The basic definition of “turnkey” itself is rooted in visual imagery; just imagine getting a car key, inserting the key and having it start without a problem. If a person makes use of the term “turnkey”, what they are probably referring to is something that is made for instant use (this term is mainly used for sale or when offering the supply of services and/or goods). Common examples include a turnkey home that is completely built and ready to move in (having everything from construction to carpet to finished cabinetry), or another that is a turnkey business where they use contracted third parties to establish certain necessary places or equipment (ie, railway lines or a train) and put them into operation, after which they hand it over to their contractor.
Using that line of reasoning, the definition of a turnkey e-commerce site would be when a contracted entity creates a completely new e-commerce site who will then deliver the finished website to the owner. For a website to claim to be a true turnkey e-commerce site, it must have, from the moment it is delivered to the owner, a usable backend (the admin site) that allows for major changes and updates (i.e., products, images, text, categories, subcategories, etc.) to appear on the front-end (the site a customer sees). In essence, the owner must have full control of the site from the start to be defined as a turnkey eCommerce site.
So, for example, let’s say you have the idea to create an eCommerce site that mimics a more famous eCommerce website like Amazon.com (without stealing the site’s layout or formatting naturally!). In this case, you can locate a turnkey e-commerce company, tell them what your needs are (with a few helpful examples), have them set up the site to your specifications, pay them, and receive the proverbial keys to your e-commerce set up. site that can sell your own niche products. You can even ask them to help you set up a URL and domain hosting service for a small fee (when it’s not included) if you need it.
Since the field of eCommerce is fiercely competitive, it’s probably not smart to go for an open or closed source eCommerce website design, even if it’s said to be easy to set up. Finding and hiring a capable turnkey site builder is the easiest and fastest way for those interested in getting into eCommerce.