E-commerce presents numerous advantages to entrepreneurs and companies. For one, e-commerce businesses are open around the clock, which means customers can browse and purchase your...
E-commerce presents numerous advantages to entrepreneurs and companies. For one, e-commerce businesses are open around the clock, which means customers can browse and purchase your products at any time. Your online shop can attract different types of shoppers, from those who normally shop in physical stores to those who’re too busy to shop in person.
E-commerce sites also greatly expand your customer reach, and you can compete for new business across borders and time zones. And if your site ranks prominently on Google’s search engine results pages, you can gain more targeted traffic, which will positively impact your conversions and sales.
The online shopping experience on e-commerce websites can be greatly improved through website personalization, helping you retarget customers and personalize upsells more effectively. Lastly, online stores have low start-up and running costs, and rent and upkeep costs can be saved when you have an e-commerce store.
If you’re planning to start your own e-commerce business, you can build and develop it using a wide range of online software. From website development to product marketing, the following ecommerce platforms and tools can help you create a successful and profitable online business.
Screenshot from Shopify
Due to its very own end-to-end online selling solutions and user-friendly interface, Shopify is considered to be one of the most popular e-commerce platforms today. It allows you to create your storefront in an instant, unlike similar platforms.
Shopify offers 100+ free and professional themes and a custom domain, so you won’t need any design skills to create your brand online. You can also easily customize your site’s images, colors, and fonts using the drag-and-drop store builder.
Additionally, you can take full advantage of Shopify for content creation. It’s a full-blogging platform that boasts a content management system with complete features. You can even use HTML and CSS to customize your site through the platform’s website builder.
Other features include a shopping cart module and streamlined functions for marketing and SEO. You’ll be able to utilize a free SSL certificate for security, shipping rates, free shipping, and 100+ payment gateways through the module. Shopify also ensures website optimization for search engines and features social media integration.
Screenshot from Magento
Created by eBay, Magento provides tailored solutions that align with specific business and industry needs. These solutions are optimized based on various niches, including the fashion and automotive industries. You can create an engaging shopping experience for your customers using the platform’s fully customizable tools and features. Magento also boasts seamless third-party app integration for various marketing and sales activities. Apps such as Facebook, MailChimp, MageMonkey, and eBay can be integrated with the software.
Magento removes channel silos and facilitates a centralized multi-channel buying journey for a continuous and seamless omnichannel customer experience. It also helps you make better and more educated business decisions by providing appropriate business analytics for customer, promotion, and product analysis.
Screenshot from ShipStation
ShipStation’s main focus is shipping transaction management, which is a complex task for many e-commerce sites. ShipStation lessens shipping issues and boosts efficiency by offering automation solutions to users. It also features an e-commerce fulfillment system that enables seamless integration with shipping carriers, shopping carts, marketplaces, and other existing apps. This specific function doesn’t need any installation.
On the other hand, ShipStation lets you use customizable features, APIs, and inventories for easier order fulfillment management and inventory tracking. You can also customize your packing slips and lists, confirmation emails, return portal, and tracking page based on your brand’s look and feel to add a bit of personalization.
The Enhanced Ecommerce plugin in Google Analytics presents users with many more approaches to e-commerce data collection and analysis. It also presents a more complex understanding of user interaction with e-commerce.
Enhanced Ecommerce can measure the following metrics:
But before you can install the plugin on your site, you’ll first have to migrate your Analytics account to Universal Analytics. You’ll need to utilize Universal Analytics in order to set up enhanced e-commerce tracking.
Last but not least, we have Google Shopping Feed. Customers who use this service can search for, look at, and compare various products. When users search for a specific item on Google Search, it will show similar products on the main result page or under the shopping tab. Users will usually see a carousel selection of ads for specific products.
Many product ads tend to appear above Google’s listings. Thus, specific aspects such as feed creation and optimization, bidding, and monitoring and optimization generally sum up success in Google Shopping. If you utilize these elements in your product ads, they’ll appear in the most-viewed area for users. You’ll also be able to sell more of your products from your site when you’re at the top of Google Shopping results.
You’ll have to utilize both Google Ads and the Merchant Center to use Google Shopping.
Building a profitable and efficient e-commerce site is no easy feat, but with the right tools and expertise, you’ll be able to achieve success in this arena. Consider reaching out to Growth Rocket’s E-commerce Product & Software Development experts to launch your site.
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