Ecommerce is penetrating so well in the market across the globe, because of technology and the internet. Ecommerce report of the year 2020 claims that global ecommerce sales will cross the milestone of a two trillion USD threshold by the end of 2020. Our global ecommerce market share of sales was US$667 billion in 2019.
The proof of sales growth ensures that ecommerce businesses are sure to flourish. If you are in a dilemma about starting an online business, you must reconsider your thoughts.
Now, those of you are sure about starting an ecommerce business; you must create your business plan to take the next move. To establish your online shop, you will need a website. Unlike the traditional market, you can’t simply put the products at your shop and start selling. You have to integrate several features that can make your website secure and pleasing enough to invite customers.
For the development of your website, you can hire a web development company or a freelancer to build your ecommerce store, but that will come with a hefty budget.
We know you are worried about the budget.
Thanks to ecommerce platforms, as they help in building ecommerce store on your own within your set budget. Several businesses are offering subscription-based services as well as stand-alone SaaS platforms. With some of these ecommerce solutions, you can create your store on your own; for others, you can hire a team of developers or tech-brains to use others.
Your next challenge is to select the best ecommerce platform for your business needs. To solve this puzzle, you need to compare these platforms based on below-listed factors:
● Ease of usage:
Ecommerce platforms are built to reduce the developmental cost and let everyone operate their stores on their own. So, when you are researching ecommerce platforms, the easy to use interface is a must.
The user-friendliness of the dashboard will be engaging for users and reduces the learning time. When you don’t have to seek the user-guide again and again, you can make your store live quickly and will be able to make the most out of your business.
To check how smooth an ecommerce platform is functioning, we recommend you to sign up and register your business for free. You will get access to the trial period within which you can experiment with the store on your own. This way, you can take the product tour and understand how the platform is designed to work.
● Features & functionalities:
The core functionalities offered on the ecommerce platforms are more or less the same. Some of these platforms allow businesses to host their site on their cloud-server; others give an option to self-host your store. These features are the must-haves to set up an ecommerce store and launch your business, like:
- Space offered on the server
- Unpaid and paid store themes
- Integration of the payment gateway
- Integration of APIs of the shipping service provider
- SSL certificate
- Product listings and product detail pages
- Integrated CMS to manage content
- Integrated CRM for organizing your customers
- Marketing tools like email marketing
- Blog
- On-page SEO functionalities
- Product rating and reviews
Every commerce platform has some additional features which make it unique. While comparing, you need to add those features in your comparison sheet to make a fair decision. You can count on vital features like abandoned cart recovery, sales channel integration, point of sale management, staff account, gift cards, tax management, advance reports, and a lot more.
When you are selecting features, you can also check other ecommerce services offered by an ecommerce business, if any. It can help you reduce some of the burdens of your shoulder by hiring professional resources.
● Customization:
Ecommerce platforms give you access to the ready – to – add themes for your store. But, that will bring a similar look to the stores created. When every business is unique, the theme should reflect the story of your brand. Keep the count of free and paid themes available on these ecommerce platforms. Also, mention the minimum and maximum cost of themes, if you are selecting the paid one.
Count on customization options. You will have to edit webpages as well as the layout of your store. You may or may not have the technical knowledge, but check whether you will be getting access to the source code.
If the ecommerce platform you opt for is letting you customize each page of your site in your way, how easy it could be. The personalization of media elements, as well as the content, will help you add your story to your theme, which can engage your customers in a much better way.
● Security:
Ecommerce businesses involve direct monetary transactions, that’s why safety is the utmost requirement. To secure your shops, ecommerce businesses take security on the top of the priority list. Most of the ecommerce platforms offer free SSL certificates for all registered businesses.
To raise the bar of security further, you can upgrade your store with advanced plans to get custom SSL for your site. In case, your ecommerce platform enables integration of other security patches or plugins, and you can confirm in the FAQ section or make an inquiry.
Since ecommerce platforms already have integration with the reliable and secure payment gateways, you can stay assured about payment-related security issues. To keep your store updated, know how you will be informed about the updates and how frequently the platform will update itself.
● Scalability:
A business is not a business if it doesn’t grow! The business plans on ecommerce platforms are designed distinctly to meet varying requirements of different sizes of business. You must not stick with a single plan, but also check the possibilities of growth and expansion of your business.
The additional features of the business plan are meant to streamline and automate most of your business tasks, thus ease your entrepreneurial journey. You can also look for the ecommerce services offered by ecommerce platforms to help you outsource the task and concentrate more on the growth of your business.
The growth will surely bring more traffic to your store. For such situations, you can reach out to the service provider and ask about the bandwidth, space offered, and traffic that your site can bear, depending upon the business plan that you are opting for.
● Mobile apps and plugins:
In the retail sector, mobile commerce is gaining pace. Though ecommerce stores are designed to be responsive, mobile apps of your store will always widen the opportunity of the business. Some ecommerce platforms allow you to create apps, some additional charge for it, and others don’t allow it.
The basic notion behind ecommerce platforms is the same, but additional elements like plugins help add more functionalities. Some platforms believe in offering functionalities as a part of advanced plans. In contrast, others allow the customers to choose the feature, purchase it, and add to the site. You can count on mobile apps and plugins to improve the scope of opportunities for your business.
● Pricing plan:
The range of pricing plans for ecommerce businesses varies between $30-$200 and even more. It all depends upon your choice of features and extent of customization. The pricing plans are created considering all sizes of business.
During the comparison of the pricing plan, remember to add the price of additional themes and plugins that you like to add. Though there are free resources available, check if you are interested in paid versions. This will add more amount in your budget. After exploring all the things, you can make your list of features and calculate the final price to be paid to make your ecommerce store ready.
It’s one of the crucial factors that can help you narrow down your choices and make the best decision about the ecommerce platform that can serve your current and future business needs.
● Support:
Customer support is the utmost requirement for every business, especially if you are planning to handle different fronts of your business on your own. The e-commerce platforms offer assistance with:
- Live chat
- Email support
- Telephonic support
- Video call support
- Technical support
You can check the modes of support and availability slots of the service provider. Go to the resource section to see if there is the availability of self-help material like user guide, FAQs, Webinars, video tutorials, and blogs to address the common concerns. This will make you more independent as a business owner and widens the opportunity to learn the ecommerce business.
We have covered all the vital aspects that can help you choose the top ecommerce platform. If you still have any queries, you can reach us at support@builderfly.com to get expert assistance about the selection of ecommerce platforms.
