How to Create a Successful Online Store in 2022
E-commerce website development is one of the most rapidly changing fields in today’s technology-driven world.
If you’re considering creating your own online store in 2022, it’s critical to know what the latest trends are so that you can make the right decisions about how to create an online store that will be successful.
Custom eCommerce website development has an incredible amount of competition, but there are strategies and methods you can use to ensure that your project succeeds.
By understanding these strategies, you can create an eCommerce site that gets customers excited and keeps them coming back again and again.
E-Commerce Trends
- What Does Your E-Commerce Website Look Like in 2022?
The e-commerce market is growing like never before, and as we continue toward an omnichannel future, many retailers are facing challenges along the way.
With so much hype around emerging technologies, here’s what you need to know about custom e-commerce website development today.
We break down how to make an eCommerce website, what is custom website development costs,s and much more! So let’s begin our journey of learning
- How to create a successful online store by 2022?
First thing first, custom e-commerce development services have several benefits over off-the-shelf solutions.
Custom business software development companies can tailor your e-commerce solution to your needs and integrate with existing systems seamlessly: which saves time and money in the long run.
And because custom software is built specifically for your business, it will be easier for you to use and update over time.
In addition, with custom software, there’s no risk that a vendor will go out of business or stop supporting their product line: because it was created just for you!
Finally, custom business software development allows businesses to stay agile in an ever-changing industry.
By leveraging a cloud-based technology platform, organizations can easily scale up or down based on current needs without sacrificing quality or stability.
Custom software also allows companies to provide customers with superior experiences and better data insights than competitors who don’t leverage custom technology platforms.
- So where do you start when building your own custom e-commerce website?
Start with research! Understanding what customers want from your company will help determine everything from web design and layout to which features should be included on your site.
From there, you can decide whether to build a new site from scratch or convert an existing site into something that aligns better with customer expectations.
Why Should I Create a Dedicated E-Commerce Website
An online store gives you an opportunity to directly connect with your customers.
You can track their activity, ask them questions and customize your offerings based on their answers.
Using big data analysis tools, you can quickly figure out what products are selling well, which ones aren’t and why.
With custom software designed for e-commerce website development, all of that information is at your fingertips; you just have to know how to analyze it correctly.
In addition, you can use social media channels like Facebook and Twitter to advertise new products or keep interested customers up-to-date with product launches via email marketing campaigns.
If you don’t already have an e-commerce platform in place, make sure to invest in one as soon as possible, it will pay off down the road.
- What Do I Need from My Developers?:
Choosing developers for your project is one of the most important decisions you'll make when creating a successful online store.
To find reliable developers who will be able to create high-quality custom software design and development solutions for your business, start by making sure they've got experience working with clients similar to yours (small businesses) and check references carefully before signing any contracts.
- What Should I Look for in an E-commerce Platform?:
Your e-commerce platform should have all of the features that you need to run a successful online store, including customer relationship management tools that allow you to communicate directly with customers via email marketing campaigns or social media channels like Facebook and Twitter.
You should also look for customer analytics tools that give you real-time data about how people are interacting with your site so that you can streamline it as needed.
- Why Should You Outsource Custom E-commerce Website Development? :
Outsourcing allows small businesses to get access to affordable custom software design and development solutions without having to invest too much time or money upfront.
This means that you can focus on your core competencies while still making sure that your business is running smoothly, efficiently, and profitably.
- What Are Some of the Best Practices for Creating an Online Store?:
When it comes to creating an online store, there are no shortcuts, you have to be willing to put in some work up front if you want your store to succeed long term.
One of the best ways to do that is by taking advantage of free resources like social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, which can help you connect with customers directly so that you can find out what they're looking for before investing in expensive custom software design and development solutions from developers.
What Is Shopify?
Shopify is a cloud-based, proprietary content management system (CMS) that allows anyone to set up an online store and begin selling products immediately.
