We design and build custom WooCommerce online shops for UK businesses. You own the shop. You pay no commission on sales. Prices start from £2,000, and every price is agreed in writing before work starts.
Ecommerce website design is the planning, design and build of an online shop. It covers product pages, the basket, checkout, payments, delivery and order emails. A good ecommerce website is fast, works well on phones and makes it easy for customers to buy.
Starter shops. Growing and custom stores are priced after a free call.
Most shops launch in 4 to 10 weeks. Large custom stores take longer.
WooCommerce takes nothing from your sales. You only pay card fees.
Your files, products, customers and orders belong to you.
We build shops for owners who want to sell more online without being tied to one platform.
You have products and want to sell online properly, not on a free template.
You want to stop paying monthly platform fees or sales fees, and own your shop.
Customers leave at the basket or checkout, or you struggle to update it.
You need trade prices, customer accounts or minimum orders.
Every shop we build comes with these as standard. No hidden extras.
Every shop can include these. We switch on only what your business needs, so the shop stays fast.
Not sure what you need? We suggest the right mix on your free call.
Need something else? Ask us. Most features can be added later without a rebuild.
WooCommerce is free shop software that runs on WordPress. It powers millions of online shops. You own the website, so you can move hosts or change developers at any time. You are not locked into one company.
| WooCommerce | Shopify | Wix / Squarespace | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | None. You pay for hosting | Yes, a monthly plan | Yes, a monthly plan |
| Extra fee on each sale | None from WooCommerce | Extra fee unless you use Shopify Payments | Payment fees only |
| Who owns the website | You do | You rent the platform | You rent the platform |
| Move to another host | Yes, any time | No, it must be rebuilt | No, it must be rebuilt |
| Change the checkout and features | Fully | Limited by plan and apps | Limited |
| Best for | Owners who want control and lower long-term costs | A quick start with less control | Small, simple shops |
Want more detail? Read our full Shopify vs WooCommerce comparison.
An ecommerce website from Core Web UK costs from £2,000. Most small UK shops cost £2,000 to £6,000. Bigger stores with trade pricing, subscriptions or stock system links start from £6,000. You get a fixed written quote before any work starts.
For new shops with a small range. 4 to 6 weeks.
For shops with more products and more sales. 6 to 10 weeks.
For trade, subscriptions or complex stores. 10 to 16 weeks.
These are guide prices. Your written quote confirms the full amount, any taxes, and any paid plugins or hosting. Nothing is added without your approval.
Most quotes stop at launch day. Here are the running costs you should plan for.
| Cost | Typical price | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Hosting | £15 to £40 a month | Fast, secure hosting for WooCommerce |
| Domain name | £10 to £20 a year | Your .co.uk or .com address |
| SSL certificate | Usually free | The padlock that keeps checkout secure |
| Paid plugins | £0 to £300 a year | Only if your shop needs extra features |
| Card fees | A small % per sale | Set by Stripe, PayPal or Klarna, not by us |
| Care plan | From £179 a month | Optional updates, backups and support |
We list every running cost in your quote, so there are no surprises later.
Payments, delivery, VAT and the legal basics, all set up for UK customers.
Take cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal. Add Klarna or Clearpay so customers can pay later. Card details are handled by Stripe or PayPal, so they never touch your server.
Set rates by weight, price or postcode. Offer free delivery over a set spend, local delivery or click and collect. Link to Royal Mail Click & Drop or your courier to print labels faster.
Set the right VAT rate for each product and show prices with VAT included. Send VAT invoices automatically. Link orders to Xero or QuickBooks. You must register once your taxable sales pass the VAT threshold.
We add cookie consent, privacy, terms, delivery and returns pages. Online shoppers usually have 14 days to cancel under UK consumer law, so your returns page needs to explain this. You approve the final wording. See the GOV.UK rules for online and distance selling and the ICO guidance on cookies.
SSL on every page, secure payment forms and strong admin logins. Payments use 3D Secure checks, which UK banks require.
We build to WCAG 2.2 AA guidelines. That means clear text, good colour contrast and full keyboard use, so more people can buy from you.
From your first small shop to a trade store with thousands of products.
Clothing, gifts, homeware, beauty and food shops selling to the public.
