[intro]We are making some changes to our pricing and packages to continue enhancing our platform and supporting your business's growth.[/intro]

EKM was founded in 2002 with a powerful idea: empowering individuals and companies to pursue their passions through ecommerce. We were built on our core value of “Do something you love”, and that’s what we want for our customers and our team. We have considered the direction of EKM for a long time, focusing on what makes our customers successful and our role in that. 

We are changing direction to focus on the areas you tell us you love and that we know will help your business grow. The changes we’ll walk you through here enable us to give you even more. 

What are we focusing on?

We know that ecommerce can be complex, so we always strive to simplify this for you with the depth of our team's knowledge combined with our easy-to-use platform that delivers fantastic results. Moving forward, we’ll focus on leveraging our people and their decades of industry knowledge to share actionable insights, paired with implementation, that allow you to grow your business. 

We’ll continue to work on our proactive approach, which you already receive from our Ecommerce Experts and with Evolution Mode, and build on this with more ways for you to engage with our team and their knowledge.  

We’ve also been working on projects and initiatives like:

  • Our updated Dashboard which provides better insights so you can take control of your business's performance;
  • A hosting migration for a faster, more scalable website;
  • The new Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value due for release in September;
  • ApplePay Express Checkout on the cart page for increased sales;
  • AI in our platform for quicker and better quality product descriptions.

We will be making some changes to our pricing and packages to continue enhancing our platform and supporting your business's growth.

So, what is changing?

Our people make us unique in the ecommerce market, and we have high-quality knowledge and dedication to supporting and growing your company as an EKM customer. If you’re serious about your business and want a simplified ecommerce experience, we offer an unrivalled service that is invaluable to your company and the growth of your brand.

With this in mind, we have decided to sunset the tiers we have been offering since 2016. This change enables us to focus on investing in our team and bringing exciting new features and services to the EKM online shop platform. If your EKM online shop is currently on one of the existing tiers - Lite, Basic, Standard, Advanced, or Pro - they will remain on the same tier; however, these tiers will no longer be available to new customers. You will still have access to all the same features and support. 

Internally, we have restructured our teams and changed our tactics to focus more time and attention on individual EKM online shops. We’re investing heavily in core improvements to the EKM online shop platform, which includes:

  • AWS migration - We’re currently in the process of migrating all EKM online shops to AWS servers to improve security, enhance reliability and increase scalability;
  • Cart Upsell - Coming to our Features Page in September is Cart Upsell, a feature where you can link specific products to the cart to increase visibility and encourage sales;
  • IOSS enablement improvements - Helping you to sell your products internationally. 

Introducing our new tier

In August, we launched our new tier, EKM Evolve. This is ideal if you have an existing business and want to expand into online retail. This tier is intended for companies who wish to take advantage of our team's wealth of support and knowledge whilst simplifying the entire ecommerce experience. 

This features:

Introducing our new SEO Service

Also, in September, we will be launching our new SEO Service. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is essential to growing your ecommerce business. Successful ecommerce businesses invest in the long-term benefits of organic traffic from search engines, and you should, too. SEO is a complex and ever-changing environment that requires expert knowledge and understanding to execute well and deliver results.

A dedicated team of experts will provide our managed SEO service, providing a tailored plan to increase the effectiveness of your EKM online shop. Their wealth of experience will improve your business's visibility within search engine results, increasing traffic and encouraging new customers to your brand. To learn more, speak to your Account Manager or Ecommerce Expert. 

Our Price Changes

We aim to make EKM the best ecommerce solution in the world. To do this, we must continue growing, investing, and improving the EKM online shop platform. As in previous years, we will increase prices across some of our platforms and services on 2nd October. Increasing our prices allows us to continue creating great new things, and improving your EKM shop leads to more online success for your business. 

The Lite Tier

Your plan will continue to be available. You’ll benefit from the core improvements we make to our platform, like the hosting migration for faster, more scalable websites, the Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value and more. 

This tier's new price, effective 2nd October 2024, will be £29.99 plus VAT per month. 

The Basic Tier

Your plan will continue to be available. You’ll benefit from the core improvements we make to our platform, like the hosting migration for faster, more scalable websites, the Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value and more. 

