Web development · E-commerce
E-commerce website development services for stores that outgrow a template
We build custom and headless storefronts, checkout flows, subscription commerce and the tools behind them, for businesses whose buying journey does not fit a standard theme.
Short answer
E-commerce website development covers the storefront, checkout, payments, catalogue and the order and inventory systems behind them. Innovation Insight builds custom and headless stores on Next.js with Stripe and Shopify, and has shipped subscription checkouts, a 3D product configurator and ticketed-event checkout. A focused custom build starts at $15k to $40k over 8 to 14 weeks; larger platforms with integrations run $50k to $150k+.
Reviewed by Zain Khalid Malik, CTO & Co-founder · Updated
Platform, headless or custom?
The first decision in any store build is how much to build. A hosted platform such as Shopify is the right answer when the catalogue and checkout are standard. Headless keeps the platform's cart, payments and admin but replaces the storefront with your own front end. A fully custom build makes sense when the way you sell is the product: configurable items, bookings, subscriptions with medical or legal steps, or business-to-business pricing.
| Approach | Good fit | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Hosted platform with a theme | Standard catalogue, small team, fast launch | Limited control over checkout and unusual flows |
| Headless storefront | Brand-led stores that need speed, content and custom pages on a proven commerce engine | Two systems to run; needs engineers |
| Custom build | Configurators, bookings, regulated products, B2B pricing, subscriptions with extra steps | Highest build cost; you own every feature |
| Custom feature on an existing store | One capability the platform lacks, embedded into the current site | Depends on the platform's extension points |
We build all four and will recommend the smallest option that fits. A custom feature added to a store you already run is often the best value.
What we build
- Headless storefronts on Next.js with server rendering, structured data and a content system your team can edit.
- Checkout flows with promo codes, tax, multiple currencies and saved payment methods.
- Subscription commerce: plans, trials, proration, dunning and customer self-service.
- Product configurators, including 3D and augmented reality.
- Catalogue, inventory and order management, and integrations with fulfilment and accounting.
- Search and filtering with Algolia or OpenSearch.
- Admin dashboards and analytics for conversion, funnels and revenue.
- Mobile commerce apps in Flutter or React Native on the same back end.
The parts that decide revenue
| Area | What goes wrong | What we do |
|---|---|---|
| Page speed | Heavy scripts and unoptimised images slow product pages | Performance budgets, server rendering, image optimisation, script audits |
| Checkout reliability | Duplicate orders or paid orders that never appear | Idempotent payments, verified webhooks, an atomic order transaction |
| Search engines | Product pages without complete HTML or structured data | Server-rendered pages, Product and Breadcrumb schema, clean URL hierarchy |
| Peak traffic | A campaign brings ten times normal load | Caching, queues for slow work, load tests before the sale |
| Card data | Card numbers touching your servers widen compliance scope | Hosted payment fields or tokenisation so card data stays with the provider |
E-commerce work we have shipped
- AutoViz: a 3D wheel configurator with augmented reality that brands embed into any e-commerce site with a single script tag. We built the SDK, a REST API with more than 50 endpoints, two admin dashboards and per-brand white-labelling. It serves brands such as Amani Forged, Variant Wheels and Azara.
- Zeuss: a telehealth storefront with a treatment catalogue, medical intake forms, checkout, subscriptions and abandoned-cart recovery, with payment tokenisation through Spreedly and pharmacy fulfilment tracked by webhooks.
- Paint Nite: a three-step checkout with idempotent Stripe payments, promo codes and membership, and a public site with a country, state and city page hierarchy and seven types of structured data.
- Cuts Like A Knife: a music licensing store with cart, orders, one-time purchases and tiered Stripe subscriptions.
What it costs
| Scope | Range | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Discovery and design sprint | $3k to $8k | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Custom feature on an existing store (configurator, subscription flow, integration) | Time and materials at $25 to $49 an hour | 2 to 8 weeks |
| Headless or custom storefront, focused scope | $15k to $40k | 8 to 14 weeks |
| Full platform with integrations, admin and mobile app | $50k to $150k+ | 4 to 8 months |
| Support and improvements after launch | $1.5k to $8k per month | Monthly |
How we work
- Discovery: catalogue, buying journey, integrations, and the numbers you want to move.
- Design: storefront and checkout in Figma, tested with real shoppers where possible.
- Build in two-week sprints on a staging store with test payments.
- Launch plan: redirects, structured data, analytics events and a load test.
- Improve: conversion and speed reviews each month under a support retainer.
Sources and further reading
Next step
Tell us what you're building and get a written estimate.
A senior engineer replies within one business day. NDA on request.
Products we've shipped, and what happened next.
Case studies written from the technical documentation of each project: the stack, the scale and the outcome.
Questions we get asked a lot.
Shopify or a custom e-commerce site?
Shopify when the catalogue and checkout are standard. Headless or custom when you need a unique buying flow, complex pricing, bookings or a configurator. We build both and recommend the smaller option when it fits.
Can you add a custom feature to our existing store?
Yes. Configurators, subscription flows and integrations can usually be embedded into an existing storefront without replacing it.
How do you handle payments and PCI compliance?
We use hosted payment fields or tokenisation from providers such as Stripe, so card numbers never reach your servers and your compliance scope stays small.
Will a new storefront hurt our search rankings?
It should not. We map every existing URL to its new address, keep metadata and structured data, and monitor Search Console after launch.
Do you build mobile shopping apps?
Yes, in Flutter or React Native, sharing the same back end as the web store.
How long does an e-commerce build take?
A focused custom storefront takes 8 to 14 weeks after discovery. Larger platforms with several integrations take four to eight months.