6 Must-Haves for a Fast, Flexible eCommerce Platform.
See which features you need to grow fast and keep going.
Now is the perfect time to get started with eCommerce.
eCommerce is on track to reach 25 percent of the U.S. retail market
by 2030, and it’s projected to become the world’s biggest single retail channel by 2021. Of course, succeeding with eCommerce means finding an eCommerce platform that will support long-term, sustainable growth. A fast and flexible platform can make launching your business faster and easier. It can help you reach more customers across multiple geographies and deliver a truly unique customer experience.
But the wrong platform can slow you down. Rigid templates can limit your creativity and leave you with a store that looks like everyone else’s. A lack of solution partners often means doing everything yourself. And an inflexible design can make it almost impossible to add new functionality as your business evolves and grows.
How can you get it right?
This eBook highlights six questions to help you pick an eCommerce platform that’s fast and flexible enough to grow on.
1. Is it in the cloud?
Cloud-based platforms often cost less and can easily scale to your needs. Rather than pay for all your costly hardware and software licenses upfront, you typically pay a subscription fee based on usage. You can quickly scale-up or down based on your business needs. Plus, cloud-based platform vendors manage the underlying IT infrastructure for you so you don’t have to deal with multiple vendors and service agreements.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Whether you are just starting out or already have an eCommerce presence, choose an eCommerce platform that runs in
the cloud.
2.) Are you locked into rigid templates?
Your eCommerce platform should work for your business now and years from now. In other words,
you need a platform that can evolve as your business grows in size and complexity. “Plug-and-play” platforms that come with canned templates and purchase flows can be easy to set up — but they may not have the flexibility or breadth of functionality you’ll need over the long haul.
When you outgrow these templates, you’ll have two choices: pay for customizations that are costly and difficult to implement, or pick a new platform. Unfortunately, many template-based platforms will not let you modify their code. That means you’ll have to rip out your eCommerce platform and start over just as you’re taking off.
KEY TAKEAWAY
Don’t force-fit your business needs to the capabilities of your technology vendor. Choose a vendor that provides enough flexibility to create an original customer experience.
