Ask these questions before choosing an e commerce platform

India along with the global markets has been witnessing the ecommerce boom.The online market in India is expected to register a growth of 40% until 2019, the fastest among emerging markets. Thanks to the rapid growth of ecommerce market, anyone who has a business idea, can dream big and carve a niche in this segment. However, there are many things that need to be considered before jumping on the bandwagon and starting a new ecommerce venture. If you are an entrepreneur, the very first question that crosses your mind is whether to get the site built from scratch or choose from the existing ecommerce platforms. This decision needs to be made in the early stages of your project and lays the foundation for your business.

So what are the most important factors that need to be considered when choosing the best ecommerce platform in India? If you are not yet sure, ask the following questions to make an informed decision;

Is the platform affordable?

Budget is the first and biggest concern of any business decision. With so many market players oftentimes price becomes the only factor on which the entrepreneur makes the final decision. The point to be remembered here is- no one is going to offer free services to you and you actually get what you pay for. So, instead of opting for a service which is very cheap consider the features that you are getting in the given budget. If you really want an ecommerce platform to sell your products and make money, compare the features and zero in on the one that is based on the latest technology and gives you best ROI.

Is it scalable and can accommodate your growth?

Scalability becomes one of the major concerns as soon as your business picks up and you start prospering. So, instead of focusing on a platform that fits your current business goals look a bit further and choose one which is capable of accommodating the growth of your business. If your store is not future ready it would not be able to handle the demands from growing traffic and increase in sales volume. Platforms which are not scalable can make your site slow or unresponsive which can drive away the potential buyers. Scalability should always be the key deciding factor when you are considering a given ecommerce platform for your business.

Does it offer built in tools and Customization?

Setting up a store and selling online is juggling lots of tasks and processes. To maintain a balance and ensure smooth end to end operations every online business needs an ecommerce platform that offers variety of tools. Hence it is imperative that you choose a platform that has features to bring in conversions and helps you manage various operational aspects smoothly. Always go for a platform that offers features like inventory management, discount engine, logistics integration, vendor management etc. Also look for a platform that is SEO ready and allows you to use social media to the fullest.

Apart from these features if the platform offers easy customization and flexibility it is sure to take your business to new heights.

Is the platform customer friendly?

Customer is the king and hence every business should be built to make the customers most comfortable and offer them the best shopping experience. Modern buying behavior dictates that the customer gets a seamless and simple shopping experience while they are shopping online. If the customer has to keep jumping back and forth while shopping online they tend to abandon the shopping cart and buy from other sites which offer simple single page checkout. Hence, go for a platform that offers easy purchase and checkout options to end users, having guest- checkout would be even better.

Is the platform mobile ready and supports multi device shopping?

Mobile is the future of online business. The most successful online stores are getting up to 70% of their business from mobile users. So, while choosing an ecommerce platform for online store go for one which is based on mobile first principle and gives you an opportunity to tap every single device channel be it laptop, mobile or tablet.

Is the platform providing multiple vendors?

If you can add multiple vendors to your ecommerce business you are offering a wide range of choices to your customer. No doubt the customers would come flocking to a site which offers them the opportunity to compare and choose the best. So, going with an ecommerce platform that offers multi-vendor facility would keep you ahead of competitors.

Is the platform providing multi-channel logistics?

Logistics is the biggest pain in current e commerce scenario. A platform that gives you a chance to integrate multiple logistics providers can certainly improve your delivery and allow you to reach out to far flung places. This facility would also enable your store to offer various shipping options to end users and thus widen their choices.

Is the platform allowing easy order tracking?

Easy order tracking builds customer confidence as they can see the progress of their order in transit. If your e commerce platform is providing facility for easy order tracking by generating shipping labels it will give dual benefits  because ease of managing order deliveries and gaining customer trust.

Does that platform allow you to offer multilingual site?

The best way to connect to your target audience is to use their native language. If an ecommerce platform offers the functionality to make a multilingual website you can reach out to the customers who don’t use English as their native language. This feature allows you to go global in the real sense as you can target various audience groups based on their regional language.

Does it offer multiple payment channels?

No business can grow to its full potential if it does not tap every payment channel available. If your ecommerce platform offers only one payment channel to your clients you are automatically limiting the number of buyers. Choose a platform that allows your store to tap maximum payment channels as well as COD.

Is the platform Secure?

Run a thorough check about the security credentials of the various platforms you are considering. Security in e commerce is crucial as customers are sharing their most confidential information online. Hence it is crucial to keep all such information safe and secure at all times.If there are loopholes in the security of your online store your will lose customer trust and it would spell doom for your business.Go for a platform that maintains a secure environment while processing online transactions.

What level of support you are offered?

Even if you are an expert of ecommerce field you would need some kind of help and support from the platform providers.More so if you are new to the business and just learning the ropes. So look for a platform that is based on DIY (Do It Yourself) principle and offers good support options. If you are getting support through various channels like mail, chat, documentation, forums and on direct call it means your provider is willing to help you whenever you are stuck in a difficult scenario. Timely support help you explore and implement various features to your advantage.

If you are looking for a platform that provides end to end ecommerce solutions go for one which has all the above incorporated in their package.