# What does a relaunch cost? ## Website relaunch: costs, phases and checklist What does a relaunch cost? Here is what the costs are made of, instead of a guessed number. ## A relaunch costs as much as the **complexity** you buy Systems that get connected, data that moves, markets that get served and the quality you demand: that sets the price. A number without your project would be a guess. So this page offers something else: what the costs are made of, in which phases they arise, what keeps running after go-live and how you work out whether the effort pays off for you. We are a digital agency in Bregenz and have delivered more than 50 projects, including over 20 Shopify Plus implementations and twelve ERP and system integrations. Every third-party figure links to its source, and prices and deadlines are as of 28 October 2026. ## cost drivers to check every quote against ### phases from analysis to operations ### horizon for an honest cost calculation years ### pots for the benefit: revenue, costs, risk, options ## Why we do not name a euro figure here If you search for relaunch costs, you find guides whose ranges span several orders of magnitude. That is not down to bad authors. A website with five pages and a store with ERP connection, two markets and B2B pricing logic have nothing in common except the word relaunch. Anyone who names a number without talking to you either estimates the smaller project or sells you an entry figure. Instead we name the levers you can use to check any quote, ours included. ### Who this is not for If you need a business-card website with a few pages and no system connection, a site builder or a good freelancer will serve you better than an agency. This text is for companies where the website or store carries revenue, is connected to systems and is maintained by several people. If you only have a minute, this is enough. Everything else follows below, with sources. ## The **short version** in four points ## Cost drivers Integrations Data Logic The biggest cost drivers are rarely the design. They are integrations, data quality, custom business logic, markets and languages, and the legacy you bring along. ### Nine phases Analysis Concept A project consists of nine phases. Anyone who skips analysis and concept pays for it later in development and acceptance. ### Costs after go-live Licenses Operations Costs do not end at go-live. Licenses, operations, security updates and further development belong in every calculation, over three years. ### Does it pay off? Revenue Costs Risk Options Whether a relaunch pays off is decided by four pots. The calculation follows below, with percentages instead of euros. ![Grafik: Zehn Kostentreiber eines Website-Relaunchs, von Integrationen und Datenmigration bis Märkte, Sprachen, Barrierefreiheit und Betrieb](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2Fcea780b594bf17904e600fe4d7674650aae492d9-3000x5016.png&w=1920&q=75) ### What makes a relaunch expensive Ten cost drivers determine what a quote contains and what it costs. If you know them, you can check any quote, ours included. Below, each driver comes with why it creates effort and what to look out for. ## What does a relaunch cost? The ten cost drivers 1. **Integrations (ERP, PIM, CRM, shipping, payment).** Every interface has a direction, a data format, failure cases and an owner. Real-time sync is more effort than batch processing because errors show up immediately. Industry sources name ERP integration as the biggest single cost driver ([elogic](https://elogic.co/blog/replatforming-cost-index/)). What to look out for: ask for the interface list, master data ownership (which system leads for price, stock, customer?), retries on failure and monitoring. 2. **Data migration and data quality.** Old data is rarely clean: variants without structure, duplicate customers, inconsistent attributes, order history, vouchers. Customer passwords usually cannot be transferred. What to look out for: plan at least two trial runs plus a delta migration on switch day. 3. **Custom business logic.** B2B prices, tiers, framework contracts, approval processes, configurators, bundles, subscriptions. Every rule is code that has to be tested and maintained. What to look out for: put the rules in writing before the quote and check what the platform can do natively before code is written. 4. **Checkout and payment.** In the Shopify checkout, changes are only meant to happen through extensions and Functions. Legacy solutions via checkout.liquid are no longer supported for information, shipping and payment. On the thank-you and order status pages, checkout.liquid and additional scripts were switched off on 28 August 2025, and script tags there on 28 August 2025 for Plus and 26 August 2026 for the other plans ([Shopify Developer Docs](https://shopify.dev/docs/storefronts/themes/architecture/layouts/checkout-liquid)). If you bring legacy along, you rebuild it. What to look out for: take stock of all checkout customizations and apps before the quote. 5. **Markets, languages, brands, stores.