Steps for Developing a Custom eCommerce Website

So you have finally decided to conduct your first eCommerce development project. How does it feel? Quite scary, isn’t it? Well, here’s a tip to achieve sure-shot success. Remember this, 

 

“If Anyone can make it work, It’s You!”

 

Today every businessman is willing to jump into one of the most profit-spinning realms, i.e. eCommerce. Launching an eCommerce store has become quite evident to succeed and created a strong online presence. Over the course of years, the concept has surely assisted numerous aspiring entrepreneurs, especially the ones who are not technically sound. This means even if you are a non-techie, launching an ecommerce store is a doable job. Here’s how! The following post features a step-by-step guide for developing a custom eCommerce website. However before we proceed further, let us take a step back and find out what are the current eCommerce stats that must be taken into account. 

 

 

Source.

The concept of eCommerce development is about selling a wide range of products and services across the globe. With the rise in such concepts, expansion across the world becomes easy, geological barriers have decreased to a great extent. As per the sources, the global eCommerce market is expected to reach $5.7 trillion and the numbers simply keep on growing slowly and steadily. In addition, there are some other mind-boggling numbers to take into consideration. 

 

- More than 59% of millennials tend to visit Amazon for shopping online instead of visiting physical stores

- 93.5% of global Internet users tend to shop online

- The overall eCommerce industry is found growing by 23%. And this is the case for every year. 

- It may quite interest you to know that there are around 12 to 24 million online stores available around the globe.

- Even after the COVID pandemic, more and more people are found shopping online. Check out this image below.

 

 

On and all, it is a safe bet to say that eCommerce development is growing at a fanatic pace. Not to mention that the consumer behavior is found changing all thanks to the increasing digital channels and ways. Wondering why? 

When you have a strong online presence, it doesn’t matter whether you have all the products available in your warehouse. You can simply showcase your entire inventory and import those products only when they are in demand. As a result, you can save a lot on rental costs and extra storage space. In addition to this space, you can save a lot on electricity charges and maintenance of these products. So overall, you are saving a lot when it comes to eCommerce.    

The next advantage or reason behind the increasing popularity of the ecommerce industry is that here businesses can offer a wide range of products at a time. There are no limitations here! Here any and every customer will get what they are looking for, whether it’s apparel, accessories, home decor, electronic gadgets, or any other product, you ought to find anything in an eCommerce store. It’s a one-stop-shop destination. So here in the end the chances of offering customer satisfaction is pretty high. 

 

In addition to offering a variety of products, the store owners can also provide different variations of the same product, be it of different colors, patterns or sizes. So in an eCommerce store, anyone can shop within a span of 15 minutes or even less. 

As we all know the power of online selling is huge visibility. The more visible you are the more you are likely to attract customers from all over the world. You see earlier while using a brick-and-mortar store, only those who live nearby might know about you. Fortunately, that’s not the case with the eCommerce industry. Products can be viewed and purchased from wherever and whenever they feel like. All it takes is a well-optimized ecommerce store and leave the rest. In addition, customers here can share their favorite products with their friends and relatives. This definitely spreads the word like fire for you. Also, other customers can see which product is the best seller or highly recommended by others. 

Of course, convenience is one of the core reasons why ecommerce development is gaining so much popularity and that too in a very short span of time. For both end users as well as businesses, eCommerce turns out to be quite convenient. Your customers can browse your store at any point in time and make a purchase. And within a span of a few days, their product is delivered right at their doorsteps. Unlike earlier, when no one has to step out of their house to buy the product. Similarly, an eCommerce business can run while sitting at your home.   

Last but certainly not least is the risk is quite low when it comes to ecommerce. Creating a website is way more cost-effective than developing a physical or a brick-and-mortar store nearby. When you develop an eCommerce store, there is no need to worry about any rentals or overhead charges. In fact, you can sell products at competitive prices sitting at your home. So the risk is pretty low and the scope of making profits is pretty high. 

 

Now enough is said about eCommerce and its advantages. Time to get started with developing an eCommerce store. 

 

The first and foremost step is to figure out what exactly you want to sell. If you have no idea about that, what’s the point of creating an eCommerce store? Whether you want to sell any handcrafted products, digital products, fishing lures, apparel, accessories, home decor, electronic gadgets or you just wish to sell these all. Find your niche and then move further. 

 

See where exactly is the current market heading to and what are the customers mostly looking for. And then decide. Also, ensure that the products you are trying to sell are well-researched about. Also, have some business objectives and ethics, and stick to them till the end. 

