One of the foremost decisions you’ll have to make when treading on the path of online selling is to find an eCommerce platform. Picking an eCommerce platform that suits your business is a crucial first step as you'll have the technology and all the functions needed to smoothly run your online store.
Today, eCommerce platforms are a dime a dozen, yet none are created equally. You cannot just pick any eCommerce platform that you believe is best and hope to strike gold with it. No, you’ll need to choose the online platform that is best for you.
Nowadays eCommerce platforms range from providing only the basics to fully-featured website. So, it is up to you to choose the eCommerce platform that best suits your business.
Recent statistics prove that approximately 96% of Americans have made an online purchase in their life. However, these purchases only occur on great eCommerce websites hosted on great platforms. So, in order to determine the best eCommerce platform for your business, you’ll need to properly research and evaluate all of them before making a choice. To help you with this, here are some tips for choosing the most suitable service to host your store.
- Accessible customer support
Prior to choosing one, assess which platform offers themes with customers support abilities and support channels. Recent statistics prove that almost half of consumers list live chat as their preferred way to connect, and about the same number say they would buy from a chatbot. This means that in addition to phone and email, live chat is an efficient support method that helps increase sales. Only choose an eCommerce platform that guarantees live chat capabilities.
- SEO tools
Since almost 43% of all eCommerce traffic comes from Google, it is important to keep your website SEO updated and optimized. This means that your eCommerce site should be in the first place of organic searches in order for new customers to find you. Also, organic SEO has about 5.5 times more ROI compared to paid search ads.
Choosing a template or theme that is SEO optimized from the beginning will help you thrive on SERPs and expose your website to more online shoppers.
- Integration with email marketing tools
Email marketing is still the simplest and cheapest way to build a relationship and engage with your customers. Email marketing also has an average ROI of 38:1.
One of the ways to gain conversion with email marketing is to have buyers register on your page in exchange for some free stuff as at least 54% of people would share their email address in return for promotional items. These include discounts, coupons and two for one promo.
- Security
Online security will always be a sensitive topic. Many are reluctant to purchase online in fear of identity theft, others downright refuse to ever make an online purchase. When selecting an eCommerce platform, choose one that offers top-notch security with PCI compliance, SSL, fraud prevention, and data backups to make sure that your eCommerce website is protected from hacks and data theft from day one.
- Responsive design
One thing that is certain is that 67% of millennials and 56% of Gen Xers prefer to shop online and not in a brick-and-mortar store which puts them in the category of the biggest online shoppers. Another thing that is certain is that Millenials and Gen Xers spend a lot of time on their mobile phones.
To be able to catch their attention you’ll need a website with a responsive theme that adapts to the different screen sizes of mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. Thankfully, Google made this requirement mandatory for all web pages.
- Multiple payment options
Many shopping cart platforms offer a wide selection of payment options and many don’t. For instance, many platforms still don’t offer digital wallet solutions like PayPal, Amazon Pay, Apple Pay or Google Pay. The problem is that sometimes customers have maxed out on their credit card limit, but still want to purchase a product. By offering multiple payment methods you avoid losing a sale and probably gain a returning buyer.
- Technical Support
In 2019, 49% of online retailers have listed e-commerce platforms as a top three investment priority because they realize the importance of a good eCommerce platform. One of the elements that make an eCommerce platform viable is the support they offer. Some platforms might only offer support during business hours in their time zone, other platforms offer 24/7 support.
If you’re serious about your online store, choose a platform that offers technical support 24/7, via chat, email or phone. You must do so because you don’t want to lose business due to a technical problem that could be easily resolved.
Final take away
Deciding on your eCommerce platform may not be easy, but it is the first essential step when starting an online store. Finding the right eCommerce platform to host your online store can be a matter of life and death when it comes to securing the future of your eCommerce business. Always choose an eCommerce platform that suits your business needs best.