** Every variant multiplies content, prices, taxes, shipping, legal texts and tests. Several stores need a shared foundation, otherwise costs grow linearly. What to look out for: one foundation for several variants. At delicando four Shopify Plus stores run on one theme foundation, at b_smart 25 websites in two languages run on one Storyblok instance. 6. **Design and design system.** A design system costs more at the start than individual pages, but saves on every further page, variant and accessibility check. What to look out for: have components priced instead of individual pages. 7. **Content and editorial.** Content model, migration of existing texts, translation, approval workflow, preview. The model decides how much work every future change takes. What to look out for: involve the editorial team early. With Sanity there are no license costs per language ([Sanity](https://www.sanity.io/pricing)). 8. **SEO and tracking migration.** Without a complete mapping of every old URL to a target, rankings are lost. This is the most frequently named relaunch mistake in practitioner literature ([OMR](https://omr.com/de/reviews/contenthub/seo-website-migration)). Add tracking continuity so that before and after stay comparable. What to look out for: test the redirect mapping on staging, have a rollback plan, measure the baseline before the start. 9. **Performance and accessibility.** Both are cheap when built into design and code from the start, and expensive as rework. Accessibility is regulated by law for web shops (see below). What to look out for: write it down as an acceptance criterion, not as a wish. 10. **Decision paths and scope.** More stakeholders, late change requests and unclear acceptance cost time in every project, even if they appear in no table. What to look out for: name one deciding person and ask for a change process in the quote. ## What weighs in additionally with Shopify and headless ### Plan and license In Austria, Shopify Plus costs €2,250 per month on a one-year term and €2,100 on a three-year term, for standard setups. For more complex merchants with high volume, a variable platform fee on revenue can be added, separately for B2B and D2C ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-plus-plan)). On top come theme licenses for every expansion store, third-party apps and development by partners. Plus pays off mainly with a custom checkout, features like Shopify Functions, B2B depth (unlimited catalogs only in Plus), several stores and higher API limits. Revenue alone is no reason. ### Headless The front end runs as its own application, content comes from the CMS, data from Shopify or other sources. That brings freedom in design, performance and editorial work, but also more parts that have to work together and be maintained. Many apps that plug into a theme have to be connected yourself in a headless front end. Hosting depends on the stack: Plus provides for Hydrogen storefronts on Oxygen (up to 25), with other frameworks you pay for hosting separately ([Shopify Help Center](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/pricing-plans/plans-features/shopify-plus-plan)). CMS licenses are usually moderate, with Sanity for example $0 on the Free plan and $15 per seat and month on the Growth plan, with extra costs at high usage ([Sanity](https://www.sanity.io/pricing)). ![Grafik: Fünf Fragen zur Entscheidung Headless oder Standardsystem. Bei höchstens zweimal Ja Standardsystem, bei mindestens viermal Ja Headless](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2Fcddfb41abe82778ff025e3c1daaaabfcb651d6ac-3000x4674.png&w=1920&q=75) ### When headless pays off Agency and vendor analyses reach different results. They agree that a classic system is cheaper in the first year and that with headless the ongoing maintenance of the interfaces tips the balance ([Blicht](https://blicht.com/en/article/headless-composable-commerce), [easy.bi](https://www.easy.bi/blog/headless-commerce-roi/)). We have not found an independent study on this. In practice you check five questions. With four times yes, headless often pays off. With two times yes or fewer, a well-built standard system is usually the smarter choice. ![Grafik: Die neun Phasen eines Relaunchs von Analyse und Konzept über Design, Entwicklung und Datenmigration bis Go-live und Nachmessung](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2Ff60998045f22cd352410f1593ba2e642b61c3a0f-3000x4758.png&w=1920&q=75) ### The nine phases of a relaunch The actual move on go-live day is often short. The effort lies in phases 1 to 7, and that is where it is decided whether the project stays within scope. Below, each phase comes with what happens and what should exist at the end. ## What happens in the nine phases 1. **Analysis and target picture.** Inventory of all systems and dependencies, data situation, analytics baseline, goals and metrics. Requirements are sorted into start, expansion and optional ([Shopify](https://www.shopify.com/de/blog/e-commerce-replatforming)). Result: target picture, prioritized requirements, architecture decision. 2. **Concept and architecture.