Every big and small business is hopping up to eCommerce website development to boost sales – why? – out of total sales done in the retail industry in 2021, approx. 19% were done via eCommerce. The retail eCommerce sales in the same year were in fact recorded at 5.2 trillion U.S. dollars globally.
This has driven the origin of thousands of eCommerce and D2C brands resulting in increased demand for eCommerce web development companies and D2C branding agencies.
Since everyone is talking about it, how can we fall behind? In this article, let us quickly take you through what eCommerce website development is, how does it add value to the business and what all does it involve?
Ecommerce Website Development – The What
Definition - “E-commerce website development refers to the creation of online platforms for buying and selling products or services through the internet. It involves designing, coding, hosting, and maintaining an online store that facilitates transactions, manages inventory, and integrates with payment systems.”
In simpler language, it involves developing online means for customers to buy products like product pages, support pages, order forms, shopping carts, etc. for a business.
How can it add value to your business?
E-commerce website development can turn a business upside down, and there is absolutely no doubt about that. The ability to be there to sell to your customers anytime, anywhere is surreal. Isn’t it? Let’s see what else does it to add value to a brick-and-mortar business.
Increased Reach
E-commerce website development can increase the reach of a business by providing a 24/7 online platform for customers to purchase products or services. This allows the business to expand its customer base beyond geographical limitations and reach a global audience.
Additionally, eCommerce website development can improve discoverability through search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing, which also contributes to businesses' increased visibility eventually resulting in a much-expanded reach.
Convenience
An e-commerce website provides customers with the convenience of shopping from the comfort of their own homes. E-commerce websites provide businesses with a platform that enables them to stay in touch with their customers around the clock from anywhere in the world. This increases the convenience of conducting business as customers can access and make purchases at any time, even when the physical store is closed.
Improved Customer Experience
With the help of a reliable and creative eCommerce web development company, you may emphasize creating a remarkable customer experience. A well-designed e-commerce website can provide customers with an enjoyable and seamless shopping experience, leading to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty.
You can come up with your own unique creative ideas to add value to your customer’s experience with your online store given the availability of hundreds of themes and features.
Better Data Collection
An e-commerce website collects data on customer behaviors and preferences, allowing businesses to improve their final deliverables and improve their marketing, sales, operations, etc. strategies. It also reduces the risk of human error and ensures that data is recorded accurately leading to more reliable insights and better decision-making. This involves data like:
Automated data collection:
E-commerce website development uses tools like cookies, tracking codes, and analytics to collect data automatically. This information is then stored and analyzed to provide insights into customer behavior, purchase history, and other relevant data.
User-generated data:
When customers make a purchase or leave a review, they provide valuable information that can be analyzed and used to improve the customer experience. This data can be used to personalize product recommendations, target advertising, and improve website design.
Customer feedback:
The online websites have feedback forms and surveys to gather specific information from customers. This data can be used to identify areas for improvement and track customer satisfaction over time.
Real-time data:
E-commerce website development provides real-time data on customer behavior, sales, and website traffic. This information is updated in real time and can be used to make informed decisions about website optimization, product pricing, and inventory management.
Cost-Effective
E-commerce website development can be more cost-effective than traditional brick-and-mortar retail stores, as it eliminates the need for physical storefronts and reduces operational costs. Additionally, it also has lower setup costs, lower overhead costs, increased efficiency, increased reach, lower marketing costs, and no inventory costs. The ability to automate the processes and integrate several plugins and features together to enhance efficiency also contributes to the cost-effectiveness it brings with itself.
Other values
As the above points highlight different functionalities and features of eCommerce website development, automatically contribute to much better efficiency and increased sales. This is backed by tens of automated tasks such as order processing, inventory management, and customer support, making business operations more efficient along with increased reach and convenience, improved customer experience, and cost-effectiveness.
What does it involve?
Business Analysis
This involves gathering information about the business, its target audience, market, and competition. It is essential to understand the client's business requirements, goals, and the purpose of the website.
Requirements Gathering
In this step, a detailed list of all the features and functionalities that are required on the website is created. This includes designing the layout, creating the user flow, and determining the content structure.
Design and Prototyping
This step involves wireframes, prototypes, and high-fidelity mockups of the website. The aim is to create a visual representation of the website, which can be reviewed and approved by the client.
Front-end Development
This phase of eCommerce website development involves developing the user interface of the website using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. The aim is to create a responsive, user-friendly, and visually appealing website.
Back-end Development
After successfully completing the front-end side of the website, the next step is setting up the website's architecture and developing the functionalities required to support the website. This includes integrating payment gateways, shipping methods, and tax calculators.
Database Design
This involves creating a database that will store all the website's data and information. This includes products, customers, orders, and payment information.
Testing and Quality Assurance
Successfully developed codes need to be tested and assured of quality as the website requires testing for functionality, performance, and user experience. This ensures that the website is bug-free, secure, and meets the client's requirements.
Deployment
The deployment involves hosting the website on a server and making it live. The website is accessible to the public and is ready for use.
Maintenance and Support
This involves providing ongoing support and maintenance services to make sure that your eCommerce website development is smooth. This includes bug fixing, security updates, and adding new features and functionalities as required.
Is a developer required for all this?
There are plenty of SaaS-based websites available online that gives you the ability to develop and design your eCommerce website on your own like BigCommerce, Shopify, etc. However, before taking a call, consider your project size, budget, etc.
Our call? If you have enough money in hand, we would not recommend you to take even a bit little risk at your business. Think it like this – your eCommerce website is like your virtual salesperson and are you really okay risking it? It is critical for your business and thus the safest option for you is to hire a good eCommerce web development company that can assist you with creating your own eCommerce website.
Click here to know if you should really outsource your business services.