{"id":13106,"date":"2019-01-17T13:39:23","date_gmt":"2019-01-17T13:39:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.engineerbabu.com\/blog\/?p=13106"},"modified":"2026-01-14T07:50:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T07:50:41","slug":"5-things-to-keep-in-mind-for-building-an-ecommerce-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/engineerbabu.com\/blog\/5-things-to-keep-in-mind-for-building-an-ecommerce-website\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Things to to Know for Building an eCommerce Website"},"content":{"rendered":"

It seems like you have finally decided to push the pedal on creating your eCommerce website. <\/span>
\nLook no further, as you have arrived at the right destination.<\/span>
\nWhenever you\u2019re about to begin a large project, it\u2019s good to gather all your ducks in a row before you start.\u00a0<\/span>Building an eCommerce site constitutes a lot of moving pieces. Thus, one needs to consider a variety of factors before jumping in head first.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

From user engagement to site performance – It is one thing to design a simple website, but developing an eCommerce site comes with its series of challenges.<\/span>
\nFirstly<\/strong>, eCommerce websites are built not just to inform and showcase your brand online; they are primarily built for customers to shop. Hence, designers need to ensure that the site is easy to use and intuitive to make sales.<\/span><\/p>\n

Without sales, the whole website will lose its purpose.<\/strong>
\nSo, before you begin, consider reading this article thoroughly as it can serve as a holy grail and remembers these keys to bring your ecommerce product dreams to reality.<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Select an ecommerce or web hosting platform<\/strong><\/h3>\n

If you are a small or medium-sized enterprise and aren\u2019t looking for a customized platform – Then to save time and money, select a popular ecommerce platform.<\/span><\/p>\n

I recommend Shopify, Magento, OpenCart or BigCommerce.<\/strong><\/span>
\nMUST READ:<\/span> Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business \u2013 2019<\/span>
\nMost developers are quite familiar with these, making it easy to integrate WordPress plugin, payment processing, etc. The platforms also come with a range of customizations.<\/span><\/p>\n

Additionally, these ecommerce platforms come at a reasonable price.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Reverse Engineer Successful eCommerce Websites<\/strong><\/h3>\n

One of the most ingenious ways to create an ecommerce website or product that generate\u00a0leads, drives traffic, and converts visitors is to reverse engineer what is already working for the other ecommerce sites. Learning from those who are already excelling in the domain is a sure shot way to ensure that you create a functional platform which is lucrative for your business.<\/span>
\nBut, how can you do that?<\/strong>
\nTo understand what your competitor is utilizing, you can go to Ahrefs (or other competitor analysis tools such as SpyFu, Similar Web, or SEMrush) and type in your own website\u2019s URL or that of your competitors’.<\/span>
\nOnce you do that, try finding out how they\u2019re getting their traffic, what keywords they\u2019re ranking for, what keywords they\u2019re bidding on, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Open source or SaaS \u2013 Choose wisely<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Depending on a variety of factors – such as your company\u2019s current and future needs, as well as budgetary and other constraints – you\u2019ll have a significant decision to make as you dive into the world of eCommerce:<\/span>
\nShould you use an open-source or a SaaS platform to house your online store?
\nLet’s compare:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Open Source eCommerce Software<\/strong><\/td>\nSaaS-based ecommerce software<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
More technical work required<\/span><\/td>\nLesser technical work required<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Set up takes time<\/span><\/td>\nFaster Set Up<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Complicated to use<\/span><\/td>\nEasier to Use Overall<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Allows full control<\/span><\/td>\nLess Control<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
No additional costs<\/span><\/td>\nHidden Costs<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hard to Use<\/span><\/td>\nEasy to use<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Lots of Maintenance<\/span><\/td>\nRequires comparatively maintenance<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Expensive<\/span><\/td>\nCheaper<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

If you don\u2019t require a much-customized online store and want to instead focus your energy & time on running and scaling your venture instead of managing technology – you\u2019ll be more content with a SaaS platform. It will save you considerable time and money while allowing you to focus on achieving your business objectives.<\/span>
\nIf you have the pockets to hire a developer, and want a highly customized shopping experience, then open-source will be a viable bet for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Finding the Right Tech Partner<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Choosing the right tech partner is a critical step to ensure your product succeeds, especially if you are from a non-technical background.<\/span>
\neCommerce can get tricky at times. Some problems arise which could only be handled by experienced developers, thus you must hire a partner who has an experience of working in this domain. <\/span>
\nGoing for a jack of all trades isn\u2019t really a good idea here. Also, solely hiring a developer won\u2019t suffice. You will require an eCommerce domain expert to fulfill your requirements.<\/span>
\nOwing to the fact that ecommerce is a massive entity in itself; it would be foolish to hire someone on the basis of their work in other domains. A developer who is good with designing ride-hailing or dating apps won\u2019t necessarily be good in developing ecommerce applications.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n

Trustable Ecommerce App Development Companies<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

5. Clear and Easy Navigations<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Make sure you have clear and easy-to-follow navigation at every step of the purchase. If a user doesn\u2019t find the product or services they were looking for, they aren\u2019t going to spend long looking for them on your website. After all, they have plenty of options to choose from.<\/span>
\nAim at retaining the user by providing them with a clean and clutter-free experience.
\nKeep in mind the following pointers and you\u2019ll be good to go:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Match Your Design with Your Products<\/h4>\n

Keeping your design coherent with what you\u2019re selling will complete the overall feel and look of your site. While designing, make sure that everything from text, images, color schemes, perfectly aligns with your website.<\/span>
\nFor instance, If your website is selling toys, your design should look fun and colorful.<\/span>
\nAnd if your website is trading gadgets, the theme of your design should look modern and techy.<\/span>
\nFor instance, this e-commerce website which buys and sells Captain America merchandise uses a design that matches their products perfectly.
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Planet Source: planetsuperheroes.com<\/p>\n

\u2022 Proper Product Showcase and Descriptions<\/h4>\n

The purpose of your ecommerce site should be to sell products; thus it is essential to highlight your products on your website. When showcasing items, always ensure that you\u2019re using high-quality images that will grab user\u2019s attention. The larger the images, the better. By showing good quality pictures, your customers will visualize how well the product looks in real.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Myntra Source: myntra.com<\/p>\n

For better usability, choose a layout that emphasizes your product on every page. Don\u2019t give them a hard time finding the page for \u201cAccessories\u201d or \u201cShoes\u201d if they\u2019ve already looked or clicked on a similar product.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022 Easy Checkout Process<\/h4>\n

Besides from allowing transactions to be swift and anonymous, an eCommerce site should also make it as compelling as possible for consumers to check out their items. The more straightforward this process, the more motivation your customers will have to make a repeat purchase. So don\u2019t create too many pages for checkout.<\/span>
\nTry to create a single-page process while not being too overwhelming for consumers.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Payment Options<\/h4>\n
\"Payment
Source: myntra.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I\u2019ve observed several eCommerce sites that deny users to pay with Paypal or with other kinds of payment aside from Visa or Master card. Now with the introduction of a Unified Payment Interface, you need to ensure that you provide ample payment solutions in order to cater to a wide range of shoppers. By considering your consumer\u2019s payment preference, you can increase their motivation to shop thereby boosting your sales in the long run.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Questions to ask an agency when developing an eCommerce site<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Many non-technical customers we encounter are concerned majorly about two things,<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCost & Time\u201d<\/strong><\/h4>\n

But this is definitely not the correct approach to follow. Firstly, you should give clear instructions of what you are trying to build (Clear Requirement Document) and ask other questions like the\u00a0following.<\/span><\/p>\n