The E-commerce industry is in trend nowadays and modern customers prefer buying online rather than going to brick-n-mortar store. As per the records and growing pace the current worth of the E-commerce industry will double by 2020. If you’re planning to switch from traditional business to online business to ensure you remain in the market and attain good ROI and sales, then switching is a very smart move. But selecting a perfect E-commerce development platform is not an easy job to complete. In fact, it is the first and most crucial decisions to make in the online business journey. To help you select the best platform, we’ve discussed all the factors and key points you have to keep in mind.

Why Right Development Platform is Crucial?

E-commerce website development is more than just showing your services or product on the website for sale. It is far complicated than you actually think. Just like running a brick-n-mortar store, the same level of planning is required into the running of an E-commerce store. If you do planning in a perfect manner, then it is easy to get the benefit of the online world where you can automate and perform multiple activities without any hesitation.

But when it is about choosing a platform, you have to ensure that your E-commerce store exhibits the following things:

• Low Running costs

• High Growth

• Customer Engagement

• Objectives

Several E-commerce vendors look to focus on multiple points like design, content, and UX. However, the real point to consider is the lead generation process and buyer engagement. All these processes can offer you appropriate insights about whether you’re making good sales or not.

Which is the Best Platform?

Selecting a development platform on the basis of its popularity is not a great step. Choose a platform on the basis of its features and business goals. If a platform provides features to attain business goals like increasing revenue, engaging customers and boosting online reputation then hiring it is a good move.

Make sure the platform you are planning to hire should be compatible with the current technology trends. Another crucial factor in hiring a platform is the business’s competitive landscape. If you to make an impact in a competitive industry, then you’ll need a perfect online store that can work and adjust as per the customer requirements.

Different Types of E-commerce Platforms –

When you are selecting a platform, multiple options are present to choose from, as described below:

1. Customized platforms

Some platforms are easy to customize as per the business requirements. You can customize by yourself or outsource someone externally. Such platforms are not common these days. But, if your business has a specific set of requirements that no commercial platform can offer, then this is the best option.

2. Traditional platforms

Traditional platforms need a license fee which requires timely renewal on a daily basis. The developer will first customize the platform and next install it for the E-commerce store development. Examples of such traditional platforms are Kentico, IBM Digital Commerce, Hybris, and Oracle Commerce.

3. Free platforms

Similar to traditional platforms where you customize first, the major point of difference is that no fee is required to avail the license. However, you have to spend some bucks on the initial development, ongoing customization, deployment, upgrades, and migration. Magento is a renowned E-commerce platform available for free.

Different Costs for Running E-commerce Platform

1. Maintenance

If you select a free platform, then it needs maintenance cost to run properly. And as per the size and complexity of the E-commerce store, the running costs may vary. Maintenance is actually done on a monthly basis.

2. Upgrades

Free to avail platforms, usually require downloading and installing the updates whenever released. If you avoid the installation of the update, then there is a big threat for your store to get hacked. Doing an upgrade need some technical knowledge, hence you need a development company for proper guidance.

3. Customization

To ensure customer remain engaged to the website it must possess unique features and engaging content from time to time. That’s why it is important to ensure that your website maintains its relevancy by doing customization and adding features whenever it is needed.

Factors to Select an E-commerce Platform –

1. Reliable Support

When an issue comes with the E-commerce store, check whether the platform you are hiring offers necessary support or not to fix the problem. Always select the platform that provides 24-hour technical support and can be contacted through multiple modes like email, phone, and webchat.

2. Scalability

Once your business grows, make sure the E-commerce platform you are selecting has a scalability feature too. Your store development platform is the most important element to start an online business. A platform not having scalability feature can hinder business growth.

3. SEO Friendly

E-commerce development platform having built-in SEO features will allow E-commerce website to rank higher in the search engine results. Significant points to understand here when searching for an SEO friendly platform comprise:

• Smooth blog addition

• Customer reviews section

• Domain details

4. Security

No buyer will share their credit card details on a suspicious website, which is why security is a major concern among the consumers. While several software platforms these days have robust security as standard, make sure the selected platform supports HTTPS/SSL for a secure checkout for your customers. Select the platform that is PCI compliant.

These above-discussed factors play a vital role in identifying a trustworthy E-commerce platform. Consider these factors before making any decision.

Conclusion:

As we have discussed in the blog, there are plenty of factors behind hiring an E-commerce platform and no platform provides all the solutions. At last, the best platform is the one that meets your online business requirements, future growth, integrations, and technical knowledge. Make sure the above-discussed points are kept in consideration when selecting a platform. The E-commerce industry is growing at a rapid pace and enterprises are switching to it to meet the demands of the consumers. Enterprises are getting desired results as well in terms of sales, ROI, revenue, and user engagement after switching to E-commerce business operation.

This article is contributed by Elina Reddy, Sr Magento Developer in MagentoStore– Magento 2 Development Services

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