5 min read
If you plan on starting a business and selling products and/or services, purchasing an eCommerce site is crucial in order to capitalize on online sales growth for your business.
With the eCommerce industry continuing on an upward trend for the last 10 years and brick and mortar stores making the switch to online stores, eCommerce platforms have become a do-it-all platform
In order to decide which eCommerce platform you want to launch your uniform program, you’ll need to assess the various stages to discover which platform fits best with your needs.
The first step when starting an online store is deciding on your eCommerce platform.
Make sure you do the proper research beforehand because swapping out eCommerce platforms can be time-consuming, frustrating and expensive.
The process of having to establish the online profile of your business, re-import your inventory, choosing a new theme, features, etc can take time away from the other aspects and tasks that come with running a business.
Go off your checklist and do your homework to ensure you make the right decision the first time.
Utilizing the proper eCommerce platform to manage your uniform program helps facilitate the everyday tasks of preparing online sales.
Using an eCommerce platform that completely incorporates all parts of your business takes into account smoother activities and offers you the chance to further develop your business and reach its maximum potential.
Each and every eCommerce platform offers different features.
Aside from the basic eCommerce functionalities, some platforms offer unique designer tools, options for custom embroidery to meet the needs of your company, built-in marketing tools, preferred groups, merchandising & promotions, apps store, content management system and more.
An eCommerce platform that offers a number of apps to meet your uniform program needs to integrate amazing features to your site is one you should consider
When it comes to deciding on which eCommerce platform is best for you, it's important to factor in speed and scalability.
Slow eCommerce platforms are bad for business and can have a negative affect on not just your customers, but also business metrics such as pages views, conversion, bounce rate etc.
Customers expect a smooth transaction and a website to load at a fast pace. A slow website will lead to unhappy customers who are less likely to make a repeat purchase.
The design of your online store is defined by the theme you choose for your store.
Most eCommerce platforms offer a wide variety of themes to choose from. Some are free with subscriptions, some are premium and require an additional fee, and some platforms offer designer tool features that allow for your design to be customized to fit the needs of your store.
Consider how much time and effort you want to put into customizing your page and the selection of themes that the platform offers.
Providing a seamless experience when choosing an eCommerce website for your online customers is imperative. You should want your website to be optimized, engaging and well written - and the payment process experience plays a vital role in that.
The last thing you want as a business over is for your customers to get to the checkout and abandon their cart because of a poor experience while trying to checkout through your platform.
As previously mentioned, some platforms offer a limited selection of payment options and don’t accept payments via third party vendors (PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, etc).
But many larger companies have a wide variety of payment option, especially if you sell internationally.
Providing customers with outstanding customer service and technical support through your platform has great value for your business.
Certain platforms offer 24/7 support, and some platforms only offer support during business hours in their time zone, typically Monday through Friday.
When working with eCommerce, you’ll need to ensure that security is made a priority. Online businesses have a duty to their purchasers to secure their data.
This implies ensuring that your eCommerce platform features an SSL certificate, PCI compliance, data backups, fraud prevention and much more.
Make sure that your web-based business site is shielded from hacks and data theft from the get-go.
The main thing you ought to think about when looking for an eCommerce platform is the cost.
Whether you're already established brick and mortar store with plans of moving your business online or a smaller business that’s just getting started, you need to know exactly what you’ll be paying for and how it fits into your budget.
Depending on the type of platform you get (self-hosted vs hosted), most platforms will charge a monthly fee. Also, take processing fees into consideration when deciding on the type of platform you wish to have to manage your uniform program.
Weigh the pros and cons of each platform and don’t sacrifice the things you’ll need for your program to be successful just to have a cheaper price.
Keep in mind that some platforms don’t offer the ability to pay via third-party vendors like PayPal. That can be a major inconvenience for your customers and lead to shopping cart abandonment.
After all the time and effort spent into designing a website that will help convert traffic into sales for your company, it’s imperative that your website is up and running all the time. The host is the place your site will live, and that should be a reliable and effective service you can count on.
