E-commerce development in Estonia

Most small and mid-sized Estonian online stores run on WooCommerce, and there is a practical reason. The software is free and open source, the store sits on your own hosting, and Montonio, Maksekeskus, Omniva, SmartPosti and DPD all publish ready-made WooCommerce modules. Connecting local payments and parcel lockers is configuration work, not programming from scratch. The trade-off is maintenance: WordPress, WooCommerce and plugins need regular updates, otherwise the store gets slow and exposed.

Shopify is a rented service: you pay a monthly subscription and the platform takes care of hosting, security and updates. It works well if you mainly sell abroad or do not want to think about the technical side at all. For a store aimed at Estonian buyers, check two things before you commit: how bank links and parcel lockers are added (through apps, some with their own monthly fee) and what extra fee Shopify charges when payments go through a third-party provider. You also get less freedom over design and checkout than on WooCommerce.

A custom build (Next.js with a headless backend such as Saleor or Medusa) pays off when you have thousands of products, the store has to exchange data with warehouse or accounting software, or the standard buying flow does not fit your business, for example wholesale price lists or configurable products. It costs more and takes longer, but speed and flexibility are higher. We rarely recommend it to a new store: the goal of year one is to get sales going, not to build architecture.

Estonian shoppers are used to paying by bank link: they pick their bank at checkout, confirm the payment with Smart-ID or Mobile-ID and land back in the store. A checkout that only takes cards will lose part of its carts. You do not need a separate contract with every bank. Montonio and Maksekeskus bundle Swedbank, SEB, LHV, Coop Pank and other banks under one contract and one module, and pay the collected money out to your business account.

To sign up you need a registered company, a business bank account and a store that already shows its terms of sale, seller details and contact information. The payment provider reviews the store before activating it, so apply well ahead of the planned opening rather than on launch day. We configure the module, run test payments and make sure the order status changes automatically after payment and the customer gets a confirmation email. This applies equally to e-residents who run an Estonian OÜ from abroad.

Cards can be accepted through the same provider or through Stripe, which is available to Estonian companies and convenient if you sell internationally. For higher-priced goods, consider a pay-later option: the buyer pays in instalments while you receive the full amount at once. Fees differ per payment method and depend on your contract, so put the price lists side by side and test them against your average order value before choosing.

Parcel lockers are the default delivery method in Estonia, and buyers expect to pick a convenient locker at checkout. The Omniva, SmartPosti and DPD networks cover the whole country and the same carriers operate in Latvia and Lithuania, so selling across the Baltics does not require new logistics. You sign the contract with each carrier; we connect your account to the store. The alternative is a shipping module from your payment provider that puts several carriers behind one interface.

In a properly configured store an order flows like this: the buyer picks a locker, after payment the shipment is created in the carrier's system, you print the label straight from the order screen, and the buyer receives an email with a tracking code. The locker list updates itself; nobody has to maintain it by hand.

Before setup, decide on shipping prices: whether the price depends on parcel size, from what order value delivery is free, and what happens with goods that do not fit in a locker. For bulky items we add courier delivery or pickup.

When selling to consumers, prices must be shown including VAT (24% in Estonia) and the delivery cost must be visible before the order is confirmed. The terms of sale must state the seller's business name, registry code, address and contact details, how payment and delivery work, and how to file a complaint. The order button has to make it unmistakable that ordering creates an obligation to pay. If you show a discount, the reference price must be the lowest price of the previous 30 days.

Consumers have the right to withdraw from a purchase within 14 days of receiving the goods, without giving a reason. Your terms need to explain how to submit a withdrawal notice, who pays for the return shipment and when the money is refunded. The exceptions are few: made-to-order goods, perishables, and hygiene products that have been unsealed. If you fail to inform buyers about the withdrawal right, the withdrawal period is extended, so a correct text is in your own interest.

You also need a privacy policy that says which personal data you collect and who receives it (payment provider, carrier, accountant), plus cookie consent for analytics and advertising. We create these pages, link them from the checkout and footer, and account for the requirements in the design. The content of the terms, however, has to match how you actually deliver and handle returns. We go through the text together, and for more complex cases we recommend having a lawyer review it.