How to Choose the Right E-commerce Platform for your Business

There is a plethora of e-commerce platforms today. But, of course, better marketing happens when you know which platform works best for your business. So how can you choose between these choices? Let’s find out.

E-commerce Platforms: Factors to Consider 

1. Payments

It is important to look into the payment options supported by the e-commerce platform and how you want to handle payments. Are you looking for a platform that allows you to integrate with your billing system or one that handles payments directly? You should also look into the different payment options available on these platforms.

2. Integration

You need to consider the integration options for your business. What other software and marketing systems need to be integrated with the e-commerce platform? Are there any integrations that you might need in the future but are not available now? How easy is it to integrate your website with an e-commerce platform?

3. Features

E-commerce can be very complex, so you should look into how many features are available on a platform. Also, if it has more advanced features like search engine optimization, various shipping methods, promotional tools, customer management tools, stock management tools, and so on.

If you are a retailer aiming at selling physical goods online, you will definitely need an e-commerce platform that offers advanced features like inventory management, order tracking, shipping management, and so on. However, if you are selling services online or digital goods then advanced features will not be as important to you.

4. Scalability

Nowadays many businesses start out small but grow big pretty quickly. 

• So how scalable is the e-commerce platform? 
• Can it grow with your business? 
• What kind of customizations can be done in the future? 
• Does the vendor offer better support for bigger businesses? 
• Do they offer dedicated support for big businesses? 
• Do they charge more for bigger businesses as well? 

You should also look into whether there is a possibility of creating multiple storefronts on a single e-commerce platform or if there are multiple platforms available in case you want to create new storefronts in the future. 

5. Support & Documentation

When it comes to supporting and documentation, it is important to look into how often vendors will release updates or new versions of their software or hardware. 

Also, consider:

• Is there a roadmap that can help you understand whether you can expect updates in the next year or two years from now? 
• Are these updates regular and continuous or do I need to wait for them every now and then? 
• What kind of documentation is available along with the product? 
• Is there detailed documentation about various features available? 
• If not, do vendors provide detailed tutorials or videos? 

6. Security

Security issues can be very serious and can lead to huge losses for your business. You need to be sure that the e-commerce platform you are using is secure enough to keep your business safe from any kind of threat.

You need to look into whether the e-commerce platform is PCI compliant. Also, consider:

• Can I customize the level of security available with the e-commerce platform?
• Does it have two-factor authentication? 
• Can I require a password and login by email for registration? 
• What about data encryption?
• Does it use SSL? 
• Is sensitive information encrypted? 
• Are there any other ways in which my data is secured? 
• Is there a possibility of hacking or breaching security or of malicious code being injected into the platform? 

Considering these factors can help you decide which platform works best for the type of business you are running.