E-Commerce Website Development for Canadian Businesses
NETLAB builds e-commerce websites that handle real transaction volume for Canadian businesses. We develop on WooCommerce, Shopify, and custom storefronts with Stripe payment integration, PCI-compliant checkout, inventory management, and product SEO. From local retail shops to enterprise operations managing thousands of SKUs, we build online stores that convert visitors into paying customers.
E-Commerce Platforms We Build On
Choosing the right e-commerce platform is one of the most important decisions you will make for your online business. The platform determines your monthly costs, the level of customization available, how easily you can manage products and orders, and how well your store performs in search results. We are platform-agnostic -- we recommend the technology that best fits your business model, not the one that is easiest for us.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce platform in the world, powering over 28% of all online stores. Built on WordPress, it gives you a mature admin panel for managing products, orders, customers, and inventory. We build WooCommerce stores with completely custom themes -- not pre-purchased themes that get modified, but designs built from scratch to match your brand. Our WooCommerce projects include custom product page layouts, advanced filtering and search, Stripe payment integration, and shipping calculators for Canadian carriers including Canada Post, FedEx, and UPS.
Shopify
Shopify is the platform of choice for businesses that want a fully managed hosting environment with built-in PCI compliance, automatic backups, and 24/7 infrastructure monitoring. We build custom Shopify themes using Liquid templating and the Shopify Storefront API. For businesses that need more flexibility, we build headless Shopify storefronts using React that connect to Shopify's backend for product management, inventory, and checkout while giving you complete freedom over the front-end design.
Custom Storefronts
For businesses with requirements that go beyond what WooCommerce or Shopify can accommodate -- subscription boxes with custom billing logic, B2B wholesale portals with tiered pricing, or multi-vendor marketplaces -- we build fully custom e-commerce applications. These storefronts use React or Astro on the front end, Node.js and PostgreSQL on the backend, and integrate directly with Stripe API for payment processing. You get complete control over every aspect of the shopping experience, from product display to checkout flow to post-purchase email sequences.
| Feature | WooCommerce | Shopify | Custom Storefront |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Platform Fee | $0 (hosting only) | $39-399 CAD/mo | $0 (hosting only) |
| Transaction Fees | Stripe fees only (2.9%) | 0.5-2% + Stripe fees | Stripe fees only (2.9%) |
| Design Flexibility | Full (custom themes) | Moderate (Liquid themes) | Unlimited |
| Product Limit | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Content Management | WordPress CMS | Shopify Admin | Custom Admin Panel |
| Best For | Content-heavy stores | Quick launch, managed hosting | Complex requirements |
Payment Processing & Security
Secure payment processing is non-negotiable for any e-commerce business. Every online store we build uses PCI-compliant payment infrastructure, which means your customers' credit card data is encrypted and processed through certified payment gateways -- never stored on your server.
Stripe is our primary payment integration. It supports credit and debit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, and bank transfers. For Canadian businesses, Stripe handles multi-currency transactions, automatic GST/HST/PST tax calculations, and payouts directly to your Canadian bank account. We integrate Stripe Checkout for a seamless, conversion-optimized payment experience that customers trust.
Beyond Stripe, we integrate with Canadian payment processors including Moneris, Square, and PayPal. For B2B e-commerce, we build custom invoicing workflows, purchase order systems, and net-30/60/90 payment terms. For subscription businesses, we implement recurring billing with Stripe Subscriptions, including trial periods, metered billing, and automatic payment retries for failed charges.
Every e-commerce project also includes SSL encryption, Content Security Policy headers, CSRF protection, and rate limiting on checkout endpoints to prevent fraud and abuse. We configure address verification (AVS) and CVC checks through Stripe to reduce chargebacks, and we set up Stripe Radar for automated fraud detection on high-volume stores.
E-Commerce Technologies
Checkout Optimization & Conversion
The average e-commerce cart abandonment rate is nearly 70%. Most of that abandonment happens during checkout, which means the difference between a profitable store and a struggling one often comes down to how well the checkout experience is designed. We obsess over checkout optimization because it directly impacts your revenue.
