Choosing the best ecommerce platform for your business is one of the first and most important steps you’ll need to take when diving into the online world.
Whether you’re starting your online brand for the first time, or just expanding your presence in the digital space, the right ecommerce platform will ensure you have the tools and resources you need to thrive. The only problem is, there are so many options to choose from, making the right decision is often harder than it seems.
Today, we’re going to be taking a closer look at the features and components you should be looking for in a powerful ecommerce platform, to help grow your company.
Let’s dive in.
In this article:
How to Choose Your Ecommerce Platform in 2024?
Ecommerce is growing at a phenomenal rate. Studies show that by 2027, the market for online shopping could reach approximately $5.56 trillion. The rapid expansion of this environment has led to a significant increase in the number of ecommerce platforms available to merchants.
Each solution comes with its own benefits and features to consider. Some are designed specifically for rapidly growing brands selling across multiple channels. Others are intended to give users an easy entry into the world of digital sales.
However, no matter what kind of business you’re running, there are a handful of features you’re always going to need to ensure your site is a success.
Here are some of the key components of a reliable ecommerce platform.
1. Reliable web hosting
While it is possible to launch a self-hosted online store with open source web design tools, managing hosting yourself can be complex for beginners. Often, it’s much easier to choose a SaaS platform with hosting already built in. This ensures you can store all of your company’s data on the platform’s servers, and avoid having to shop around for a hosting provider.
Look for a robust, cloud-based platform, which offers exceptional scalability, security, and consistent uptime, to ensure you can provide your customers with excellent user experience. Most vendors will be able to offer something in the region of 99.99% uptime.
2. Scalable bandwidth
No matter how small your ecommerce store might be to begin with, it’s important to ensure you can grow as your target audience and portfolio expands. Bandwidth provided by your ecommerce platform is essential for this purpose.
Bandwidth refers to the amount of traffic space your website uses. As you begin to attract more customers to your website, the bandwidth you need will increase.
3. A simple dashboard
The dashboard on an ecommerce platform is one of the most important components influencing your user experience. Essentially, it’s the back-end solution that allows you to control everything from your store appearance to the development of new pages.
A convenient dashboard should be easy to use, and configurable to suit your needs. Look for something that allows you to easily edit the look and feel of your store. Most solutions will come with ready-to-use themes and templates, which you can edit to match your brand.
4. Straightforward integrations
Although your ecommerce platform may be one of the most important tools you use to run and manage your online store, there’s a good chance you’re going to rely on other solutions too. You may need to access apps to help with everything from customer relationship management to SEO.
A good ecommerce platform will make it easy to extend the functionality of your online store with add-ons, plugins, and other components. Some solutions, like Wix, WooCommerce, and Shopify even come with their own app marketplaces, to minimize the need for developer tools and APIs.
5. SEO and marketing tools
Speaking of SEO (Search Engine optimization), many of the best ecommerce platforms come with tools for marketing and business promotion already built in. The right solution should allow you to create a blog for content marketing purposes, and optimize your site for search engines on a number of levels.
For instance, you should be able to create the right URLs on your back end, manage metadata, and make changes to your page descriptions and components. It may be helpful to look for other marketing tools too, such as integrations with email marketing automation tools and social media.
6. Sales features and checkout tools
It might seem obvious, but the right ecommerce platform will always make it simple to sell products and services online. Depending on the type of online business you want to run, you may need a solution that supports subscriptions, recurring payments, and various payment systems.
At the very least, your ecommerce platform should allow you to easily sell in a range of environments. You might need your ecommerce site to offer integrations with marketplaces like Amazon and Ebay, social media platforms, and even point of sale systems.
7. Domain name and branding tools
Although it is possible to purchase a domain name outside of your ecommerce platform, and add it to your store, it’s often easier to find a platform with the right branding tools already built in. Find out whether you can buy a domain name from your platform directly.
Depending on your specific requirements, you might also want to look for access to other branding tools, like a logo generator, or access to support with web design services.
8. UI and UX Features
No matter how amazing your products and services might be, your store won’t generate sales if it’s not easy to use. To ensure your ecommerce business can thrive, it’s important to find a platform with features that allow you to simplify the user experience.
Ensure the platform allows you to create a fully mobile optimized website, so customers can visit and use your site on any mobile devices. Tools for simplifying navigation, organizing pages, and inventory searching can also improve the user experience.
9. Security and Compliance
The digital world is brimming with potential threats for both you and your customers. The right ecommerce software or platform will always come with solutions to help protect your company and your data. Look for a service that offers built in SSL certificates for your site.
It’s also important to ensure the payment processing features available on your platform are PCI compliant, and designed to prevent fraud or security breaches.
10. Store Management Tools
To ensure you can manage all of their business needs within the same platform, entrepreneurs will also need to think about the “management” tools built into their ecosystem. This could include looking for a solution with inventory management and order management tools, so you can track product availability and transactions.
If you’re selling across multiple platforms and geographies, it may also be worth looking into solutions that integrate with warehouse management and logistics tools.
11. Shipping partners
If you’re selling physical products on your store, then you’re going to need to ensure you can work with shipping or logistics partners to get your products to customers. Leading ecommerce platforms often come with fulfillment solutions already built in.
You might be able to integrate directly with courier services, dropshipping companies, print on demand brands, and logistics vendors. Some platforms even offer tools to help you reduce shipping costs, by making it easier to search for the right partner.
12. Customer Support
Finally, no matter how easy to use your ecommerce website platform is, you’re always going to need a little assistance from time to time. A reliable customer support team will be able to help you with everything from adding new credit card options to your shopping cart, to adjusting themes.
