When is custom e-shop development a good choice?

As e-commerce continues to dominate the digital landscape, businesses are increasingly interested in building online stores. However, the question we often face is whether it’s worth developing a custom e-shop when there are so many mature, pre-built solutions already available.

At HOW, we’ve been involved in various development projects, and while the idea of e-commerce development has come up multiple times, we’ve come to the conclusion that offering real value means advising our clients towards solutions that best serve their long-term goals—often, that’s not a custom-built e-shop.

The rise of cookie-cutter e-commerce solutions

Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Etsy, and Skroutz Marketplace have drastically changed the landscape. These platforms are easy to set up, offer scalability, and are optimized for performance, allowing businesses to hit the ground running. With vast ecosystems of plugins, integrations, and support, they take care of the heavy lifting, offering a plug-and-play experience.

For most businesses, this means that launching an e-commerce store no longer requires a custom application. Whether you need payment gateways, inventory management, or marketing tools, these platforms have matured to the point where they provide all the necessary features out of the box. In fact, we believe that in a few years, traditional custom e-shops might become obsolete, as more businesses adopt these ready-made solutions.

Why custom development isn’t always the best idea

There’s no denying that custom-built e-shops can offer highly tailored functionality and unique design. But the reality is, most businesses don’t need that level of customization to succeed. Unless you’re aiming for something highly specialized—like intricate user flows or an avant-garde design—custom e-shop development can often become an expensive and time-consuming process without offering much extra value.

Additionally, creating a custom e-commerce platform can introduce significant maintenance overheads. Security, scalability, and continuous updates become your responsibility—challenges that platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce handle seamlessly.

This is why, despite the demand, we prefer to focus on projects where we can deliver real impact. At HOW, we specialize in custom applications, where our skills in solving unique, complex problems are put to better use.

When does a custom e-shop make sense?

There are situations where a custom e-shop might be the right call—if you have very specific requirements that no platform can meet or if you want to create a completely unique shopping experience. But for most businesses, these scenarios are the exception, not the rule.

At HOW we steer clients towards value

When a client approaches us for an e-shop, our approach isn’t to simply take their money. We ask ourselves what will provide the most value to their business. In most cases, the best advice we can give is to start with a platform like Shopify, WooCommerce, or Etsy. These platforms allow businesses to focus on growth, marketing, and customer experience, without worrying about the technical intricacies.

By redirecting clients to these solutions, we’re confident that they’re getting what they need: a reliable, scalable e-commerce system that helps them succeed.

At HOW, we believe in offering solutions that make sense—whether that’s a custom application when it’s truly needed, or helping clients find the right tool for their e-commerce needs. If you’re wondering whether a custom e-shop is right for you, feel free to reach out—we’re always happy to offer guidance.

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Conclusion: real value comes from the right choice

In the end, the decision to build an e-shop shouldn’t be about whether it’s custom or cookie-cutter—it should be about choosing the right platform to grow your business. With so many robust solutions available today, custom e-shops are only necessary in rare cases, and we’ll always advocate for the option that brings real value to our clients. Reach out to us, to discuss further