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E-commerce websites

E-commerce Website Development for Dubai Businesses

Online stores for businesses in Dubai and across the UAE, with prices in AED, the payment and delivery options you choose, and product pages built for speed and search. Every store is scoped and priced in a written proposal before work starts.

Store scope

What an online store build covers

Your proposal lists which of these your store needs and how each one works. Anything not listed is quoted in writing before we do it.

  • Store structure

    Categories, navigation, search and filters planned around how your customers shop, not only how your stock is organised.

  • Product pages

    Clear photos, prices in AED, variants such as size or colour, stock status, and delivery and returns information where buyers look for it.

  • Cart and checkout

    A checkout with as few steps and fields as your platform and payment provider allow, plus order confirmation emails in your brand.

  • Payments

    Set-up with the payment provider you choose. The provider approves your account and charges its own fees.

  • Delivery rules

    Shipping zones, rates, free-delivery thresholds, collection and cash on delivery, if you offer them and your platform supports them.

  • Handover

    A walkthrough of adding products, managing orders and processing refunds, so your team can run the store day to day.

Platform choice

Hosted or self-hosted: choosing a platform

The right platform depends on your products, order volumes, integrations and who will run the store. Once we know those, your proposal recommends one and explains why.

Trade-offs between hosted and self-hosted e-commerce platforms
Hosted platform Self-hosted platform
Running costs Monthly platform subscription, plus payment provider feesHosting and any paid extensions, plus payment provider fees
Security and updates The provider maintains the platform; add-on apps and staff logins are still yours to manageKept up to date by you or someone you appoint
Flexibility Within the platform’s themes, apps and rulesBroad, but every custom feature has to be maintained
Set-up effort Usually quicker to launchUsually more set-up and testing
Moving later Depends on the platform’s export toolsYou hold the code and database, but a move still takes work

Hosted platform

Running costs
Monthly platform subscription, plus payment provider fees
Security and updates
The provider maintains the platform; add-on apps and staff logins are still yours to manage
Flexibility
Within the platform’s themes, apps and rules
Set-up effort
Usually quicker to launch
Moving later
Depends on the platform’s export tools

Self-hosted platform

Running costs
Hosting and any paid extensions, plus payment provider fees
Security and updates
Kept up to date by you or someone you appoint
Flexibility
Broad, but every custom feature has to be maintained
Set-up effort
Usually more set-up and testing
Moving later
You hold the code and database, but a move still takes work

Catalogue

Catalogue and product data

Preparing product data can take longer than expected, so we agree its format before work starts: a spreadsheet covering product names, descriptions, SKUs, AED prices, variants, stock, shipping weights, categories and image file names.

You supply the product information and images unless data entry or copywriting is in your scope. We import it, check for gaps such as missing images or variants without prices, and send you a list to fix before launch.

Moving from an existing store? Migrating products, customers and order history is scoped separately, with redirects from old product addresses so existing links and search visibility carry over as far as possible.

AED and VAT

AED pricing, VAT display and checkout settings

We set your store currency to AED and configure how prices and tax appear on product pages, in the cart, at checkout and in order emails, exactly as you instruct, and apply the same settings to any invoices your platform generates.

UAE VAT law has specific rules on how VAT-registered businesses display prices, so confirm your VAT position, the price display you need and your invoice format with your accountant before the build. We configure the settings, but we don’t give tax advice.

Payments & delivery

Payment gateways and shipping, scoped individually

Payment providers available to UAE businesses differ in fees, supported cards and wallets, payout times and onboarding requirements. Onboarding usually needs business documents such as a trade licence, and approval is between you and the provider, so allow time for it in your launch plan.

Each provider and courier connects differently, so we scope these integrations once you have chosen them. Some connect through platform settings; others need development work, which your proposal prices separately. Deeper integrations, such as syncing stock with an ERP or accounting system, are handled as custom software.

Speed & search

Performance and product-page SEO

Store pages carry more images and scripts than most websites, so speed and search structure are part of the build plan.

  • Fast product pages

    Correctly sized, compressed images, lazy loading below the fold, and a check on every app or script before it goes on the site.

