Running an online business can be hectic, and strategies to make it easier are always welcome. That’s where eCommerce platforms come in, reducing the burden of operating an online business significantly. eCommerce platforms are beneficial to business owners and customers. Business owners rely on retail software solutions to stay productive while their customers experience a streamlined shopping experience.
eCommerce platforms have transformed online businesses and elevated shopping experiences by helping brands enjoy a range of features such as robust security and scalability. As a business owner, choosing an eCommerce platform is challenging because the market has several options. Selecting a reliable platform that satisfies your business and customer interests is critical.
Before delving into the eCommerce platform selection criteria, familiarize yourself with the benefits of using an eCommerce platform.
Pros of Using an eCommerce Platform
Integrating your online business into an eCommerce platform is advantageous in various ways, including the following:
Higher security facilitation
eCommerce lost $41 Billion to fraud in 2022. For this and other reasons, eCommerce platforms understand the security concern in online shopping and try to address it by building an impenetrable system. Data breaches due to cyber threats like the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, phishing scams, and identity theft can ruin the reputation of your eCommerce platform irretrievably.
You can use emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and Machine Learning on your platform to detect anomalies and unusual user behavior, thus preventing destructive data breaches before they happen.
Better customer satisfaction
Entrusting your online business to a reliable eCommerce platform leaves you with fewer worries and gives you ample time to focus on other critical issues. You get relieved that you don’t need to stay online to ensure your brand is up and running. On the other hand, customers enjoy uninterrupted shopping because established platforms rarely experience downtimes.
In addition, your eCommerce business can be able to use better methods of reaching and engaging customers such as better video production. You can borrow some inspiration for projects like this NFT marketplace specializing in video that can boost your marketing campaigns. In return, you get higher engagement on your content and better customer interactions.
Keep the inventory in check
Inventory management is one of the time-consuming tasks when running a business. It requires you to stay alert and note when stock is about to deplete so that you can restock in time. You can avoid the anxiety of managing the inventory by entrusting your business to an eCommerce site because they integrate inventory management software into the system. That way, you get alerts when the stock is about to run out so that you can avoid disappointing your customers.
Shipment/order tracking
Today’s customers prioritize online businesses that allow them to track the movement of their ordered items. The customer can find the dispatch time and location,, learn the order status through email or SMS, and be notified of delays. Reputable eCommerce platforms facilitate order or shipment tracking, allowing business owners to earn their customer’s trust.
Increased business visibility
eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba have a global reach. Taking your business to such heights allows you to tap into the possibility of scoring international clients. Therefore, your business can achieve the potential of being discovered by more clients, and more sales.
How to Select a Suitable eCommerce Platform
After considering taking your business to the next level, you are ready for the next critical step of choosing a platform. How do you choose a reliable eCommerce platform among the many options present? The following pointers will help you settle on an ideal option:
Mobile-friendliness
Mobile phone users accounted for 70.4% of global eCommerce sales in 2020 when Covid19 spread was at its peak, steady growth from 2016s 52.4%. The statistic implies that eCommerce platforms with low regard for mobile optimization are not worth giving a chance to grow your business because you will lose some of the clients you already have. Go for a platform that is easy to navigate using a mobile phone if you want orders to keep coming through.
Security
Underestimating security in any aspect of online business in this digital era is a recipe for disaster. A little data breach can send down a giant eCommerce platform overnight if no security precautions are taken. Pay attention to the security protocols a potential eCommerce platform deploys to assure your business safety. Do they have SSL certifications? Have they invested in artificial intelligence to detect potential threats? It is painful to lose a business that has taken years of sweat to build to an eCommerce site that isn’t committed to safeguarding its client’s businesses.
Multi-channel support
Most online businesses receive customers from their website traffic and other online channels like social media. If you rely on other channels like Facebook and Instagram to get customers, you should utilize a platform that supports other selling channels apart from the website. This will allow you to make sales from all sources linked to your business.
Costs
If you look across different eCommerce platforms, you will find they have different monthly and annual pricing. Most platforms charge affordably in the starting month and increase later after the business has picked up in the platform. Compare the pricing of all potential platforms to determine the most affordable option aligning with your budget. Also, establish how the platform receives payments to confirm if the method operates within your jurisdiction.
Optimization
SEO plays a significant role in attracting customers to an eCommerce website. Optimization helps eCommerce platforms rank in the first pages of search engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo, making them discoverable by potential customers. Some of the ways that eCommerce platforms can execute SEO is by optimizing product and category pages and using long product descriptions and tags.
Scalability
Is your eCommerce platform choice designed to handle projected business growth? No business owner would want to use a platform that succumbs to increased user traffic. The platform should prove its scalability feature to assure businesses that operations will remain unhinged after experiencing a spike in visitor traffic.
Conclusion
Choosing a reliable eCommerce platform should be easy if you weigh the above pointers. The considerations apply to all types of businesses; B2C, B2B, C2C, C2B, etc. A platform that doesn’t guarantee growth and sustainability doesn’t deserve your time and money.
Remember that online customers have plenty of choices to fall back on if they find your platform unresponsive, slow, and hard to navigate. Customers also pay attention to simple product descriptions and image quality.
