Every brick and mortar retail business today is trying to build their online presence with an E-commerce portal. According to a report by Statista, retail e-commerce sales amounted to 10.2 percent of all retail sales worldwide in 2017. The share is expected to reach 17.5 percent in 2021. Retail businesses are joining hands with E-commerce development companies to become a successful online selling platform.

However, we already see cut-throat competition in the online marketplaces of today- a fact that makes it harder for businesses to rely on an E-commerce website design company before considering several factors. In the case of E-commerce, businesses don’t get a second chance at leaving a good first impression. The overall look and feel of an E-commerce website sets the tone for the customer and leads him through the check-out.

But, before we discuss how a retail business can choose an E-commerce solutions provider, let’s take a look at why brick and mortar businesses are rapidly moving towards E-commerce.

The Benefits of Going Online – Justifying the Surge in E-commerce

E-commerce has become the holy grail for retailers and their customers. Here are a few benefits of going online with an E-commerce store for businesses –

Reach a Wider Audience – With an E-commerce website, you can defy the geographical limitations of a physical store. The world becomes your playground and you can choose a customer segment you want to target according to demographics, interests, and other customer preferences, without bothering about the whereabouts of your customers.

Acquire New Customers – With better search engine visibility, you open your business to customers from around the world. Search engines help customers land on your website when they search for a relevant product, even if they never heard about you before. This is an additional source of traffic not available to physical retail stores.

Lower Costs – A brick and mortar store needs a prominent physical location to operate and flourish, while an E-commerce store needs no estate for its presence. Advertising and marketing for E-commerce are cost-effective endeavors, thanks to social media traffic generation, pay-per-click advertising and other forms of marketing. Also, if you automate parts of your business such as payment processing, invoicing, inventory management, and email communications, you can operate an E-commerce store with fewer employees than what a physical retail business needs. You can pass on these cost savings to your customers in the form of discounts and deals they’ll love.

Allow Group Buying, Bargains, and Coupons – Online shopping has a more convenient way of passing down benefits to the customers as opposed to a physical store. Customers love getting discount coupons for online shopping as they can leverage them from the comfort of their homes.

Personalized Experiences – This is something a physical store would not allow you to do. Personalize each customer’s experience to their liking. Offering relevant recommendations and showing products that they are more likely to buy can improve your sales and profit.

Availability – As opposed to a retail store in the neighborhood, your E-commerce store will be up and running 24/7. This means round-the-clock availability and convenience to your customers. And, for you, this means more business and sales.

Targeted Communications – With an E-commerce store, you can better utilize email communications and make them super-targeted for your audience. Using the information your customers provide to you when they sign up, you can send them targeted recommendations, invites for referral programs, discounts, etc.

If you are convinced by now, we know you are wondering which E-commerce solutions provider would be the best for you. Let’s explore some tips –

Tips to Pick The Right E-commerce Website Development Company

Depending on your unique needs, you can pick the best e-commerce development company. Here are a few quick tips to help you-

Look at their Portfolio – Before beginning discussions with an E-commerce development company, take a close look at what they have developed and delivered so far. Evaluate their portfolio to get an idea of the kind of work they have done in the past. It helps to choose an E-commerce web development company that has developed websites similar to what you need. Additionally, don’t just look at the home page screenshots of the websites they have in their portfolio. Go to the websites and navigate through them. Take note of the elements you like and those you don’t.

Interact with a Developer – An interaction between you and a developer will help you learn about the expertise level of the company. On your call with the developer, allow them to suggest features and functionalities for your E-commerce website as per your needs. Assess their expertise as per the ideas they have for your E-commerce website.

Check Reviews and Testimonials – Validate each company’s credibility through their reviews and testimonials. Reviews will help you learn more about your E-commerce development vendor by looking at what previous clients have to say about their experience. If they shower appreciation for their technical expertise, proactive communication, rapid delivery, and so on, this company may be the right fit for you.

Cost of Development – Every enterprise has a budget for each investment they make into their business. If you can expand your budget for the right E-commerce development company, you can be flexible with your pricing options. But, if you don’t want to go beyond a certain limit, discuss cost with transparency. Make sure there are no hidden charges involved and that you’re not in for a surprise.

Website Designing – E-commerce websites need a different set of designing skills than other kinds of websites. An E-commerce website should have exclusive design features of being intuitive, immersive, and easily navigable. Look for designers on the development team and arrange a meeting where you can ask them about the trends in E-commerce website designing and gauge their proficiency. An E-commerce website’s design affects its search engine rankings, too.

Deadlines – If you are in haste to go live with your E-commerce portal and need a development company who can deliver one as fast as possible, deadlines would be another factor important to you while deciding a development partner. Time to market is anyway a crucial parameter as you would not want to wait for a year before getting your website ready. A reliable E-commerce web development company will complete your project in a justifiable period as they would have a team of qualified developers to support your project.

Post-Deployment Support – The E-commerce website development company you choose should be ready to provide service after you launch the website. This is crucial as you may need technical help after the go-live, and you don’t want any downtime on your website. Having a single vendor handle your website will reduce operational hassles for you.

Use these tips for hiring the right E-commerce web development company. You want a firm that will understand your vision for your website and will realize it by openly communicating with you and allowing you to set expectations.

CDN Software Solutions is an E-commerce development company that specializes in building responsive E-commerce websites that are intuitive and immersive. You want to offer your customers experiences they will love. So, an E-commerce development company who can deliver tailored UI/UX for your audience will be the right option for you.

Tell us about your E-commerce portal idea and we will help you strategize it and implement it.Contact us today!