Ecommerce business is developing at an accelerated pace. According to Statista, this growth will continue for the foreseeable future. Some platforms are doing considerable business while some are barely making a profit. Ecommerce platforms Amazon and eBay are making huge profits. Amazon’s net income is $3.2 billion, as per its 2023 report. In the March 31, 2023, financial year, Alibaba achieved notable financial results. It reported revenue of US$126491 million. In this post, we will guide you on ecommerce website development to help you start your online business on the right foot. Let us get right into it.
What is ecommerce web development?
Ecommerce web development is the process of building and designing a site where consumers can buy products online. Ecommerce sites help you generate more profit and revenue.
Options Available To Develop Your eCommerce Website
There are some options to develop your ecommerce site. Let us explore each option in detail so that you can select which way is best for you.
ECommerce Website Development from Scratch
To develop an ecommerce portal from scratch, you must consider several elements like design, product description, payment gateway, user login, search features, and order management system.
Though the ecommerce web development process from scratch allows you to develop & modify all aspects of your code, it also brings massive responsibility for the team. Your businesses and team become accountable for web hosting, PCI compliance, manual patches, security issues, and regular updates.
It could be expensive for the startup, and if it is not suitable for you, you can explore other options.
Ecommerce Website Development with SaaS
If you do not have time to be involved in e-commerce website development, it is an excellent option for you.
SaaS eCommerce is a robust platform that helps you establish an online shop. It also offers a Content Management System (CMS) tailored with the help of an ecommerce development service to the specific requirements of your ecommerce business. SaaS solutions are the most advanced choice in today’s hyper-connected digital world as they are both quick & efficient. Many service providers in the SaaS market include Shopify, BigCommerce, Volution, Adobe, Salesforce, etc.
Ecommerce Website Development With MACH
MACH is a short form of Microservices, API-first, Cloud-native, & Headless. It is a set of principles that support modern architecture, which is helpful for your ecommerce store.
Microservices: Individual sets of business functionality that are independently developed, deployed, & managed. Microservices are made for distinct business capabilities & are designed to perform a single function.
API-first: All functionality is exposed throughout an API, making it possible to tie together two or more applications or services.
Cloud-native: The entire application is cloud-based and hosts SaaS applications to provide elastic scalability & remove the requirement for manual upgrades.
Headless: focus only on the back-end function, permitting users to build their own custom front-end user experiences. This allows complete design liberty & functionality in designing the user interface & connecting to other channels and devices.
Tips to Choose the Best Ecommerce Developer:
If you desire to build an ecommerce website, you must hire an expert developer for your assistance.
Here are some tips you can follow:
Identify the definite Needs of the Project
Before selecting any ecommerce website developer, always do market research to analyze and list project requirements. Doing so lets you know about current e-commerce trends and align your project requirement with the project scope and timeline. With a list of all key parameters & functionalities in advance, you could be well aware of what you require from a development company.
Portfolio
Every skilled developer should have a portfolio of previous work. With portfolios, you can understand whether they will match your needs. By evaluating a company’s related work experience, you can realize its acuity & vision. Try to select an agency that has experience working in your target industry.
Post-development support
After-sales support is significant for every project, always prefer a developer with a good record of after-sales support. You will need a lot of support after the project ends. You need help at that time to ensure your work is smooth.
Qualities of Successful ecommerce sites
There are several features and functionalities to Consider When Developing an Ecommerce Website. Here are some important features that are essential for top ecommerce sites.
Responsive Design
People use their PC and mobile phones to access ecommerce websites and shop online. The website should be responsive to all devices without compromising the user experience and functionality of the site. User-friendly navigation is an essential feature of ecommerce web design. Otherwise, users will not stay on the site. Make sure you have easy-to-navigate menus to quickly navigate and easy to find.
Good online security
On ecommerce websites, you must handle clients’ sensitive financial information, including mailing addresses and credit card numbers. SSL certificate is a must-have. It ensures that data between the website and server is secure.
