When you want to create an e-commerce site or do an e-commerce redesign or migration, there is one essential question: What technological platform will you rely on? At Pikka, we are Shopify experts and we recommend this solution with this beautifule-commerce CMS to our clients as often as possible, but there are other alternatives, of course.
Other alternatives include competing CMS platforms like Magento or Prestashop, but also more “brick” solutions like Sylius or Drupal Commerce, or even very “purely technical” solutions like NextJS or others to create a custom site using “development from scratch”.
It is this last option that we will study in this article to see to what extent this solution, namely Building an e-commerce in NextJS is a good or a bad idea.
Why consider Next js to build an e-commerce site?
Let's be clear, the more "technological" or "development-oriented" the solution, the more generally it comes as a recommendation from an agency. It's rare for an e-commerce client to proudly announce their desire to develop as many things as possible without a pre-existing base. Why? Because it represents a cost!
But just because the recommendation comes from an agency doesn't mean it's a bad thing.
Next JS has some attractive promises to make for anyone who will listen. These include:
Modularity, speed, infinite customization and personalization possibilities, integration with external APIs with no limits other than those of your budget. In short, almost infinite possibilities. And this is justified for many projects with specific visions of e-commerce: marketplaces, complex B2B systems, complicated international sites... In short, contrary to what one might think, there are good reasons to build a site in Next JS. But there are also bad ones because choosing to create a custom e-commerce site in specific development is far from only advantageous, especially in the long term.
The central question: NextJS opportunity or trap?
The disadvantages include maintenance costs, which can be exorbitant compared to other e-commerce solutions, and development costs, which are often very high.
The extreme dependence between the agency and the client is also a black point to note because the technical code Html, CSS, NextJS produced by the e-commerce agency in charge of the project, although often belonging to the merchant, is de facto controlled almost exclusively by the web agency.
The client is therefore more or less “trapped” with the same agency throughout the construction phase but also during the “run” phase after the launch of the merchant site.
Speaking of the site's release, another drawback of nextJS is that it doesn't rely on any existing software vendor or e-commerce application ecosystem.
Do you want to integrate Mondial Relay ? You need to develop the connector. Do you want to integrate a web service like Klaviyo? It needs to be developed. Everything will have to be developed, which means additional costs for you and slower agility.
But what is NextJS anyway?
A quick overview of NextJS in an e-commerce context
NextJS is a JavaScript framework, created by Vercel, that builds on React , one of the most popular front-end libraries in the world. Where React focuses on building interface components, Next.js adds a layer of tools and best practices that simplify developers' lives and enable the building of fast, scalable, and SEO-optimized websites and web applications.
One of the strengths of Next.js is that it offers different content rendering modes:
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SSR (Server-Side Rendering) : Pages are generated on the server for each request, ensuring that the content is up-to-date and quickly indexed by Google.
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SSG (Static Site Generation) : Pages are generated once and for all at build time, making them ultra-fast to load.
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ISR (Incremental Static Regeneration) : a hybrid that allows certain static pages to be regenerated at regular intervals, combining speed and data refresh.
But Next.js is also a toolbox with many features for developers to make their work easier:
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Routing based on file structure.
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Built-in image optimization to improve Core Web Vitals.
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Edge-side rendering support (via CDNs), to reduce latency anywhere in the world.
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TypeScript support for robust projects.
For e-commerce, Next.js can also work in tandem with headless solutions like Shopify Plus , BigCommerce, or Contentful. This allows brands to create fast, tailored experiences while relying on a reliable back office to manage their products and orders.
The benefits of an e-commerce site in Next.js
Loading speed and impact on conversion rate
One of the main advantages of building a Next.js e-commerce site is its ability to offer fast loading times, if the project is well-coded. Thanks to server-side rendering (SSR) and page preloading, visitors access your products almost instantly. This speed isn't just a convenience: it has a direct impact on conversion rates. Every second saved can reduce bounce rates and further encourage visitors to make a purchase, especially on mobile where loading time is a real indicator of a site's quality and a useful aid for natural search engine optimization (SEO).
Complete customization and control of the user experience
This is “The big strong point” of a NextJS project, and is most certainly the reason that pushed your agency to recommend it to you. Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, Next.js offers total freedom in the design of the interface and the customer journey. You can create unique product pages, add custom animations, optimize each step of the conversion funnel… The experience is 100% personalized and aligned with your brand identity, which reinforces consistency and visitor engagement.
Please note that this total freedom to build a NextJS e-commerce goes hand in hand with a very clear definition of the web models to be integrated, via the creation of a graphic charter on Figma for example, to provide real specifications to developers and integrators.
SEO and performance Core Web Vitals
Next.js is designed to meet Google and SEO requirements. Server-side rendering allows search engines to index your pages optimally, and native optimization of images, fonts, and scripts improves Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS). Be careful, this still requires real know-how on the part of the agency and developer because it is possible to do the opposite: a full “client-side” site and therefore end up with content that is impossible for Google to see and your SEO that collapses. It is therefore essential to discuss with your development agency how they intend to build your e-commerce.
