How Much Does a Branded E-commerce Store Design Really Cost in 2026?

Is just spending $500 enough for getting a custom look to an e-commerce website, or quoting a certain hundreds of dollars for a 20-page design is ok? These questions are coming to the light when deciding on an e-commerce website design cost.

The cost is not a fixed number to keep, but it depends on what the client wants and how the designer puts in the effort. This article will explain everything, whether you are a startup founder, a product manager, or a web designer estimating a project.

What Does “E-commerce Website Design Cost” Actually Include?

When people hear the term e-commerce website design cost, they think it only covers visuals, colors, fonts, and layouts. In reality, it includes several layers of strategic and executional work.

• Planning and Research

First, there is a discovery and research phase. This phase involves understanding the business goals, target audience, competitors, and product structure. Without this step, even the best-looking designs look generic.

• Information Architecture and UX

Second comes information architecture and UX planning. Designers map category structures, navigation flows, product pages, cart journeys, and checkout processes. This directly affects usability and conversion rates, a core part of e-commerce UI/UX design costs.

• Visual Design

Third is visual UI design. This includes custom layouts, branding elements, icons, typography, spacing rules, and responsive behavior across devices. A unique e-commerce website design requires consistency across every screen.

• Documentation

Finally, there is design documentation and handoff. This may include design systems for online stores, reusable components, UI states, and developer-ready files. All these elements together form the actual cost, not just the final screens you see.

What Makes an E-commerce Website Feel Branded?

Thinking that putting a brand logo on the website design feels professional business that is wrong. People easily identify it’s generic. So, a branded website design is defined by consistency, personality, and clarity at every interaction point.

• Visual Identity

Branding in e-commerce starts with visual identity. Colors, typography, icon styles, and imagery must align with the brand’s tone. The tone can be luxury, minimal, playful, or functional. Changing the colors only with generic layouts rarely feels branded.

• Layout and Spacing

Once the visual assets are decided, then a layout and spacing come. Famous brands use layout as a signature. They implement white space, grid systems, and section hierarchy to help users recognize a brand even without seeing the logo.

• Micro-interactions

Users like to have interaction at every section on the website, and that’s why micro-interaction plays a key role. Hover effects, button animations, loading states, and empty cart messages add character to the experience. These details increase both perceived quality and trust.

• Content Presentation

You found on the Amazon website that product descriptions, call-to-action language, trust badges, and social proof placement are. They look “premium” to “basic”, a store feels. To have this kind of design element increases the overall custom e-commerce design pricing because they require thoughtful planning and execution.

Core Factors That Influence E-commerce Website Design Cost

When a business gets a $500 to $1000 quotation for online store design or a design agency gives a timeline depends on such factors. Understanding them helps set realistic budgets.

• Project Scope

Project scope is the biggest factor. A 10-page brochure-style store with limited products costs far less than a multi-category marketplace with advanced filtering and account dashboards. It’s a wise option to define what you want and then bargain with the agency.

• Customization

Level of customization also matters for branding and a custom look. You never want to compromise it to save $100 of dollars that pulls a $100000. Custom layouts, illustrations, and unique UI patterns increase cost compared to reused patterns. This is where template vs custom e-commerce design becomes a key decision.

• UX Complexity

UX complexity adds to cost, and it should be. Features like product variants, subscriptions, dynamic pricing, multi-step checkout flows, and localization require deeper UX thinking. For a unique functionality, the user experience is non-negotiable for cost adjusting.

• Design System

Design system requirements influence long-term cost. Creating a scalable design system for online stores costs more upfront, but reduces future redesign and development expenses. If you know that in the future the store has to be expanded, then a scalable design system is required.

• Expert Designer Role

Designer expertise plays a role, too. Experienced designers charge more, but they often save costs in revisions, usability issues, and redesigns later. For making a store like Amazon, you can’t rely on novice designers but need a skilled design team that puts the effort in the correct direction.

Real-World Examples of E-commerce Website Design Costs

There are certain types of e-commerce website designs available, and their cost depends on what they include.

• D2C E-commerce Business

A small DTC brand launching its first store may spend $800–$2,000 on design. This usually includes the homepage, product listing, product detail, cart, and checkout pages with limited customization.

• Mid-sized E-commerce Business

A growing brand aiming for a strong identity may invest $3,000–$6,000. The business wants to expand its reach with a more enhanced user experience than the basic one. This covers a branded e-commerce website design with custom UI elements, mobile-first layouts, and improved UX flows for a genuinely trustworthy brand.

• Corporate Level Business

Enterprise-level e-commerce platforms often spend $10,000 or more on design alone. These projects involve complex product catalogs, dashboards, custom checkout experiences, and extensive UI documentation. This is the peak cost of any website design where the business is located across the world and has an established reputation.

These examples highlight that the cost to design an online store varies widely based on goals, not just page count.

E-commerce Website Design Cost Ranges

You have three choices to decide how much you can charge for an e-commerce website design according to the budget range.

• Basic template-based design: $500–$1,000

In this price range, the client will get a simple e-commerce store that usually has 10 pages for products, checkout, and payment flow. Basically, web designers are taking the help of ready UI kits and customizing them with brand guidelines and handing them over to the client.

• Semi-custom branded design: $1,500–$4,000

When the client insists on having such a branded website for an online store with the mentioned budget, web designers focus on the custom work. However, they may take ideas from the famous brands and then start designing based on what the client wants.

