There’s a growing range of platform options available to eCommerce sellers seeking to retail online – so much so that it can be a little bewildering choosing what’s best – particularly if this is your first foray into the eCommerce jungle. So, here we’ve tried to give you a few pointers regarding what it is you should be looking for:
Extensive Template and Design Tool Menu
Making sure that your site looks beautiful is only part of the job – its functionality and user-friendliness are equally as important. Modern, clean and professional- feeling sites make the customer feel comfortable and at home – if your site gives off a signal that you don’t much care about how it’s perceived, then your customers will draw the subliminal conclusion that you feel the same way about your product or service. They might also draw their own conclusions about how safe and secure your site is, and therefore the personal data they’re giving away!
Scalability
It’s hugely important that when you choose your first platform, you do so with one eye on the future. After all – you’re seeking to take this business to the stratosphere, right? Your business needs will change and evolve over time, and may even be affected by such things as seasonality or competitive shifts – so your platform needs to be up to the task of responding to those shifts as well as the rapid growth you’re expecting – without that scalability you could lose customers if they suddenly find you’re not robust enough to handle that growth.
Costs
There’s a wide discrepancy between the main platform providers when it comes to cost, particularly when you factor in the various plan levels most of them sell – from platinum premium down to entry level. Don’t forget to take into account those scaling costs either, or the additional costs of plug-ins and video and imagery that you might want to tack on to make your site the belle of the ball. It’s important to understand ALL your costs right at the start, so you’re not hit with unexpected and business-breaking bills midstream.
Reviews
There’s no better way of finding out if something works than by reading existing customer reviews. Always look at online ratings, BUT you might want to be aware
that most platforms have a range of pros and cons that might not work for someone else but might work for you. So read reviews with a critical eye.
Mobile-friendly
It’s said that more than 70% of Amazon searches are now made on mobile devices – so that all the stuff we’ve talked about regarding look, feel, performance and scalability apply just as importantly to your mobile presence as it does to your desktop. Remember, eCommerce is seen as a modern and up-to- the-minute marketplace, and so your solution needs to cater to that marketplace, and mobile compatibility is front and centre in that effort.
Customer Service
Yes, your eCommerce business might simply comprise of one person – you! But your customer doesn’t care that you’ve got a lot on your plate and a thousand things to do. They want their needs met 24/7, and if you can’t do that for them, they’ll find another seller who can. So make use of a huge range of out-sourced customer service resources that have sprung up all around the world specifically to cater to eCommerce sellers like you ... Remember too, that Jam are here to help. Jam’s the brainchild of a small group of e-Commerce business owners, software developers and marketing experts who think like you do and know what you know and are about to bring you the ONLY unique business management tool you’ll need to make a success of your e- commerce venture. Think of your online business as a cake - the sponge is your operation, the cream on top is your profit, and holding it all together is the Jam in the middle. Watch this space for major announcements coming soon! But if you can’t wait - drop Jam an email here and we’ll make sure you’re
updated direct..