At its core, Shopify’s purpose is simple: it connects businesses with customers through an easy-to-use platform, offering thousands of pre-made templates.
Shopify has been around since 2004, making it one of the oldest eCommerce platforms on the market today.
In 2018 alone, more than 600K merchants used Shopify to sell their products across 175 countries—and that number continues to grow each year.
Magento was originally released in 2007 as an open-source project, meaning developers can modify and improve upon it at will.
Since then, it has grown into one of the most popular eCommerce platforms available today.
It’s not uncommon for companies to use both Shopify and Magento together, either by using them side by side or using them together for specific features.
- What Is WooCommerce?:
WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows you to quickly and easily set up an online store within your existing WordPress website.
While Shopify and Magento are great options for building new websites from scratch, if you already have a WordPress site there’s no need to start over.
This makes WooCommerce an ideal option for many small business owners who want to get started right away without having to learn how to build websites from scratch.
- What Is Volusion?:
Volusion offers everything you need to build a fully functional eCommerce website from scratch, without any coding required!
The drag-and-drop builder gives you complete control over every aspect of your design, allowing you to create something unique and tailored specifically to your brand.
- What Is BigCommerce?:
BigCommerce is another full-featured eCommerce solution that comes with all of the bells and whistles necessary for running a successful online store.
Like Shopify, BigCommerce also offers 24/7 support via phone, email, live chat, video conferencing, and screen sharing.
- What Is Squarespace Commerce?:
Squarespace Commerce is yet another top-rated eCommerce platform that lets you build a beautiful online store without any coding knowledge whatsoever.
- What Are Some Popular Ecommerce Platforms?
Here’s a list of some of the most popular eCommerce platforms currently available:
1. Shopify
2. Magento
3. WooCommerce
4. Volusion
5. BigCommerce
6. Squarespace Commerce
7. Wix
8. Weebly
9. Strikingly
10. Ecwid
11. OpenCart
12. PrestaShop
13. Magneto
14. CloudCart
15. X-Cart
16. Zen Cart
17. OSCommerce
18. CubeCart
19. NopCommerce
20. Zen Cart
21. CubeCart
22. Oscommerce
23. Spree
24. CS-Cart
25. VirtueMart
26. Pinnacle Cart
27. Cube Cart
28. OSCommerce
29. AgoraPulse
30. Mageworx
How to Get Started with a Custom eCommerce Website Development Platform
E-commerce platforms (or eCommerce platforms) are, in their most basic form, Web development technologies created specifically for online storefronts.
Using a platform to create your online store will generally make it much easier to build, maintain and manage your site.
It also allows you to easily integrate with payment processing solutions like Stripe and PayPal.
If you want to learn more about eCommerce platforms, head over here.
You can also check out our breakdown of some of the best hosting companies that offer custom application development services as well as our list of top eCommerce software solutions for SMBs, which include some popular commercial platforms that provide an easy way for businesses of all sizes (including startups) to launch and manage an online store.
E-Commerce Platform Selection Criteria: Choosing an eCommerce platform is one of the first steps you'll take on your journey toward building a successful online store.
Before you start shopping around, there are a few things to consider so that you'll know what questions to ask and what factors might help or hinder your business's success once it goes live.
To learn more about how to choose an eCommerce platform, read through our comprehensive guide on how to find one that fits your needs.
Choosing an E-Commerce Theme
Before you build an online store, it’s important to first determine your long-term business goals.
Do you want your business to be strictly B2C (business-to-consumer) or do you want to include B2B sales?
A custom eCommerce website development company can help you plan your site for success! First, decide how much time and money you want to invest in launching your site.
- How many SKUs (stock-keeping units), products, and services will you sell?
- Will they vary greatly in price or features?
- How many shipping locations will you offer customers?
- Do you have experience with SEO (search engine optimization)?
These are all questions that must be answered before choosing an eCommerce theme.
As such, if a standard theme won’t work for your business objectives, it may make sense to hire a custom eCommerce website developer.