 

In addition to all this, you must be aware of the future trends and future buying needs of your valuable customers. And of course, you must be well-acquainted with what your competitors are doing. Today, every other business is willing to enter the eCommerce realm, so the struggle will be there but finding a niche and sticking to it can provide you with a better scope to succeed. So have a unique approach and who knows everything might work in your favor.    

Now the second step is considering which type of eCommerce website would you like to go with. Some of the most popular categories to have a look at includes:

 

- Vendor-specific eCommerce websites

- Multi-vendor online marketplaces

 

So what is the difference between the two? Well, to be precise, vendor-specific eCommerce websites are mostly developed by individuals or should I say the vendors only. Most of the eCommerce stores found these days are vendor-specific. For instance, if you already own a brick-and-mortar store and are willing to develop an online version of it, consider the vendor-specific type of eCommerce store. Have you checked out Nike’s website?

 

 

Moving on, multi-vendor online marketplaces mean as the name implies, here different vendors come together to sell their respective products. For example, Amazon, eBay, Etsy, Flipkart, Myntra and the list goes on!  

 

If you have just entered the eCommerce realm, then definitely consider a multi-vendor online marketplace. Most of your new customers can get acquainted with your products in no time. Also, you can reach large or global masses with such huge platforms.

 

 

Source: eBay

   

The next step to take into account is setting up a payment gateway. This is an eCommerce store we are talking about and there is no point in launching one without setting up the right payment gateway. However, some of the popular payment gateways include Stripe, PayPal, and so forth. If you want more and more customers lurking on your website, you must ensure that the data is highly encrypted and secured. 

 

Now, whenever you consider choosing a payment gateway. There are certain aspects that must be taken into account, of course, for your own good! 

 

- Is the chosen payment gateway easy to integrate? 

- Does the tool offer high-end security?

- Is the tool PCI-compliant?

- Are there any additional charges required? 

 

Some of the best payment gateways include Braintree, Stax, Stripe, Square, Helcium, Merchant one, and Payment Depot. 

Though you are developing an eCommerce store, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be focusing on the branding of your store. Who knows you can be the next psyche? Choose unique and iconic kinds of logos, and come up with aesthetically pleasing visual identities, after all, this is what branding is all about. Don’t just launch another eCommerce store in line. On the contrary, try creating an anonymous entity that everyone is vouching hard for. 

 

One of the key aspects of successful branding is to come up with a story.  Let your audience know more and more about you. A human touch can work so many wonders which you had no idea earlier about. In addition to this, do not stop at a dull monologue. Try incorporating content that’s pretty active and engaging.  

 

It doesn’t matter what you are selling, just ensure that you are tooting a different horn from your competitors. Also, the brand voice has to remain consistent for better outcomes. 

Last but certainly not the least point to keep in mind is SEO (search engine optimization). After all, you are not developing a website just like that for fun. It’s a bloody serious battle that you must win and here’s the key weapon that every ecommerce store owner must keep in his or her arsenal, i.e. SEO tactics. Create your eCommerce website in such a way that you gain organic traffic right from day 1. Also, not to mention that ignoring SEO strategies means you are receiving less amount of clicks than expected. Some of the best common SEO tips to follow are: 

 

- Use Terms which are commonly used by your target audiences

- Keyword research is a must here

- Keep watching your headers, H1, H2, Metal titles, descriptions from time to time. 

- Incorporate keywords without hampering the content’s readability. 

eCommerce is worth giving a shot concept, especially in today’s fast-paced digital times. So sit back and think hard about your business needs, and check out the current market trends, what is yay and what is nay! Try to create a store that offers a unique customer buying experience. After all, this is something that will provide you with a cutting edge over your competitors. 

 

You see, creating an eCommerce store is not that difficult. All you need to do is start looking for a reliable and reputable eCommerce development company that has a team of professionals who are highly skilled and experienced in developing a unique and aesthetically pleasing store that features all the necessary features and functionalities. Basically, you need to come up with a strong online presence. 

 

And of course, you might not get everything right the first time. The key is to keep trying again and again and never give up on the dream of commencing a successful eCommerce venture. 

 

So that’s it for now! I hope now you know what it takes to build a unique-looking eCommerce store. I hope the following post provides you with some help. Also, do help us in spreading the word by sharing the post among your peers. In case, if you have any doubts or queries, feel free to reach us out in the comment section below. We will surely get back to you in no time.