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E-commerce
A proper online store — storefront, payments and inventory wired up cleanly so you can sell from day one.
What it is
In plain English
An e-commerce build is a real online store: a storefront where customers browse your products, a checkout that takes payment, and an inventory system that tracks stock. We wire in the South African payment gateways your customers trust (PayFast, Yoco, Stripe), set up shipping and delivery, and make it all manageable so you can add products and process orders without fuss.
It's for when selling through Instagram DMs, WhatsApp and manual EFTs has hit its ceiling — when you're losing orders to the friction and want customers to be able to buy, pay and check out by themselves, any time. We build it around your catalogue and how you actually fulfil orders.
When you need it
Is this you?
You need this when you're selling products manually — through DMs, WhatsApp and EFT — and the admin has become the bottleneck on growing.
- You take orders by DM or WhatsApp and chase payments by hand.
- You're losing sales because customers can't just buy and pay themselves.
- You need stock, payments and shipping handled properly, not in a notebook.
- You've outgrown a marketplace stall and want your own branded store.
How we build it
What actually happens
- 1
Plan the catalogue and flows
We map your products, variants and categories, and how an order should flow from add-to-cart through payment to fulfilment.
- 2
Design the store
We design a clean, trustworthy storefront and checkout — mobile-first, because most South Africans will buy on their phones.
- 3
Build with payments and stock
We build the store and connect local payments (PayFast, Yoco, Stripe) and an inventory system that keeps stock counts honest.
- 4
Set up shipping and tax
We configure your delivery options and rates — including courier integrations where it helps — and handle pricing rules cleanly.
- 5
Launch and train you
We go live, test a real order end to end, and train you to add products and manage orders yourself.
Example
How it plays out in practice
A natural skincare brand in Cape Town sells through Instagram. Customers DM to order, the founder sends banking details, waits for proof of payment, then arranges a courier by hand. On a busy week the admin swallows entire evenings and some orders slip.
- 1
We set up the catalogue
Each product — with its variants, prices and photos — goes into a proper store, organised so customers can browse and find things easily.
- 2
We build self-checkout
Customers add to cart and pay themselves via PayFast or Yoco — no more DMing for banking details or chasing proof of payment.
- 3
We add a subscription option
Regulars can subscribe to their favourite serum and have it ship automatically each month — recurring revenue with zero admin.
- 4
We wire up delivery
Courier rates are calculated at checkout by area, and each paid order produces the details needed to ship — no manual quoting.
- 5
Live and self-managed
The founder is trained to add new products and watch orders roll in, instead of running the whole shop out of her DMs.
The brand goes from manual DM-and-EFT orders to a real store where customers buy, pay and check out on their own — recovering the evenings that used to vanish into admin, and adding recurring revenue through subscriptions.
What we'd need from you
To get started
- Your product list, with prices, variants and photos.
- Your preferred payment provider — or a steer if you want us to recommend one.
- How you ship — couriers, rates, areas, and any free-delivery rules.
- Who'll manage stock and process orders day to day.
- Your brand and any existing store you're moving from.
Timeline
How long it takes
A store typically takes four to eight weeks, depending mostly on the size of your catalogue and how complex shipping and payments are.
What can affect that:
- A big catalogue with many variants and photos takes longer to set up and populate.
- Complex shipping rules or courier integrations add time over flat-rate delivery.
- Connecting to accounting or stock systems you already use extends the build.
What affects the price
Why it costs what it costs
Every build is scoped to your situation. These are the things that move the number — so there are no surprises on the call.
- Catalogue size
- A handful of products is quick. Hundreds of items with variants and photos is a much bigger setup.
- Payments and checkout
- A standard gateway is straightforward. Subscriptions, deposits or multiple providers add work.
- Shipping complexity
- Flat-rate delivery is simple. Zone-based rates and live courier integrations are more to build.
- Integrations
- A standalone store is lighter. Syncing to accounting, stock or a courier's system adds setup.
- Design and content
- A clean store is included. Bespoke design and getting your whole catalogue photographed and written up is more.
Ready to build something that works?
Tell us what you need. We'll tell you honestly if and how we can help.