Trade-only prices, customer accounts, minimum orders and pay by invoice.
Repeat orders for products like coffee, pet food or skincare.
Courses, downloads, templates and gift cards with instant delivery.
Take payment for appointments, classes, rentals or events.
Click and collect, local delivery and in-store stock for high street businesses.
Every page is planned to help customers find the right product and pay without fuss.
Clear photos, prices, delivery times and stock levels. Customers know what they get before they buy.
Menus, filters and search that help customers find the right product in a few taps.
Guest checkout, express payment buttons and as few form fields as possible.
Reviews, secure payment badges, delivery and returns details where customers look for them.
Abandoned basket emails remind customers who left items in their basket.
Most people shop on their phone. We design for small screens first, then larger ones.
Search and speed are built in from day one, not added later. Is your shop slow now? Read why WooCommerce stores slow down.
Want ongoing growth? See our SEO services. Read how website speed affects rankings.
Before launch, we test every key page against Google’s Core Web Vitals: Google explains these targets in its Core Web Vitals guide.
We move shops from Shopify, Wix, Squarespace, Etsy, eBay and older WooCommerce sites. We copy your products, photos, customers and past orders where the platform allows it. We redirect every old page to its new page, so you keep your Google rankings and links. Your old shop stays live until the new one is ready.
Seven clear steps, from first call to ongoing support. Before go-live we follow our website launch checklist.
We talk about your products, customers, delivery and goals. No cost and no pressure.
You get a written plan, a fixed price and a launch date.
We design your home, category, product and checkout pages. You see them before we build.
We build the shop on a private test site and add your products.
We test payments, emails, delivery rules, VAT, mobile and speed.
We put the shop live and show you how to add products and manage orders.
Choose a care plan, or call us when you need help.
| Shop size | Products | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| Starter shop | Up to 50 | 4 to 6 weeks |
| Growing shop | Up to 1,000 | 6 to 10 weeks |
| Custom store | 1,000+ or custom features | 10 to 16 weeks |
The biggest delay is usually product content. Having your photos and descriptions ready saves weeks.
Missing something? We can help with photos, descriptions and branding.
Already have a shop? We can fix these without a full rebuild.
No account managers. You talk to the person building your shop.
You know the full cost before work starts. No surprise bills.
We check Core Web Vitals and share the results.
If your checkout breaks at night or at weekends, we can help.
WooCommerce is open software. You can leave us at any time and keep everything.
Meet us in Croydon or work with us online from anywhere in the UK.
Online shops need regular care. Plugins update, payment providers change their rules and checkouts can break. Our WooCommerce care plans cover updates, backups, security checks and checkout testing. If something breaks, our emergency team is available 24/7. See our WooCommerce maintenance checklist.
Two UK businesses we built online shops for, and how their websites grew with them. See more in our web design portfolio.
The brief: Pampered Perfectly first asked us to connect Xero to their Wix website. The site had no online shop and no way to book or pay online.
What we did: We gave them a few options and recommended a rebuild on WordPress and WooCommerce. They went ahead, and we built the new site.
“Toufik and his team have been amazing from start to finish…”
Pampered Perfectly, Google review
The brief: GTmax wanted an online B2B shop so garages, tyre shops and trade customers could order tyres at wholesale prices.
What we did: We built their trade shop on WooCommerce. After six months of growth, they asked us to build their own custom B2B software. It went live in July 2026.
“Core Web UK handled our web design and is now our go-to web designer for maintenance and SEO. … The site runs fast, looks clean, and everything just gets done without chasing.”
Zamin L, GTmax Tyres, Google review
Reviews
Short answers to the questions UK shop owners ask us most.
A small online shop usually costs £2,000 to £6,000. Larger stores with trade pricing, subscriptions or stock links cost more. At Core Web UK, ecommerce websites start from £2,000. You get a fixed written quote before work starts. See typical website costs in Croydon and how to compare web design quotes.
A starter shop takes 4 to 6 weeks. A growing shop takes 6 to 10 weeks. A custom store can take 10 to 16 weeks. Having your product photos and descriptions ready is the best way to launch sooner. Read more on how long a website takes to build.