** Information architecture, data model, system map, interface description, URL concept. Result: a concept that development and design can build on. 3. **UX, UI and design system.** User flows, components, variants, accessibility in the design. Result: clickable design and component library. 4. **Development.** Front end, content model, checkout extensions, in short increments with preview. Result: a working system on staging. 5. **Integrations.** Interfaces to ERP, PIM, payment, shipping, marketing. Result: stable data flows with error handling and monitoring. 6. **Data and content migration.** Cleanup, trial runs, translations, delta migration on switch day. Result: a complete, verified data set. 7. **Quality assurance and acceptance.** Functional, device, load and accessibility tests, performance measurement, redirect test. Result: acceptance record against criteria agreed beforehand. 8. **Go-live and hypercare.** Switch in low-traffic hours, rollback plan, close support in the first weeks. Result: stable live operation. 9. **Operations and further development.** Updates, security, monitoring, new features, measuring the goals. Result: a system that keeps working. ## Checklist for the relaunch Tick these off before you move into implementation. Every open item is a cost risk. ### Before the start - Goals and metrics defined (conversion, revenue, organic traffic, load times) and today's values saved - Inventory: all pages, systems, interfaces, apps, checkout customizations - Which pages bring traffic and revenue today? This list decides redirects and content - One deciding person and a change process named ### During implementation - Every old URL mapped to a new target, redirects tested on staging - Titles, headings, structured data and internal links carried over from the existing site or deliberately improved - Tracking built so that before and after stay comparable - Accessibility, performance (Core Web Vitals) and data protection written down as acceptance criteria - Data migration with at least two trial runs ### Go-live and after - Switch in low-traffic hours, rollback plan tested - In the first weeks check Search Console, error pages and revenue daily - Compare with the baseline after 90 days and after 12 months - Operations, updates and further development planned ## After go-live: what keeps costing money Every serious calculation runs over three years and puts alternatives side by side over the same period. A quote with a low one-off price and high running costs looks better in the first year than in the third. - **Licenses:** platform (for example Shopify Plus with a term), CMS, additional services. You should be the contract partner of the vendors, not the agency. - **Hosting and infrastructure:** included in the plan or separate, depending on the architecture. - **Apps and middleware:** third-party subscriptions, integration platforms. Check every app for ongoing cost and a way out. - **Operations:** updates, security patches, monitoring, support. Especially with headless, framework updates come up regularly. - **Further development:** new features, markets, campaigns. That is not a flaw but the normal case of a living system. - **Compliance:** accessibility, data protection, consent. See below. We deliberately do not name a flat percentage for annual operations. There is no reliable one anywhere, and the figures in guides vary widely. Ask for a three-year breakdown in the quote. ![Grafik: Vier Nutzen-Töpfe eines Relaunchs und Break-even-Beispiel: 5 Prozent Umsatzplus mal 30 Prozent Deckungsbeitrag mal 3 Jahre ergibt 4,5 Prozent des Jahresumsatzes](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2Fffa6d5273dbff21e72a022cd695c49d97c5ac87a-3000x4326.png&w=1920&q=75) ### Cost and benefit: how to work out whether it pays off The benefit of a relaunch spreads across four pots. Calculate each one separately and count nothing twice. The example only uses percentages of annual revenue, never euros. Plug in your own values. ## The calculation in four steps 1. **Determine total costs over three years:** one-off costs plus running costs for licenses, operations, apps and further development. 2. **Measure the baseline** before the project starts: conversion, load times (Core Web Vitals), time to publish a piece of content, support requests, order errors. Without a baseline there will only be opinions later. 3. **Determine the break-even.