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How to Build a Successful E-Commerce Website
Get Your Business Online with Ease. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer, or small enterprise owner, having a professional and person-friendly website is essential in today’s digital age. Discover the best systems for creating a small business website design and find the best fit for your company’s needs.
If you are comparing ActiveCampaign Vs HubSpot, creating an e-commerce website can assist you in selling products, booking appointments, gathering customer information, and other tasks. The first step is to select an e-commerce website builder to create your site. You can then list products and configure other features, such as integrations with other online marketplaces.
However, there is much more to it than that. So, if you are an online seller or looking to become one, this blog is for you. We will cover every aspect of E-commerce website development to ensure you can successfully launch your online business.
Why Go For An E-commerce Website?
E-commerce website development can greatly improve customer retention rate. Online stores can use automated product recommendations to provide a more personalized shopping experience for customers. Furthermore, e-commerce sites can generate a high ROI because they require a low investment compared to physical stores, where you have to take care of location rental, utility fees, and in-store staff.
How To Create An E-Commerce Website
An ideal e-commerce website development is not as difficult as you might think. Here is a guide to creating a successful one.
Step 1: Pick a CMS (content management system)
A content management system (CMS) is the foundation of every website. There are numerous content management systems to choose from, including open-source platforms like WordPress and beginner-friendly all-in-one website builders like Shopify or Squarespace. However, the final choice depends on your budget for your online store, experience, and unique e-commerce requirements.
The most famous content management systems for e-commerce websites are as follows:
WordPress: The world’s most popular CMS and one of the most customizable website-building platforms.
Shopify: This is an all-in-one solution for businesses that sell physical products and conduct the majority of their operations online.
Squarespace: This is one of the best website builders for beginners who want to quickly and easily create a professional website without prior web design experience.
Square Online: This is ideal for existing retailers who want to sell both in-store and online.
Wix: This is an all-in-one website builder that is both simple and highly customizable.
Big Commerce: This is a sophisticated online store builder created for businesses interested in omnichannel commerce.
Step 2: Create an Account (Or Purchase Web Hosting)
In the case of WordPress, the next step is to obtain a web hosting plan. The best web hosting services include a free domain name, a free SSL certificate, and one-click WordPress installation, eliminating the need to connect your domain manually and hosting to WordPress.
If you are going for an e-commerce store builder like Shopify, Squarespace, Square Online, or Wix, go to the provider’s website and sign up for an account. If your chosen CMS allows it, register your domain name through the CMS to avoid the need for a manual domain configuration process. However, if you are stuck, you can hire a professional to help you establish your website with proper e-commerce customization and design tailored to your customers.
Step 3. Choose a Template or Theme for E-commerce
The first thing you should think about is a theme for your website. Themes are pre-made templates that give a consistent look and feel to your website. All web-building platforms have a plethora of templates to choose from.
Keep in mind that while the majority of platforms offer free templates, some also offer paid (or premium) templates. Shopify and WordPress, for example, both offer premium themes with prices ranging from around $30 to more than $200. The benefit here is that some offer more choices for designs, which can help businesses that want a specific look reduce the amount of time spent customizing their chosen theme.
Step 4: Personalize Your Website and Create Web Pages
You can begin customizing your online store once you have found the perfect theme or template. This is where you will change your header and footer, set up your site’s navigation, and build pages ranging from your homepage to your refunds and return policy.
Step 5: Create Product Listings
No online store is complete without product listings. So, once you have completed your online website, the next step is to create your product catalog, which will contain all of your individual product listings. During this process, make sure to organize and categorize your listings so that they are easy to find and purchase for your future site visitors.
Step 6: Configure a Payment Gateway, Inventory, and Tax Tools
After you have finished updating your e-commerce website, you will need to take care of a few critical aspects, such as setting up a payment process and adding inventory and tax tools.
Choose a Payment Gateway
When it comes to selecting and configuring a payment gateway, many online retailers prefer third-party tools like Stripe or PayPal to make the process easier and more secure. If you redirect the customer to another website, ensure the data is secure and encrypted before transferring it.
Consider the following points when selecting payment integrations:
How simple is it to incorporate the tool into your platform?
Is the tool safe to use?
Is the application PCI-compliant?
What are the fees that you and the customer must pay?