  • Your own product descriptions

    Supplier text copied unchanged gives search engines little reason to show your page over other sellers of the same product. We flag where your own wording matters most, and copywriting can be added to the scope.

  • Product structured data

    Product markup with AED price and availability, where it accurately matches the page.

  • Filters without duplicate pages

    Filter and sort combinations can create thousands of near-identical addresses. Canonical tags and crawl rules point search engines to the pages that matter.

  • Category pages with a purpose

    Each main category gets its own introduction and internal links, so it can compete for broader searches such as a product type.

  • Out-of-stock items

    Handled with clear messages, alternatives or redirects rather than error pages.

Your part

What you will need to provide

The timeline in your proposal starts once these are in place, so it helps to start gathering them early.

Business and accounts

  • Platform, domain and hosting accounts registered in your name
  • An approved account with your chosen payment provider
  • Your delivery arrangements and shipping rates
  • Instructions on VAT display, confirmed with your accountant

Content

  • Product data in the agreed spreadsheet format
  • Product photos, ideally consistent in size and background
  • Delivery, returns, privacy and terms wording, written or approved by your adviser
  • Logo files and brand colours

Pricing

Why online stores are quoted, not listed

Two stores with the same number of pages can need very different amounts of work. Product count and variants, payment and courier integrations, languages, data migration and how orders reach your team all change the work, so a single starting price would not describe what you would actually get.

We review your requirements first (on larger projects, as a separate first stage with its own fixed price), then send a written proposal listing features, exclusions, assumptions, payment terms and a fixed price for that scope. Prices exclude VAT and other applicable taxes, which are added where required and shown in your written proposal. Larger projects are split into phases, each with its own scope and price. Platform subscriptions, payment fees, and domain and hosting renewals are ongoing costs paid to those providers. The pricing page shows how this sits alongside our website packages, and our guide to website design costs in Dubai explains the main cost drivers.

Request a scoped proposal

FAQ

Questions about e-commerce websites

How much does an e-commerce website cost?

Every store is quoted individually, because the work varies too much between stores for one starting price to mean anything. Describe your products, roughly how many there are and the payment and delivery options you need in the quote form. We reply by email with questions or a written proposal with a fixed price for the agreed scope.

If you only need to show products and take enquiries, without online payment, a business website at a published starting price may be all you need.

Which e-commerce platform should we use?

Hosted platforms are usually quicker to launch, and the provider maintains and secures the platform itself for a monthly fee. Self-hosted platforms give more control but need someone to keep them updated. The right choice depends on your products, order volumes, integrations and who will maintain the store.

We recommend a platform in your proposal and explain the trade-offs. If you already use one, tell us, and the proposal will say whether we can work with it and whether anything limits what you want to do.

Can you connect our payment gateway?

Once you have chosen a provider, we check how it connects to your platform and include that in your proposal. Some providers connect through platform settings and others need development work, and the proposal prices whichever applies. The provider approves your account and sets its own fees and onboarding requirements, so start that application early.

Can the store be in Arabic and English?

Yes, as a separately scoped item. The Arabic store, including product names and descriptions, is localised for UAE shoppers: adapted rather than translated word for word, reviewed before launch, and built as a genuine right-to-left layout.

Every product then needs content in both languages, which adds to the data work. Our guide to bilingual Arabic–English websites explains what is involved.

Who adds the products?

You supply product data and images in the agreed spreadsheet format, and we import them. If you would rather we enter or write the product content, it is added to your scope and priced in the proposal. After launch, your team manages products through the store’s admin, which we walk you through at handover.

How will VAT be shown in the store?

Exactly as you instruct, on product pages, in the cart, at checkout and in order emails. VAT-registered businesses in the UAE have specific price-display rules, so your accountant should confirm what you need. We don’t give tax advice.

Can you move our existing store to a new platform?

Yes, as a separately scoped migration. We agree what moves, such as products, customers, order history and content, and set up redirects from old product and category addresses. We place test orders on the new store before switching over.

Ongoing search work after the move can be covered by our SEO service.

Next step

Tell us what you sell

Describe your products, roughly how many there are, the payment and delivery options you want and any launch date. We reply by email with questions or a scoped proposal with a fixed price for the agreed scope.