Don’t let e-shop platform providers blackmail you — invest in growth instead.
If you’re a budding entrepreneur, you risk falling into the trap set by crafty providers of website or online store software. They target your unfamiliarity with web development and may charge you tens or even hundreds of thousands for something you could get much cheaper.
Since the turn of the millennium, the online world has been swarming with companies offering various web or e-shop solutions. Some are honest and offer quality service, while others are little more than money traps—even if it doesn’t mean outright fraud.
Such companies teeter on the edge of extortion, charging thousands or tens of thousands for every little detail. If you want some advanced features or a data backup, you may find that the company charges hefty fees for each task.
Here’s an example: setting up AAA DNS records with a basic configuration takes about two minutes. A computer science student or a capable high schooler could do it in seconds—yet an agency might bill you a programmer’s hourly rate worth thousands.
It’s the same when you want to set up payment gateways, imports, and similar features. They prey on your lack of knowledge and the trust you’ve placed in their agency. That’s why you should do solid research into web providers or developers and avoid choosing the first offer you find or receive.
Don’t be afraid of monthly pricing plans like those on the popular Shopify platform (which works similarly to Shopify). These may cost hundreds or thousands per month, but you’ll have peace of mind that your site works smoothly—and these platforms offer thousands of plugins and features available for mere pennies.
Also, if you want to translate your website into other languages, set up carriers, payment gateways, and much more, you can do so quickly and with minimal investment. Companies like Zásilkovna, Balíkovna, payment platforms, suppliers, and others create plug-in modules for these platforms that automate and connect their services to your e-shop.
Unfortunately, this isn’t possible if you choose the wrong agency—each integration or feature could cost tens of thousands. So unless you’re planning to invest hundreds of millions into building a store like Alza, it’s unnecessary to develop custom software. It’s better to go with a proven solution.
If you have some computer skills, you can even save by building your own site using free platforms like WordPress, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and similar. It might take more time to operate and create the site, but in the long run, it’s a big advantage. So-called plugins (just like modules) number in the thousands, and you can expand your site easily. There are also plenty of capable freelancers who can help you, and everything stays yours—without having to pay anyone for backups or similar extras.
This is just a small example of what might happen if you choose the wrong platform for your future online business. Here are some tips to follow when selecting a software provider for your website or e-shop:
- • Find out how many sites or shops run on the platform
- • Check whether the software offers enough solutions and what they cost
- • Estimate your potential monthly operating expenses with the chosen solution
- • Understand how content can be edited and what you can modify yourself without programming knowledge
- • Consider the options for payment gateways and the implementation of added services like shipping, carriers, suppliers, APIs, etc.
- • Will it be easy to make the site multilingual?
We hope this brief guide helped you avoid falling for the first web development offer and wish you the best in making the right decision. The whole team wishes you success.
