How long does it take to build an online shop?

How long does it take to build an online shop? On a hosted platform, the shop itself can be built in a few days to two weeks. Getting everything ready to launch (products, photos, payments, delivery and legal pages) usually takes two to six weeks in total. A WooCommerce site often takes longer, and a custom-built shop can take months.

These are rough guides, not promises. The website is rarely the slow part. Products, photos, words and paperwork are.

What decides how long it takes

• The type of platform. Hosted, self-hosted or custom-built.
• How many products you have, and how many options (sizes, colours) each one has.
• Whether your photos and descriptions are ready. This is the biggest variable.
• Your business setup. Some registrations take days or weeks.
• Whether you’re moving from another shop, which adds data transfer and redirects.
• How much time you can give it. Evenings and weekends stretch everything out.

How long it takes to build an online shop, by platform

Hosted platform

You sign up, pick a design, add products and connect payments. A simple shop can be built in days. Allow one to two weeks for a polished one.

WooCommerce

You set up hosting, install WordPress and WooCommerce, choose a theme and add plugins. Often a couple of weeks for someone confident, longer if you’re learning as you go.

Custom build

A developer designs and builds it for you. Expect weeks to months, depending on the brief and how quickly you give feedback.

For most people starting out, a hosted platform is the quickest route, because hosting, security and checkout are already done for you.

A realistic timeline for a small shop

Here’s how the work might break down for a shop with around 10 to 30 products on a hosted platform, working part time. Your timeline will differ.

Week 1: foundations

• Choose a name and buy a domain.
• Register with HMRC or form a company, if you haven’t already.
• Sign up for a platform and pick a design.
• Start setting up payments. Identity checks can take a few days, so begin early.

Weeks 2 to 3: products

• Photograph every product (allow a full day or two for the first batch).
• Write titles and descriptions.
• Add products, options, prices and stock levels.
• Weigh and measure packed products for delivery pricing.

Week 4: the rest of the shop

• Build your home page, About page and contact page.
• Set up delivery options and rates.
• Add your terms, privacy notice, returns policy and business details.
• Set up order emails and your welcome email.

Weeks 5 to 6: test and launch

• Place test orders on phone and computer, and refund them.
• Connect your domain. DNS changes can take up to a day or two to work everywhere.
• Ask a friend to try buying something while you watch.
• Launch, then fix the small things you notice in the first week.

Things that take longer than you expect

• Product photos. Setting up, shooting, editing and uploading is slower than it sounds.
• Descriptions. Good copy for each product takes time. Do your best sellers properly first.
• Payment approval. Providers check who you are before releasing money. Start this in week one.
• Stock arriving. Supplier delays are common, especially for first orders.
• Product-specific registrations. For example, food businesses must register with their council at least 28 days before trading (as of October 2026). Cosmetics need a safety report before sale.
• Decisions. Choosing colours, fonts and a logo can eat weeks if you let it.

Moving an existing shop

Moving from another platform adds time for exporting products, customers and orders, matching old web addresses to new ones and setting up redirects so you keep your Google rankings. Allow extra weeks and choose a quiet time to switch. Our guide to moving your shop without losing sales or SEO covers the steps.

How to launch faster

• Launch with fewer products. Your best five to ten, done well, then add more each week.
• Use your platform’s design instead of custom work. You can refine it later.
• Batch your work. Photograph everything in one session, then write everything in another.
• Start the slow admin first: payments, domain and any registrations.
• Set a launch date and work back from it.

Merchella, for example, has a page editor with an AI writing help button on each field, which can speed up first drafts of descriptions. You’ll still want to check and personalise every one.

Good enough to launch

Your shop will never feel finished. A good test: can a stranger find a product, understand it, see the price and delivery date, pay, and get a confirmation email? If yes, you’re ready. Everything else can improve after launch, guided by what real customers do.

In short

Building the shop itself on a hosted platform can take days. Getting ready to sell usually takes two to six weeks, because products, photos, payments and paperwork take time. Start the slow admin early, launch with a small range, and improve once real orders start coming in.