A client making handmade skincare came to us with one sentence: "I want a branded online store like the big names, budget NT$80k, launching for Mother's Day next month." Two weeks before launch she discovered the payment gateway wasn't approved, logistics weren't connected, and nobody had defined the loyalty-points rules. E-commerce isn't "putting products on a page"—it's wiring payments, logistics, membership and inventory at the same time. Here is a blueprint you can use to decide.
When It Fits vs When It Doesn't
| Good fit for custom store | Not a fit (use SaaS first) |
|---|---|
| Custom membership tiers / points logic | Just want fast listing, < 30 SKUs |
| Must integrate ERP/POS/LINE OA | No ops person, budget < NT$50k |
| Subscriptions, pre-orders, bundles | Market test, may pivot in 3 months |
| Treating the store as a long-term asset | Single hero product via ad traffic |
Alternatives Matrix
| Option | Pros | Cons | Cost tier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shopify | Fast, rich ecosystem | Monthly fee + cut, limited customization | From ~NT$1,000/mo + fees |
| WooCommerce | Flexible, many plugins | Plugin conflicts, self-managed security | NT$30k–100k build |
| Custom (Laravel) | Full control, easy integration | High upfront, needs a team | From NT$150k |
| Local SaaS storefront | No ops, payments/logistics built-in | High take rate, data locked in | Monthly + transaction cut |
Full Process (Stages, Time, Deliverables, Tools)
- Phase 1 Requirements & IA (5–7 days): use Notion for categories, membership and promo types; deliverable: feature list + flow (Figma).
- Phase 2 Design & payment/logistics selection (7–10 days): Figma designs; choose gateway (ECPay/Stripe) and logistics (courier/convenience-store pickup); deliverable: clickable prototype.
- Phase 3 Build & integration (3–5 weeks): catalog/cart/checkout/membership/admin; wire payment webhooks and logistics APIs; deliverable: staging.
- Phase 4 Test & gateway approval (1–2 weeks): live charge tests, refunds, invoicing; deliverable: UAT report.
- Phase 5 Launch & monitoring (ongoing): Cloudflare, UptimeRobot; deliverable: go-live checklist.
Real Cost Breakdown
- Build: custom Laravel store ~NT$150k–400k depending on membership/inventory complexity.
- Payment fees: cards via ECPay ~2.0%–2.8%; international cards via Stripe ~3.4% + NT$10.
- Hidden costs: SSL (often free via Cloudflare), SMS/invoice APIs, gateway monthly fee, per-order convenience-store handling fees, image storage and CDN bandwidth.
- Maintenance: budget NT$8,000–20,000/mo (security updates, backups, small changes).
Reality vs What Clients Imagine
- Clients think "payment is a quick wire-up"; reality: approval + live charge tests often eat 1–2 weeks.
- Clients think "loyalty points are simple"; reality: expiry, refund reversal, cross-campaign rules are the buggiest area.
- Clients think "launch = sales"; reality: traffic comes from content/ads/SEO—the store only receives it.
Common Traps & Fixes
- Trap: submitting the gateway a week before launch → Fix: apply for the merchant account in week 1.
- Trap: overselling inventory → Fix: lock stock at checkout with timeout release; don't trust front-end counts.
- Trap: slow cart, poor LCP, drop-off → Fix: compress images + CDN, watch LCP (aim < 2.5s).
- Trap: no refund/invoice flow → Fix: run refunds, credit notes and e-invoicing before launch.
- Trap: promo rules hard-coded → Fix: make them admin-configurable, or every campaign needs an engineer.
Success Metrics + 90-Day Roadmap
- Day 30: conversion rate, cart-to-checkout drop-off, payment failure rate.
- Day 60: optimize checkout steps, add cart-abandon remarketing, track member repurchase.
- Day 90: analyze high/low-margin SKUs, tune the promo engine, evaluate subscriptions/bundles.
Decision Checklist
- ☐ Do my SKUs/membership rules exceed SaaS flexibility?
- ☐ Do I have an ops person or vendor?
- ☐ Do I need ERP/POS/LINE integration?
- ☐ Are my payment/logistics choices final?
- ☐ Can I absorb the fee impact on margin?
- ☐ Have I budgeted for 90 days of optimization?
- ☐ Do promo rules need to be admin-editable?
- ☐ Is my content/ad traffic plan ready?
FAQ
How long does an e-commerce site take?
Custom: ~6–10 weeks depending on membership/inventory complexity. SaaS: days, but custom logic is limited.
ECPay or Stripe?
Local Taiwan + convenience-store pickup: ECPay. International cards + subscriptions: Stripe. Many brands use both.
Do I need an app?
Not at first. Nail the responsive site and remarketing; evaluate an app once repurchase volume grows.
What does maintenance pay for?
Security updates, plugin compatibility, backups, payment-rule changes and small iterations—skip these and the site degrades within months.
Call to Action
Want to know whether your store should be SaaS or custom, and how to split the budget? We offer a free 30-minute scoping call. ScriptWalker custom e-commerce starts at NT$150k.
- Email: [email protected]
- Phone: 0916-224-047
- LINE: @ufv9089p