The challenges of choosing an eCommerce Site – Info Branding

And which eCommerce Site is right for your brand?

If your business is going to be offering products and services online, you’ll need a way to make transactions. It can be difficult, expensive and impossible for many brands to implement eCommerce solutions in-house. That’s where eCommerce sites come in.

The most effective and affordable eCommerce sites have a few things in common:

• Payment options
• Customization options
• Good shopping experience

Pro-Tip: Before you decide on an eCommerce site, take a moment to understand that this site is more for your customers than it is for you. You need to look at this from a shopper’s point of view, not necessarily your own.

Make sure you know your potential customers before investing in an eCommerce site. Are your products high end? Are they sold in bulk? Do they need special shipping considerations? All of this matters when considering the shopping experience.

The key features that matter the most are:

• Easy navigation
• Mobile friendliness
• Personalized shopping experience
• Appealing store design
• Convenience

eCommerce Sites

Shopify
This one is the most widely known and most popular eCommerce sites. Shopify offers a range of services, including automatic taxes, shipping rates, multiple payment options and automatic retargeting.

However, it’s not the most customizable platform out there and their user fees can add up. But you can still make it your own! Here is a link to a sustainable shoe company that makes use of Shopify’s template for gifs and video.

Shopify is great for smaller brands, start-ups, and existing brands just venturing into eCommerce.

Magento
This eCommerce site offers more customization than Shopify. This can be useful for brands that sell unique, niche products that might need unusual categories. It also offers a ton of payment options, plans and pricing.

The fact that it is highly customizable means that it is a bit hard to use. It will take some technical know-how to get started. Check out this company that sells candy and gifts. Their Magento shop has a lot going on but stays streamlined and easy to navigate.

Magento is best for companies that have some technical expertise or are willing to invest in an expert.

WooCommerce
WooCommerce was developed specifically to add eCommerce to WordPress websites. WordPress is one of the most popular site platforms in the country and is a fantastic way for a small business to upgrade their existing website to an eCommerce site.

If you don’t have a WordPress site, you’ll have to get one for this eCommerce solution to work. Also, it has fewer tools than Shopify, and does not have the customizability of Magento.

However, look at what you can accomplish with WooCommerce. Look at this coffee brand’s website. It’s funky, sleek and memorable!

This eCommerce site is a great fit for brands that use WordPress. It does not take much expertise to get started for anyone with a bit of WordPress knowledge.

The bottom line is all of these popular eCommerce sites have their pros and cons. The one is right for your brand depends on your own strengths and weaknesses.

RUSSO is a strategic branding agency that uses consumer insight to change the conversation; forming emotional connections with the target audience. To learn more, click HERE to subscribe to our podcast.