Ecommerce website design and development in South Africa
You get an online shop that fits the way you sell: products set out the way your customers look for them, a checkout that takes payment, and shipping that suits your business. We build and improve WooCommerce shops for small businesses and organisations, from product catalogues, checkout, payments and delivery to connections with other systems, such as payment gateways, courier platforms and supplier feeds. Tell us about your shop and we will quote from your brief.
Situations we can help with
A new shop
You are starting to sell online. We install and set up WooCommerce, build the shop page, categories, cart, checkout and account pages, and hand the shop over with editing instructions.
An existing shop to improve or take over
Your shop is running and you want it improved, or you want us to take it over. We can work on its speed and security, its checkout, payments and shipping, and look after it once the work is done.
A large catalogue or many variations
Products are loaded by bulk CSV import, with attributes and variations, so a big catalogue does not have to be entered by hand.
Supplier stock feeds
Your products come from suppliers. We build imports from supplier feeds or APIs that keep stock up to date without wiping the descriptions and prices your team has corrected.
Payment and shipping needs
You need to take payment through South African or international payment gateways, and to ship with flat-rate zones or through a courier platform.
Not sure which of these describes your shop? Tell us how you sell today and what you want to change.
What the work covers
We install and set up WooCommerce, then work through the parts of the shop that need deciding. Here is what you get, grouped by what it does for your shop.
A shop that is easy to browse
Shop page layout and category structure, plus the cart, checkout and account pages.
Products loaded in bulk
Your products loaded by bulk CSV import, with attributes and variations, so a large catalogue is not entered one product at a time.
Checkout that matches how you sell
Account creation or user approval at checkout, coupons including automatic coupons that leave out sale items, and prices shown excluding VAT at checkout where you want that.
Payments and shipping
Payment gateway integration, and shipping set up as flat-rate zones or through a courier-platform integration.
Tested before it goes live
Responsive and cross-browser testing and a full test checkout, plus speed optimisation and security improvements.
Ready for your team
Editing instructions and handover, with a walkthrough of loading products.
Supplier stock that stays up to date without wiping your edits
If your products come from suppliers, we build imports from supplier feeds or APIs that keep your stock up to date while the product descriptions and prices your team has corrected stay as they are. A supplier stock refresh changes stock data and nothing else.
We build refreshes this way because of a lesson from this work: if a refresh re-creates a product, it wipes the descriptions and prices your team has corrected. We check what data your supplier provides and agree which fields the import changes.
What the import depends on
- The supplier giving you feed or API access
- The feed being available and stable
- The supplier's SKUs and stock data being reliable
Access can be slow to arrive, so ask for it early.
Payments and shipping that suit how you sell
We connect your shop to South African and international payment gateways, and we can advise on which one suits you. For shipping we set up flat-rate zones or integrate a courier platform with WooCommerce.
What you arrange before we start
- Your payment provider account
- Your courier account, if you use one
- Any paid plugin licences
- Logins for your site and hosting
- Your product data and images
Why we build on WooCommerce
WooCommerce on WordPress is flexible, it is quick for us to change, and it is easy for you to add and remove products yourself, which is why we recommend it for online shops. We can work on other platforms if you ask. WooCommerce runs on WordPress, which we also build websites on: see our WordPress development page.
A shop quote you can follow
A shop quote is itemised by task: shop set-up, product template and import, payment and shipping integrations, and testing and revisions. It may show the hours for each task, so you can see where the work goes.
The number of variations and attributes matters more than the number of products, because products are loaded by bulk import.
Help after launch
At launch you get editing instructions and a walkthrough of loading products. After that we make ad hoc updates when you ask, or work on a monthly retainer, and we fix shop bugs that should have worked. Our website maintenance page explains what looking after a shop involves.
Useful answers
Which platform do you build online shops on?
We recommend WooCommerce on WordPress. It is flexible, it is quick for us to change, and it is easy for you to add and remove products yourself. We can work on other platforms if you ask.
Which payment gateways can you connect?
We connect your shop to South African and international payment gateways, and we can advise on which one suits you. You arrange your payment provider account before we start.
Can you connect a shop to a supplier's stock?
Yes. We build imports from supplier feeds or APIs, and a stock refresh changes stock data only, so your corrected descriptions and prices stay. It depends on the supplier giving you feed or API access, on the feed being available and stable, and on the supplier's SKUs and stock data being reliable. Access can be slow to arrive, so ask for it early.
What matters most when a shop is quoted?
The number of variations and attributes matters more than the number of products, because products are loaded by bulk import. The quote is itemised by task.
Can we add and remove products ourselves?
Yes. WooCommerce makes it easy to add and remove products yourself, and at launch you get editing instructions and a walkthrough of loading products.
Tell us about your shop
Send us your brief: what you sell, how you want to take payment and ship, and where your products come from. We quote each shop from your brief, itemised by task, and there are no fixed packages. We work remotely with clients across South Africa.
Planning a new website around the shop? See website design. Need a logo or brand look to go with it? See graphic design. You can also read how a project works, from your first message to handover, and how we quote every project.
Have a project in mind?
A new website, a shop, a design refresh or a feature your site is missing: tell us a little about what you need and we will talk through the options.