The Complete Guide to eCommerce Web Design Packages for Online Stores

There are tiers of eCommerce web design packages, but which is best for your business.

An online store’s website design directly impacts sales and revenue. The right eCommerce web design attracts customers, builds trust, improves user experience, and, most importantly, converts visitors into paying customers, among many other benefits. 

Investing in a professional site designed specifically for eCommerce should be a top priority.

But with so many options, how do you know what level of design support your store needs? Understanding the different eCommerce web design packages available is the first step. This guide will explore starter, professional, and premium bundles offered by top web design firms. We have compared core factors such as pricing, features, and ideal customer fit to help you determine the best solution for your online business.

Starter eCommerce Web Design Packages

Starter eCommerce web design packages offer fledgling online retailers an affordable way to establish an online presence and sell products or services. These budget-friendly bundles provide the core elements an eCommerce site needs without unnecessary bells and whistles best suited to more advanced operations.

A typical starter web design package for an eCommerce site includes:

• 5-10 custom-designed pages to cover home, product categories, product details, shopping cart, checkout, terms & conditions etc.
• Responsive design that adapts seamlessly across desktop, tablets and mobile devices  
• Basic on-page SEO optimization like meta tags and alt text to help get found in search engines
• Lead capture forms for newsletter signups or sales inquiries
• Integration with key social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram  
• Stock photography options to showcase products visually
• Web hosting and setup services to get the site live
• 1-2 rounds of design revisions or edits to finalize the look and feel  
• Limited ability to add extensive custom features 

The ideal type of customer for a starter eCommerce package is a small business launching its first online store on a tight budget. Key aspects for buyers to evaluate are the number of pages included, the level of design customization allowed, post-launch support options, and the overall level of eCommerce functionality available out of the box. 

Starter web design packages aimed at small eCommerce sites tend to range anywhere from $500 at the low end to $1,500 or more at the high end, depending greatly on the options selected.

Pros of Starter eCommerce Web Design Packages

• Highly affordable way for small businesses to sell online
• Allow for complete core eCommerce site functionality
• Enable getting an online store launched quickly

Cons of Starter eCommerce Web Design Packages

• Limited design control and extensive customization
• Lack more advanced features larger merchants depend on  
• Less generous post-launch support resources 

Professional eCommerce Web Design Packages

Professional eCommerce web design packages cater to online merchants who have moved beyond the startup phase and have an established customer base with ongoing growth potential. These mid-tier solutions offer moderately robust eCommerce functionality paired with much deeper design personalization compared to entry-level bundles.

A professional web design package for eCommerce sites typically includes:

• 15-25 custom-designed pages to cover expanded product lines and site sections
• High-resolution, professionally captured product photos  
• Advanced on-page and off-page SEO optimization for sustainable organic traffic  
• Built-in email marketing tools like sign-up forms and templates
• Numerous integrated payment gateway options like PayPal, Stripe and Authorize.Net
• Interactive features like live chat support and instant messaging
• Mobile and conversion rate optimization to maximize sales
• Extensive ability to tailor branding, layouts and UX flows
• Premium level post-launch customer support and troubleshooting

The professional package hits the ideal sweet spot for established eCommerce businesses looking to take their customer experience to the next level while further maximizing sales, traffic, and revenue. There’s ample room to craft a site aligned seamlessly to branding while leveraging the latest tools proven to boost conversions directly.

Expect to invest somewhere in the range of $3,000 – $7,000+ for a professional-grade eCommerce web design bundle and that also depends on the specific options required.

Pros of Professional eCommerce Web Design Packages

• Significantly more advanced features compared to entry-level tiers
• High degree of customized design catered directly to brand image   
• Inclusion of proven conversion optimization best practices
• Scales easily in line with the merchant’s business growth

Cons of Professional eCommerce Web Design Packages

• A moderately higher budget is required compared to starter tiers
• Less generous post-launch support allowance compared to premium tiers

Premium eCommerce Web Design Packages

Premium web design packages cater specifically to well-established, high-volume eCommerce businesses prepared to invest significant capital into thoroughly customized, best-in-class solutions built specifically for their current needs and future trajectory. These expert-led bundles offer an unparalleled degree of design control, site functionality, scalability assurance and hands-on performance optimization.  

