visitors from Google.
The most common mistakes
- Photos taken on a phone in poor light.
- Products without a price, just “message us for the price”.
- Unclear delivery costs that only appear at the very end.
- A complicated checkout with too many fields.
Need a website?
Fixed-price packages from €230. Basic websites are ready in 1–2 weeks.