How Much Does an E-Commerce Website Cost in Nigeria? Build Costs, Running Costs and Fees Explained

People usually ask “how much does an online store cost?” as if there were one number. In reality, there are two: what it costs to build the store, and what it costs to run it every month. Many businesses budget only for the first and are surprised by the second. This guide covers both, explains what pushes the price up or down, and shows you how to plan a budget before you ask anyone for a quote.

The short answer

A simple store with a modest catalogue costs far less than a custom marketplace with integrations, and the difference between them can be many times over. Quotes vary because scope varies. The right way to compare is to ask each developer to price the same written list of features, then compare what is and is not included. Our own Build package starts from ₦250,000, and larger or more complex stores are scoped and quoted separately.

Part 1: What drives the build cost

1. The platform you choose

• Hosted platforms (you rent the store software monthly): fastest to launch and lower upfront cost, but you pay a subscription for as long as you sell and have less control
• Open-source stores such as WooCommerce on WordPress: more flexibility and ownership, with costs for hosting, plugins, security and maintenance
• Custom builds: highest upfront cost and the most control, suited to unusual requirements, large catalogues or marketplace models

There is no universally best choice. It depends on how many products you sell, how often they change, how you deliver and what you plan to add. Our e-commerce solutions team compares these options against your actual needs.

2. Catalogue size and complexity

Ten products with a few photos are easy. Thousands of products with sizes, colours, bundles and stock levels need careful set-up, data import and testing. Product variants and stock tracking add effort.

3. Design and brand

A clean standard design costs less than a fully custom one. Good design is not decoration: it shapes how quickly people find products and complete checkout. If you do not yet have a logo or brand, factor in brand identity work.

4. Payments

Nigerian customers pay by card, bank transfer and USSD, so you need a local gateway such as Paystack or Flutterwave. Setting up payments properly, including handling failed and pending payments and matching orders to money received, takes time and testing.

5. Delivery and logistics

Shipping rules by state or zone, courier integration, pickup options and tracking messages all add work. Many Nigerian online stores win or lose on delivery.

6. Integrations

Connecting your store to accounting, stock systems, WhatsApp and email saves manual work later but adds cost now. Start with the integrations that save you the most time.

7. Content and photography

Someone must write product descriptions and take good photos. Many store owners underestimate this, and poor product images are one of the biggest reasons visitors do not buy.

8. Search visibility and analytics

A store nobody finds does not sell. Basic search optimisation for category and product pages, plus analytics, should be part of the build. See also our guide on getting your website on Google.

9. Who builds it

Freelancers, small agencies and large firms price differently. A lower price can be right for a simple store, but ask who is accountable, what happens if the developer disappears, and who owns the code and accounts.

Part 2: The running costs people forget

• Domain name: a yearly registration fee
• Hosting or platform subscription: monthly or yearly, and it can grow as you do
• Plugins, apps and themes: some are paid and renew yearly
• Payment gateway fees: a percentage of every sale (see the worked example below)
• Delivery costs: either charged to customers or absorbed by you
• Maintenance and security: updates, backups and fixes
• Marketing: advertising, content and email to bring visitors
• Customer service: someone to answer questions and handle returns
• Stock and packaging: the real cost of fulfilling orders

Worked example: payment gateway fees

Gateway fees are the running cost that grows with your sales, so it helps to understand them. Taking Paystack’s listed local-card pricing as an example, the fee has been 1.5% plus a flat ₦100, with a ₦100 flat fee waived on small transactions and the total fee capped at ₦2,000. On that basis:

Order value	Calculation	Approximate fee
₦2,000	Under the small-transaction threshold, flat fee waived	About ₦30
₦20,000	1.5% = ₦300, plus ₦100	About ₦400
₦100,000	1.5% = ₦1,500, plus ₦100	About ₦1,600
₦500,000	1.5% = ₦7,500, but the fee is capped	₦2,000

These figures are an illustration, not a quote. Gateways differ from one another, change their pricing, charge more for international cards and may offer different rates as your volume grows. Always check the current pricing on the provider’s website before you plan your margins. Build the gateway fee into your product pricing from the start so it does not quietly eat your profit.

A simple way to budget

1. Write down what the store must do on day one. Products, payment methods, delivery areas and the essential pages
2. List what can wait. Loyalty schemes, reviews, marketplaces and advanced reporting can come later
3. Ask for the same scope from two or three providers. Compare what is included, what is excluded and who owns what
4. Add the first-year running costs to the build price to see the real total
5. Reserve a marketing budget. A store with no visitors does not earn, so plan how you will attract your first customers
6. Start small and grow from data. Launch with your best-selling products, watch what customers do and then invest where it pays back

Do you need an online store, or would social selling do?

Many Nigerian businesses start by selling through Instagram, WhatsApp and Facebook, and that can work well at first. A website store adds things social selling cannot: automatic payments and order records, stock control, a presence people can find on Google, a channel you own instead of renting from a social platform, and a more credible brand. A common path is to start with social selling, then add a store once orders become hard to manage by hand.

What to check before you hire anyone

• Can they show real stores they have built, and can you contact those owners?
• Will you own the store, the code, the domain and the payment accounts?
• How do they test payments, including failures?
• Is mobile performance part of the build?
• What support do you get after launch, and what does it cost?
• Are search basics included?

Also remember that payment providers usually expect a registered business and a business bank account. If you have not registered yet, see our guide on registering a business name with CAC.

Get a clear quote for your store

Calstins scopes your store in a free 30-minute conversation, then sends a written proposal with price, timeline and exactly what is included. See our e-commerce store service for standard stores or e-commerce solutions for larger requirements, or talk to us now.

Costs and gateway fees change and vary by provider and scope. The numbers in this guide are illustrations to help you plan, not quotes.