The extensive deliverables encompassed in premium eCommerce website design packages typically include:  

• A custom-coded platform spanning 50+ branded pages to cover diverse catalogs and complex site architecture requirements  
• 1-on-1 strategy sessions with senior UX design experts to craft tailored customer journeys that balance aesthetics with business goals
• Lifestyle photography capturing real-world usage of products in aspirational settings   
• Rigorous site-wide audits and on-page optimization from technical SEO specialists 
• Tightly integrated automation for triggered emails, ads and marketing campaigns
• An easily-adaptable branding toolkit with guidelines for images, assets and extensions
• Bespoke interactive or transactional features like AI-powered chatbots tailor-made based on the brand’s target audience   
• Comprehensive analytics dashboards and well-formatted performance reports  
• Dedicated account management across multiple departments
• Guaranteed priority-level 24/7 support and regular optimization tune-ups

This degree of thoughtful customization and hand-holding account management is geared towards established eCommerce brands looking to entrench a market-leading position solidly. Premium design partners allow them to achieve this by establishing an elevated look, feel, and functionality to outshine competitors. Expect investment requirements starting from $10,000+ for this level of customization paired with dedicated teams invested fully in your ongoing success.

Pros of Premium eCommerce Web Design Packages

• Fully bespoke eCommerce platforms custom-built for current & future needs   
• Continuous sales growth through expert site optimization   
• Scales smoothly in lockstep with evolving business requirements  
• Direct access to dedicated cross-departmental account manager   

Cons of Premium eCommerce Web Design Packages

• Lofty minimum budgets often north of $15,000+   
• Overkill capabilities for most early-stage online stores
• Minimum order volumes and complex contracts often required

Choosing the Right eCommerce Web Design Package

With the core options spanning starter, professional and premium bundles, properly assessing your business’s current position and future goals across a few key areas is crucial for determining the optimal eCommerce website design package:  

• What is the Available Budget?

Be transparent about actual dollar figures you have the authority to allocate so agencies can tailor solutions. Premium custom platforms offer maximum capabilities yet smaller merchants may achieve better ROI through mid-tier solutions.

• Existing Business Size

Evaluating current sales volumes, order frequency, total product selection size, platform constraints and injection readiness are instrumental to ensuring the new eCommerce environment can smoothly scale in sync with multi-year business plans.

• Weight Current + Ideal Design Needs

Detail out your brand style guide, aesthetic vision, must-have site features, functionality gaps, integrations wanted, content types needing prioritization and every granular element needing enhancement so developers can craft solutions to align.  

• Required Launch Timeframes

If going all-in on a tight deadline before peak sales seasons, starter eCommerce web design packages facilitate rapid deployment. Highly customized design platforms require ample runways so be transparent about launch urgency.

• In-House Resources Reality Check

Having specialized skills like analytics, technical SEO, copywriting, email marketing and UX design in-house reduces the need for included agency support yet most sellers benefit tremendously by leveraging expert-managed services. 

6 eCommerce Web Design Agencies to Consider

Having outlined the core differences between starter, professional, and premium build eCommerce web design packages, identifying a few reputable agencies appropriate to your business is prudent before requesting bespoke quotes. Here are 10 highly capable eCommerce web design firms spanning various specialties:

1. Designmodo

Designmodo has become a leader in WordPress web design by mastering supplemental drag-and-drop page builders like Elementor. 

This empowers clients to easily make content updates themselves after launch without needing developers. Their expertise suits eCommerce brands wanting blogging and media integration to nurture customers post-purchase. 

Entry-level design eCommerce web design packages catering to small shops start at $799 with hosting included. Scaled growth capabilities can be added as revenues increase over time.

2. Weebly

Weebly has emerged as one of the most user-friendly DIY online store builders on the market while still maintaining commercial-grade capabilities, security and scalability. 

Their optional domain registration is tightly integrated with site hosting and various third-party marketing platforms like email service providers and analytics tools. 

