Platforms Have a Ceiling
Shoptet and Shopify are excellent tools. They cover the needs of most e-shops in the Czech market. But what about those they don't?
If you've hit the platform's limits, whether in design, features, or performance, it might be time to think about a custom solution. But be warned: a custom e-shop is significantly more expensive and complex. Let's honestly review when it makes sense and when it doesn't.
5 Signs You're Outgrowing Your Platform
1. Design Limits Your Brand
Shoptet templates are functional but limited. If you need unique product cards, non-standard filtering, interactive product configurators, or business-specific checkout flow, you'll hit a wall.
2. You Need Internal System Integration
Have your own ERP, WMS, or CRM that needs real-time bidirectional sync? Shoptet API has its limits. A custom e-shop can connect to anything, Salesforce, SAP, custom warehouse systems.
3. Performance Can't Handle Your Load
If you have thousands of daily orders or hundreds of thousands of products, platform performance starts to suffer. A custom Next.js solution with ISR loads pages in milliseconds even with a massive catalog.
4. You Need Custom B2B Features
Individual customer pricing, order approval workflows, quotation systems, volume-based contract pricing, standard platforms handle this poorly or not at all.
5. You're Paying More for Apps Than the Platform
On Shopify, monthly costs for paid apps can add up unexpectedly. If you're paying for a whole stack of apps that a custom solution would include natively, the math starts working differently.
When a Custom E-shop Does NOT Make Sense
Let's be honest, most e-shops don't need a custom solution.
- Revenue under 5 million CZK/year, Shoptet or Shopify will be cheaper
- Fewer than 500 products, platforms handle this fine
- No maintenance budget, custom e-shops require ongoing development
- You don't want to wait, Shoptet launches in 2-4 weeks, custom takes 5-30 weeks depending on scope
What a Custom E-shop Looks Like
A custom e-shop in React and Next.js is a web application tailored precisely to your needs. It's not a template with modifications, it's code written from scratch. If you're curious about the difference between a website and an application in general, check out Web vs. Web Application.
Typical architecture:
- Frontend: React/Next.js, blazing-fast SSR pages
- Backend: Node.js API or headless CMS (Strapi, Sanity)
- Database: PostgreSQL (Supabase) or MongoDB
- Payments: Stripe, GoPay, Comgate, direct API integration
- Hosting: modern cloud, AWS, or custom server
How Much Does It Cost
| Variant | Price | Time |
|---|---|---|
| MVP (basic e-shop) | from €5,600 | 5-8 weeks |
| Pro (growing e-shop) | from €11,200 | 8-14 weeks |
| Enterprise (multiple markets, B2B, ERP) | from €22,000 | 16-30 weeks |
Plus monthly hosting costs (€20-120) and ongoing development/maintenance.
How to Migrate from a Platform
You don't have to jump straight in. Common scenario:
- Start on Shoptet, validate your product, get your first 100 customers
- Hit the limits, design, features, integrations
- Build custom in parallel, while the old e-shop runs
- Migrate, products, customers, orders, URL redirects
The key is mapping the URL structure and setting up 301 redirects to reduce the risk of an organic visibility drop.
Summary
A custom e-shop is an investment that makes sense once the business has outgrown a platform's capabilities. If you are unsure, compare Shoptet, Shopify and custom e-shop development; the bespoke build is covered in detail on the custom development page. For a complete price overview, read How Much Does an E-shop Cost.