Whether you already have an established business or you’re still just planning it up, if you want to establish an online presence, then one way to breach the market is through an eCommerce platform. The right ecommerce platform lets you develop an online shop where you can freely offer your products or services to potential prospects in a digital space.
If you’re looking to expand your business and gain more customers, it’s best to have a place where you can manage your online reach and lead to better possibilities in the long run. Two of the more popular eCommerce platforms are WooCommerce and Squarespace—both of which are ideal candidates for a beginner like you.
Before you choose a solution for your business and begin hiring a web designer to create your website, you must first understand how an eCommerce platform works. Keep reading below to find out what you need to do to guarantee you achieve the results you want for your online shop.
Things to Know When Choosing an eCommerce Platform
Prioritise Good User Experience
Part of managing an eCommerce website is making sure it highlights proper usability—particularly with your visitors’ ability to view, navigate, and engage with your online store without issues. The platform you choose that will host your online store should give shoppers a memorable user experience.
Always remember that not everyone is inclined to browsing websites, let alone utilising modern technology. It will help to select an eCommerce platform that offers a user-friendly structure to give your visitors a pleasant time looking at your offers. Eventually, they will become your customer, checking out and successfully buying your products or services—all because you made it a simple process for them to go through with it.
Choose a Reliable Payment Gateway
An eCommerce business isn’t complete without a dependable payment gateway to allow your customers to buy what they need from your brand. That’s why it’s crucial to be familiar with various payment methods and choose the best one that offers nothing but good outcomes.
A payment gateway acts as a middleman standing in between your online business and the payment processor. It works by taking care of the payment information a customer submits when purchasing something from your website and transferring it to the payment processor.
Focus on Scalable Opportunities
One fundamental factor to think about when picking out the right eCommerce platform is scalability. Since most businesses aim to expand in the future, it’s important to think ahead and lay down your company’s plans based on its budding potential.
If you want to avoid facing hurdles and stressing out over the lack of capabilities your business holds, your chosen eCommerce platform should prove that they care about their clients on a deeper level. Besides getting a freelance web designer to help you attain your objectives, the eCommerce provider you select should support your business’ dreams as well.
What Is WooCommerce?
Established in 2011 by WooThemes, and later on owned by Automattic, WooCommerce is a platform that runs about fifty-five per cent of eCommerce websites and over two million online shops at present. It is a free plugin that lets you create your own website and turn it into an eCommerce store to represent your business.
You can choose to run your eCommerce using WordPress, the most recognised content management system for online stores today. You can also benefit from other extensions, such as MailChimp, PayPal, and Google Ads.
What Is Squarespace?
Squarespace is a platform that caters to the needs of every individual looking to build a business online using an easy-to-use, stylish, and effective online channel. If you’re interested in promoting your products or services online, Squarespace offers numerous features you can take advantage of to help you attract more customers.
Like WooCommerce, you will also need to link a payment processor to the platform to help you manage credit card transactions, handle refunds, and cater to other finance-related concerns. They offer ready-made templates with good designs to help you display your products or services, promote your latest deals, and build your business’ reputation online.
Conclusion
When selecting the right eCommerce platform for your future online business, you should remember to prioritise good user experience, choose a reliable payment gateway, and focus on scalable opportunities. It’s up to you whether you decide to select WooCommerce or Squarespace, or even the other available platforms in the market. Besides having a trusted platform, you should also hire a website designer to take care of your online page’s layout and overall design.
Are you looking for a freelance digital marketing consultant in Melbourne to help you with your eCommerce business? SKCreative offers digital marketing solutions for businesses, including web design, landing pages, Google ads management, and Facebook ads management. Get in touch with us today to receive a free consultation!
