Every website is built on a CMS (content management software), which is responsible for management of everything that appears on the front end, be it the design or elements that appear on it.
Similarly, even e-commerce platforms need a CMS platform. However, the main talking point here is that ecommerce development by Brainvire requires a different platform to be built on as compared to other service company websites or blogs. This is because there are many extra additions to ecommerce, like payment gateway integration, product pages, etc.
Why is Choosing a Good eCommerce Platform Important?
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Growth
Quite naturally, the ecommerce platform you build your website on directly affects the growth of your business. Choosing the one that supports the most number of integrations, plugins and extras determine how quickly your business grows.
According to KPMG, 55% of people search online for reviews before making a purchase. This shows how much people rely on the internet.
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Cost
eCommerce platforms have a higher cost of setting up and running since it has more number of pages and higher complexities. However, with the right platform, you can take away the burden of cost of maintenance.
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Engagement
Also, with the right ecommerce platform, you can control how your visitors or customers interact with your website.
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Objectives
Having the most suitable e-commerce platform ensures that your online retail business achieves what it strives for. Reaching the goal becomes a lot easier.
Factors to consider before choosing an eCommerce platform
To choose the best eCommerce platform, look into the following aspects. They must be compatible with mobile devices:
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Vendor’s experience and after-sale service
The vendor you get your ecommerce platform from should have the technical skills and expertise to help you meet your requirements. For this, you can consider taking a look at their case studies, past work, market reputation, etc.
Also, the right ecommerce platform vendor will offer the most perfect after-sale support too.
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Scalability
Ensuring that the platform is easy to scale and available 24/7 is a smart choice and an important one too. Scaling a platform is a big advantage for any business and if a platform has issues scaling or is just difficult to scale, that is surely going to affect the business in one way or another.
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Ensure Security
Confirm that the chosen platform ensures safety. It must come with HTTP or SSL support. Another thing to look for is if it provides a PCI-DSS compliant payment solution. This ensures a high-security payment processor which is very important.
Paypal is a highly trustworthy PCI-DSS compliant payment solution. To ensure more safety for an eCommerce platform is to put in Google Captcha. This protects the site from DDoS attacks, hackers and spammers who always try and harm sites.
According to hiscox 73% of companies are just not ready to face a cyber attack.
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SEO-friendliness
It is so important for any website to rank high in the search engines results. For the website to appear in the first results is a boost for any business. Get an eCommerce platform that comes along with SEO friendly features.
Here are some important factors to keep in mind when searching for an SEO friendly eCommerce platform.
- eCommerce platform has the ability to add blogs.
- Use captions and descriptions for the images.
- Use a domain name.
- Let the customers leave their comments/ reviews.
- Turn it to SEO friendly URL structures.
2 Popular Types of eCommerce Platforms, explained
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SaaS-based eCommerce platforms
SaaS eCommerce platforms are ready-made eCommerce platforms that manage to get through the cloud as hosted services. They are simple to manage and fast to build. Through graphical user interference, anyone can set up an online store in just a few hours. There is no need for web hosting, a technical team, coding.
Based on the features used, it demands a monthly or yearly payment. Examples of Saas eCommerce are Shopify, BigCommerce, Squarespace.
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Open-End eCommerce platforms
These have open-source code access and are online store builders that are ready-made. The source code offered is installed on a web-host. Then the entire site sets up in a few hours.
This allows complete control over a site/ business and gives higher scalability and customizability. Examples are WordPress WooCommerce plugin, Magento Community edition, PrestaShop.
Conclusion
eCommerce platforms are a backbone for any business and it is important to make sure a business has it. So, choosing the best one is always worth it. The entire selection process might take long as there are some important aspects to ascertain and determine. This can play a decisive factor in the success or failure of any newly-set up e-commerce.