Our checkout flows are designed to minimize friction at every step. We use single-page checkout where possible, with address auto-complete powered by the Google Places API, saved payment methods for returning customers, and guest checkout options that do not force account creation. We display shipping costs and estimated delivery dates early in the process so customers are not surprised by additional charges at the final step.
For mobile shoppers -- who account for over half of all e-commerce traffic -- we implement Apple Pay and Google Pay for one-tap checkout. We optimize form fields for mobile input types, use large tap targets for buttons, and ensure the checkout page loads in under two seconds on mobile connections. These details compound into measurable improvements in conversion rate.
We also implement abandoned cart recovery workflows. When a customer adds items to their cart and leaves without completing the purchase, automated email sequences bring them back. These emails include the specific products left in the cart, direct links to resume checkout, and optional discount incentives. For our e-commerce clients, abandoned cart emails typically recover 5-15% of otherwise lost sales.
E-Commerce Projects
Here are examples of e-commerce websites we have built for Canadian businesses, from enterprise retail platforms to custom online storefronts.
Enterprise E-Commerce Platform
Modern and responsive business website with enterprise-grade e-commerce features
Edison Motors
Enterprise corporate website with custom theme, news aggregation, and large-scale e-commerce for Canada's hybrid electric semi-truck manufacturer.
OMD Outfits
Custom theme, responsive, and modern clothing company e-commerce store.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an e-commerce website cost in Canada?
E-commerce website costs at NETLAB range from $5,000 to $25,000+ CAD depending on the platform, number of products, and complexity of features. A WooCommerce store with a custom theme, payment processing, and up to 100 products typically costs between $5,000 and $10,000. Custom storefronts with headless architecture, subscription billing, or multi-currency support range from $10,000 to $25,000. Enterprise e-commerce projects with complex inventory integrations, B2B pricing, and custom checkout flows are quoted on a project basis.
Should I use Shopify or WooCommerce?
It depends on your business needs. Shopify is ideal for businesses that want a managed, hosted solution with minimal technical overhead -- it handles hosting, security, and PCI compliance out of the box. WooCommerce is better for businesses that need full control over their website design and functionality, want to avoid monthly platform fees, or need deep customization that Shopify's theme system cannot accommodate. We work with both platforms and recommend the best fit based on your specific requirements, product catalog size, and growth plans.
Do you integrate with payment processors like Stripe?
Yes. Stripe is our primary payment integration for most e-commerce projects. We integrate Stripe for one-time payments, subscription billing, invoicing, and multi-currency transactions. We also work with other Canadian payment processors including Square, Moneris, and PayPal. All payment integrations are PCI-compliant, meaning your customers' credit card data is handled securely and never stored on your server.
Can you migrate my existing online store?
Yes. We handle full e-commerce migrations including product data, customer accounts, order history, and SEO redirects. We have migrated stores from Shopify to WooCommerce, from legacy platforms to modern storefronts, and from template-based themes to fully custom designs. Every migration includes a complete SEO redirect map to ensure you do not lose search rankings, and we test every product page, category, and checkout flow before going live.
How do you handle product SEO?
Every product page we build includes structured data markup (Product schema) that tells Google the product name, price, availability, reviews, and images. We optimize product titles and descriptions for search intent, create SEO-friendly URL structures, implement proper canonical tags to avoid duplicate content, and set up category pages with unique content. We also configure image alt tags, lazy loading for fast page speeds, and internal linking between related products.
Do you set up shipping and tax calculations?
Yes. We configure Canadian tax calculations including GST, PST, and HST by province, as well as international tax rules if you ship outside Canada. For shipping, we integrate with Canada Post, FedEx, UPS, and other carriers to provide real-time shipping rate calculations at checkout. We also set up flat-rate shipping, free shipping thresholds, and local pickup options based on your fulfillment model.
Ready to Sell Online?
Whether you are launching your first online store or migrating from an existing platform, we will build an e-commerce website that drives sales and grows with your business. Contact us for a free consultation.