For merchants that may find Shopify’s backend overwhelming but still want great-looking sites quickly, Weebly strikes an ideal balance of simplicity with the ability to add performance upgrades to hosting incrementally, CDN, and caching layers as order volumes grow. 

The straightforward CMS also facilitates owners updating products, pages, and blog content themselves post-launch rather than needing to submit tickets. Being able to get an attractive online store up and running in less than 30 days while leveraging Weebly’s reliable infrastructure makes them an appealing option for budget-conscious eCommerce ventures. 

Their baseline online store plans start at $12 per month, with incremental upgrades available.

3. BigCommerce

BigCommerce is one of the most robust and enterprise-grade SaaS eCommerce platforms available, catering specifically to established brands experiencing rapid growth in order volumes and product line expansion. 

The foundation offers all core digital storefront functionality like flexible catalog management, granular merchandising, order processing, and support for 40+ payment gateways out of the box. Where BigCommerce excels is providing API flexibility and integration support for tying into major ERP backends like SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, and backend OMS platforms like CommerceTools or OrderMotion. 

This facilitates real-time syncing critical for complex B2B order scenarios. Their open architecture allows brands to stay lean as developers can integrate virtually any other martech service. 

For rapidly scaling companies forecasting the need to support 500k+ SKUs or seeking a consolidated backend to support surging multi-channel order volumes across marketplaces, retail stores and your DTC presence, BigCommerce warrants consideration. 

They offer free personalized demo portals, allowing brands to validate capabilities against current and future objectives.

4. Shopify Partners

Shopify Partners refers to the vast global network of specialized agencies and technology partners accredited by Shopify to resell and implement their industry-leading eCommerce platform. 

Shopify’s solutions scale from affordable starter stores on Shopify Essentials to enterprise-grade installations of Shopify Plus able to handle high order volumes for even the largest B2B and B2C brands, and can cost anywhere from $500 – $5000, even upwards.

Their partner network creates a lot of flexibility in terms of cost and capabilities for merchants exploring a transition to Shopify’s modern architecture. Some partners specialize in specific niche industries and product types allowing them to tailor solutions to unique business requirements. Others focus on budget small business builds to get online stores operational quickly. 

Larger Shopify Plus certified partners cater to established brands by offering high-touch strategic planning for migrations paired with advanced customization of storefronts and complex backend integrations to other systems. No matter the current size of your inventory, sales volumes, or functionality needs, exploring vetted Shopify Partner agencies is recommended to identify specialized expertise matched to your objectives.

5. WebFX

WebFX is an acclaimed digital agency blending beautiful, high-converting custom storefront design sensibilities with the technical integrations required to scale growth marketing campaigns as brands expand. Their expertise includes migrating clients to modern eCommerce platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce to benefit from improved flexibility compared to outdated legacy systems.

What sets WebFX apart is their ability to provide dedicated digital marketing strategists as an extension of clients’ teams to optimize campaigns across key platforms like Hootsuite for multi-channel social advertising, Marketo for automating email nurturing and Google Ads for driving qualified web traffic. This tight integration between conversion-focused web design and executing best practices across owned, earned and paid channels enables hitting ROI goals faster.  

WebFX’s track record serving prominent consumer brands like Best Buy, Rosetta Stone and Amway cements their expertise in helping companies craft digital Experiences, facilitating sustainable scaling up of profits. Their mid-tier web design packages start from $1,500 paired with minimum 6-month agreements – ideal for established eCommerce players.

Ready to Launch Your Online Store with these eCommerce web design packages?

An exceptional eCommerce website drives revenue growth by attracting high-converting traffic, showcasing products appealingly, and motivating visitors to complete purchases easily. Investing in a tailored design aligned to proven eCommerce best practices is well worth the investment.

Hopefully this complete guide has provided you with clarity regarding available eCommerce web design packages for your online store. Evaluate starter, professional and premium solutions against your budget, business needs and goals. Seek quotes from a shortlist of vetted design agencies that offer solutions suiting your requirements. With the right package secured, you’ll be primed for eCommerce success both today AND tomorrow!