In addition to saving money on hiring a developer, custom eCommerce website development allows you to integrate any specific functions into your platform that you need.
In fact, with most websites built using off-the-shelf themes, there is often no way to add certain features or fix bugs without recoding large portions of your site from scratch.
Essential Elements of an Effective E-Commerce Website
In order for your online store to be successful, it needs to have effective technology and design.
No matter how well you plan your website, if it doesn’t work well on:
- desktop computers,
- laptops,
- tablets,
- and mobile phones,
shoppers won’t want to use it.
Think of an E-commerce website as an integrated custom application development system that is created around specific customer needs and behaviors (these are referred to as use cases).
From pre-launch preparations such as market research and conceptual designs through launch planning (including web server settings), launching new product lines/versions or sales events, our proven methods will ensure your customers always have a flawless experience when buying from you online.
What can influence your e-commerce website development budget?
- 1) B2B vs B2C: there are big differences between B2B websites and B2C websites.
It all depends on what your main goal is with your business.
Is it branding, increasing awareness, or selling products directly to consumers?
- 2) Time: If you want to create something very simple like a single page with contact details then do not expect any sort of high-end service from most developers who focus more on custom eCommerce website development.
However, if you require some real power and features then there is no way they will build everything within 1 month without making compromises somewhere along the line.
- 3) Functionality: Some clients need certain things done while others do not; therefore we create solutions that cater to both groups. For example, some clients may need multi-language support while others may only need English.
- 4) Size: This is probably one of the biggest factors that influence pricing and timeframes. There are many factors involved here but ultimately, large eCommerce websites take longer to develop than small ones because they have far more functionality involved and more complexity overall.
- 5) Design: This one goes hand in hand with functionality since a lot of functionality revolves around design elements such as CSS files etc...
- 6) Testing: This really should come before development but often gets overlooked by many people until after their site has been built and launched!
- 7) Support: How much support does your developer offer post-launch? Does he/she offer training? Are you allowed to make changes yourself or is there a monthly fee for updates and fixes?
- 8) User Interface: How easy is it for users to navigate around your website?
- 9) Speed: Google loves fast websites so make sure yours loads quickly.
- 10) Security: A strong security system should be implemented into every eCommerce website regardless of size otherwise hackers could potentially steal credit card information etc...
- 11) Hosting Location: Where will your hosting company host your website servers?
- 12) Integration: Will your eCommerce website integrate with your accounting software?
- 13) Branding: Do you want your online store to be completely unique or do you want it to look similar to other websites in the same industry?
- 14) Scalability: Can your eCommerce website grow with your business and handle increased traffic?
- 15) Mobile Optimized: Most of us now use a mobile device more than a computer when browsing the internet. Make sure that your website is optimized for viewing on all devices.
- 16) SEO: Search engine optimization is important for driving traffic to your website, especially if you are targeting international markets.
- 17) Analytics: You need to know how well (or bad!) your e-commerce website is performing. This is where analytics comes in.
- 18) Payment Gateways: This one is pretty self-explanatory.
- 19) Shipping Options: How do you want to deliver your goods?
- 20) Customer Service: How will you provide support to your customers?
- 21) Customer Feedback:How will you collect feedback from your customers?
- 22) Affiliate Programs: Set up an affiliate program for your eCommerce website to earn extra money on the side.
- 23) Promotions and Discounts: Set up a promotion or discount code system for your online store.
1. E-Commerce Website Development Budget: The amount of money you’re willing to spend on your e-commerce website development is one of the first and most important factors that will determine how successful your online store will be. Be realistic about your budget and don’t try to get a full-featured e-commerce website for free. It’s not going to happen, at least not in 2022, when custom eCommerce website development costs an average of $13,000 per year. 2. Understanding Your Customers: Your customers are the backbone of your business and they should be the cornerstone of your e-commerce website design.
Benefits of investing in customized e-commerce development services
What is custom development?