Integrate Shipping
You can integrate shipping with your e-commerce website if your platform allows it for a more seamless experience. It will also simplify operations, allowing you to concentrate on selling. However, before you integrate shipping, decide on your shipping policies, such as free shipping, variable fees, flat rates, etc. While you are at it, establish refund and return policies.
Add a Sales Tax Calculator (Optional)
Additionally, you may want to consider including a tax calculator in your e-commerce website development. It will help you to automatically calculate sales tax, shipping, and any other fees at checkout.
Step 7: Develop And Launch An E-Commerce Site
You must thoroughly test the e-commerce site before launching it to your customers. Every button and link on the website must function correctly.
Test to see if you can add products to the cart and process payments. The majority of platforms will allow you to test payment processing without charging your card. Check to see if all emails are landing in the correct provided email inboxes after a purchase. Last but not least, examine how your site appears and functions on mobile devices. If possible, test the site’s performance across multiple web browsers.
You are ready to launch once you have tested and double-checked everything.
Step 8: Establish Profiles for Email Marketing and Social Media.
If your company does not already have a social media presence, create one. Not every business needs to be on every platform; for small retailers, for example, Twitter and TikTok may not be necessary, and Instagram may be a better fit.
Many e-commerce website builders include built-in marketing toolkits for specific processes, like payments and shipping. You may be able to build email lists, create email marketing campaigns, sell products, and send promotions across your social media accounts directly from your e-commerce website builder.
Step 9: Create Unique Customer Experiences
Personalizing experiences and services is much easier to do online. You can use a variety of media, such as video, audio, stories, customer reviews, and personalized messaging, to create an experience that your customers will remember and share with others.
Step 10: Test and Launch Your E-commerce Website.
The final step in e-commerce website development is to process a few test orders. Your online store builder should allow you to place test orders that connect to your payment processor but do not charge your card.
Once all is set and done, you are ready to open for business. You can send a few test orders or fix any bugs you discover while navigating your e-commerce website.
How InterNative Labs Help in E-Commerce Website Development
Do you want to create a successful e-commerce website to provide a better user experience to your target audience? InterNative Labs is here to assist you. Our expert e-commerce consultant can identify and recommend solutions to problems such as site speed issues, page load times, poor user experience, and shopping cart snags. Any organization can become trapped in an echo chamber, which stifles innovation. Aside from making software recommendations and managing e-commerce optimization on your site, we can help you re-imagine your business processes and marketing strategies.
Improve Workflow with InterNative Labs
Is your company plagued by data entry errors that result in inaccurate inventory counts? Do you frequently experience inefficient workflows, and restrictions to rely on manual processes that slow down work progress or introduce errors or bottlenecks?
We efficiently examine your business processes and software to recommend appropriate solutions. If need be, we also provide a customized e-commerce solution.
Expertise in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS
These are some of the core programming languages of our website developers when it comes to e-commerce website development. This enables us to effectively understand and implement the functionalities of these coding languages into the respective e-commerce projects. Also, it assists us in avoiding common design errors that may result in the delayed launch of your e-commerce website.
Proficiency in MySQL and PHP
MySQL and PHP are two of the most popular web development tools available. PHP aids in the creation of dynamic web pages that are both interactive and user-friendly. MySQL, on the other hand, helps manage content within an existing database. We possess extensive knowledge and expertise in both programming concepts, creating almost any type of website with ease and on time.
On-time Project Delivery
As e-commerce experts, we work on each project with the utmost diligence and compatibility, taking into account all possible aspects of the project as a challenge to complete. By doing so, we develop long-term relationships with our clients.
Search Engine Optimization
E-commerce success necessitates more than just SEO or paid search to bring traffic to your website. We help you generate higher search engine results, improve your online visibility, and bring more organic traffic to your website.
Updated With the Latest Technology & Trends
E-commerce trends, like digital technology, are constantly evolving and changing. When you get in touch with us, you can rest assured that our developers are constantly learning about the industry. To achieve the same result, our qualified e-commerce website development team considers the following:
Subscribing to trustworthy resources such as web blogs or feeds.
Making connections and becoming a part of a network of people who work in the same industry.
Examining the most recently published resources on the specific industry.
Bottom line
Your e-commerce website represents your online brand identity. It would help if you constructed it in such a way that customers can easily experience and understand your brand. Also, keep in mind that getting everything right the first time is difficult. Continue to learn from your experiences, and be willing to experiment and make changes as needed.