Are you thinking about commencing an e-commerce business but struggling to choose the right platform? This blog tells you how to choose the right platform for your online store and establish a successful e-commerce business.
The e-commerce market is still expanding bigger and brighter than ever. Establishing an e-commerce business and earning a better revenue out of it is a dream for many, especially when digital buyers worldwide are expected to reach 2.14 billion by 2021, and 95% of all purchases will be made via e-commerce by 2040.
What Is an E-commerce Platform and How Does It Work?
An e-commerce platform enables an online store to manage the website, marketing, sales, operations, and more. E-commerce platforms are the backbone of any online retail enterprise that allows business owners to manage their online sales operations.
E-commerce platforms run on a single, unified platform. It eliminates integration between separate systems with natively unified e-commerce, accounting, POS, inventory and order management, marketing, merchandising, customer service, and financials on a cloud-based platform.
Types of E-commerce Platforms
- Customized E-commerce Platform
- Traditional E-commerce Platform
- Open-Source E-commerce Platform
- Cloud E-commerce Platform
- SaaS E-commerce Platform
10 Essential Features to Consider in Any E-commerce Platform You Choose
Selecting the best e-commerce platform for your e-commerce business is sometimes an intimidating task. There are plenty of options available to choose from, such as Magento, Shopify, OpenCart, and WooCommerce. The right e-commerce platform is the one that fulfills all the objectives you have, not the one that is widely adopted. Here, we have discussed some crucial features you should look for in any e-commerce platform you choose.
SEO-Friendly
Every e-commerce business owner aims to reach maximum potential customers. How exactly to do that? With effective Search Engine Optimization (SEO). An e-commerce platform must offer basic SEO features by default to engage with maximum targeted customers.
Why do you need an SEO-Friendly e-commerce platform? The one that comes with packed SEO features enables your e-commerce site to rank higher in search engines (Google).
Mobile-Friendly
According to Search Engine Land, nearly 60% of searches take place from mobile devices only. Also, Google accounted for 96% of mobile organic search visits in the US as of the first quarter of 2019. Thus, you should always look for a mobile-friendly e-commerce platform that will help you avoid losing your mobile customers and increase ROI.
Seamless Navigation
Do you revisit a website that you find hard to navigate? No, not at all. According to 94% of the respondents, easy navigation is the most useful website feature. Everybody wants a seamless experience while browsing, especially in 2020. A site that is easy to navigate allows users to shop much faster. Thus, an e-commerce platform with easy navigation is a must-have-feature to look for.
Safe and Secure
The foremost thing for any e-commerce store owner is security. Since e-commerce is a platform that is actively taking financial payments, it becomes vital to back e-commerce businesses with robust security. One of the best ways to ensure whether your chosen platform is safe and secure or not is by confirming if it supports HTTPs or SSL support.
Scalability
Every e-commerce business starts with an aim to become successful, thus to grow your online business, it becomes essential for a platform to be scalable. An e-commerce platform that possesses the ability to integrate specific APIs to manage large scale implementations is considered a scalable e-commerce platform.
Integrations
Having a plethora of options to choose from is what every e-commerce business owner wants to grow their business. Look for a platform that has an integration of social media, Google merchant integration, multiple payment gateways, multi-channel integration, and more to streamline your e-commerce business.
E-commerce Analytics
A built-in analytics system is vital for any e-commerce platform, as it helps you regularly monitor your store’s performance. Many e-commerce platforms have their analytic platforms to gain more in-depth analytics. Thus, you should look for an e-commerce platform that keeps tabs on all the essential things.
Product Management System
A sound product management system enables creating different categories and mapping products to them, high-quality product image upload in bulk, ability to map different shipping options with individual products. Thus, every e-commerce business needs advanced e-commerce product management with cutting-edge features to upload and manage the product listing.
Order Management System
E-commerce is a highly competitive business; thus, it needs to be backed with an intelligent order management system with features like order tracking, email notifications, and others to ensure on-time order processing.
Order Management System (OMS) needs to communicate with your inventory management system to make sure the stocks are updated regularly.
Return Management System
Return Management System (RMS) is another crucial feature that takes care of your online store’s return policies. Having a relevant return policy helps you win maximum customers’ trust. You should look for an e-commerce platform with a sound return management system that includes return rules, return types, auto-process returns, and more.
Wrapping Up
Are you trying to choose the best e-commerce platform for your e-commerce business? But with so many options available, how would you pick just one? Well, to ease your job, we have offered some essential features that you should look for in any e-commerce platform while choosing.