Effective on 2nd October 2024, this tier's new price will be £49.99 plus VAT per month.

The Standard Tier

Your plan will continue to be available. You’ll benefit from the core improvements we make to our platform, like the hosting migration for faster, more scalable websites, the Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value and more. 

Effective on 2nd October 2024, this tier's new price will be £99.99 plus VAT per month. 

The Advanced Tier

Your plan will continue to be available. You’ll benefit from the core improvements we make to our platform, like the hosting migration for faster, more scalable websites, the Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value and more. 

We’ve also improved this plan so that you have the right tools to grow your business. You’ll now have access to new features and services completely free of charge within this plan. That includes: 

We have also restructured our team and changed tactics to focus on more time and attention available to you with our new Ecommerce Managers. They will work directly with you on strategy and connect you with key people at EKM who can help you make the right decisions and turn them into actionable plans.  

Effective on 2nd October 2024, this tier's new price will be £280 plus VAT per month.

The Pro Tier

Your new plan will continue to be available. You’ll benefit from the core improvements we make to our platform, like the hosting migration for faster, more scalable websites, the Cart Upsell feature to increase your average order value and more. 

We’ve also improved this plan so that you have the right tools to grow your business. You’ll now have access to new features and services completely free of charge within this plan. That includes: 

We have also restructured our team and changed tactics to focus on more time and attention available to you. Our new Ecommerce Managers are supported by our Key Account Manager, who will work directly with you on strategy and connect you with key people at EKM who can help you make the right decisions and turn them into actionable plans.  

Effective on 2nd October 2024, this tier's new price will be £825 plus VAT per month.

As our customers grow, their resource requirements naturally increase, and as a result, we are introducing a pricing structure to support your ever-changing needs. For each additional £1m of turnover when transacting over £2m, there will be a £100 per month additional fee - i.e. if you transact over £2m, there will be an additional £100 plus VAT per month - making your plan £925 plus VAT per month; and if you transact over £3m there will be an additional £200 plus VAT per month - making your plan £1,025 plus VAT per month; and so on, this will also take effect on renewal either on or after 2nd October 2024.

Dormant 

If you are currently on our Dormant tier, at any point, you can reactivate your account and start working on your ecommerce presence with our help. We are here to grow your business and encourage you to engage with us and see your options. 

In the meantime, we’ll continue to provide the services agreed upon within your Dormant plan and will change the plan price to £20 plus VAT per month from 2nd October.

Transaction Fee for non-EKMPay

One of our key focuses is embedded payments and building an integrated ecommerce solution. We launched EKMPay and have continued to make improvements to this payment product. Moving forward, to provide the best possible service, we encourage our customers to access the benefits of this payment product and better manage their costs. 

From 2nd October 2024, there will be a 0.6% transaction fee on all Stripe and PayPal transactions for customers who are eligible for but not using EKMPay. We already applied this to other gateways but decided to give you the time to manage switching to EKMPay. However, we now need to add this to our approach for a better structure moving forward. 

PPC and Email Marketing 

We’ve not changed our prices for our PPC or Email marketing services for many years, so on renewal, either on or after 2nd October 2024, all plans will see a 10% price increase. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Why have you raised the prices of EKM online shops?

We last changed our pricing in October 2023, and we’ve since worked hard on improving the features EKM has to help you sell more, including:

  • Product & Category AI - helping you to generate copy for your Product and Category Descriptions quickly;
  • New Search on your EKM online shop - allowing customers to use filters within search results to find the products they need quickly;
  • New User Interface - we overhauled the back end of your EKM online shop to prioritise the most popular areas and make it easier to view on smaller mobile devices;
  • AWS Migration - we’re currently migrating all EKM online shops onto Amazon Web Services, enhancing reliability and security.

Increasing our prices allows us to continue creating great new things, investing in our team, and, in turn, improving your business's online success.

I’m not getting enough sales - what can you do to help me?

You must contact the Customer Support Team—they’re your first port of call. If your EKM online shop isn’t attracting customers or making a lot of sales, request a Site Review. This free report service analyses your shop's content to highlight areas needing attention. From the results of that report, the Customer Support Team can advise you of any improvements that will increase traffic and customs on your EKM online shop and help you work towards getting those issues resolved. 