• Fully custom e-commerce design: $5,000–$10,000+

Web designers are not using UI kits and templates here anymore. They prepare the entire design system from scratch as the business requires. They pass through the branding guidelines interpretation, the clear output and requirement phases to process the design work. This takes time, and of course, the skills and the price range truly match it.

Keep note that lower budgets usually rely on existing e-commerce templates with minor UI changes. Mid-range budgets allow partial customization and stronger branding. High-end budgets focus on unique experiences, advanced UX, and long-term scalability.

Understanding these ranges helps businesses avoid underestimating e-commerce UI/UX design cost and helps designers justify their pricing.

Template Customization vs Custom Design: Cost Comparison

Even clients want to have a design template to use for the e-commerce website development. Why? Of course, it’s affordable, fast to use, and easy to customize.

But, wait. Templates have limitations, and these limitations can be removed from the custom website design.

• Templates

Website design templates are cost-effective and fast. They work well for early-stage businesses testing the market. However, they limit branding, flexibility, and differentiation. Once the site is developed from a template, it looks generic, and for mid-sized to corporate brands, it’s not recommended. The most unacceptable part is that customization beyond a point often becomes messy and time-consuming.

• Custom Design

Custom website UI and UX design, on the other hand, starts from user needs and brand identity. It allows designers to build layouts tailored to products and customers. Ready templates are not generally designed for a certain kind of customer that brands want to have. In this way, e-commerce design pricing is higher; it commonly results in better conversion rates and brand recall.

In the long run, heavily customized templates can cost more than a clean custom design due to rework and technical limitations.

Where UI Kits Fit Into Modern E-commerce Design Workflows?

The question is very common and doubtful to get an answer to. But, we have.

Generally, UI kits are referred to as User Interface design is famous in modern workflows. These kits have ready-made components like product cards, filters, carts, and checkout sections. This entire design system can be forwarded to the production team for development and get the website ready to go live.

However, UI kits should be treated as a foundation, not a final product. Without customization, stores look generic.

So, what is the solution?

Smart designers adapt UI kits into a custom design system for online stores, balancing speed and uniqueness.

When used correctly, UI kits help optimize e-commerce website design budget without sacrificing quality.

Get UI Kit Templates

How Web Designers Should Estimate E-commerce Design Cost?

For designers, estimating e-commerce website design cost requires clarity and structure. Here are the steps to follow:

• Start by defining the scope clearly—pages, components, and user flows. Avoid estimates like “complete store design” without specifics.

• Break pricing into phases: research, UX, UI, revisions, and handoff. This helps clients understand where their money goes and reduces pricing disputes.

• Account for revision cycles. E-commerce projects often involve multiple stakeholders, increasing feedback rounds.

• Finally, value price, not just hours. A well-designed checkout flow can significantly increase revenue, that is far more valuable than its production time suggests.

This is a common steps most web design teams use for deciding the cost of e-commerce website design.

Common Mistakes Designers Make While Quoting E-commerce Projects

Here are common mistakes that can occur during the design cost quotation:

• Underquote the Price

One mistake that can be found is underquoting to win projects. For example, a local fashion store needs 14 pages with advanced features and multiple product cards, and you agreed to do so for just $300. This leads to scope creep, burnout, and compromised quality.

• Ignoring UX Complexity

Another mistake is not looking at UX complexity. Designers sometimes quote based on page count without considering interactions, states, and logic. They just read that the client needs only 20 pages for setting up the e-commerce platform, but do not check what kind of resources are used.

• Misunderstood Client’s Thinking

Not educating clients is also costly. When clients don’t understand e-commerce UI/UX design cost, they may compare custom quotes with cheap templates unfairly. You quote them $800, and they find a template with $100, they see a $700 can be saved, but do not know what professional work you give them with a quote price.

• Not Having Documentation

Skipping documentation and design systems saves time initially but creates long-term issues for both designers and developers. You hand off only a Figma file to the client after approval without a documentation attachment. The development team can’t understand the design rules, customization functionality, and assets to use where needed.

Conclusion

E-commerce website design cost is not a fixed number like $500 or $5000. It is a reflection of strategy, branding, and user experience. There are two ways to have a branded look to your website: 1. Custom, and 2. UI kits. What to choose depends on the client’s budget, brand goals, and overall project needs.

FAQs

1. How much does an e-commerce website design cost on average?

The average cost is $1500 to $5,000 for e-commerce website design. This price depends on what kind of icons, images, and layouts are used with customization and UX complexity.

2. Is custom e-commerce design worth the cost?

Yes, custom design improves brand identity, usability, and conversion rates. It sets the store apart from generic websites made with templates. Custom websites are useful for marketing and branding.

3. Can UI kits reduce e-commerce design cost?

Yes, at specified limits. The Figma e-commerce UI kit can reduce base design time, but customization is still required for a custom look, and it can be done with a web designer's help.

4. What affects e-commerce UI and UX design cost the most?

UX complexity, number of product variations, checkout flow, and scalability requirements are the biggest cost-determining factors for e-commerce website UI and UX design.

5. Should startups invest heavily in design?

No. Startups should balance budget and goals. Starting with a semi-custom design (with the template and custom branding) and scaling later is the smartest way to save costs.