Synergy team
An online store differs from a website not in design but in the number of connections: catalogue, cart, payment, delivery, stock, notifications. Every connection is work, and that is what shapes the quote. Below are the real figures for Moldova and a breakdown of what moves the budget.
The short answer
| Catalogue size | Cost | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 100 products | €1,000–1,400 | 30–40 days |
| 100–500 products | €1,400–1,800 | 40–50 days |
| More than 500 products | from €1,800 | 50–60 days |
| B2B and complex pricing | individual quote | from 8 weeks |
The ranges include a custom design, a filtered catalogue, cart, checkout, online payment and a product management system.
What the price depends on
Number of products and catalogue structure
A hundred items in three categories and three thousand across seven nesting levels are different jobs. It is not about data entry but about filters, search and speed: a large catalogue needs a different architecture.
Product variants
Size, colour, volume, configuration. One product with five variants means five prices, five stock figures and five photographs. Variants noticeably increase both development and content work.
Pricing logic
A fixed price is simple. Volume discounts, personal wholesale pricing, date-based promotions and dual-currency pricing each add to the quote.
Integrations
- **Online payment** — mandatory for most projects. In detail: how to connect payments in Moldova.
- **Delivery** — cost calculation, pickup point selection, passing the order to the courier.
- **CRM** — so orders and enquiries do not get lost between email and messengers.
- **Accounting system** — syncing stock and prices if inventory is kept separately.
Language versions
Moldova usually needs two. For a store this costs more than for a website: not only the interface but every product card needs translating.
What the base quote covers
- niche and competitor analysis, catalogue structure;
- design for the homepage, catalogue, product card, cart and checkout;
- mobile adaptation — where most purchases happen;
- catalogue with filters and search;
- cart and checkout;
- online payment integration;
- management system for products, prices and orders;
- basic SEO groundwork and speed;
- testing of purchase scenarios and launch.
Costs that sit outside the quote
| Item | Rough amount | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Domain | €15–30 | per year |
| Hosting for a store | €100–250 | per year |
| Card processing | 1.5–2.5% of turnover | per sale |
| Product photography | from €3 per item | one-off |
| Product descriptions | from €2 per item | one-off |
| Technical support | from €75 | per month |
The most underestimated line is content. A thousand products without photographs and descriptions turn a finished store into an empty shop window.
How development runs
| Stage | What happens | Timeline |
|---|---|---|
| Catalogue analysis and structure | Categories, filters, attributes | 5–7 days |
| Design | Catalogue, product card, cart, checkout | 10–14 days |
| Development | Store features and integrations | 15–25 days |
| Content | Products, photography, descriptions | in parallel |
| Testing and launch | Purchase and payment scenarios | 5–7 days |
Mistakes that inflate the quote
The catalogue structure is invented along the way
Categories and attributes must be settled before design. Changing them during development means rebuilding filters and re-tagging products.
Payment is connected at the last minute
The bank agreement and store review take time that does not depend on the developer. File the application at the start of the project.
Content is not planned
Without photographs and descriptions the store will launch with nothing to sell. Plan content in parallel with development.
An oversized platform is chosen without need
A complex system for a fifty-item catalogue means unnecessary spend on both development and maintenance. A comparison of the options is in Shopify, WooCommerce or custom development.
An example from Synergy practice
Client: a confectionery selling through Instagram and phone calls.
Task: take orders online, including custom cakes with a choice of filling and date.
What we did: an online store with a dessert catalogue, an order configurator, cart and online payment, plus a management system so the range can be updated in-house.
Result: orders are placed without back-and-forth messaging, and the data lands in one place.
Frequently asked questions
Can we start cheaper?
Yes: launch with one category and basic payment, then add filters, integrations and the second language version later. The key is to allow for that in the architecture from the start.
How much does migrating from another platform cost?
It depends on data volume and how closely the structures match. Migrating a catalogue of up to 500 items usually takes 3–7 days of work if the data exports cleanly.
Do we need a separate website if we have a store?
No. Informational pages — about, delivery, contacts, blog — normally live inside the store.
Store or a listing on 999.md?
A marketplace gives a fast start and traffic, but no brand, no customer base of your own and no control over the cost of visibility. We cover this in the article on online store conversion.
Conclusion
Store cost is set not by page count but by the number of connections to the outside world: payment, delivery, stock and CRM. The earlier you decide which of those you need at launch, the more accurate the quote will be.
If you are planning online store development, Synergy will run a free audit: we review the range and the integrations you need, and name a format, timeline and budget.
We will check your website for free
We show the growth points before any work starts — no obligations
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