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Create an online shop – Groenewold IT Solutions

Creating an Online Shop: Costs for Mid-Sized Businesses in 2026

E-Commerce • 7 May 2026

As of: 23 June 2026 · Reading time: 6 min

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Key takeaways

  • B2B-Shop is not a B2C-Shop with login: customer groups, approval workflow, net prices
  • ERP integration: € 10,000–30,000 – saves hours of manual synchronization every day
  • Shopware 6 is the standard for B2B mid-sized businesses in Germany
  • Current costs: €600–2.500/month for hosting and maintenance

Create an online shop costs €25,000 to €100,000 in mid-sized businesses. This article explains the difference B2C vs. B2B-Shop, ERP integration, Shopware vs. WooCommerce and running costs after the launch.

Digitalization is not an IT project—it is a business strategy.

Björn Groenewold, Managing Director, Groenewold IT Solutions

Create online shop: Costs for mid-sized businesses 2026

Create online shop: Costs for mid-sized businesses 2026

Short: Short answer: Create an online shop costs on average 25.

Short answer: Create an online shop costs on average 25.

Create an online shop: arrange costs for medium-sized enterprises 2026** CMS & e-commerce platforms, cost calculator: onlineshop, solution: commerce & e-commerce and Comparison: Shopware vs. Magento Services, solutions and planning bases.

An online shop is no longer a modular system – at least not if it meets B2B requirements, is integrated into the ERP and is to be operated in accordance with GoBD.

What does a professional shop cost for mid-sized businesses?

The short answer: A simple B2C shop based on shopware costs 15,000 to 35,000 €. A B2B shop with customer groups, price lists and ERP integration costs 45,000 to 100,000 €.

Onlineshop development costs by type

ShopwareStandardshop (B2C) 25,000 €
B2B shop with customer groups 55,000 €
Shop with ERP integration 75,000 €
Individual marketplace 140.000 €
Headless Commerce 120.000 €

Groenewold IT Solutions · Experiences from 250+ projects

B2C vs. B2B: the decisive difference

Short: A B2B online shop is not a B2C shop with login.

A B2B online shop is not a B2C shop with login. Typical B2B requirements:

  • Customer group prices: Every customer sees its individual conditions
  • Order limits and approval workflows: Employees may only order up to amount X, then the purchasing manager must release
  • Net ad: majority of B2B users want to see net prices
  • Offer process: Request → Offer → Order, not only Shopping Cart → Checkout
  • ERP integration: Orders land directly in ERP, no manual tipping

These requirements are available in standard shop systems, but must be configured and tested.

Shopware, WooCommerce or Individual?

Short: | Criterion | Shopware 6 | WooCommerce | Individual | |------------- | Initial costs | Medium | Low | High | | B2B features | Very good | Medium | Fully | | ERP integration | Good (Plugins) | Medium | Best || Operating costs | Average | Low | Low | | Scalability | High | Medium | Very high | | Recommendation | B2B mid-sized businesses | Kleiner B2C-Shop | Complex marketplaces |

| Criterion | Shopware 6 | WooCommerce | Individual | |------------- | Initial costs | Medium | Low | High | | B2B features | Very good | Medium | Fully | | ERP integration | Good (Plugins) | Medium | Best || Operating costs | Average | Low | Low | | Scalability | High | Medium | Very high | | Recommendation | B2B mid-sized businesses | Kleiner B2C-Shop | Complex marketplaces |

Shopware 6 is 2026 the standard for medium-sized B2B shops in Germany. WooCommerce makes sense for simple B2C shops with small budget.

ERP-Integration: mandatory, no guarantee

Short: Who runs an online shop without ERP integration has two systems that need to be manually synchronized: stocks, prices, customer data, orders.

Who runs an online shop without ERP integration has two systems that need to be manually synchronized: stocks, prices, customer data, orders.

This costs several hours of staff every day and is susceptible to errors.

A clean ERP integration makes the shop an extension of the ERP – orders automatically flow, stocks are updated in real time, invoices are automatically created.

Free ERP integration: 10,000–30,000 € depending on ERP system and complexity.

Current costs after launch

Short: An online shop is not a unique project.