My EKM online shop is on a 12-month prepaid contract; how will this affect me?

Your contract's price will change when it’s time to renew, but you can still enjoy the discounted rate of 11 months for the cost of 12. 

Will the turnover thresholds on the different tiers be changing, too?

No, these will remain the same, and there are no plans to change them. This guide explains those thresholds. 

Can I manually upgrade my EKM online shop to a higher tier?

No. You can only upgrade to the new EKM Evolve tier from your EKM online shop. Alternatively, you can upgrade automatically through the existing tiers. 

Can I downgrade from Advanced or Pro to Standard or Basic?

No. As we amend our proposition, we’re amending the tiers, too. We will sunset the existing tiers, so they will no longer be available to existing or new customers. Therefore, it will not be possible to downgrade from Advanced to Standard or Basic. However, if your EKM online shop has a design agreement, you can downgrade to Advanced or the new EKM Evolve tier as part of your already established contract. 

Can I downgrade from Basic to Lite?

No. The Lite Tier was discontinued for new customers in February 2024.

I would like to purchase a second EKM online shop on the Basic/Standard Tier. Is this possible?

This is not possible as we are sunsetting those tiers. However, you will be able to purchase the new EKM Evolve package.

Is Evolution Mode changing?

If you’re an existing customer, there are no changes you need to be aware of; the same service and processes will apply. You can read more about Evolution Mode here. 

Can I still purchase custom design work?

Yes, you can. Contact the Customer Support Team, your Account Manager or your Ecommerce Expert, who will be able to set this up for you. 

How can I cancel my EKM online shop?

You can cancel anytime if your EKM online shop is on a standard 30-day contract. However, we’d welcome the opportunity to explore how we could improve your EKM online shop and help you get more value from our service. Please reach out to our Customer Support Team or your Account Manager accordingly. If you are still on your free trial, you can cancel by following the steps in this guide. If you are on a standard 30-day contract, this guide details what you must do to cancel your account and any additional products and services. 

EKMPay

What is the additional transaction fee, and how does it work?

If you don’t already use EKMPay, you will receive a 0.6% additional transaction fee on PayPal & Stripe transactions. You will not be charged the fee if you already use EKMPay or are not eligible for EKMPay. 

Who is eligible for the additional transaction fee?

If you:

  • Have not been declined or rejected by EKMPay previously;
  • Your EKM online shop does not sell prohibited products;
  • Your EKM online shop is not in a prohibited sector/industry;
  • Or if you are a legal entity in the UK or Ireland.

I’m not eligible for EKMPay - will I be charged an additional transaction fee?

No. If you have previously applied for EKMPay but were declined or rejected, you will not be charged an additional transaction fee.  

What can EKMPay offer me?

Our rates for EKMPay are very competitive. By using this payment gateway on your EKM online shop, you can offer your customers telephone payments (via the Virtual Terminal), ApplePay, and Subscription Payments. You can apply for EKMPay by following the steps in this guide or by contacting the Customer Support Team, who will assist you with your application.  

Email Marketing

Why are you raising the prices of Email Marketing?

As with all things, EKM’s Email Marketing platform costs to maintain. We have avoided price increases for the last few years, but the time has come when price increases have become inevitable. These price rises will ensure that we can still give you a competitive and beneficial service while providing UK-based customer support seven days a week to help you get your email campaigns up and running. 

Do I have to use the Email Marketing feature?

It is possible to integrate with a third-party email newsletter platform, but it will be limited as it was not created to integrate with the EKM online shop platform. EKM’s Email Marketing feature integrates seamlessly with the EKM online shop platform. As a result, you have greater control over where and how that ever-important Newsletter Signup field is displayed to encourage customers to subscribe to your updates. You also have the support of our Customer Support Team, which can assist you with your Email Marketing account and campaigns seven days a week.

[contact] If you need our help with your EKM online shop, contact your Ecommerce Expert or the Customer Support Team, who will be able to point you in the right direction. We're open from 8am-6pm weekdays and 9am-5.30pm weekends. If you'd like to suggest a feature or an upgrade on any of the EKM platforms, please let us know on the EKM Suggestions Board. If you have a non-account-specific question to ask the EKM Team, join us in the EKM Community. [/contact]