Online store development — choice of the right platform and professional execution
The success of your e-business starts with two decisions: which software and who implements it. Lumav helps on both sides — we start with a business analysis, where we map your needs, and end with an online store that works, scales and brings results.
For years, we have consulted and built a wide variety of e-businesses, from small start-up shops to large multilingual solutions. Our experience shows that choosing the right platform in the analysis phase saves both time and money.
Why the choice of an online store platform is a strategic decision
Online store development is not just “making a website”
It is a business decision based on goals and a calculated investment with a profitability analysis that determines how your company will sell, grow and compete online in the coming years.
Done right means an online store that grows with the business
Choosing a platform that is too powerful or modest means big problems in scaling or simply a solution that will never pay off. Done right, it means an online store that grows with the business: withstands peak loads, connects to your ERP system and marketing tools, and adapts to business development.
That’s why we start each project with analysis — not writing code.
When do you need a professional development partner?
A professional online store development partner is the right choice if your company’s e-business is growing rapidly or has the ambition to do so:
How to choose the right platform — from analysis to decision
The choice of platform is not a matter of taste — it must be based on the needs of your business. Lumav uses a tripartite analysis methodology involving your team, our analyst and developers. In this way, we ensure that the decision is commercially viable and technically feasible.
What we explain during the analysis
During the analysis, we map your business processes, integration needs, growth plans and budget framework. Based on this, we recommend a platform and frontend technology that is suitable for your situation.
As a result, a technical baseline is created — a document that states the development volume, schedule and investment. This means that before the first line of code you know exactly what you will get, when you will get it and what it will cost.
The initial high-level mapping is free. In order to perform a more comprehensive analysis, it is necessary to hold several workshops in which we involve the key people of your e-business – see the analysis.
Online store development process — what to expect
We have developed a clear and transparent development process where you know at any moment what stage the project is at.
1. Analysis and platform selection (2-6 weeks)
We map the high-level business need or, if desired, involve an external expert for a thorough business analysis, define the functionality according to the main e-business processes and choose a platform and front-end technology (including reasonable special design or ready-made design). As a result of the analysis, a technical baseline with a schedule and budget is prepared. The choice of platform is an important part of this stage — not a prerequisite to come to the door.
2. UX/UI design (3-6 weeks)
We design the buying journey, prototype and visual design. It is important that the designer knows the specific features of the chosen platform — that is the only way to create a design that is also technically feasible.
3. Technical development and integrations (8-20 weeks)
We develop the online store on the selected platform and technology. Sprint-based agile methodology ensures that you see progress every few weeks. In parallel, we create integrations with ERP, PIM and other systems.
4. Testing and launch (2-4 weeks)
Before going live, comprehensive testing is carried out: functionality, performance, security and mobile compatibility. The launch is scheduled.
5. Maintenance and continuous development (ongoing)
After launch, we remain a long-term partner: security updates, performance monitoring, new functionalities and business consulting.
Why Lumav as a development partner for the online store
Complete solution from one place
Lumav covers the entire e-business technical life cycle from analysis to maintenance. Most of our customers are long-term partners.
One of the most experienced e-business teams in Estonia
We have been developing online stores since 2009 and have made over 500 IT solutions both in Estonia and across the border. We are the first Estonian capital Magento partner and we have certificates
Local team, local responsibility
Our team is in Estonia, which means greater security for customer data and intellectual property compared to partners using outsourcing.
Business empathy
Lumav is not just a developer — we think along with the profitability of the solution and involve someone from the partner network for larger business analyses.
Online store development technologies — a brief overview
The choice of platform and technology is made during the analysis. Here is a brief overview of the main trends.
Magento (Adobe Commerce)
Magento is one of the world’s leading e-business platforms, which is already suitable for medium and large companies or companies with high growth ambitions. Scalable, flexible and with wide functionality and open source. In addition to the free Magento Open Source, larger online stores can use Adobe Commerce, which has more functions and better support.
Magento has different frontend variants, the main ones of which (standard, Hyvä, Vue Storefront, PWA Studio) – can be developed by the Lumav team and provide future support.
Special development
If no standard platform covers the specifics of your business, the solution is special development. In the case of special development, we build the online store from scratch, exactly according to your needs. The era of artificial intelligence makes it possible to be significantly more advantageous than before in the creation and maintenance of special developments. It is also easier to interface different automations
WordPress / WooCommerce
For a smaller online store, WordPress with WooCommerce is a reasonable choice. We have experience in building and optimizing online stores with very large product catalogs, and also help in stabilizing the WordPress online store catalog.
Frequently asked questions
How long does online store development take?
The online store development schedule depends on the complexity of the project. A simpler solution can be completed in 3-5 months, a more complex multilingual solution with integrations can take 6-12 months. We can develop based on a thorough analysis as well as flexibly setting up a shop in MLP (minimum lovable product) style.
Which online store platform should I choose?
The choice of platform depends on the specifics of your business and growth goals. Magento is suitable for medium and large companies. WooCommerce is good for a smaller online store. We have an overview of almost all well-known platforms and during the analysis we can give our own recommendation for creating a solution according to the business situation.
What is headless e-commerce?
Headless e-commerce means that the user interface (frontend) and business logic (backend) of the online store are separated. The frontend communicates with the backend through an API. It is suitable for larger online stores with more ambitious user interface requirements.
Can the online store be expanded later?
Yes — if the platform is chosen correctly and no mistakes have been made in the development. The Magento standard is designed to scale to hundreds of thousands of products and several tens of store views. But I have to look in the mirror honestly – can I grow the business enough to return this investment.
What does Lumav do after launching the online store?
Lumav remains a long-term maintenance and development partner — security updates, performance monitoring, new functionality and consulting.
Does Lumav only develop on the Magento platform?
Lumav specializes in Magento, but we also do custom development and help businesses that grow beyond WordPress. During the analysis, we recommend a platform that is suitable for your business.
Start your online store project — ask for an offer today!
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