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How to Choose the Right Ecommerce Platform for Your Business?

There are mainly three types of e-commerce solutions in the market.

  • Open Source (Free content management system)
  • SaaS (Software as a service)
  • CaaS (Commerce as a service)

SaaS and Open-source based solutions are popular among businesses. CaaS is a growing trend regarding them. It is too a cloud-based solution like SaaS.

There are mainly three types of e-commerce solutions in the market.

  • Open Source (Free content management system)
  • SaaS (Software as a service)
  • CaaS (Commerce as a service)

SaaS and Open-source based solutions are popular among businesses. CaaS is a growing trend regarding them. It is too a cloud-based solution like SaaS.

To choose the right e-commerce platform we need to consider following points:

    1. Supported systems and integration- website, blog, social media, shipping provider, etc. Does your desired eCommerce solution accommodate social media marketing such as Instagram, Facebook and does it integrate with your CRM?
    2. Payment methods and payment gateway- preferred methods, such as Visa, Mastercard or PayPal? Does the payment gateway or method, for example, Stripe or ApplePay, suit your needs as a business, and make it easy for you to access your hard-earned income?
    3. Checkout methods and security- Is it easy and safe and secure
    4. Timing. How long will it take for your business to be operational by adopting the eCommerce platform of your choice? If it is a time-sensitive deadline you are facing, such as merchandise or tickets for a specific event, can your store be online and trading successfully in time?
    5. Mobile-friendly. An absolute must! Mobile shopping, browsing, purchasing, research and decision making is always within our reach, right in our pockets. Does your eCommerce platform support the mobile experience 100%? If not, it’s not for you!
    6. Technical support. Despite the ease with which eCommerce solutions can be deployed, there is often a hitch, a glitch or a 2 am gremlin in any system, when you need an expert, like, now! What are your options in this situation? Is there 24-hour support, or support in specific time zones only? Is there telephonic support, and is it included in the package you are looking at purchasing?
    7. Search engine optimization (SEO) friendly
    1. The bigger picture and the future. Consider where you are now, and where you would like to be in the future, and whether your chosen platform can accommodate both of you! You might be looking at a small, experimental set up right now, on a shoestring budget, that could be a very different scenario in a year or two. Will it be possible to stay with the same solution provider with your projected growth?

     

    9.   ON THE TYPE OF BUSINESS:

    • B2B or B2C,
    • type of scale -small, mid-market or enterprise
    • niche product/ services or mass marketing

    Below is the survey and market share according to the type of business.

    Ecommerce Platforms Survey and Market Share
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