An online shop is not a unique project. Plan for running costs:

  • Hosting: 50–300 € / month (depending on traffic and requirements)
  • Shopware license: 0–600 € / month (Community free, Enterprise licensed)
  • Maintenance & security updates: 500–2,000 € / month
  • SEO and performance optimization: project-wise

Frequently asked questions

Can a mid-sized company start with a Shopify shop?

For a pure B2C shop with little individualization: yes. For B2B with ERP integration, customer groups and GoBD-compliant billing: no – Shopify is limited here.

How long does the development of an online shop take?

Simple B2C shop: 6–10 weeks. B2B-Shop with ERP integration: 3–6 months.


*Groenewold IT Solutions, Leer – Shopware B2B-Shops and individual e-commerce solutions for German mid-sized businesses. Project discuss. *

Technology, interfaces and operation

As soon as more than one system is involved, clear API contracts, comprehensible error objects and idempotent write operations become important.

For topics related to erstellen and kosten, you should plan staging environments, test data and restart concepts as well as features.

Observability

This includes: correlation IDs via gateway and services, meaningful log levels and alarms on business KPI – not only on CPU green.

Backups and recovery tests are part of the “Definition of Ready” for productive load, not a later footnote.

Specialization: Requirements and Stakeholders

Projects around onlineshop rarely fail due to missing features – more often due to unclear decision-making and changing priorities.

Document assumptions explicitly (what we know, what we guess) and link them to review appointments.

mediumand onlineshop should not only be addressed “sometimes”: Set measurable intermediate results that show whether the selected direction is wearing. This increases internal acceptance and makes external communication more credible – for example towards management, supervisory board or public bodies.

Integration into your IT landscape

Typical integration points are ERP, CRM, identity providers, payment services and industry software. stable contracts, version policy for APIs and transparent error semantics – so that partners and internal teams do not have to guess.

If you need support in technical implementation, we order Onlineshop: Costs for mid-sized businesses 2026 will be happy to enter your existing architecture – including prioritization and resilient releases. Matching entry points: web development, onlineshop creation.

Practice impulse on the topic

Short: Many teams underestimate Data quality and releases – especially when it comes to online shop, create, leave, cost.

Many teams underestimate Data quality and releases – especially when it comes to online shop, create, leave, cost.

A slim pilot with defined KPI (time savings, error rate, throughput) strikes a “Big Bang” that wants to cover all special cases on the first day.

Groenewold IT supports architecture, implementation and integration – according to your focus: web development, onlineshop creation. If you are unsafe, which entry is the most risky one, start with a short architecture or discovery workshop instead of a maximum microscope.

Security, Data Protection and Compliance

Short: Depending on the industry and data types, Access concepts, encryption, storage and deletion concepts can quickly become a bottleneck.

Depending on the industry and data types, Access concepts, encryption, storage and deletion concepts can quickly become a bottleneck.

Check early on whether personal data are processed, which are legal bases and how affected rights are technically supported.

Supplier and open source components should land in a regular review: licenses, known vulnerabilities, update path.

This not only protects against incidents, but also accelerates audits and alerts – especially when public authorities or regulated markets are in play.

Conclusion and next steps

Short: Make an online shop: Costs for medium level 2026 can be successfully implemented when technology, organization and measurability match – instead of isolated tool rollouts without process reference.

Make an online shop: Costs for medium level 2026 can be successfully implemented when technology, organization and measurability match – instead of isolated tool rollouts without process reference. Use the overview in this article as a basis for discussion on priorities, risks and the first loadable pilot. .Intensify matching topics in category overview Blog category and check operational support via web development, onlineshop creation. Groenewold IT accompanies analysis, implementation and operation – from the first classification to scalable releases.

Short: The following independent references complement the classification on the topics of this Article:

The following independent references complement the classification on the topics of this Article:

"Privacy by Design is not a subsequent checkbox, but an architectural question – especially for personal master data."

— *Björn Groenewold, Managing Director, Groenewold IT Solutions *

About the author

Björn Groenewold
Björn Groenewold(Dipl.-Inf.)

Managing Director of Groenewold IT Solutions GmbH and Hyperspace GmbH

Since 2009 Björn Groenewold has been developing software solutions for the mid-market. He is Managing Director of Groenewold IT Solutions GmbH (founded 2012) and Hyperspace GmbH. As founder of Groenewold IT Solutions he has successfully supported more than 250 projects – from legacy modernisation to AI integration.

Software ArchitectureAI IntegrationLegacy ModernisationProject Management

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