Businesses that offer products and services thrive on growing sales. They spend significant amounts of money working with recruitment agencies to build a strong and efficient sales team. But there’s one very important step that supplements your sales team’s efforts that you absolutely cannot ignore in the 21st Century. That is, of course, having an Ecommerce website.
The Ecommerce industry has been growing rapidly over the last few years. While Amazon and AliBaba rule the roost, for now, there is still plenty of room for smaller businesses. Your Ecommerce website can help you realize potential online sales, massively adding to your conventional sales channels. The market has a large number of Ecommerce platforms available that you can use to build your Ecommerce site. Too many, in fact. The question isn’t about choosing a platform, but about choosing the right one. This blog will show you how.
The Different Types of Ecommerce Platforms
If you want to build an Ecommerce site, the first thing you need to know is the different types of platforms available. There are several options available to you. You can build your own platform if you have the expertise. Even if you don’t, you can hire a developer to do it for you. This is usually only advisable when you’re operating in a niche that commercially available platform templates can’t address.
You can use conventional Ecommerce platforms, which require an upfront license fee. You can use the platform for as long as the license is valid, which can be renewed every year. Your development team will then customize the platform to your needs and set it up. You may need Ecom Warrior Academy reviews for the same.
Conventional platforms and open-source platforms have typically the same development process. But open-source platforms generally don’t entail a license fee. All your development and maintenance costs will still be incurred though.
Cloud platforms allow you to host remote servers that allow your Ecommerce website to run. Everything needed to build and access your site is on the cloud. Many platforms like Salesforce Commerce, Volusion, and Magento Enterprise Cloud are examples of cloud platforms.
SaaS Ecommerce platforms are an off-the-shelf solution. They have a single codebase, meaning everyone who uses them has access to the same technology. The service requires you to pay for security, maintenance, server use, and any upgrades that may follow.
Decide What User Experience You Want to Offer
User experience makes or breaks an Ecomerce business. The UX your Ecommerce site offers will have a direct impact on its success. Modern digital consumers expect smooth and user-friendly interfaces. This will offer better client satisfaction, which in turn results in more sales.
But user-friendliness isn’t the only aspect of UX you should be considering. Your platform should also be adaptable and flexible to changing needs. This will let you keep up with modern trends without any unnecessary overhauls.
Your UX efforts should also focus on personalizing the customer experience. The use of machine learning and AI tools can help you understand consumer behavior and patterns. With this information, you can deliver a personalized experience for each customer. Even if you aren’t going to use AI or ML, for now, the platform should be adaptable enough to include it in the future.
Consider the Costs You Will Incur
There are always going to be certain costs included with the Ecommerce platform of your choice. Whether you’re a new business or an existing one moving online, you need to know the costs you are going to incur. Almost all platforms will come with a monthly fee. However, you shouldn’t be tempted to go for the lowest fee tier, as it will probably mean sacrificing functionality.
Maintenance costs are going to be an ongoing expense. It is a necessary cost to ensure your website keeps performing smoothly. However, the size and complexity, as well as the choice of platform will determine the extent of your maintenance costs. You may need to add a developer to your payroll if you go with an open-source or conventional platform. Choosing a SaaS platform means you don’t have to worry about maintenance costs.
When you’re using open-source platforms, you’ll get frequent updates to functions, features, and security. You need to download and install them to ensure your website keeps working. Not upgrading your website can put it at risk of a cyberattack or worse. Upgradation costs should be considered when choosing a platform.
You may also periodically need to change your Ecommerce site’s UX. This can mean adding new features, updating banners, overhauling the website frontend design, and many other things. In some cases, you may even need to change platforms for the new changes you want.
The Features and Functionality You Need
The features and functions a website needs vary from business to business. But at the very least, your website should contain the following features:
- A well-populated catalog.
- Personalized user experience.
- A system to review products or services.
- Paypal, credit card, debit card, and other payment methods.
You will be needing to either hire a developer or outsource the development work to one. If you don’t already have an in-house developer, you should add it to your talent acquisition strategies. You’ll be needing expert technical advice before the development is done and the Ecommerce site goes live.