** Over three years, total costs may be at most: revenue uplift in percent times contribution margin in percent times three, as a share of annual revenue. Example for illustration: if the relaunch brings 5 percent more revenue at a 30 percent contribution margin, it pays for itself when total costs over three years are below 4.5 percent of your annual revenue (0.05 times 0.30 times 3). This is a thought model: it assumes a constant effect and calculates without interest. The cost, risk and option pots come on top. 4. **Measure again after the start,** after 90 days and after 12 months, with the same metrics. ## of carts are abandoned on average (Baymard, mean of 50 studies) % ### more conversion from a better checkout, estimated for large stores (Baymard) % ### share of mobile purchases in Austria in 2026, up from 24% in 2023 (Handelsverband) % ## What data says, and what it does not say - **Cart abandonment:** On average, about 70 percent of all carts are abandoned according to Baymard (mean of 50 studies, 70.22 percent, as of September 2025). Setting aside mere browsing, buyers in the US name additional costs (40 percent), slow delivery (20 percent), lack of trust (19 percent), forced account creation (18 percent), too long a checkout (17 percent) and errors or crashes (17 percent) as the most frequent reasons. Many of them can be fixed through design and technology. Baymard estimates that large stores with a better checkout could reach 35.26 percent more conversion on average ([Baymard Institute](https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate)). That is a potential from tests at large US and EU stores, not a promise for yours. - **Load time:** A study commissioned by Google from Deloitte and 55 (37 brands, over 30 million sessions, late 2019) found: when four load-time metrics improved by 0.1 seconds on every page of the mobile customer journey, retail conversion rose by 8.4 percent, and buyers spent 9.2 percent more ([Deloitte and 55 for Google](https://web.dev/case-studies/milliseconds-make-millions)). This is a correlation finding from a limited sample, but it shows the order of magnitude in which speed can work. Google names the thresholds for good values: Largest Contentful Paint at most 2.5 seconds, Interaction to Next Paint at most 200 milliseconds, each at the 75th percentile of real users ([web.dev](https://web.dev/articles/vitals)). - **Market in Austria:** According to Handelsverband, online retail is in "maturity mode": in 2026 Austrians spend 12.3 billion euros online (up 3 percent), the number of online buyers stays flat at 5.8 million, and growth comes from more intensive use. The share of mobile purchases has nearly doubled since 2023, from 24 to 44 percent ([Handelsverband Österreich](https://www.handelsverband.at/publikationen/studien/ecommerce-studie-oesterreich/ecommerce-studie-oesterreich-2026/)). For your relaunch that means: it is less about new traffic than about getting more out of existing traffic, above all on the smartphone. - **Editorial time:** Time savings in editorial work cannot be transferred from studies. Measure the time to publish a piece of content before and after the start. Vendor studies exist, but they refer to their own customers. ## Legal obligations that change costs: accessibility Since 28 June 2025, the Austrian Accessibility Act (BaFG) applies. According to the Chamber of Commerce it explicitly covers web shops and online booking tools. Existing web shops are not exempt: the transitional periods do not apply to operating a web shop ([Wirtschaftskammer Österreich](https://www.wko.at/internetrecht/barrierefreiheitsgesetz-e-commerce)). Exempt are micro-enterprises providing services with fewer than ten employees and at most two million euros of annual turnover or balance sheet total. Violations can lead to fines of up to 80,000 euros. Web shops must also provide a conformity statement. The technical benchmark is the standard EN 301 549, which largely corresponds to the WCAG criteria. For your calculation that means: accessibility belongs in concept, design, development and acceptance, not in a rework list. This is not legal advice. Specialists such as the Chamber of Commerce or a legal adviser check your specific case. ## How to compare quotes A quote is only comparable when the assumptions behind it are visible. Ask every provider: 1. What is included: analysis, data migration with trial runs, redirect mapping, accessibility, training, hypercare? 2. Which assumptions are in the quote (number of interfaces, languages, markets, templates, products)? 3. What happens when an assumption changes? Is there a defined change process? 4. Who owns code, repository, licenses and access in the end? 5. Which running third-party costs arise, listed over three years? 6. How is acceptance done, and are the criteria measurable? 7. How are rankings and tracking protected during the move, and who measures afterwards? 8. What do operations, response times and security updates look like? 9. How do you get out again: documentation, handover, dependencies? 10. Which references exist with similar complexity, not just similar looks? ### What you can gather before the first call - System map: store, CMS, ERP, PIM, CRM, payment, shipping, marketing tools and how they are connected - Key data: number of products and variants, markets, languages, order volume, number of editors - Existing checkout customizations, apps and special logic - Today's metrics: conversion, load times, organic traffic - Who decides, by when, and what is the reason for the deadline With these details we can give an honest assessment in the first call. [Let's talk](https://www.digit-one.com/en/contact) ## What **our clients** say ## A Shopify partner you can rely on [Read more](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases/natural-elements) ![Porträt