While e-commerce revenue in Turkey keeps growing year after year, the answer to "how do I set up an e-commerce site" still comes down to two paths: renting a ready-made platform or having your own site built. Either can be the right answer — what's wrong is choosing without considering the stage you're at. This guide frames the decision around revenue and actual needs.
Ready-Made Platforms: Fast Start, Permanent Rent
Platforms such as Shopify, Ticimax, İdeasoft, and İkas run on a monthly subscription. You can open your store in a few days; hosting, security, and infrastructure are their responsibility.
Advantages:
- Speed of setup: you can start selling within 3-7 days
- No technical knowledge required — ready-made themes and payment integrations
- Low upfront cost at small volumes
Disadvantages:
- A monthly subscription, plus per-sale commission on some platforms
- Theme and feature limits: the same templates as your competitors
- Your data lives on the platform; if you ever want to move, migrating your SEO and content is painful
- As revenue grows, so does the rent — over 5 years, the total cost often exceeds that of custom software
Custom E-Commerce Software: High Upfront Cost, Full Ownership
A custom e-commerce site built on a modern stack like Next.js works entirely on your terms: custom campaign logic, ERP/accounting integrations, dealer-specific pricing, a multilingual catalog.
Advantages:
- You own 100% of the code and the data, with no commissions
- Unlimited customization: whatever your business model is, the site adapts to it
- A higher ceiling for performance and SEO: Core Web Vitals, structured data, and AI visibility are designed in from day one
Disadvantages:
- A high initial investment: starting from 250,000 TL (TRY) depending on scope
- A development timeline of 8-16 weeks
- You will need a technical partner for maintenance
Which Solution at Which Revenue Level?
| Monthly Revenue | Recommended Solution | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| 0 - 100,000 TL | Ready-made platform | Put your investment into product and marketing |
| 100,000 - 500,000 TL | Ready-made platform + a roadmap | Start tracking what you pay in commissions |
| 500,000 TL+ | Custom software | Commissions plus rent start to exceed the cost of development |
| Any revenue with B2B / a dealer network | Custom software | Ready-made platforms can't handle dealer pricing and account structures |
5 Questions to Ask Before Deciding
- What do the monthly platform rent plus commissions add up to over 3 years?
- Is there anything in your business model a ready-made platform can't do (dealerships, subscriptions, custom pricing)?
- How deep are your ERP, accounting, or shipping integrations?
- Are SEO and site speed a competitive battleground for you?
- Do you want to keep your data and customer base independent of the platform?
Conclusion
If you're just starting out, launch on a ready-made platform and put your energy into the product. When revenue and integration needs grow, plan the move to custom software — brands that plan the transition from day one migrate without losing their SEO or customer data. At Senyo Labs, we're at your side at both stages: schedule a free consultation for your project.