Ecommerce development is front and centre for many businesses. Many CEOs are looking to move more and more activity online. As a result, many businesses who have not optimised their e-commerce capabilities are now bolstering their offerings.
Ecommerce Development Objectives
Before you begin, you must set your objectives. Take a customer-first approach and work back. Then look at how your site will scale as your userbase grows.
Here are some common objectives you should consider:
- Load fast
- Easy to navigate
- Easy to edit, add and remove products.
- Seamless fit with your accounting and reporting tools.
- Linked to your warehouse.
- Can be integrated with your current payment providers.
- Can be linked to future payment providers.
- Will work on your servers.
- Has a community that are building enhancements and plugins.
- It is search engine friendly.
- Track orders.
- Link with customer retention tools.
- Has up-sell and cross-sell functionality.
How Much Does Ecommerce Development Cost
If you want to find out specific costs simply share your requirements with us.
Modern Ecommerce Scenarios
User shop online using their phones. In the past, analysts believed that only research was done on mobile and then the sale took place on a desktop device. In recent years, this has turned on its head.
Therefore, companies must research their end-user requirements before they start development.
Magento – For Enterprise Sites
Magento has been the go-to e-commerce solution for larger sites. It is open source and has many advantages.
Currently, most new sites use Magento 2 which offers more up to date functionality.
Advantages of Magento 2:
- Content Manage System – Modify products quickly.
- Revenue maximisation with up-sell and cross-sell features.
- Responsive shopping carts – Essential for mobile
- SEO plugins available
- It scales – Can handle hundreds of thousands of products and with the proper configuration up to 80,000 transactions per hour.
- Simple integrations to payment, stock management and accounting systems.
- Large developer base. This is great for scaling as you can easily find qualified new hires.
- Robust security consideration and multi-layered staff permissions.
All in all, if you are looking for a robust solution that can scale then Magento 2 is the place to start.
You must configure your servers to meet the requirements of your Magento project. Also, Magento experts will be required not only to build but also manage your site in order to get the most out of it.
Magento Economies of Scale
When you sit down and look at the running costs of a Magento site you realise that there are definite economies of scale.
As a result, there are significant benefits to using Magento on a high volume e-commerce site. However, for lower volume and revenue sites the costs may be too much to justify.
Woocommerce – Recommended For SMEs
For smaller sites, Woocommerce can be a viable option. It is essentially a WordPress plugin. If you are familiar with using WordPress then you will easily be able to merchandise and run a Woocommerce site.
Ultimately, staff members at smaller companies may find it easier to use Woocommerce.
There is a trade-off by using Woocommerce instead of Magento 2.
Quite simply, it comes down to scalability. So, your planning is key. If you plan to grow rapidly then Woocommerce may not be the best solution for you. Imagine having to change platforms after you have build up your site traffic.
In the long-run it will cost you more.
Ecommerce Management a Key Consideration
Merchandising an online shop is often overlooked at the development stage. We would argue that merchandising and considering the day to day management is a priority at the development stage.
All in all, efficient management saves you money. Moreover, with improved merchandising you can increase revenues.
Faster and more reactive promotions can be set-up. Essentially, you must be able to provide a “best in class” experience to your customers.
It’s the job of your development partner to facilitate this.
Conclusion
Share your requirements with us and we can give you a full cost estimate.