von Seyma N. Bayraktar, Lead Webshop & UX bei Natsana](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2F4bb6d66e582beb91d279fa0888bbaf41c3fa7dc9-400x400.jpg&w=1920&q=75) Seyma N. Bayraktar Lead Webshop & UX @ Natsana E-Commerce Shopify Plus For over a year now, Digit-One has been supporting us in the further development of our shops for Natural Elements, Nature Love and gloryfeel. What sets this collaboration apart is their in-depth knowledge of Shopify Plus, high standards of quality and a team that thinks proactively rather than simply ticking boxes. Even when faced with complex requirements and tight deadlines, we work together to find a neat solution – reliably, transparently and as equals. ### Professional in our work, personal in our collaboration [Read more](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases/delicando) ![Porträt von Gernot Glantschnig, Geschäftsführer bei delicando GmbH](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2F343a6f915acee99ebcc3d80d392f7b1fcce6318f-750x750.webp&w=1920&q=75) Gernot Glantschnig Managing Director @ delicando GmbH B2B E-Commerce Shopify Plus With four different stores, diverse customer groups, and markets, our project was anything but standard. Digit-One understood our requirements and worked with us to develop pragmatic solutions. But what we especially appreciate is the open and straightforward nature of our collaboration. Over the course of our intensive collaboration on this project, a mutual trust has developed that has now taken on a friendly character, and that is exactly what makes this partnership so special to us. [Discover all cases](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases) Hungry for more? Discover Case Study [Natural Elements](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases/natural-elements) Taken over and taken further: Shopify Plus for a brand in high demand, stable in daily business, ready for campaign peaks. ![Natural Elements: Startseite des Onlineshops](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2F60937b0716ea49624400ef7f9ca1ec8064b43bd0-1440x1440.jpg&w=1920&q=75) ## Shopify ### E-Commerce [gloryfeel](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases/gloryfeel) Two countries, one setup: Shopify Plus for Germany and Italy, built for pace in daily business and clean processes behind the scenes. ![gloryfeel: Produktreihe der Nahrungsergänzungsmittel in Dosen](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2F4bbd4e71770dfed0f718d20dffa366a56339a954-3000x844.webp&w=1920&q=75) ### Shopify ### Agile Webdevelopment ### E-Commerce ### UI/UX Design [BIOGENA ONE](https://www.digit-one.com/en/cases/biogena-one) Launched on Shopify Plus and moving ever since: a platform that grows with the business and keeps evolving. ![BIOGENA ONE: Ansicht des Onlineshops](https://www.digit-one.com/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Fp48sl94f%2Fproduction%2F0c5dcaa6b77f879a720aa842dd2025194d746bcb-1556x1158.png&w=1920&q=75) ### Shopify ### E-Commerce ## Examples from **practice** [+43 664 168 39 50](tel:00436641683950) [Get in touch](https://www.digit-one.com/en/contact) Planning a relaunch? [hello@digit-one.com](mailto:hello@digit-one.com) ## Why do you not name a number? Because without your project it would be a guess. Costs depend on integrations, data, markets and requirements, and we only know those after a conversation. Instead we name the levers you can use to check any quote. ### What does a relaunch cost with you? We calculate every project individually. The first call is free and non-binding, and afterwards you get a clear quote based on an honest assessment. ### How long does a relaunch take? That depends on the same drivers as the costs. In practice the range runs from a few months to more than a year. A reliable statement only exists after analysis and concept. ### Does a relaunch pay off if my store is doing well? The calculation above shows that. If the store is doing well, risk and options are often the stronger reasons: checkout legacy, obligations like accessibility, new markets or B2B on a foundation built for it. ### Will I lose my Google rankings in a relaunch? The risk is real but avoidable. What matters is a complete mapping of all old URLs to new targets, a test on staging, a rollback plan and measurement before and after the start. ### Headless or classic? Answer the five questions in the headless section. With four times yes, headless often pays off, with two times yes or fewer it usually does not. ### Does my web shop have to be accessible? In Austria the Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025, also to existing web shops. Exempt are micro-enterprises with fewer than ten employees and at most two million euros of turnover or balance sheet total. This is not legal advice. ### What do the running licenses cost? That depends on the system. In Austria, Shopify Plus is €2,250 per month (one year) or €2,100 (three years), plus possible fees at high volume. Sanity charges $15 per seat and month on the Growth plan. As of 28 October 2026, prices change.