If using a CMS platform, enhance your website with security plugins. They actively prevent website hacking attempts.
SEO
Search Engine Optimization improves your site’s visibility and ultimately increases sales. You can follow different content strategies and methods to rank higher in search engines.
Site speed
If the speed is not good, customers will lose interest. They will move to the competitor’s site.
You can do a few things to speed up your website, including caching and using in-memory technology for certain things. You could also use fast hosting servers to meet traffic needs. Site speed is an important SEO consideration.
Clear images & descriptions
Online shoppers rely on photos and descriptions for buying. They cannot see or touch it, which is very important for satisfaction. So product descriptions and images are essential for an ecommerce site. If images are big, the site speed will be degraded. So developers need to optimize images between size and resolution.
Don’t display one image after the other randomly. One of the most popular visual display modes in web design today is to tell your story with sliders. It helps capture your visitors’ attention and gives a professional look to your site.
Payment Options
The checkout process must be as easy as possible to help users buy the product from your ecommerce site. You can offer multiple online payment methods in the shopping cart.
Along with offering debit & credit card options, consider adding opportunities for payment providers like PayPal or Stripe. You can also add plugins with a purchase now pay later functionality to inspire clients to press the “purchase” button.
Marketing strategy
An effective marketing strategy is one of the great qualities of a successful e-commerce site. Different marketing strategies may differ, from social media integration to paid advertising and content marketing. You must ensure clients are aware of the site and its products.
Call-To-Action
Some customers are sometimes confused and indecisive. The CTA or call to action button helps them make the buying decision. Add the CTA at a noticeable position on your website & use a fill color that stands out from its background.
Reviews/Testimonials
Reviews have great importance to the buyers. Maximum buyers make decisions after reading reviews. It is also a great way to build credibility for your ecommerce site. It helps to show your prospective clients to see how reliable and trustworthy you are in your field.
Live Chat Feature
Offer a live chat option to your customers. It is of great value to your site as it facilitates instant communication to help your visitors through any stage they are having difficulty with. The quality of customer service you offer plays a crucial role in the growth of your business. Therefore rather than making the customers wait for the answers, many e-commerce websites have added live chat support to their help desk software.
Steps to Build a Successful eCommerce Website
To ensure that your eCommerce website runs efficiently and smoothly, specific steps must be taken to confirm its success. Here are steps for developing a custom ecommerce website.
Establish Your Goals
As ecommerce software has many features, you must identify what features you want in your system. Consider factors such as security, client experience, scalability, availability of third-party integrations, & more.
Select Your Platform
Once you have your objectives, you need to choose the platform of your eCommerce website. Many Ecommerce platforms are available, such as WooCommerce, Shopify, & Magento. Each platform has its own features & capabilities, so it is significant to pick the platform that best suits your necessities.
Design the Website
Now you will need to start designing the website. This includes selecting a suitable theme, creating the layout, and customizing the look & feel of the website. It is essential to confirm the website is user-friendly & easy to navigate.
Integrate Payment Processing
Integration of payment gateway and shipping is complicated. If you are not that knowledgeable, you must work with a software developer. They can help you with your checkout process, shopping cart, payment systems, & shipping options.
Test and Launch
Test all website features, from its design, & navigation, to performance. If everything works fine, launch the website. If not, go back to the drawing board & address the issues.
Monitor and Optimize
When the design and development of your online store are finished, and your ecommerce site is launched, your job still needs to be completed. It is vital to maintain regularly and monitor its performance. You will have to make changes to optimize the site. Using some live visitor tracking tools is also essential to monitor how end-users interact with your online store.
Conclusion
Today, online shopping is rising steeply with a lot of ecommerce websites. Moreover, businesses are investing in ecommerce development to leverage their profits to earn substantial revenues. If you are a retail startup, you could grow & earn more by investing in ecommerce development services. You will get a brilliant opportunity if you invest in ecommerce website development.
