Retail and eCommerce in the UK has three realistic platform choices: Shopify, WooCommerce, or a custom build. Each fits a specific scale and complexity. Here's how to pick.
Shopify
The default choice for most UK retailers under £2m turnover. Fast to launch, hosted, payments included, app ecosystem extensive, customer support real. Monthly cost £25-£300+ depending on tier and apps.
When Shopify is right:
- You sell physical products with reasonably standard fulfilment
- You don't have unusual workflows
- You're more interested in product and marketing than tech
- You want to launch in 2-4 weeks
When Shopify isn't right:
- You need deep custom workflows (configurators, B2B account hierarchies, bespoke pricing rules)
- You want to own your platform and stack
- You sell something Shopify policy excludes
- You operate at a scale where the percentage fees become punishing
WooCommerce
WordPress-based eCommerce. Open source, self-hosted, lots of plugins. Cost: hosting + theme + plugins, typically £30-£100/month all-in.
When WooCommerce is right:
- Content marketing is central to your strategy (WordPress's blogging is genuinely better)
- You have a developer who's confident in WordPress
- You need plugins for niche functionality Shopify doesn't have
- You're price-sensitive on platform fees
When WooCommerce isn't right:
- You don't have WordPress expertise in-house
- You need fast performance under heavy traffic (WooCommerce can be slow without serious optimisation)
- You need rock-solid security with low maintenance overhead
Custom build
When neither off-the-shelf platform fits, you build. Real custom eCommerce starts at £8,000 and can reach six figures.
When custom is right:
- You have specific B2B workflows the platforms can't handle
- You're integrating deep with bespoke fulfilment, ERP, or operations systems
- You're at a scale where percentage fees on platforms cost more than custom infrastructure
- You're building something genuinely novel that the off-the-shelf platforms don't support
Real example: our Ash Workwear B2B portal had two-sided ordering needs that no off-the-shelf platform supported well. Custom was the right answer.
Hybrid patterns
Common in 2026:
- Shopify for B2C + custom portal for B2B accounts — public storefront on Shopify, account-based ordering on a separate authenticated portal
- Headless Shopify — Shopify as the commerce engine, custom frontend for performance and brand control. £15,000+ territory.
Cost over time
For UK retailers doing under £500k annual revenue, Shopify Basic + 2-3 apps typically runs £80-£150/month. That's £1-2k/year, materially cheaper than maintaining custom.
For retailers doing £500k-£2m, Shopify Plus or aggressive optimisation on WooCommerce both make sense. Custom starts to be worth considering above £2m if you have specific workflow needs.
Above £5m, custom or headless almost always pays for itself in fees saved.
Sector context
For retail businesses selling physical products to consumers: start with Shopify unless you have a specific reason not to. For B2B trade supply, custom usually wins. For services-with-products (e.g., a salon selling product alongside services), Shopify or a custom portal both work depending on volume.
Common mistakes
- Building custom because "we want to own our tech" when Shopify would serve you better for years
- Switching platforms every 18 months chasing the new shiny option
- Underestimating the time cost of running custom infrastructure
- Picking based on what your competitors use rather than your own needs
A note from the Bloomorbit studio
We build custom eCommerce and hybrid solutions for UK retailers from our Cardiff studio when off-the-shelf doesn't fit. We're also honest about when Shopify is the right answer — sometimes the right advice is "use Shopify, save your money". Start with Retailers & eCommerce for what we typically build.