In this millennium, you do not need to leave your home so that all the services and comforts of modern civilization are delivered to your door. All you need is to do a couple of clicks on your laptop and enjoy the long-awaited things. In the past decade, e-commerce has seen a staggering 23% annual growth.
If you use your smartphone to do the same, you will become a member of mobile commerce, a form of e-commerce that is growing at twice the rate. Commonly used to buy anything online, e-commerce and mobile commerce cover the entire spectrum of transactions. This way, you can book soccer or train tickets, a hotel room, pay utilities, and even bid on an auction using e-commerce platforms. We provideeCommerce website development in Vancouver at an affordable price. We offer ecommerce website design in Vancouver for not only small companies but also for multinational companies.
Benefits of ecommerce website
We offer you several reasons why you need to create a retail website for your company.
- Unlimited availability. Your site is available 24/7, which is convenient both for customers who can visit it at any time and for you as a business owner whose sales are expanding significantly.
- Global coverage. By deciding to build a retail site, you have the whole world as a marketplace. Plus, people from every corner of the world find the products they want not only from retail websites but also through search engines as Google indexes them so that they appear in search results.
- Convenient shopping experience. The current busy lifestyle leaves little time for the trip to the store. And if we remember traffic jams, look for a parking space, choose the right product and finally enter the checkout line, the growing preference for online shopping becomes all too obvious. A website visit takes away these inconveniences, helping even the busiest and laziest of consumers.
- Targeted marketing. With a wealth of customer data at your disposal, you can use retail website best practices to keep up with the latest trends in your niche market and the changing tastes of your consumers. After all, what else can give you the ability to know and refer to thousands of your customers by name?
If you think that having an online store is enough for quick sales success, you are wrong. Modern retail sites should contain certain features that will make your business easier and increase your income.
How we develop a small ecommerce store website in Vancouver
There is no one-size-fits-all recipe for creating a retail website that works for all types of businesses, as every industry is different. However, while ecommerce website development in Vancouver we consider that a working web page must inevitably include:
- Secure ordering. Simplicity reigns in website design. Buyers need to quickly find the product they want and make a purchase easily. To do this, your site must have components such as shopping categories, filters, and a product comparison option. Other recommended features that play an important role in customer decision making are FAQs, shipping and return policies, and customer reviews.
- Related products. When planning to buy from you, consumers are more likely to purchase some related products if you constantly remind them that you have them.
- Several payment methods. This is what you should take care of when choosing platforms for retail websites. The available payment systems may differ depending on the country.
- High download speed. A survey of major online retailers found that optimizing download speeds from 8 seconds to 2 seconds results in a three-quarters increase in conversion rates. Conversely, slow loading times are causing half of online shoppers to leave the page.
Now you know what is of paramount importance in the process of creating a website. Let’s see how you should proceed.
Consideration before ecommerce website development in Vancouver
Before the ecommerce website development in Vancouver, a comprehensive algorithm for creating a retail store involves several steps.
Step 1. Do some background research
This step is performed to ensure that it is advisable to set up a business. To determine this, you need to find the product you want to sell and research the relevant niche. Modern tools and tools on the Internet, such as Google Trends, TrendHunter, Amazon Bestseller List, and Ubersuggest, will let you know about popular products and current bestsellers. Also, you need to make sure that the items you will be selling are simple and easy to ship.
However, if you already have a business, you have definitely passed this stage, so you can skip it and move on to the next stage.
Step 2. Decide on the prerequisites
From an IT perspective, to build your own retail website, you will need a domain, hosting provider, payment processor, and web platform. Among the physical items, the packaging is mandatory for the delivery of the goods to the client. And last but, in fact, the main thing is the initial capital. Here we will focus on IT considerations.
Step 3. Choose a domain name
This is an important step, as you can use the URL to inform your customers and promote on social media. It consists of a domain name and a TLD – a kind of postfix that follows the name after a period, for example, .com or .net.
While the latter is usually limited to a few common options, the former gives you the freedom to choose. Ideally, this should sound and be visual.
Even if you’ve already come up with a name, double-check it and make sure no one is using a similar name. Domain.com helps you check if your domain is being used by someone else. Once you’ve verified the availability of a domain name, it’s time to purchase it through a company that registers domain names on your behalf. The most popular domain registrars are GoDaddy, Wix, and Web.com.
Step 4. Purchase web hosting
As a small business owner, you simply cannot afford to host your own website, so you will have to choose a server where all your data is available to the public at all times. Depending on your budget, you can opt for shared web hosting, where your site will have other sites as its closest neighbours or use dedicated hosting services. The latter option is more expensive, but you can stop worrying about other sites stealing your speed. Whichever choice you make, be sure to inquire about the location of the host server and its reliability.
Step 5. Find the right ecommerce platform
This is an important decision, so there are many factors to consider before choosing a platform (see below). Since there are a huge number of platforms today, we will describe two platforms that we recommend to our clients:
- Magento is considered one of the best B2B ecommerce platforms. It provides many features and customization options for your business while ensuring security and reliability.
- Shopware provides you with cutting edge, highly adaptable ecommerce solutions trusted by the world’s most renowned brands. Create memorable customer experiences, innovate quickly, and accelerate your growth in the ever-evolving digital commerce space.
We’ll cover them in detail later in this article, so keep reading.
Step 6. Publish your website after testing it
Even if the site is ready, do not rush to publish it. First, make sure it works correctly in all major browsers, all links are functional, and all images are displayed in the correct format. It may take a while, but once you do, you don’t have to respond to visitor complaints and correct them promptly.
Step 7. Make sure your site has a presence on social media and search engines
In the era of Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, the shortest route to your audience is through social media. And don’t ignore the search engines, as they will ultimately direct your potential customers to your web page.
