This is a guest post by Binny Joseph. If you’d like to contribute to our blog, feel free to get in touch with us.
Several entrepreneurs are following the latest trend of building online stores using e-commerce platforms. You might also be thinking of taking your business to the next level by creating an online presence. Choosing a platform to create an online store is always more beneficial and economical as compared to creating a complete solution from scratch.
Online store builders can do this task faster and include numerous features which work as stepping stones towards your success.
But selecting the apt platform is a challenging task.
You may come across many options but choosing the best depends totally on your requirements. So, once you come up with your business specific requirements, here is a list of some of the vital tips to consider while choosing an online store builder.
Do not miss these key points while making a choice.
1. Security should always be a priority
Security is a pivotal issue and it should be considered with extreme care. Online business is a virtual interface, hence trust is a necessary factor for your customers. Purchasers prefer secure payment options since they to need share sensitive information like bank details and passwords. Picking a web-based shopping basket with integrated SSL encryption is important to guarantee security. Online store builders that provide total security until the time a customer checks out, needs to be your first priority always; as any harm caused by intruders may have major side effects.
2. A platform ready for mobile commerce
E-commerce has shown tremendous growth with time, proving customers prefer it over brick and mortar shopping. But now is the time for m-commerce. Stats say the revenue generated from m-commerce is projected to reach 37.96 billion US dollars by 2020. These figures clearly show the necessity of having a mobile-ready platform for the progress of the online business. Online store builders that provide the amazing function of building a mobile-ready platform as per the choice of users comes with benefits like better sales and customer satisfaction. Google also prioritizes websites which are mobile-ready by giving them a better ranking and a chance at getting higher traffic and sales. Hence a mobile-ready platform is a necessity to survive and thrive, in the e-commerce domain.
3. Make search and checkouts easy for customers
Navigation plays a key role while a customer is purchasing any item. An online buyer may come to your store looking for a specific product or exploring the variety of your store. Customers are likely to abandon your shopping store if they are not able to checkout easily. Hence online store builders that provide an easy way to buy and checkout are highly preferred by customers because getting redirected to a number of pages just for completing a purchase is a time-consuming task.
4. Facility of product reviews and ratings
Customers trust products on the basis of experience shared by other customers. Product reviews and ratings which were considered as an add-on feature initially have become a necessity now. It attracts more online purchasers who are influenced by the good reviews posted by other buyers and hence place their orders. So the facility of product reviews and ratings is one feature that your chosen online store builder should definitely have.
5. Flexibility and Scalability for the long run
Modifying a website according to the changing trends and business needs becomes difficult as it takes a lot of time and cannot be declared as a bug-free solution till it is thoroughly tested. This may take a lot of time if the online store is not developed with the help of online store builders that are flexible. Customization should always be considered when you have to become better than earlier. A completely scalable and flexible platform that allows you to do so with ease can be a good option for a long run and helps you compete in a better way in the online market.
With all these ‘Must Have’ features, your online business is likely to progress soon, earn a profit and become a popular choice for the customers.
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Conclusion
Several brick-and-mortar retailers who wished to build their online stores either chose marketplaces for listing their products or struggled to build up their store from scratch. Since the evolution of online store builders, numerous small and medium businesses have progressed by creating their own brand name. While you always have the option to choose a developer with ecommerce expertise, online store builders are apt for small to medium scale businesses.
Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
About the Author
Binny Joseph is an e-commerce marketing strategist with 5+ years of experience, working with StoreHippo. He writes extensively about the latest e-commerce trends and encourages people to take up the new ways to make their online business a better one. His articles regarding online store builders come from the rich experience of strategizing and handling online business across industry verticals.