You can usually find insights into the customer service offered by a platform by reading their reviews and feedback from other business owners online.
The Key Features to Look for, Depending on Your Business
While all of the capabilities above are essential to a reliable ecommerce solution, the features you prioritize are likely to vary depending on the structure and goals of your business.
Let’s take a closer look at the most important things you’ll need to think about, depending on whether you’re a small business or growing brand.
If Your Are a Small Businesses Just Getting Started
If you’re launching an online store for the first time, there’s a good chance ease of use and simplicity will be crucial for you. An ecommerce solution for a smaller business should be affordable, user-friendly, and packed with tools to help you scale and grow. Make sure you focus on:
- Pricing: Smaller businesses often have more restrictive budgets. If you’re launching your storefront for the first time, make sure the monthly subscription packages for your platform offer access to the largest number of tools and features, for the lowest possible price.
- Simplicity: Most small business owners don’t have a team of professionals to help them with design and development. This makes it important for the ecommerce platform you choose to be as straightforward and intuitive as possible. Look for a convenient dashboard, and helpful design tools, like free themes and templates.
- Knowledge base: The chances are you’ll be managing most of your store on your own as a small business owner. Access to a comprehensive knowledgebase and educational tools will make it easier to expand and grow quickly. Some platforms will even provide access to services and support from designers and developers.
- Customer support: Excellent customer service is essential for all business owners, but it’s particularly crucial if you’re just getting started. Make sure your platform offers access to plenty of guidance and quick assistance if something goes wrong with your store.
If You are a Retailer Moving Online
If you already have a strong offline presence as a traditional brand or retailer, then your needs from an ecommerce platform might be a little different. You’ll need to ensure you can easily sync the various platforms and environments you’re going to use for selling. As your company evolves, you may even want to experiment with concepts like headless commerce.
Here’s what you’ll need to think about:
- Platform integration: If you want to sell on multiple platforms and channels, it’s important to find an ecommerce solution that allows you to sync your presence. Look for a solution that works with your point of sale system, and allows you to manage customer data, orders, and operations in an all-in-one environment.
- Agility: The ability to adapt quickly is important for most startups and business owners. Looking for a user-friendly platform which allows you to set up, adjust, and alter your store and it’s front-end rapidly will be crucial.
- Inventory management: When you’re selling both online and offline at the same time, you’ll need better visibility into your product availability and inventory. Make sure your chosen platform can help you to track inventory, orders, and sales everywhere.
- Analytics: Maintaining a fast-growing business both online and offline requires access to data. You’ll need to keep a close eye on which strategies are helping your business to evolve, and which might be holding you back. Analytics and reporting tools in your ecommerce solution will help you keep track of essential data.
- Customer support: Once again, if you’re moving online for the first time, you’re likely to face some roadblocks on the path to success. Make sure your ecommerce platform offers access to exceptional support and guidance.
If you Are a Scaling Ecommerce Company
If you already launched your online store a little while ago, and your brand has begun to grow, then you’ll need a platform that helps you to consistently scale and evolve. Fortunately, there are plenty of different platforms out there, from BigCommerce and Wix, to Shopify, that offer solutions specifically designed for rapidly-growing companies.
Here are some of the most important things to look for:
- Headless ecommerce: As your company starts to grow, you might need to separate your front-end and backend environments to ensure you can make changes to the user experience quickly and effectively, a headless platform can help with this.
- Customizations: When your brand is already established, you’ll need more than just the right templates and themes to make your business stand out. The ability to customize your platform and the apps you use to run your store will make it easier to connect with customers.
- Management tools: Inventory and order management tools, as well as solutions that help you to manage your team and employees will be crucial for a growing business. Make sure you can track your orders, customers, and staff across multiple channels.
- Advanced payment options: Experimenting with a wider range of payment gateways and transaction options, like PayPal, mobile wallets, and even buy now pay later options could help you to increase your sales as a scaling business. Be careful to check any transaction fees associated with the solutions you use.
- Sales channel integrations: As your business scales, you may need to explore more sales channels to reach your audience. Research the channels your customers use, and make sure you can connect with buyers across a variety of platforms.
Choosing the Right Ecommerce Platform – Conclusion
Finding the ideal ecommerce platform isn’t always easy. There are so many different options to choose from, ranging from solutions like Adobe Commerce (Magento), to WordPress and WooCommerce, Wix, Squarespace, and more.
There’s no one-size-fits-all solution to making the right decision. The right platform for you will need to address not just your current needs, but your future requirements as your business grows.
Take your time to consider all of the factors above when making your choice, and remember you can always migrate to another ecommerce platform if you find your initial solution doesn’t provide the functionality or scalability you need.
FAQ:
Why do companies need ecommerce platforms?
An ecommerce platform is an all-in-one solution allowing retailers to sell rapidly online. It’s often much easier to choose a single platform than it is to create your own software and manage a digital store from scratch. A leading ecommerce platform will ensure you can grow your business, showcase your brand, and deliver excellent experiences to customers.
Which is the best platform for ecommerce?
The answer to this question really depends on your needs. The right ecommerce platform should offer everything from digital marketing tools, to multiple sales channels, easy-to-use design and dashboard features, excellent customer service, and fantastic security. Leading solutions can also offer multiple payment options, analytics, and tools to help your company grow.
What factors should you consider when choosing an ecommerce platform?
All the factors above should be considered by any business choosing an ecommerce platform. However, the most important areas for most companies to focus on will usually include platform price, available design tools, customer support, features, security, and payment options.
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