How Long a Composable Storefront Project Should Take - And What It Costs with 64Labs

The reality of technology change in ecommerce is that there is never a good time. Anything major needs to avoid disrupting the business and distracting everyone’s attention away from the business of selling products. So a modern technology project just cannot take 18 months of everyone’s time and potentially fail or cost twice what your so-called partner said it would. You need short projects, minimal timeline risk, and a partner who will do what they say they will do, when they said they would do it for the price they told you it would cost. But how is that going to be possible? Everyone is different, everyone has bodies buried in their SFCC build, everyone has other work to do. Well that’s what a partner should be there for - to take on the risk and work out ways to make the project as predictable and painless as possible while leaving you with a great outcome you can support yourselves if you wish.  That’s what 64labs does.

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The Reality Check: Timelines and Hidden Delays

You want this over with. And so does everyone else. But on average if you use traditional system integrators a composable storefront project can take  9 months for hybrid, and more like 18 for a full build. 

Here’s how the competition typically breaks down (without naming names):

• “Standard” big consultancies: Projects take 12–18 months. If they can convince you to do hybrid they will. More money for them. Longer engagement for them. Phase 2s and Change Orders for them. No value for you.
  
  
• Boutique agencies: 9–12 months is often quoted, especially for complex multi-country or multi-brand work. There are some good companies in this bracket. But velocity requires experience and if this is their first rodeo they are going to make friends with the dirt a few times during your project before they get back on the horse. That takes time.
  
  
• Unassisted Internal team: This is the riskiest and likely longest project pathway of all. It is not that your team is’;t great. But they have a day job. They cannot commit full time to a composable project, they cannot give it their full attention. And they have minimal experience of a composable build and what can derail these kinds of projects. They are good people. They want to do the project. But on their own they will make mistakes that will cost you months or lead the project into the weeds.
  
  

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What 64Labs Actually Delivers

This is where it gets different. With 64Labs, the average timeline for a full composable storefront is 16–26 weeks from kickoff to launch. That’s four to six months: not a number picked from thin air, but what 10 real projects have taken.

How does it break down?

• Sprint 0 (Discovery, Accelerator application, Architecture and CMS): 4 weeks, focused on sharp requirements, practical, production-grade engineering by our top team, and actionable project plans. You are going to see the site working end to end, potentially in multiple locales, with new CMS integrated, at least with standard tooling on board. Cost: $185k
  
  
• Scopotype: 8 weeks of hands-on engineering, core commerce logic, problem solving, custom code rebuilds, 3P re-integrations, CMS rollout, and the plan to finish the site with your team or partner. Cost: $385k
  
  
• Build to Launch: 4 to 12 weeks, flexing with the messiness of multi-country or multi brand legacy integrations, the volume of migration work, the urgency of launch, the capacity and capability of your team. Cost: $100k to $300k
  
  
• Launch: 4 weeks prepping for launch for two weeks with final QA, planning and executing the production cutover or AB split, and full post-launch support for two weeks post launch. Cost: $65k
  
  

No long-winded up-front planning, no boomerang back to the drawing board at every misstep—just real delivery. If we miscalculate, we just get on and do the work required to catch up. No change orders, no problem.

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How Much Should You Pay?

Here’s a painful reality: some named agencies will pitch you composable storefronts with sticker prices starting at $1.5 million, with the meter running for every slightly off-the-beaten-path integration and every dashboard tweak. 

• Big consultancies: Commonly north of $1 million before post-launch support and "phase two" fees.
  
  
• Boutiques: $750,000–$1.1 million is typical, with heavy change-orders and phase 2s as the project gets real.
  
  
• Low-cost players: Sub-$500,000 builds exist, but usually with rigid templates, reduced flexibility, and less robust engineering.
  
  

At 64Labs, the cost is clear and tied to real deliverables. Sprint 0, Scopotype, Build to Launch, and Launch are all included and laid out from the start. With just $600,000–$850,000 for a ready-to-scale composable storefront there is no nickel and diming and no “gotcha” line items. 

Plus, if you want us in your corner post-launch, you’re looking at $60,000–$100,000 per month, tailored to what you actually need.

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Why the Gap? What Drives Time and Price

The gap is real, and most of it comes down to three things:

• Integration and Migration Complexity: More systems, clunkier legacy platforms, and higher custom logic add time and cost everywhere. You can either find a partner who will shoulder that risk - the 64labs model. Or you can find a partner that sees complexity and uncertainty as a way to squeeze more money from the project.
  
  
• Team Decisiveness: The fewer drawn-out meetings and “maybe next sprint” calls, the quicker things go. For SIs who rely on billable hours post-launch, and who are licking their lips at a phase 2, there is no hurry, no need to get things done, no need to make difficult decisions early.
  
  
• Expectation Management: Big players pad timelines for margin and risk; template shops skip real discovery, do less custom work, and shove more to “phase two.” With 64labs you get a fixed price for a well understood piece of work and an experienced team who have seen your problems before.
  
  

Project Breakdown at a Glance

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Bottom Line

If you are serious about going composable, you want your storefront built around a playbook that has actually shipped multiple times, without the runarounds or sticker shock. The true cost is not just the fee; it’s the lost opportunity when launch dates slip and value never lands. At 64Labs, “on time” and “on budget” are not wishful thinking; they are the standard, backed up by actual reference projects. Ask us for names.

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