1. Maintenance keeps it alive.
Updates, backups, small content changes, and someone to call when checkout misbehaves. Maintenance runs from R500 per month. A store without it slowly rots: expired plugins, broken payment buttons, stale stock.
Website Man journal
How much does an ecommerce website cost in South Africa?
A proper online store starts from R15,000 once-off: catalog, cart, checkout, accounts, and admin. Here is what each price band buys, what it costs to run, and when a landing page is the smarter start. Last updated: September 2026 · by the Website Man team
Price bands
What each band buys you.
Every band below opens fast on a phone and ships only after you approve the preview.
An online store from R15,000 gives you a full product catalog, cart, checkout, customer accounts, and an admin dashboard, all mobile-first. Below that, a landing page from R4,000 can sell a short product list through WhatsApp checkout. Above it sit agency builds with custom integrations. The right band depends on how many products you sell and how customers already buy from you.
| Option | Price | Best when |
|---|---|---|
| Landing page with catalog and WhatsApp ordering: product list, prices, photos, order button | From R4,000 | Under ten products, or most orders already come through WhatsApp and you just need a trusted place to show the range |
| Animated landing page: everything above, plus scroll movement | From R6,000 | Look and feel win the sale: fashion, beauty, decor, gifting where the page itself does the selling |
| Ecommerce store: catalog, cart, checkout, accounts, admin | From R15,000 | Ten or more products and you want customers checking out on their own, day or night, without messaging you first |
| Agency ecommerce: custom integrations, ERP, loyalty, multi warehouse | R50,000 and up | You outgrow a standard store: stock syncs, sales reps, and systems that must talk to each other |
Most South African small businesses land in the first or third row. If you are comparing against a plain informational site, read what websites cost in SA first. Full detail lives on Website Man pricing.
Running costs
The build is once-off. Running it is not.
Three honest answers about what a store costs after launch.
2. Gateways take a cut per sale.
Card and instant EFT providers charge per transaction on top of your build. Domain and hosting are paid directly to the provider with no markup from us. None of this is hidden, but budget it before launch, not after.
3. Traffic is the real budget.
A beautiful store with no visitors sells nothing. SEO plans run from R1,000 per month and Google Ads from R2,500 per month. If your customers already find you on social media, a store can pay for itself without ads. If strangers must discover you, plan for it. See how long a store takes to build.
Questions
The store questions owners ask.
What does the R15,000 Website Man store include?
A full product catalog, cart, checkout, customer accounts, and an admin dashboard, all mobile-first. You approve the preview before you pay.
What are the monthly running costs of an online store?
Maintenance from R500 per month, plus payment gateway fees per transaction. SEO plans run from R1,000 per month if you want Google traffic. Domain and hosting are paid directly to the provider with no markup.
Should I start with a landing page instead of a store?
Yes, if you have under ten products or take most orders over WhatsApp already. A landing page from R4,000 with your catalog and a WhatsApp button often outsells a half empty store, and you can grow into full ecommerce later. Compare both in landing page versus full website.
How long does an online store take to build?
Longer than a landing page, because catalog, checkout, and accounts each need design and testing. Your exact timeline is quoted upfront on Website Man pricing before work starts.
Keep reading: Website costs in SA · Landing page versus full website · How long it takes · All posts
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