Ecommerce business is one of the most popular businesses these days and is expected to grow more in the upcoming years due to which many newcomers or people who want to start up their business are going in this field. To start an ecommerce business, the first step is to build an ecommerce website. At this point, two options are available you can create a website using the different tech stack or you can go with the ecommerce platform. Choosing the second option will save you time and money.
There are multiple options available in the market for ecommerce platforms like Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, and many more. But choosing one of them is crucial to success in your business. But Which is the right ecommerce platform and how to choose the best ecommerce platform? Let us clarify that selecting the best eCommerce software is not as simple as we think even if it is one of the most important and complicated tasks. If you choose wrong then it will be tough to scale your business.
Therefore to help you decide about the right eCommerce platform for your business we have brought this article that details all the factors and considerations you need to keep in mind while choosing one.
Factor affecting the right ecommerce platform for your business
Security
Select the platform that provides the best security services. Security is the primary consideration because users only rely on those sites where they feel that their data is secured. The payment system of an ecommerce platform should be secure. Choose the platform that provides security features like SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate, fraud prevention, Payment Card Industry, and data backups. It should provide regular backups, firewalls, and other security measures.
SEO
SEO is essential for an e-commerce website as it directly impacts your online visibility, and traffic and can rank higher in search engine results. Therefore choose the platform that allows you to do SEO activities like writing a meta description, adding a blog to their website, allowing customers to write reviews, Google site map support, etc. It means SEO-friendliness is necessary for your E-commerce Business Solution as it directly affects your online visibility.
Mobile responsiveness
An Ecommerce website should allow customers to adapt the website from any device and also allow them to make purchases from mobile devices. Therefore go for a platform that supports responsive web design. Mobile responsiveness means the site adapts and works seamlessly on multiple screen sizes and designs. Responsive web design provides a great, constant, and convenient user experience. It provides profit to an online store as most of the traffic comes from mobile users.
Scalability
Ecommerce businesses grow with time, and with the growing business, it is essential to be scalable. A scalable platform can handle the increasing traffic, product stocking, and transactions without compromising the website structure. Choose a platform that is flexible, has scalable infrastructure, and a strong backend that can adapt the changes in the technologies, and new opportunities and can reach a new position in your E-commerce business.
Integration
An eCommerce platform should have the ability to integrate with other software. Integration is essential as it provides functionalities such as payment gateways, accounting, email marketing tools, shipping apps, and many more. Choose a platform that supports integrations and plugins relevant to your business and has an active community that always works to improve the platform. You can take advantage of a wide range of features of integration that can simplify your online sales processes.
Technical Support
Technical errors like software outages, server downtimes, and server crashes can occur at any time and prevent customers from interacting with your site further if you don’t choose the right ecommerce platform. Therefore choose the platform that has technical support. These technical support are used to get out of technical errors fast and make store function smooth. Make sure that technical support is available 24/7, through a call, online or chat, and self-service.
Seamless Payment Processing
Seamless and multiple payment gateway options like PayPal, Amazon Pay, or Google Pay should be provided by the platform. It enables customers to choose from multiple payment options like credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and payment alternatives and provides flexibility. A user-friendly checkout with clear information and fewer steps helps to improve change rates, and shopping experience and drive regular growth.
Cost and Pricing Structure
Considering the cost of an e-commerce platform is crucial when choosing the right e-commerce platform. Each e-commerce platform has a different price structure depending on its setup configuration, self-hosted vs. hosted, custom development, maintenance, security, etc. Pick up the platform by carefully considering the cost and pricing structure that increases the benefits for your business within your budget restrictions.
Website Theme and Customization
The theme is a crucial part of business websites to attract multiple visitors to your website. Hence choose the platform that provides multiple website themes for your store, user-friendly site theme designs, and drag-and-drop functionality and also provides customization features. With the help of customization, you can make your website according to your business needs which will help to enhance your brand visibility to your customers.
Ease of Use and Maintenance
If you are a beginner then select the platform that is user-friendly, easy to use, and maintain. It is an important part to be considered as a beginner. However, most ecommerce platforms are easy to use where you can easily set up your store. But at the time of customization, you need expertise. Web hosting is another problem that has to be taken care of. If you opt for a self-hosted platform then you need to partner with a developer for setup.
Conclusion
Choosing the right e-commerce platform is essential for your business growth. It is quite a complex task to do but considering the factors like Mobile-friendliness, Reporting, Budget, Customisation, Ease of use, and many others that are written above, you can make the right choice. The best ecommerce platform also depends on your business needs. The right ecommerce platform allows for smoother operations and scale of your business.