Scalability and traffic management
This is one of the strong points of this technology: thanks to its architecture, Next.js can absorb large volumes of traffic without sacrificing performance. Rendering via CDN and serverless support ensure that even during periods of high traffic (collection launches, sales, influencer campaigns), your site remains fast and reliable. This scalability is a strategic asset for brands that want to grow without worrying about technical limitations. Once again, this will still depend on the construction of your pages, the hosting skills of your IT manager or host, but these are things that are entirely possible with NextJS, which for example remains more complicated on Magento, even almost 20 years after its launch.
Pitfalls and constraints to be aware of before creating a NextJS e-commerce site
Beware of development and maintenance costs!
Building an e-commerce site in Next.js can represent a higher initial investment than a traditional turnkey solution like Shopify. You'll need to factor in higher development costs (front-end setup, e-commerce API integration, hosting) and budget for ongoing maintenance, including dependency updates, bug fixes, and technical developments.
NextJs is also technically complex and requires an experienced team
Next.js isn't a plug-and-play tool: it requires strong React, API, and sometimes DevOps skills to manage deployment and infrastructure. Without an experienced team, the project can quickly become difficult to maintain and slow down the release of new features.
Integration with back office and marketing tools
A Next.js site often relies on a headless architecture, which means that the front-end must be manually connected to the back-office (Shopify, BigCommerce, etc.) and marketing tools (CRM, tracking, emails). This requires careful configuration and sometimes custom development, which can lengthen lead times and increase costs.
There are also risks of over-engineering
Finally, one of the most common pitfalls is creating a “front-end monolith” that’s too complex and difficult to scale. Trying to customize everything can lead to significant technical debt and disproportionate development times for simple upgrades. It’s essential to maintain a pragmatic approach and not over-optimize every detail from the start.
Let's be clear: the final quality of an e-commerce site, whether in terms of its user experience or its performance, will depend heavily on the quality of the code. The skills and budget of the agency in charge of the technical implementation will therefore be essential to ensuring the site's commercial performance.
What type of e-commerce site is Next.js a good idea for?
Next.js is suitable for brands looking to differentiate themselves with a tailored customer experience, including the technical side. DNVBs, high-end brands, or high-traffic sites that require a highly optimized journey and flawless performance aren't necessarily good candidates. NextJS is ideal for custom projects with many unique constraints, a technical environment, or a truly unique e-commerce workflow. It's also a suitable solution for companies that need a single front-end connecting multiple data sources (product catalog, editorial content, marketplace, etc.).
So to put it simply, if you are a “non-tech” brand, NextJS projects should be avoided and you should instead move towards SaaS solutions.
If you have a full-time CTO, which is rare for a pure-player e-commerce site, and you have internal developers and an external agency, and the budget is less of a priority than “custom-made,” then a NextJS project is worth considering.
On the other hand, don't fall into the trap of the "cheap" NextJS quote. A custom site is expensive in any case. If it's not on the first quote, it will be in the supplements or in the extras added during the project.
When to stay with classic Shopify or another SaaS?
For DTC, direct-to-consumer, B2B, and business-to-business e-commerce stores, a traditional Shopify site or other SaaS solution often remains the most economical choice. These solutions offer rapid implementation, reduced development costs, and simplified maintenance, but also offer very advanced graphic customization possibilities while relying on an extremely large ecosystem of partner applications and agencies. If your priority is to go to market quickly and limit technical costs, sticking with a “turnkey” SaaS solution may be more relevant.
Examples of successes (and failures) of headless sites
Many successful brands, such as Nike and Lego, use headless architecture in nextJS to deliver immersive and fast experiences. But these are huge international brands with budgets and substantial web teams. Lego, for example, will connect its e-commerce site to its Lego account, which allows it to perform many other functions for the Lego brand.
However, some projects fail because they underestimate technical complexity and maintenance costs, which can slow innovation and impact business performance. It's therefore important to have a clear vision of needs, resources, and the roadmap before launching.
And budget-wise, how much does it cost to build an e-commerce site in NextJS?
This is obviously a key question for a project of this type: what is the budget to plan for a complete e-commerce site in NextJS? This question, although essential, can only be answered correctly by your web agency who will make a quote based on your specifications, needs and project deadlines. However, we can identify several points and give a short answer: a “complete” NextJS e-commerce project is expensive. Very expensive.
Initial development costs
We can already mention the obvious part of the costs: creating the initial e-commerce site in NextJS is expensive because you have to create the entire “basic” architecture, you have to create the theme, you have to define functional AND technical specifications. In short, just on the preparation alone it is a sum.
Note that in a NextJS project, if you forgot a point in the specifications, it will be a budget to be planned in addition on the development side. There is no possibility of going through an appstore to add “off-the-shelf” features. Everything will have to be developed in API for all aspects of the e-commerce site, whether it is a connection to Lengow , ShippingBo or even simple automation tools like Zapier . Also forget about editor updates. 0 you to evolve your site every month and therefore to plan a budget for evolutionary and corrective maintenance to have new features on your online store.
