For smaller businesses, putting up their online shop on the e-commerce platform in the SaaS model is much more convenient than developing their own solution based on open-source frameworks. What to pay attention to when choosing a perfect platform?
A well-working website is the foundation of an e-commerce business. Without it, no entrepreneur can count on high revenue and market success, regardless of the quality of offered products.
Now, when the share of online purchases in the overall sales is rapidly growing, attracting and keeping the customers is much more challenging than it used to be. All the details matter - from the layout, through the UX design, to the purchase process and payments. It's worth taking all these aspects into mind when choosing your e-commerce platform. But before heading on to them, let's start from the basics.
SaaS or open-source-based shopping platform
When setting up your e-commerce business, one of the first decisions to make is whether you'll build the shop in a Software as a Service model or with the use of open-source software. Each of the solutions has some pros and cons.
SaaS
pros: fast and convenient launch without the support of developers, ready-made script, server infrastructure
cons: limited options of personalization and functionalities, higher overall costs
Open-source
pros: access to free frameworks, much more freedom in designing the structure and adding functionalities, unlimited options of expanding the platform
cons: higher initial costs due to the necessity of cooperation with developers, more time-consuming launch.
How to choose a perfect e-commerce platform?
When choosing a platform in a SaaS model, make sure it corresponds with your needs and expectations. What features should you pay attention to?
#1 Easy management
That's a very significant aspect from the perspective of the vendor. The ability to introduce changes within few clicks and accessing the panel from a few administrators' accounts always come in handy.
#2 Automation options
To improve the flow of your platform and its effectiveness, choose the e-commerce platform that enables automating tasks and creating purchase scenarios. It will most likely result in a sales increase, particularly if you introduce the discount scenarios - the most effective way to encourage clients to purchase. You'll find it, for example, in Shopify Plus.
#3 Advanced payment options
The more options are available, the better. At the same time, the platform should provide the client with advanced security protection. Solid data encryption is the foundation of safety.
#4 Broad choice of functionalities
Try to find a platform with such a spectrum of functionalities that will also be enough when your shop expands. That could be, for example, the integration with the newsletter, blog section, different delivery options, and chat.