How to create an online shop in 2026

Selling online is no longer the preserve of large groups. In 2026, any small business can launch an effective online shop, provided it makes the right choices from the start. Here is a practical guide to creating your online shop without unpleasant surprises.

Before you start: two questions to ask yourself

Before choosing a technology or a provider, answer these two questions honestly:

• Can you handle the logistics? Selling online means stock, shipping, returns and customer service. If you do not have these resources, start with a brochure website that takes orders manually.
• Do your products sell without human contact? A shirt sells itself. A bespoke service does not. Match your type of website to your commercial reality.

Choosing the right technology

Three options dominate the market in 2026:

WooCommerce (WordPress with an e-commerce plugin)

The most widely used solution for small businesses. It is built on WordPress, lets you manage your own content and offers thousands of extensions. Budget: €2,500 to €6,000 for a professional project. Suitable for shops with 10 to 500 products, makers and local businesses.

Shopify

A SaaS solution (you rent the platform). Ideal for getting started quickly, but you pay a monthly subscription (€29 to €299 a month) plus fees on every sale. Best avoided if you want to own your tool in the long term.

Custom development

For specific needs (product configurators, ERP integration, a complex catalogue). Budget: from €8,000. Best reserved for businesses with enough sales volume to justify the investment.

The essential pages of an online shop

A professional online shop must include:

• Home page: highlighting your flagship products and your value proposition
• Product catalogue: quality photos, complete descriptions, customer reviews
• Product pages: detailed information, variants, availability, delivery times
• Basket and checkout: simple, fast and reassuring
• Secure payment page: Stripe, PayPal, bank transfer (at least two options)
• Terms of sale and legal notice: legally required (GDPR, right of withdrawal)
• Contact page and FAQ: to reduce friction before purchase

The real costs of an online shop

Beyond building it, budget for:

• E-commerce hosting: €15 to €50 a month (more demanding than for a brochure website)
• Payment gateway: Stripe charges 1.5% + €0.25 per transaction
• SSL certificate: often included with the hosting
• Product photos: not to be overlooked, as poor photos kill sales
• Maintenance: €80 to €200 a month depending on the level of service

5 mistakes that ruin an e-commerce launch

1. Launching without traffic: a shop with no visitors sells nothing. Set aside a budget for SEO or advertising from the start.
2. Neglecting photos: 75% of online shoppers rely on visuals to decide. No quality photos, no sales.
3. A checkout that is too long: every extra step costs sales. Aim for 3 clicks at most from product to payment.
4. Forgetting mobile: more than 65% of purchases are made on smartphones. Test your shop on mobile before anything else.
5. Ignoring the terms of sale and GDPR: a shop without compliant terms of sale can face legal action. This is not optional.

Where to start in practice

If you are starting from scratch, start small. A shop with 10 to 20 well-presented products converts better than a sloppy catalogue of 500. Prove the model before investing heavily.

If you already have a brochure website, work out whether adding a shop would pay off before rebuilding the whole website. In many cases, a simple online order page is enough to test demand.