Choose WooCommerce if you want to own your shop, avoid monthly platform fees and change anything you need. Choose Shopify if you want a fast start and are happy to rent the platform. We build on WooCommerce for most UK small businesses.
WooCommerce charges no commission on sales. You pay for hosting and your card provider’s fees, such as Stripe or PayPal. A care plan is optional. We list every running cost in your quote.
Yes. You own the website files, products, customer data and orders. You can move hosts or change developers at any time. Read our website ownership guide.
Yes. We train you before launch. You can add products, change prices, update stock and manage orders without any coding.
Yes. We can set up cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Klarna and Clearpay. Each provider charges its own fees and has its own approval checks.
We set the right VAT rate for each product, show VAT on invoices and can link your shop to Xero or QuickBooks. Your accountant should confirm the VAT rates you use.
Yes. We can link your shop to Royal Mail Click & Drop or courier tools, so orders flow in and you can print labels quickly.
Yes. We move your products and content, then redirect every old page to its new page. This protects the rankings and links you already have. Follow our migration SEO checklist.
Yes. We can set up product feeds for free Google Shopping listings and for Facebook and Instagram shops. Read about Google merchant listing updates.
Yes. WooCommerce can sell downloads, courses, gift cards and repeat subscriptions. Subscriptions usually need a paid plugin, which we list in your quote.
Yes. We can show trade prices to approved business customers and normal prices to everyone else, all on one shop.
You need a payment account, such as Stripe or PayPal, to take payments. You only need a VAT number if you are VAT registered. Ask your accountant if you are unsure.
We can set up fast WooCommerce hosting for you, or work with your current host if it is good enough. Hosting costs are listed in your quote.
Call us. Our emergency team is available 24/7 for broken checkouts, payment errors and website problems. Care plan clients get priority help.
Yes. We can redesign your shop, speed it up and fix checkout problems while keeping your products, orders and rankings.
For most UK small businesses, WooCommerce is the best choice if you want to own your shop and pay no commission on sales. Shopify suits people who want a monthly plan and do not mind app fees. Wix and Squarespace suit very small shops with a few products. We explain the trade-offs on a free call before you decide. Compare Shopify vs WooCommerce and WordPress vs Wix.
Prices vary by who builds the shop. Template shops from online builders can cost under £1,000. Small agencies and freelancers often charge £1,000 to £6,000 for a small business shop. Larger agencies often start at £5,000 and can go above £20,000. Our prices start from £2,000, and you get a fixed written price before work starts.
Yes, for most product businesses. More people now shop on their phones than ever, and an online shop takes orders day and night. Your own shop also costs less over time than selling only on marketplaces, because you do not pay a fee on every sale. Avoid these mobile website mistakes that cost sales.
Yes. WooCommerce can run shops with thousands of products when it is built and hosted well. We upload products in bulk from a spreadsheet (CSV), add fast search and filters, and test speed before launch.
Yes. Send us your product list, prices and photos, and we can add them for you. For large catalogues we import them from a spreadsheet. We also show you how to add new products yourself.
Customers pay at checkout by card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal or Klarna. The payment provider, such as Stripe or PayPal, sends the money to your business bank account, usually within a few working days. You can see every payment in your shop dashboard.
Yes. Customers can create an account, save their address, see past orders, reorder and keep a wishlist. They can also check out as a guest if they prefer.
Yes. We can set delivery rates for other countries, show prices in other currencies and handle overseas VAT rules where needed. We set this up based on where your customers are.
We add a cookie banner, a privacy policy page and clear consent for marketing emails. We also build to accessibility best practice, with readable text, good colour contrast and keyboard-friendly menus, so more people can use your shop.
We build shops for retail, trade and B2B, subscription and digital product businesses. On the free call we talk through how your products, delivery and customers work, and show you how your shop would run.
We are based in Croydon, South London. We work with shops in Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Kingston, across London and Surrey, and anywhere in the UK online. You can meet us locally or work with us fully online.
Core Web UK is an ecommerce web design and development agency based in Croydon. We offer ecommerce website design and ecommerce website development for businesses in Croydon, Bromley, Sutton, Kingston, Kent, Surrey, London and across the UK. Our web designers and developers can meet you locally or work fully online. See our London web design services.
Tell us about your products and goals. We will reply with honest advice and a fixed price.
