eCommerce Website Development Guide For Startup Founders

We have prepared an 11-step eCommerce website development guide to assist you in setting up a perfect eCommerce website in no time.

Let's get started.

1. Type of your eCommerce website

eCommerce platforms are of three types:

• B2C platforms: If your products are intended for individual consumers, then - B2C platforms (like Amazon) can assist you to display your products and sell them as well.

• B2B platforms: If you are selling business solutions to other businesses then you need a B2B eCommerce website to target specific demographics. For example, IndiaMart.

• C2C platforms: You will need a C2C platform in the case of offering a platform to third parties to facilitate business with other people,while you earn revenue from commissions and advertisements. For example, eBay.

2. Choose the website builder that is perfect for you

Amongst plenty of eCommerce platforms which sell website creation services, here are some of the top rated website builders to choose from:

Shopify: Shopify is currently the top rated website creation platform. It not only is user friendly but also has plenty of features which helps you build an online store. Eventually, you can even scale up your business.

Wix: Wix is best suited for startups and small businesses. It offers around 510 templates that are suitable for a variety of businesses, such as sports, cosmetics, etc.

Magento: This eCommerce platform is slowly becoming every user’s favorite. Developers all over the globe are now preferring to use Magento. Reason being them offering an integration of advertisements, content creation and analytics as well which provide amazing user experience.

3. Test the tools

Always test the website building tools before beginning with the eCommerce web development process. This is a crucial step! Some questions which you can ask yourself during the tests are:

• Is customization easy?
• Do they have themes that suit my business?
• How do I find the navigation?

Sign up for the free trial and make a trial website keeping those questions in mind. Upgrade to a paid version once you have made your decision.

4. Register your domain

The component of the URL that contains the name of your business is called a domain name. It is critical to have a decent domain name since it establishes trust and brand recognition with your customers. With the help of the eCommerce platform you have chosen, it is easy to buy a domain name. They cost $10-$20 approximately per year.

5. Pick a template

Templates are themes which make your website look good. If you are good with coding, you can design and develop the website yourself. In case you are not, then most eCommerce platforms have a set of ready to use templates. But, how to choose the right template? Well, check it out.

Features: A decent website must have features. So, think about which functionality is more necessary for your store and decide.

Homepage: This is the first page a customer will visit. The template you will choose needs to be appealing. Keeping your business in mind, add images, videos and all you think that is necessarily to be there.

Smooth navigation: Potential customers browse only for a few seconds if they do not enjoy the navigation process. So, it needs to be smooth and quick-loading.

This will quickly help them find what they are looking for. If the navigation lags, they will not make a purchase which will ultimately affect your revenue.

6. Customize the template

Once you have chosen a template, you need to customize it. eCommerce platforms allow you to customize themes from the admin panel of the platform.

Keep in mind that it should be appropriate to the business. You can customize the following:

• Size of the text, font, text color.
• Colors of the theme.
• Images, videos and graphics.
  -Product and advertisement positioning.

7. Add product information and images of it too

Post customization comes the step where you create a brochure. Here, you add all the products and the images of the products you intend to sell. Most eCommerce platforms will guide you on how to do this, to make it easy for you. Here is a basic list of things you can add about your product to educate customers and help them make an informed decision:

Name of the product. In case you are outsourcing it, then you need to mention the name of the brand too.

Price of the product:
Your product needs to be segregated according to categories, so you need to create different categories as well. For example: Bakery products, kitchenware.
Weight for each product.

While this is a basic list, most eCommerce websites have different policies when it comes to how many products you can add to the list which includes, descriptions and variations . Some may even provide advanced features such as advanced graphics, etc.

Some important tips for adding product descriptions:
Keep it concise and informative. No one likes to read too much. Do not use technical jargon. Keep the description SEO optimized so that your page ranks higher.

Some important tips for product category and images:
Different price ranges so customers can choose from a comfortable budget. An option to filter out what they do not need. As for images, high quality images of the same size should be used. Developers should make sure that the images will not slow down the website.

8. Payment methods

The experience of purchasing from an online store would be incomplete without a payment gateway. It is an important phase in the process of purchases made by your customers. Payment methods of all kinds can easily be integrated into the site using an eCommerce development tool.

A good eCommerce website has multiple payment avenues such as credit and debit cards, PayPal, Apple Pay and even cash on delivery.

To find out which payment method works best for your store:

• Have an estimate of the total sales
• Find out where your customers are from so that you can have different payment avenues for everyone.
• Customers are worried about sharing their credentials online. So, do make your website secure with SSL tools, which will be integrated with the website building tools.

This will help put visitors at ease and reduce cart abandonment rate.

9. Shipping settings

Set up your shipping options so you can deliver the things you sell on your website. You can offer numerous delivery alternatives to your customers using the online store development tools. The cost of shipping is determined by the weight of the product, size, and the place it is being shipped to.

Allow customers to add and save multiple addresses so that they do not need to add an address every single time they place an order. At times, customers may be comfortable receiving their order at a residential address and sometimes at their workspace. Hence, the option to add multiple addresses is necessary.

10. Website settings

Your website will be running round the clock and hence, it needs to be working at its full potential despite the traffic and time of day. Even a few seconds of downtime can knock your website off from Google’s rankings which directly affects your revenue.

Make sure to leverage settings on your eCommerce website and optimize it for all-round performance. From configuring global settings to optimizing payment gateways, every little detail should be taken care of.

11. Test it before you publish it

This is the last step! Testing your site is the final step before it goes live. Ensure that every aspect of the eCommerce site functions flawlessly. Before launching the site, check the loading time and speed. The text should be unique and free from any grammatical errors. Make the website user-friendly across all browsers and mobile devices.

Start your eCommerce journey today

Since you are up against fierce competition, you must excel in every aspect of eCommerce to stand out and succeed. To be a part of the current eCommerce craze, you must first decide on your products, then map out all of your methods for taking measured chances and nail each one.

Even something as simple as deciding on a business name and domain name should be done with care. Every small detail counts when it comes to providing your clients with the ultimate shopping experience.

We wish you best of luck.

• Team Techno Moghul.