Not sure which ecommerce platform is best for your online retail business? There are plenty of ready-made tools and platforms that make it easy to hit the ground running. The crucial determinants of success or failure are not merely a web presence or low price but having a high-quality website.
The quality of a website is an aspect challenging to explain and capture operationally, yet everybody can feel it when it’s missing. From 1-click ordering to flexible payment options, user expects tailored feature and smooth ordering from today’s online store.
This blog talks about the quality factors to consider while developing a quality ecommerce platform.
Deciding what type of website you need
Not all websites are the same. Your website can be for Business to Business (B2B), Business to Customer (B2C) or Customer to Customer (C2C). Depending upon your website type, you have to prepare the strategy.
Cost
This goes without saying that you need to determine your budget for your ecommerce website. Apart from the development cost, most platforms have monthly fees, which vary depending on the type of platform you choose (hosted or self-hosted).
Carefully check everything the platform has to offer to understand exactly what you are paying for and make your selection based on that. You should compare services and find the most appropriate one.
Scalability
Ecommerce sales are estimated to reach 17.5% of all global retail sales by 2021. So, irrespective of your product or services might be, developing a scalable ecommerce solution is the need of the hour. It will pay off in both the short and long term.
Your website should be flexible enough to offer you befitting plans for building and operating your growing store. This is applicable for many aspects, from your server bandwidth to cross-channel selling capabilities. Headless commerce solutions with native integrations and APIs offers more flexibility to the businesses.
Security
Ecommerce websites are the major target for hackers. Just think of the thousands of user IDs, personal information, and financial information, including credit card details and product details on your site. That what makes it attractive for hackers. So, you have to make sure that the platform you select support HTTPS/SSL protocols and is PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security) complaint. SSL will protect all the web pages.
Payment Integration
Preferred payment methods of online buyers worldwide as of March 2017
Approximately 42% of online buyers use a credit card, 39% use electronic payment, 28% use a debit card and 23% utilize cash on delivery option for making the e-shopping payment.
Selecting the precise payment gateway solution for your ecommerce is an important aspect. A secure network should be your priority when considering any payment gateway. Your customer seeks trust while making the payment via any mode. PCI compliance is the necessary certificate you need to find on the payment gateway before integrating it on your ecommerce platform.
Responsive web design
A well-optimized ecommerce site will bring more sales and conversion rate of your business. The rising number of mobile users indicates the need of the hour, a responsive ecommerce site. Making your site quickly accessible on the mobile device is vital for optimal user experience. In responsive design, the device does the work and automatically adjusts as per the user device’s screen size and orientation.
Which Ecommerce platform is right for your business?
Here is the six popular platform-
Magento
Magento is the most popular choice that manages a large amount of traffic with exceptional technical, installation and troubleshooting support. Coding is an integral part of Magento. Though it is available for free, but paid level for enterprise solutions is also there for large ecommerce. Brands like Nike, Ford Accessories, Cisco, Procter & Gamble are already using Magento. It is a robust choice for any large ecommerce business.
Ford Website Look
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BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a robust product search engine that makes it ideal for any larger retail brands. It’s also a good choice for beginners who want to expand their operations. It makes it possible for any niche or industry to be successful. BigCommerce interface is customizable and needs no coding to change the templates. It comes with different plans, which makes it affordable for different businesses. Ecommerce stores like Skullcandy, Pandora, Rollie Nation and several others are already using BigCommerce.
Skullcandy website look
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Shopify
Shopify comes with a compact ecommerce solution that gives freedom to organize merchandise, easily customize the storefront, track records and accept payments with few clicks only. It comes with an amazing selection of professional themes. If you are into drop shipping, this is the best ecommerce platform. However, it can be used for small, medium & large business. Brands like Tesla Gear, WWF, Red Bull, The Economist and several others are already using Shopify.
Tesla gear website look
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WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms that is designed to run well on any WordPress theme. It is a scalable platform that comes with superior integration tools and amazing layouts. Being a WordPress plugins, it can turn any website into a fully functional ecommerce store. Developers who are well-verse with WordPress for them it’s easy to use WooCommerce. It is a good choice for any medium and large scale business. The Spectator Magazine Shop, WooThemes, The Obama Foundation are some of the examples of website build on WooCommerce.
The Obama Foundation website look
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OpenCart
OpenCart is an open-source ecommerce platform that helps to create a store and run in a jiffy. It comes with all the essential features and high customization. Distributed as a free ecommerce solution, it’s one of the best choices for beginners. OpenCart is a very user-friendly platform that comes with a well-designed user interface and high extensions. It is the right choice for medium and small size businesses. Ace, Volvo, and British Red Cross are of OpenCart’s big customer.
OpenCart website look
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3dcart
3dcart is one of the award-winning shopping carts. It comes with built-in features for creating, designing, marketing and managing your store. Its POS feature helps to manage both online and offline payment, inventories, set up real-time delivery options etc. 3dcart comes with cost-effective and scalable product plans for different kinds of business. Though it can be used for all types of businesses, however, it’s best-suited for medium and small-scale enterprises. UnicusDecor, Outfitter Satellite and Beverly Hills Orchid are some of the many other brands that are using 3dcart.
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Several ecommerce solutions are offering excellent services to clients worldwide. However, we tried listing the six most popular ecommerce solution carts that are doing well in the market.
This statistic shows ecommerce usage distribution in the top 1 Million sites.
Source
These platforms undergo continuous upgradation; thus, it keeps on fixing the current issues aiming for better buying and selling of goods & services. The overall experience depends on what size of the enterprise and how it is expanding in the future.
You can always customize your package according to your business needs. However, from the initial stage, if you keep in mind the factors mentioned-above, it would be easy to decide which platform to select. We recommend to study in details or talk to an expert before finalizing any tool.
