Ecommerce platforms for an England shop: stay manual or move, in five steps

What to take away

Is the manual route already doing the job?

If the current setup already handles catalogue, orders and payments and no route shows a clear gain, staying put is a valid outcome. The manual route has no new subscription. Existing gateway fees, staff time and maintenance costs continue.

Order volume, VAT position and data-exit needs are the three unknowns that make staying manual reasonable. The five steps below turn each unknown into a written answer before any platform fee is considered.

What are the five steps?

Run the same steps for each route and keep the answers side by side.

A vendor due diligence check on identity, scope, data, security and exit evidence is the minimum before signing. The gate-by-gate method for judging the same routes is set out in the evidence gates review.

How do the four routes compare on listed items?

The table gives step 3 something to check against. Each cell is a declared line to confirm with the supplier, not a result.

The table lists published or listed items only. It compares declared cost lines and features, not tested performance.

Data exit decides step 4. Shopify exports products and orders by CSV, WooCommerce gives database access, and Square provides product and order export tools. Test an export before you commit, because order history and customer records differ.

What does each route cost in the UK?

Figures in this section were checked on 6 September 2026. Plan fees and card rates change, so re-check before you commit.

The Shopify UK pricing page listed Basic at £25 a month. Shopify Payments on that plan was listed at 2.0% + 25p for UK online card payments. Apps, themes and extra staff accounts are charged separately.

Square Online's Free plan carries no monthly fee, with a published 1.4% + 25p rate for online UK card payments. Paid tiers change the monthly fee and the feature set, so compare the current plan record.

WooCommerce core is a free plugin. Hosting for a small store is commonly quoted at £5 to £30 a month. Extensions, a payment gateway, security work and support add more, and who carries the technical work is part of the cost.

Illustrative example: 500 orders at £40 average value is £20,000 of card turnover. Square's published 1.4% + 25p gives about £405 in card fees. Shopify Basic's 2.0% + 25p gives about £525, plus £300 a year in subscription. WooCommerce at 1.4% + 25p would be about £405 plus hosting.

Which UK rules follow you onto any route?

Any online sale to a consumer is a distance contract. The Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 give most buyers a 14-day cancellation right and require clear pre-contract information.

VAT registration becomes compulsory once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months. GOV.UK VAT registration sets out the test and the voluntary registration option. The standard rate is 20%, with reduced and zero rates for some goods.

Data protection and cookies also apply. GDPR governs customer records, and PECR governs cookie consent and marketing tracking. Advertising claims and price transparency fall under the ASA codes.

A UK ecommerce regulations map ties each rule to the part of the store journey it touches, which shows where platform defaults help and where the duty stays with you.

Common questions

When is staying manual a valid outcome?

When the current setup already handles catalogue, orders and payments and no route shows a clear gain. It is also reasonable while order volume, VAT position and data-exit needs are unresolved.

What does it cost to sell online in the UK?

Shopify Basic is listed at £25 a month plus card fees. Square Online's Free plan has no monthly fee with a 1.4% + 25p online UK card rate. WooCommerce core is free, but hosting is commonly £5 to £30 a month.

Do I have to register for VAT?

Only once taxable turnover passes £90,000 in any rolling 12 months, or if you expect to pass it within the next 30 days. Below that, registration is voluntary.

Can I leave a platform and keep my data?

Shopify exports products and orders by CSV. WooCommerce gives database access. Square provides product and order export tools. Test an export before you commit.