E-Commerce Development in Montreal: Platform Choices and Costs

Choose based on your business size and complexity: Shopify: - Best for: Most Montreal businesses - Monthly: $39-$399 + transaction fees - Pros: Easy, bilingual themes, local payment support - Cons: Limited customization, monthly fees add up - Montreal agencies: Many experienced Shopify partners WooCommerce (WordPress): - Best for: Content-heavy stores, existing WordPress sites - Cost: Free plugin + hosting ($20-100/month) - Pros: Full control, extensible, one-time costs - Cons: Requires more maintenance, security updates Custom solutions: - Best for: Unique requirements, high volume - Cost: $30,000-$150,000+ - Pros: Exactly what you need, full ownership - Cons: Expensive, longer development time For most Montreal businesses starting out: Shopify. It handles bilingual, payments, and shipping well enough.

Quebec e-commerce has legal language requirements: Bill 96 considerations: - Product descriptions in French - Checkout process in French - Customer service available in French - Terms and conditions in French Practical bilingual needs: - Complete product catalog in both languages - Email notifications (order confirmation, shipping) - Customer account interfaces - Support documentation Shopify handles this well: - Built-in language switcher - Translation apps available - Bilingual checkout - Multi-currency support Custom solutions: - Need proper i18n implementation - More development work - Higher cost but more control

Montreal customers have payment preferences: Popular payment methods: - Credit cards (Visa, Mastercard): 65% - Debit (Interac): 20% - PayPal: 10% - Other digital wallets: 5% Payment gateways: - Shopify Payments: Easiest, 2.9% + 30¢ - Stripe: Developer-friendly, same rates - PayPal: Customer trust, slightly higher fees - Moneris: Canadian, preferred by some merchants Interac Online: - Popular in Quebec - Lower fees than credit cards - Must be supported for Quebec market Currency considerations: - Price in CAD for Montreal customers - USD support for cross-border sales - Transparent currency conversion Tip: Offering Interac can reduce transaction costs and appeal to cost-conscious Quebec shoppers.

Montreal shipping has unique challenges: Carriers: - Canada Post: Universal, bilingual - Purolator: Canadian, reliable - UPS/FedEx: International shipping - Local couriers: Same-day Montreal delivery Montreal-specific considerations: - Island vs off-island addresses - Postal code complexities - Winter weather delays - Provincial borders affect shipping zones Strategies: - Free shipping threshold (increase average order) - Local pickup option (saves costs, builds relationships) - Realistic delivery estimates (don't overpromise) - Clear bilingual shipping policies Fulfillment: - Start self-fulfilled from Montreal - 3PL warehouses when volume justifies - Amazon FBA for certain products Shipping is often the #1 source of customer complaints. Get it right from the start.

E-commerce project costs vary widely: Shopify store setup: - Basic theme customization: $5,000-$15,000 - Custom theme development: $15,000-$40,000 - Complex customizations: $30,000-$80,000 WooCommerce store: - Basic setup: $8,000-$20,000 - Custom design and features: $20,000-$50,000 - Enterprise: $50,000+ Custom e-commerce: - MVP: $50,000-$100,000 - Full-featured: $100,000-$300,000 - Enterprise: $300,000+ Ongoing costs: - Hosting: $20-500/month - Platform fees: $39-399/month (Shopify) - Payment processing: ~3% of revenue - Maintenance: $500-2,000/month - Marketing: Varies widely Montreal agencies typically 15-20% cheaper than Toronto for comparable quality.

Look for e-commerce-specific experience: Must-haves: - Montreal e-commerce portfolio - Bilingual capability - Platform expertise (Shopify, WooCommerce, etc.) - Understanding of Quebec regulations - Payment gateway integration experience Questions to ask: - "How many e-commerce projects in Montreal?" - "What's your process for bilingual stores?" - "How do you handle Quebec tax compliance?" - "What's included in ongoing support?" - "Can you help with SEO and marketing?" Red flags: - No live e-commerce sites in portfolio - Can't explain payment processing clearly - Don't understand Quebec language requirements - Unrealistic timelines (under 3 months for custom) E-commerce is complex. Choose agencies with proven experience, not generalists trying e-commerce for the first time.