Ecommerce Website Ireland 2026: Costs, Platforms & What Actually Sells

Answer Summary

For an ecommerce website Ireland small businesses pay €1,200–€2,500 for a freelancer Shopify build, €2,500–€5,000 for an agency Shopify or WooCommerce store, and €5,000–€8,500 for a custom design with bookings, subscriptions or B2B pricing. Add Stripe (1.5% + €0.25 per Irish card), shipping integration with An Post or DPD, and Irish VAT setup (23% standard, 13.5% reduced). Built right, an Irish ecommerce site can be live in 2–4 weeks.

Ecommerce website Ireland — full cost table

Build type Setup Monthly retainer Time to launch ------------ Shopify DIY €0–€200 €29–€89 (Shopify plan) 1–2 weeks Freelancer Shopify €1,200–€2,500 €29–€89 + €30 support 2–3 weeks Agency Shopify (custom theme + SEO) €2,500–€5,000 €150–€300 3–5 weeks WooCommerce (WordPress) €1,500–€4,500 €60–€200 (hosting + maintenance) 3–6 weeks Custom ecommerce (headless, B2B, subscriptions) €5,000–€15,000+ €300–€800 6–12 weeks

Which platform is best for Irish ecommerce in 2026?

In our experience, 70%+ of Irish SMEs we build for choose Shopify for speed; the rest pick WooCommerce for SEO leverage.

• Shopify — fastest, cleanest, best for product-led brands. Irish-friendly: native EUR, An Post integrations, Stripe/Revolut. Downside: monthly fee + transaction fees if you don't use Shopify Payments.
• WooCommerce — best for SEO and content-heavy stores (recipes, guides, blog → product). Owns its data. Downside: you (or your agency) maintain hosting, backups and security.
• Squarespace / Wix Stores — fine for under 20 SKUs and side projects. Outgrown by month 12 for most serious sellers.
• Custom build — only if you need B2B pricing tiers, subscriptions, bookings, or marketplace logic. Otherwise overkill.

Irish-specific setup that catches most owners out

1. VAT registration — required once turnover passes €37,500 (services) or €75,000 (goods). Shopify and WooCommerce both auto-calculate Irish VAT, but you must configure the 23% / 13.5% / 9% / 0% rates. 2. Revenue's eInvoicing — phased mandatory rollout 2026–2028 for B2B. Plan for it now. 3. Shipping — An Post for letter post, DPD or Fastway for parcels under 30kg, GLS for next-day to UK. Integrations exist for all three. 4. Returns address — required by Irish consumer law; you cannot operate from a PO box only. 5. GDPR — cookie banner, privacy policy, data export on request. Shopify handles most of this; WooCommerce needs a plugin (e.g. Complianz).

What actually drives the first 100 sales

• Google Shopping feed — free, biggest single channel for product searches. Set up via Merchant Center on day one.
• Email capture — popup with a 10% first-order code captures 3–5% of visitors; average value per email is €15–€40 over 12 months.
• Google Business Profile — yes, even ecommerce stores rank in the map pack for "product town". See our Local SEO Ireland(https://digitalbridge.ie/blog/local-seo-ireland-rank-google) guide.
• Product pages with real photos — stock photography kills conversion. Phone photos with natural light beat agency studio shots in 2026 A/B tests.
• Reviews on the product page — 3+ reviews per SKU lifts conversion 20–35%. Use Judge.me (Shopify) or Reviews.io.

How long until an Irish ecommerce site makes money?

• Week 1–2: Built and indexed.
• Week 3–4: First Google Shopping impressions, first email signups.
• Week 4–8: First 5–20 organic sales if SEO and Shopping are set up.
• Month 3–6: Paid ads (Google Performance Max, Meta) start paying back at 2–4× ROAS once you have 20+ conversions for the algorithm to learn from.

Should I build it myself or hire an agency?

DIY Shopify works if you have 20+ hours to learn the platform, write product copy, shoot photos, and configure shipping. A freelancer at €1,200–€2,500 saves you that time. An agency at €3,500–€5,000 adds custom design, conversion-optimised theme, Google Shopping setup, and email automation on launch day — and usually pays for itself in the first 3 months of trading.

Verified by

Digital Bridge — ecommerce websites for Irish SMEs from Shopify quick-launches to custom WooCommerce builds. See our ecommerce service or book a 15-minute scoping call on 085 224 1848. Approved Trading Online Voucher supplier.

How much does an ecommerce website cost in Ireland in 2026?

Between €1,200 and €8,500 to build, plus €60–€350/month to run. Freelancer Shopify builds start at €1,200–€2,500, agency Shopify or WooCommerce runs €2,500–€5,000, and custom ecommerce with B2B pricing, subscriptions or bookings is €5,000–€15,000+. Shopify plans add €29–€89/month; WooCommerce hosting and maintenance is €60–€200/month.

Shopify or WooCommerce — which is better for an Irish business?

Shopify is fastest to launch (2–3 weeks), has native EUR pricing, integrates with An Post and Stripe, and is the right call for 70% of Irish SMEs we build for. WooCommerce wins if you need maximum SEO leverage, content-heavy product pages, or full data ownership — and you don't mind maintaining hosting.

Do I need to register for Irish VAT to sell online?

Only once your turnover passes €37,500 (services) or €75,000 (goods) in any 12-month period. Below that, registration is optional. Both Shopify and WooCommerce auto-calculate Irish VAT (23% standard, 13.5%, 9%, 0%) once you configure your rates.

How do I take card payments on an Irish ecommerce site?

Stripe is the default — 1.5% + €0.25 per Irish card, 2.5% + €0.25 for international. Revolut Business is a fee-free alternative for low volumes. Shopify Payments (powered by Stripe) waives Shopify's transaction fee, so it's usually the best-value option on Shopify.

How long until an ecommerce website in Ireland is built and live?

A freelancer Shopify build takes 2–3 weeks. An agency build with custom design, SEO, Google Shopping and email automation takes 3–5 weeks. WooCommerce is 3–6 weeks. Custom platforms (B2B, subscriptions, bookings) take 6–12 weeks. Add 1–2 weeks if you don't have product photos and copy ready.

About the author

Digital Bridge Team — Ecommerce Web Design Agency. Digital Bridge builds ecommerce websites for Irish small businesses across all 26 counties. Shopify Partner and approved Trading Online Voucher supplier. Building Shopify and WooCommerce stores for Irish SMEs since 2023