What ecommerce sites actually cost in Kolkata

An ecommerce site is not a single product. It's a combination of storefront, payment system, inventory tracking, customer data, and marketing hooks. Price depends entirely on what you're actually building.

Here's what you can expect:

  • ₹30,000–₹80,000: Template-based store (WooCommerce on WordPress, Shopify basic). Pre-built. Limited customization. Good if your business is simple: single category, fewer than 50 SKUs, standard checkout.
  • ₹1,00,000–₹3,00,000: Custom-built mid-range store. Your own design, Razorpay or PayU integration, basic inventory management, WhatsApp Business API hooks. Takes 6–10 weeks. Suitable for most small-to-medium sellers.
  • ₹4,00,000–₹10,00,000: Full custom ecommerce platform. Complex rules (multi-tier pricing, bulk orders, B2B + B2C), advanced inventory, CRM integration, analytics dashboard, automated email campaigns. 12–20 weeks. For businesses doing ₹10+ lakhs monthly.
  • ₹10,00,000+: Enterprise system. Inventory across warehouses, real-time order sync with Shopify/Amazon/Flipkart, custom logistics integration, compliance automation (GST, FSSAI labels). Months of work. Rare in Kolkata, more common for ₹50+ lakh businesses.

Do not confuse cost with value. A ₹2,00,000 store built poorly will lose you customers. A ₹80,000 template store, if set up right, can sell ₹15 lakh in a year.

Different types of companies and what they build

Kolkata has three main categories of ecommerce builders. They are not interchangeable.

Freelancers and micro-agencies (1–3 people)

Usually work from home or small offices. Build with WooCommerce, Shopify, or basic custom code. Charge ₹30,000–₹2,00,000. Fast turnaround. Direct communication with the builder.

Pros: Cheap. Responsive. Personal attention.

Cons: No backup if someone gets sick. If they disappear after launch, you're stuck. No formal process. Often undersell complexity ("We'll add analytics later"—but later never comes).

Small agencies (5–20 people)

Proper offices, team structure, project managers. Build with custom code (PHP/Laravel, Node.js) or WordPress. Charge ₹1,50,000–₹8,00,000. 8–14 week timelines.

Pros: Some process and accountability. Multiple people know your code. Better quality control. Usually offer 1–3 months free support.

Cons: Less flexible than freelancers. May assign junior developers. Can take 2–3 weeks just to kick off. Slower communication than you expect.

Larger studios (20+ people)

Formal processes, account managers, design teams, QA teams, support staff. Work across multiple technologies and platforms. Charge ₹5,00,000–₹20,00,000+. 16–24 week timelines.

Pros: Mature company. Less risk of closure. Support after launch is real. Can scale if business grows.

Cons: Expensive. Bureaucratic. Your project is one of many. May feel impersonal. Not ideal if you want a scrappy team.

Six questions to ask before hiring

Before you meet anyone, get clear on your own needs. Then use these questions to test the company.

1. Do you have references from businesses like mine?

Ask to speak with a company that has similar: (a) product range (e.g., apparel, pharma, FMCG), (b) order volume (₹5–20 lakh monthly, for example), and (c) checkout flow. Not just "Yes, we've done ecommerce." Specific. Recent (within last 18 months). A reference you can actually call.

2. What happens after the site goes live?

Will they fix bugs? For how long? Free or paid? Ask: "If I find a broken checkout button on day 2 after launch, who fixes it and who pays?" Listen carefully. If they say "That won't happen," that's a red flag. It always happens.

3. Can you show me a site you've built end-to-end?

Ask them to log into their own test store and walk you through it. Check: Can you add a product? Edit inventory? Complete a fake purchase? View an invoice? This reveals whether they understand what they're building.

4. What's your process for collecting requirements?

A good company will ask you dozens of questions over 1–2 weeks: How many SKUs? Do you ship to multiple states? Do you offer cash-on-delivery? Can prices change by pincode for GST? Do you need invoicing? They should produce a written spec document before writing any code. If they start coding on week 1, run.

5. How do you handle changes mid-project?

Scope creep kills projects. A good company defines what's in scope and what costs extra. They should have a written change request form. Example: "Adding a bulk order feature costs an extra ₹40,000 and delays launch by 2 weeks." Not "Sure, no problem" (they will overrun budget and time).

6. What stack do you use and why?

Don't get lost in technical jargon. But if they can't explain why they chose their tools ("WordPress is faster to deploy," or "We use Node.js because integrations are easier"), that's not confidence—it's habit. The best companies match the tool to your problem, not the reverse.

Red flags that signal trouble

Stop the conversation if you hear these:

  • "We'll figure out the details as we go." Means no plan. Your site will launch late and broken.
  • "It'll take 3 weeks." For a real store? Impossible. Even a template needs setup, data migration, testing, training. Realistic minimum is 4–6 weeks. If they promise faster, they're rushing or lying.
  • "We'll support it for 3 months free, then ₹5,000/month." Not unreasonable. But ask: What's included? Just emergencies? Or also updates, backups, security patches? And can you fire them and hire someone else? If your code is locked in their vendor system, you're trapped.
  • "This technology is the best for ecommerce." There's no "best." WordPress works for ₹100 crore retailers and ₹10 lakh ones. The best technology is the one the team knows well.
  • They ignore your questions or get defensive. Trust your gut. You're buying a service for real money. They should be patient and clear.
  • No written agreement about scope, timeline, cost, or support. Handshakes lead to fights. Get it in writing.

Timeline expectations

Most ecommerce projects in Kolkata follow this timeline:

  1. Weeks 1–2: Discovery and requirements. You talk to them a lot. They ask dozens of questions. Outcome: a written spec document you both approve.
  2. Weeks 3–4: Design (if custom). They show you mockups of product pages, checkout, account dashboard. You give feedback. They iterate. Avoid endless tweaks; agree on 2 rounds max.
  3. Weeks 5–10: Development. You don't hear much. This is normal. They should send progress updates weekly (even if boring). Ask for a test environment you can access by week 6 so you can play with half-built features.
  4. Weeks 11–12: Testing and fixes. They find bugs. You test and find more bugs. Back and forth. Budget 1–2 weeks for this.
  5. Week 13: Launch. Ideally on a Tuesday or Wednesday (not Friday). Mistakes on Friday = whole weekend with no support.

This assumes no major scope changes. If you add new features mid-project, add 2–3 weeks per feature.

After launch: support and maintenance

Your site doesn't end at launch. It starts there.

What you need:

  • Bug fixes for 30 days (free). After that, it's either included in a maintenance plan or paid hourly.
  • Security patches. A 2-year-old WordPress site with unpatched plugins is a liability. Budget ₹2,000–₹8,000/month for updates, backups, and monitoring.
  • Help adding products, managing orders, troubleshooting payment failures.
  • Analytics setup. Most companies launch without tracking. You can't optimize what you don't measure.

Choose a maintenance partner now, not later. It can be the same company that built it (easiest) or another studio or freelancer (cheaper but riskier—they may not know the code). Budget 12,000–30,000 rupees a month for ongoing support. It's not optional.

A good ecommerce site is a living thing. It needs care. The company you hire should be ready to provide it, or clearly point you to someone who will.