The differences that matter
A brochure site presents your business, your services and your contact details. The goal is for the visitor to get in touch — by phone, form or email. Nothing is sold on the site itself.
An online shop lets the visitor buy directly, pay online and get an automatic order confirmation. That means a payment gateway, stock to keep track of and orders to ship.
| What to compare | Brochure site | Online shop |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to build | €600–€1,200, tax not included | From €1,800, before tax |
| Yearly upkeep | Low | High (stock, security, updates) |
| Your time | Barely any | Ongoing |
| Online payment | No | Yes |
| Best for | Services, consultancy, professional practices | Physical or digital products |
When to choose a brochure site
For most small businesses and freelancers, a brochure site is the right answer. Choose it if:
- You sell services (coaching, consultancy, therapy, made-to-order work, repairs).
- Your customers need to talk to you before they buy.
- You have fewer than ten things to show.
- Your business is local and people reach you by phone or by walking in.
- Your budget is around €1,200 or less.
A physiotherapist, an HR consultant or a plumber doesn't need an online shop. They need Google to find them and visitors to call them. A brochure site with decent SEO does that job perfectly well.
When to choose an online shop
An online shop makes sense when:
- You sell physical products you can ship (jewellery, clothing, food, stationery).
- You sell digital products (courses, ebooks, photos, software).
- Your catalogue runs to more than fifteen items and changes regularly.
- You want orders and invoices to happen without you.
- Your customers already buy online in your sector.
An online shop comes with running costs you don't see on day one: security updates, Stripe's cut of every transaction (roughly 1.5–3%), handling returns and data requests under GDPR — or the equivalent privacy law where you are — and hosting that can take the load. Put those numbers in your maths before you decide it will pay for itself.
Something in between
There's middle ground, and it often fits better than either extreme:
Brochure site plus a payment link
An ordinary brochure site with a "Buy" button that points to a Stripe or PayPal link. Ideal if you sell one to three products and don't want a whole shop to look after.
Brochure site plus a marketplace
Your site presents your business and sends buyers to your Etsy or Amazon shop. You build the traffic on your own domain and let the marketplace handle the selling.
A single sales page
For one premium product or service, a well-made sales page with payment built in is enough. Cheaper than a shop, and it works better when there's only one thing to sell.
