There are as many eCommerce platforms as there are startups. You should consider exploring which platform could best serve your company to sell your products or services online.
Many factors go into this decision, such as your target audience, business type, and financial resources.
Choosing the right eCommerce platform for your business can be challenging. As people are increasingly deciding to buy online, it is crucial for sustainable growth.
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The eCommerce platform that you choose must not only help you serve your customers better but also help you sustain the business and grow.
A large part of your eCommerce success depends on your eCommerce platform and the eCommerce development company you choose to work with.
Things to keep in mind when choosing the best eCommerce platform.
Key Takeaways
- Most startup businesses find it challenging to select an eCommerce platform
- Focusing on customer experience and ease of management is crucial
- eCommerce businesses must look for a platform that works well for them
- Choosing a platform and compatible technologies like the VueStorefront is integral
- Important factors to keep in mind to select the best eCommerce platform
Although one could find millions of factors to take care of when researching the best eCommerce platform for a startup, the focus must be on choosing the most suitable one rather than the best.
Many startups fail to understand this aspect of selecting an eCommerce platform.
The selection must be based on what they need as per their business style, customers, and growth aspirations.
Some of the eCommerce platforms are incredibly robust and powerful while being ultra-expensive. A startup business may not need this level of sophistication at the start.
The case is similar to choosing your eCommerce development company and VueStorefront services.
You need to find practical support that works for you.
Hence, when looking to finalize an eCommerce platform for your business, consider the following aspects while keeping your business’s unique traits and features in mind.
Related Article: VueStorefront Headless Commerce A Modern Solution for eCommerce Challenges
What will be the user experience like?
When choosing the right eCommerce platform, one of the most important factors is your customers’ experience while using your online eCommerce store. It will help you gauge the platform’s suitability for your business model and goals.
Before signing up for a new platform, it’s important to understand your customer base and competitors’ shop behavior.
It will help you choose the right metrics to measure and understand which aspects of your shopping experience are important to you.
If your eCommerce development service provider is already onboard, discuss the same with them. They will help you with their deep industry insights and expertise.
Is it easy to set up and use?
Once you’ve chosen the right platform, you’ll need to decide how you want to set up your shop.
There are many options, including hosting your shop on a dedicated server, maintaining an online store, or building an online shopping cart. These will all have their own unique set of challenges and benefits, as well as costs.
Depending on your business model, it might make more sense to set up your shop online or use an existing business to save you time and money in the long run.
Headless commerce is one of the best options to go for, and it is highly customizable and user-centric.
Most startup businesses now prefer VueStorefront development for headless commerce over traditional native apps.
Will the platform help you grow and scale
When you set up an eCommerce startup, you want to grow. That’s just one of your goals, and the platform has a huge role in this.
The user experience must not falter because you are trying to scale your business. The platform must be so impeccable that any changes you want to make does not affect the business’s operations.
Choosing a headless commerce platform can help you in this regard.
Most startup businesses that want to focus on growing their website Hire VueStorefront developers and test the waters with VueStorefront PWA development to scale their business as they need.
Security of the platform
Whether you are an ecommerce business or not, ensuring that your websites remain secured and shielded from cyber threats is a must.
Although regulations and policies are in place, it is hard to regain the customers’ trust once it is breached.
It is one area that you never want to take a chance at.
The most sensible thing you can do when setting up an eCommerce startup business is never compromise on users’ data.
Hence, you must evaluate as many eCommerce platforms as needed to ensure that you have a highly secured platform for your eCommerce business.
Availability of multiple payment gateways
A crucial aspect of building a successful eCommerce business is providing a secure payment system to the customers.
The system has to be secure and fast, making users comfortable sharing their payment details online. Hence, you need a platform that can support multiple payment gateways.
However, not all payment gateways are compatible with all the platforms. Therefore, you need to evaluate which one works best for you and go from there.
Does it have a strong order management system?
According to research by Narvar, over 80% of buyers expect to receive constant updates about their orders. It means you need to have a strong and streamlined Order Management System that lets you share timely updates with the users without fail.
Any failure on your part in this regard may put you on the wrong foot with the customer when starting your business, which is something you do not want to happen.
Therefore, while searching for a reliable eCommerce platform for your business, choose one that has an advanced, scalable, and reliable Order Management System.
Related Article: Progressive Web Apps or PWAs for Ecommerce: How the Technology Can Help Improve Your Ecommerce Growth
How will the system support your marketing goals?
After picking the right eCommerce platform, you’ll need to determine how you plan to use the system to support your business’s marketing goals.
Some platforms allow you to set up various ads, including digital display and video ads. Others let you create campaigns against specific keywords, including competitive analysis to help you find the right keywords to drive more traffic to your site.
Some platforms even let you set up email marketing campaigns.
These can be very effective tools for growing your customer base and increasing sales, but they require an email account and a minimum number of signups before sending emails to your list.
Payment Structures
Some eCommerce platforms have specific payment structures in place for vendors, including some requiring upfront payments or paying out of your profits before you can withdraw them.
These may be difficult to work with and require extra effort. Other eCommerce platforms use a pay-per-sale model, where you make money when customers purchase your products or services.
These may be more appropriate for businesses that don’t have a strong sales team or are just starting.
Does it add SEO value to your website?
Your store’s success is significantly contingent upon its SEO. Most eCommerce platforms know this, giving due value to Search Engine Optimization when building their architecture.
Therefore, when you evaluate various platforms for your startup, you need to choose a platform that emphasizes SEO.
You might already know that building your website while adhering to SEO requirements is crucial. But it is also tricky and time-taking.
However, you can also address this concern by choosing VueStorefront development, making it easier for businesses to meet their SEO goals.
It is going with a platform that considers basic requirements like tags, alt text, descriptions, and advanced technical aspects such as canonical tags, pagination, redirects, etc.
Conclusion
When starting an eCommerce website, a startup may need to take care of many things.
Therefore, choosing the right eCommerce platform is as important as choosing the best eCommerce development company. Although there are many platforms that you can choose from, you must also take advantage of the technology you will use, like headless commerce.
When you go with the headless commerce philosophy, you get to address most of the concerns we have discussed above.
With the support of an established VueStorefront PWA development services provider like us, you can surely meet your business growth goals.
Contact our customer care if you wish to learn more about VueStorefront development services and how they can add value to your eCommerce business.
We would love to help you.
Frequently Asked Questions
Startups should consider scalability, ease of use, cost, features, flexibility, and the platform’s ability to align with their specific business needs and future growth.
Scalability is crucial for startups to accommodate growth. Look for ecommerce platforms that offer scalability features such as robust infrastructure, easy integration with third-party services, and the ability to handle increased traffic and transactions.
Ease of use is essential for startups as it impacts day-to-day operations and the ability to manage the online store efficiently. Choose a platform with an intuitive interface, user-friendly dashboards, and straightforward management tools.
Cost is a critical consideration for startups. Evaluate the upfront costs, ongoing fees, transaction charges, and potential hidden costs. Choose a platform that aligns with the startup’s budget constraints.
Startups should list essential features based on their business model and industry. Compare platforms based on these features, ensuring that the chosen platform supports the necessary functionalities for their unique needs.
Startups should prioritize mobile responsiveness for a seamless user experience. With the growing mobile commerce trend, a platform that ensures a smooth and engaging experience on various devices can significantly impact customer satisfaction and conversion rates.
Choose an ecommerce platform that offers customization options for branding and design. Look for themes, templates, or the ability to work with a developer to create a unique online store appearance that aligns with the startup’s brand.