Hidden costs: hosting, monitoring, scalability
And this is where we reach the true budgetary limits of a Next.js site. Beyond the initial design and development price, you have to anticipate an overall cost of ownership (or TCO – Total Cost of Ownership) that is often higher than that of a turnkey e-commerce solution. Even if some agency quotes seem competitive on paper compared to Shopify, BigCommerce or even a well-optimized Prestashop , the “real” price of a Next.js site is built over time.
First, there's monthly hosting. Unlike a SaaS platform, which includes hosting in its subscription, a Next.js site must be deployed on a service like Vercel, Netlify, or AWS. These solutions charge based on traffic, the number of server requests, storage, and sometimes advanced features (edge functions, priority builds, monitoring). If your store experiences traffic spikes—for example, during Black Friday or an advertising campaign—these costs can quickly increase.
We have seen on Twitter Vercel bills climb to astronomical amounts during traffic peaks or DDOS attacks.
Next, you need to factor in the budget for patch updates. This includes technical infrastructure maintenance (updating the Next.js framework, NPM dependencies, and the Node.js runtime), as well as security monitoring. A vulnerability in a dependency may require a rapid update to avoid the risk of exploitation. These tasks, although invisible to the end user, are essential to ensure the stability and security of the site.
The cost of functional upgrades should also not be overlooked. In a headless architecture, each new feature (new page, new customization module, integration of a marketing tool, design adaptation) must be custom-developed. Unlike an ecosystem like Shopify, which offers hundreds of ready-to-use applications, there is no “one-click plugin” for Next.js: each addition involves development time and therefore a budget.
Also note that system security will be your responsibility. It is therefore unthinkable to leave a security flaw unpatched.
Conversely, a turnkey solution like Shopify, BigCommerce or other e-commerce SaaS, or even open source with a little customization, already includes the majority of necessary elements in a single monthly subscription : hosting, security, software updates, monitoring.
There is still technical support or e-commerce consulting to add, but that already reduces the bill considerably.
This simplifies day-to-day management and significantly reduces unexpected budgetary costs. These platforms also have an ecosystem of ready-to-use applications: installing a payment module, adding a loyalty program, or activating a new sales channel can be done in just a few clicks, without the need for custom development.
This approach allows you to focus on marketing and growth rather than technology. However, it can sometimes limit creative freedom and advanced customization of the customer experience because you remain within the framework defined by the platform.
Conclusion: Build an e-commerce in NextJS or not?
This decision is specific to each company of course, but it is necessary to understand why NextJS is interesting and in which cases this solution is relevant.
If the proposal comes from your agency and you don't have a CTO, then there's little chance that NextJS is a good choice.
If you need a custom site for each page and budget is less of a priority than the need for customization and you have a tech team, then NextJS is a choice that can offer you this “customization”.
With nextJS you can develop whatever you want but you have to develop EVERYTHING.
With a SaaS or open source solution you will have a base, a framework which will bring constraints but which will allow you to save on budget and speed
Here are some elements to give you an idea and compare:
| Criteria | Next.js (Headless) | Shopify / Turnkey SaaS |
|---|---|---|
| Initial cost | Higher (custom development, personalized design) | More structured (ready-to-use themes, quick configuration, possible modifications) |
| Recurring cost | Hosting, technical maintenance, updates and paid developments | Included in the monthly subscription (hosting, security, updates) |
| Personalization | Total freedom, tailor-made design and UX | Customization according to the possibilities of the solution and the available apps |
| Scalability | Very high: modular and scalable architecture (serverless, CDN) | Good but more constrained by the platform and its limits |
| Upload speed | Slower (development needed before launch) | Very fast (site operational in a few days/weeks) |
| App ecosystem | Requires custom developments for each integration | Large marketplace of “plug-and-play” applications |
| Maintenance | Requires a dedicated technical team for updates and fixes | Automated by the platform (little maintenance on the client side) |
| Total control | Yes, across all code and features | Partial: Some features cannot be changed |
| SEO & performance | Excellent if well developed (SSR/ISR) | Very good performance but less optimizable in depth |
In the end, should you build your e-commerce site in Next JS?
The answer is not binary – it all depends on your e-commerce maturity and your business objectives.
If you're a beginner e-commerce merchant, Next.js is probably not the best option: the development and maintenance costs would be disproportionate to your needs.
If you're a direct-to-consumer B2C brand, a Shopify or other turnkey solution will give you a quick time to market and enough flexibility to have a reliable e-commerce business.
If you already have a custom site, Next.js can be a solution to challenge with other CMS as part of a site redesign, in particular to gain performance and modernize your technical stack.
If you're looking to launch a marketplace, Next.js' modularity can be a real asset, allowing you to design an architecture tailored to your specific needs.
If you are a large group with international trade, it becomes relevant to seriously compare Next.js to solutions like Shopify Plus or Salesforce Commerce Cloud to optimize scalability, customization and overall performance.
Next.js is therefore a great tool for certain types of projects, but it's not universally suitable for everyone. Before you get started, it's crucial to assess your budget, technical resources, and medium-term roadmap. In any case, don't hesitate to contact our Pikka.fr agency to get a Shopify or Shopify Plus quote and compare with your current agency!
