Launching an ecommerce store is a complex process that involves more than just uploading product listings. Many people underestimate the planning and strategy required to build a thriving ecommerce business. Like running a brick-and-mortar retail shop or managing a manufacturing operation, careful thought and preparation are crucial for the success of an ecommerce venture.
It’s crucial to understand that when beginning an ecommerce venture and collaborating with an ecommerce provider, businesses often focus on aspects like design, UX branding, and content. Although these elements are important, the real challenges in ecommerce arise in business processes, analytics, customer acquisition, and lead generation.
Let us explore further and uncover the crucial aspects to consider when seeking ecommerce development services.
Deciding on the Best Ecommerce Platform for Your Business
An ecommerce platform is the foundation of any online retail business, whether B2B or B2C. How your business interacts with consumers, clients, and employees is crucial.
As such, it’s essential to prioritize speed and aesthetics when selecting an ecommerce platform. There are several other factors that you should take into account as well.
- The Supplier’s Knowledge and Experience
Ensuring the vendor possesses the technical expertise and experience to fulfill your business requirements is crucial. Checking if they have experience in your particular industry is essential. Conduct thorough research on case studies, customer reviews, and forums to ascertain if the vendor is capable of handling more than just development.
- Support
Preparing for the worst-case scenario is crucial in any business relationship, which holds true for partnering with an ecommerce platform provider. Inevitably, problems can arise, and when they do, you need to ensure that your provider can offer the support and resources necessary to resolve the issue promptly. Look for a provider that offers 24/7 emergency support through multiple channels such as email, web chat, and phone.
- Scalability
Don’t let your ecommerce platform hold your business back. Choosing a scalable ecommerce solution can help you achieve your long-term business goals while providing a seamless user experience and deeper insights into your website metrics.
With a scalable platform, you can focus on growing your business, expanding your offerings, and improving your ecommerce SEO without needing costly re-platforming down the line.
- SEO Convenience
Having an SEO-friendly ecommerce platform is essential to standing out in today’s fiercely competitive online industry. A forum with full SEO features lets you use your domain name, add a blog to your ecommerce site, and allow users to submit reviews. These capabilities can help your website become more visible and rank higher in search results, increasing traffic and sales.
- Mobile-Friendly
To give your customers a smooth omnichannel experience, your ecommerce platform must be mobile-friendly. Delivering tailored content to the appropriate audience can be easier by integrating social media platforms and storing user preferences within the app.
You can also reach a wider audience by employing a mobile-friendly platform because an increasing number of customers are using their smartphones to conduct online shopping. To avoid losing out on potential clients, make sure your ecommerce platform is suitable for mobile devices.
- Security
Security is a critical aspect to consider when selecting an ecommerce platform. As your online store will be processing financial transactions, it is essential to ensure that your ecommerce provider has robust security measures in place to prevent fraud and protect sensitive information.
Cybercriminals can use a variety of tactics, such as phishing scams and malware attacks, to exploit vulnerabilities and breach your system. Thus, having effective security protocols is crucial to avoid the devastating consequences of a breach.
Implementing SSL certificates, antivirus software, and HTTPS encryption are minimum measures to safeguard payments and customer data.
Ecommerce Platform Selection: Don’t Make These Mistakes
In the world of ecommerce, it’s all about the customer. They are the lifeblood of your business, and if you don’t make their experience smooth and enjoyable, they will take their business elsewhere faster than you can say “abandoned cart.”
That’s why choosing an ecommerce platform that prioritizes user experience and minimizes friction is crucial. Otherwise, you’ll be left with a trail of disgruntled customers and many abandoned carts.
So, let’s explore some of the common mistakes to avoid when selecting your ecommerce platform:
- Investing in Clumsy Monolithic Platforms
Choosing a monolithic ecommerce platform can prove to be a cumbersome and inflexible decision. Upgrading a small component can require deploying the entire system, causing significant downtime. Furthermore, a monolithic infrastructure can lead to slow and sluggish performance, which can be detrimental to your business.
Consider an ecommerce platform built on a microservice architecture to avoid these issues. With a microservice architecture, individual components work separately and interact through API calls, resulting in a platform that is more agile, scalable, and easier to manage.
- Selecting a Difficult-to-Scale Platform
Opting for an ecommerce platform that is challenging to scale can impede the growth and success of your business. Selecting a platform that can cater to your business needs and grow with your organization is vital. A case in point is Amazon, which faced a significant web traffic surge during the Prime Day event in 2018.
Unfortunately, Amazon’s website could not handle the traffic, and customers were unable to finalize their purchases, leading to redirection to the homepage. This incident cost Amazon a whopping estimated amount of $1,000,000 per minute, considering it occurred during the peak hours of the event.
- Too Many Features
While having all the bells and whistles may seem tempting, investing in features you don’t need can result in unnecessary expenses and a cluttered user interface. Instead, focus on the essential features necessary for your business to operate efficiently and select a platform that offers the ability to integrate new features as your business expands quickly.
- Not Setting Goals
When choosing an ecommerce platform, it’s important to establish concrete objectives from the outset. This will help you stay on track and focus on what’s important. For example, you might aim to launch your ecommerce store within a set timeframe or to capture a specific number of email addresses from your target audience.
Additionally, you might set sales targets for specific time periods, such as making a certain number of sales in the first quarter. These goals will help guide your decision-making process and ensure you select an ecommerce platform that aligns with your business needs.
Key Takeaway
Selecting the most suitable ecommerce software for your business can be a more complex task than it may appear. In reality, it is one of the most important choices you will make at the initial stages of your ecommerce venture. Opting for ecommerce software that caters only to your current requirements is not enough. Rather, you must opt for ecommerce software that empowers you to build a brighter tomorrow.
To learn more about ecommerce solutions and how to choose the right one for your business needs, visit Edvantis.
