T he right commerce software can impact the success of an online business in many ways, setting a business up for success from the start – or causing undue frustrations from software limitations or poor user interfaces.
The right commerce software can impact the success of an online business in many ways, setting a business up for success from the start – or causing undue frustrations from software limitations or poor user interfaces. From improving customer experiences to increasing revenue, it is important for brands to carefully consider their needs and choose an ecommerce platform that best fits their specific requirements and goals. Fortunately, our BlueBolt team is steeped in ecommerce expertise and can help businesses choose the right platform from the start, avoiding costly mistakes. When selecting an ecommerce software platform, there are several important features to consider, including:
User-Friendly Interface
An ecommerce platform should be easy to use a company’s customers. The platform should have a simple and intuitive interface that allows customers to find products and make purchases quickly and easily. Additionally, the right ecommerce software should have an admin panel that is simple for marketers to use. There are multiple ecommerce software platform options that no longer require IT teams to make most updates, enabling marketing teams to quickly react to analytics and spin up relevant promotions and campaigns.
Responsive Design
With ever increasing electronic device options, it’s important for an ecommerce website to function well and be aesthetically pleasing, whether a customer is using their cell phone, a tablet, a laptop or a desktop computer. Customers can quickly get annoyed and abandon a website does not perform well on the device they are using.
Supports Multiple Selling Channels
In addition to offering multi-site and multi-lingual storefronts, it’s vital that an ecommerce software allows selling across a brand’s omnichannel strategy, which can include featuring products across a multitude of marketplaces and social media platforms.
Personalization and Smart Product Recommendations
Thanks to websites like Amazon, customers are demanding personalized shopping experiences. Ecommerce software platforms help drive this experience by offering smart product recommendations, segmenting target markets, defining personas for marketing campaigns and retargeting potential customers across omnichannel offerings. Offering personalized experiences is now tablestakes for brands looking to succeed in ecommerce.
Customization Options
An ecommerce platform should offer customization options to tailor the storefront to the specific needs of the business. This includes the ability to add custom branding, flexible product displays, tailored checkout processes, multiple shipping methods, custom promotions and relevant third-party integrations.
Payment Processing
An ecommerce platform of choice should have multiple relevant payment options available to your customers such as credit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, ACH transfers and other popular payment gateways. Ideally, it should also support a wide range of currencies to cater to both a global and digital customer base.
PCI Compliant Checkout
PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance is a set of standards that ensure secure handling of credit card information during transactions. PCI compliant checkout is critical for any ecommerce business that accepts credit card payments. It helps protect customer data, ensures legal compliance, builds trust in the business, increases sales, and reduces liability.
Scalability
Adaptability to traffic is a very important aspect to consider, as the right ecommerce platform should be able to grow with the business. It is vital for the software to be able to handle an increasing number of products, traffic, and sales without compromising performance.
Security
Security should be a top priority for all ecommerce companies. The best software platform should have robust security features such as SSL encryption, PCI compliance, and regular security updates to protect customer data.
Analytics and Reporting
In an age where data is abundant, an ecommerce platform should provide robust and meaningful analytics and reporting tools to help marketers understand customer behavior, track sales, and optimize their store for maximum performance.
Integration with Third-Party Apps
Support for integration with third-party apps such as order management, inventory management, email marketing, and social media tools are necessary components for a successful ecommerce system implementation. The best ecommerce software platforms will offer an API first model, enabling teams to easily make connections with their software to enable website solution performance.
Search Engine Optimization
SEO is an important strategy for ecommerce businesses that want to attract organic traffic, improve their visibility, and gain a competitive advantage. By continually optimizing the website and producing high-quality content, businesses can attract and retain customers over the long-term, ultimately leading to increased sales and revenue.
Customer Support
The best ecommerce platforms offer reliable customer support through various channels such as phone, email, and chat, with a knowledgeable support team that is responsive to help resolve any issues that arise.
Transparent Pricing
Considering many ecommerce platforms offer pricing based on transactions and similar variables, it is important that their pricing structure is transparent and easy to understand.
This list is the starting point of factors to consider when selecting the best ecommerce software solution for your team. Our team of ecommerce veterans can provide excellent platform selection guidance. To inquire about this service kindly click on the contact us below. Consulting with our BlueBolt team can help you avoid costly and frustrating issues by ensuring you find the right commerce platform for your business needs.
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