Mistakes to avoid when choosing your next e-commerce platform for your business

What if I told you that the estimate of e-commerce sales for the First Quarter of 2022 was $250.0 Billion? Don’t believe me? Well you better, because that’s what the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce says!

Just imagine making that much money from e-commerce alone! Sounds unreal, huh? Fear not, it can easily become reality.

How can you do it? The first and most crucial step is to choose the right e-commerce platform.

Unfortunately, this is the very step, where the majority of people mess up.

Choosing the right platform can be a tricky process! But we are here to help! Make sure to never make these mistakes, if you don’t want your business to be a total flop!

Online Shopping Store
1. Not making healthy investments (You gotta spend some money!):

Here is the thing (this might give a mini heart attack to many budding business owners), cheaper doesn’t always mean better! Sometimes, you have to spend some extra cash, to make the most out of your business! 

 

Cutting off your costs also means cutting off some key features like SEO and analytics! Platforms like Shopify and WooCommerce have launched thousands of businesses from the ground up! For instance we have Haus and Negative from Shopify, Technopat and BuddyBoss from Woocommerce!

And if you wish to go that extra mile, you can even go for custom web development.

These options might cost a little bit more but you will undoubtedly get the most comprehensive and secure features to build an impactful online store! 

 

Here is a word of advice!

 

If you go for the cheaper alternatives you might end up spending most of your money (that you intended to save) in fixing basic and easily avoidable problems. So invest accordingly!

Coming up with slogans can be a cumbersome process at times and also not very effective; that’s why it is advised to take inspiration before coming up with a slogan or a tagline.
2. Picking an unreliable host provider (scammers are your worst enemy):

Every online store needs a web host. You literally cannot function without it! But you gotta proceed with caution when picking a host provider!

 

Why?

Because not all hosting providers are good, in fact most of those you find on the internet are frauds, who will sweet talk you into an ill-conspired scam!
So don’t just google ‘Cheap hosting provider’ and click on the first name that pops up!

Do your homework – research is key!

Don’t get overwhelmed by the word ‘research’. You’re not writing a Phd thesis, finding reliable sources is as simple as watching relevant Youtube videos and  reaching out to experts on trusted social media sites like LinkedIn. (emphasis on RELEVANT and TRUSTED).

 

I am not exaggerating when I say that your web host can make or break your business! Be wary and wise!

Here are our recommendations for best hosting providers:

  • A2 Hosting – Best page speed
  • SiteGround – Best for ecommerce features
  • HostGator – Best for uptime
  • Bluehost – Best for help and support
  • DreamHost – Best for beginners
3 Not taking the CMS into consideration

In order to attract and retain customers, you need to provide them with a seamless user experience on your website. Now, here is the thing, having an aesthetic design and an easy to navigate template, will definitely do the job, but only half of it. The other half is quite crucial, yet most rookie business owners fail to consider it.What is this other half exactly? An effective Content Management System (CMS for short). 

 

With a CMS, you can create, manage, modify, and publish content in a user-friendly interface. Moreover, you can have multiple users working in the back-end of the same tool — and much more. With a CMS you have creative control and can easily make changes to text, audio, video, and almost every aspect of your content really!  So do not compromise and opt for a platform with an efficient and collaborative CMS! Platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, Laravel and WordPress are at the top of the game when it comes to their Content Management Systems.

Development
$20k
Our ideas will definitely meet your expectations
UI/ UX Design
$13k
Create, curate, teach. That’s the way we code
Plugin Development
$26k
App development team that’s par excellence
Customize App
$18k
We not only build applications but also dreams
4 Not utilizing a Scalable platform (you gotta be prepared for heavy traffic):
Let me paint a picture for you real quick, With time, your business will grow and you’ll obviously have more clients! Along with it more orders and more website traffic too! Don’t get ahead of yourself now!
Higher traffic is both a boon and a curse. While it means your business is blossoming, it can also slow down your website! No one likes a slow and laggy website. You might even end up losing some valued customers!
According to a case study by Load Storm, 39% of e-retailers claimed they lost money last year due to performance or stability problems. Surely you don’t wish to be a part of that 39%! So what is the solution here?  Three magic words….
SCALE YOUR WEBSITE.

Let me explain, 
Scaling your website allows it to support any traffic load. Unfortunately, when it comes to scaling, most e-commerce business owners make a fatal mistake- they start thinking of a scaling strategy only after their website goes down due to excess traffic! Now that is a big no-no. So you have gotta start thinking of a scaling strategy right now, because you never know when you hit the jackpot!
The first step in that direction is to choose a scalable platform. Don’t think small, when it comes to your e-commerce business, it is all about ‘GO BIG OR GO HOME!’ Think about the growth of your business and this will help you in both choosing a scalable platform and managing your project in the future .
Here are some recommendations for scalable platforms you can build your website on :
  • Shopify for easy scalability 
  • Azure and AWS if you are using custom web development
  • WordPress (be sure to have a good host)
5. Limiting your customizability 
One of the big mistakes people fall for is choosing a rigid platform and trying to make their content fit in. This can lead to detrimental issues like improper product showcases, limited customizability and so on! Choose a platform that will fit your needs and not the other way around!
Working with a highly compatible and dynamic platform can come in real handy! you can add in cooler features, change your product category or come up with a brand new look and much more! Basically you will have the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want! 
Some of the most customizable e-commerce platforms are :
  • Shopify for it’s huge collection of themes and extensions
  • Woocommerce for it’s plugins and extensions
  • Custom web development for over all customizability
Conclusion :
With various e-commerce platforms to choose from, making the right choice is indeed an important decision! Not to mention, scary too.  The platform you go with is going to be a long-term investment! So, start with considering what you need and what will suit your products, moreover what will go with your brand in general!
It is true that picking the right platform requires some expertise and knowledge. But if you can avoid the mistakes mentioned in this article, you will already be halfway there!