The eCommerce industry has grown constantly for the past 10 years. With the global pandemic hitting us in 2020, online sales jumped up even higher. As per Statista, retail websites generated almost 22 billion visits in June 2020, up from 16.07 billion global visits in January 2020. And these numbers are expected to only rise in the future. In this blog, we have laid down 5 crucial factors that you must consider while choosing the best eCommerce platform for your business.
So if you are venturing into any sort of business, it’s more than important for you to have an online presence. Only this way will you be able to capitalize on this explosive eCommerce growth.
But as easy as it sounds, creating an online presence from scratch can cost you to some level. You can hire developers and invest in a fully functional website or mobile app. But if you have just started and want to take it slow, opting for an already-developed eCommerce platform is the better option for you. This way you will save time and money.
There are many options available but the point is to choose wisely.
Factors to Consider While Deciding on the Best eCommerce Platform
Out of so many available options, the only way you will be able to stand out is if you put in enough thought instead of making rash decisions. So keep these 5 things in mind.
1. Safety & Security
Today with the increasing popularity of the internet also comes internet fraud. As a result, people are skeptical about trusting website security. No one wants to give their credit card information to a site that looks fake or sketchy. So while most software today boasts a robust security standard, be safe on your part. Make sure that the platform you are going with supports HTTPS/SSL and is PCI-supportive for easy and secure checkout.
Want to know some practices to make your app safe and secure? This guide on building secure mobile apps will help you learn some crucial safety tips for your eCommerce app.
2. Payment & Price
The key factor for determining which platform you are deciding to go with is the pricing being offered. Every platform has a monthly payment process. The costs may vary depending on the type of eCommerce platform. Take a good look at the cost of each platform while also keeping in mind your business requirements. Do not sacrifice the essentials just for cheap pricing.
And when we say payments, we mean also for your customer. For instance, certain platforms do not allow payments via third-party vendors. This can be a huge setback for your business. Today, people use multiple payment methods. So it’s important that you provide different options or they might ultimately cancel the checkout. You cannot afford to take such risks.
3. Customer Service & Support
Customer service is an important part of any business. In the traditional store setting, you can personally interact with the customers but eCommerce is a different setting altogether. Here you are only as good as your customer service. As we know that having a business online will have its drawbacks. You could face anything from server crashes to slow loading speeds to software outages. This can have serious effects on revenue and your brand image.
At such stages, good customer service comes into play. Consider everything from the 24/7 availability to different levels of support provided by different platforms.
4. SEO & Mobile Friendliness
SEO and mobile-friendliness are important parts of any online marketing strategy. 62% of the world population owns a mobile phone and 60% of online searches are done on these mobile devices. So it’s evident that a good mobile-friendly website will attract more customers. Similar is the case with SEO. As an eCommerce business, it will be really beneficial for you if your store ranks high in search results.
Look for these factors for an SEO-friendly platform:
- Can you add a blog to your website?
- Can you use your own domain name?
- Can the customers leave reviews for your products?
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5. Integrations & Plugins
Integrations and plugins are way more important than you think. Most platforms provide several different plugins and tools for a smooth running of a website. Prioritize your business and based on that, decide which plugins you need. Keep in mind the tools you’ll need or already use for your business. Some of the plugins you can watch out for are accounting plugins, product shipments, rewards-related plugins, and email marketing tools.
Conclusion
Setting up a new business can be challenging at times. But having an online presence will only help you reach out to many more people than an offline store ever can. So make sure you choose the right eCommerce platform. This will only help you in the long run.
We hope that this article gave you some clarity about the main deciding factors while choosing an eCommerce platform.
