What is eCommerce?
There are millions of people on the internet at one time everyday, which makes it difficult for businesses to get noticed on their own. That is where eCommerce platforms come in.
eCommerce platforms are software as services that manage and support online businesses and their presence in the digital world. It allows an affordable way to conduct business with customers, competitors, and potential or existing partners, in a way that is easy to understand for people of all technological levels.
Having a platform that has already constructed a system for you makes it easy to budget and plan
without having to juggle all of the necessary business steps in different places. In short, it gives you a place to check all of your boxes and keep all of your work organized in one central location.
What is SAAS?
SAAS stands for “Software as a Service”. It is defined as a delivery model that is
centrally hosted, and licensing is granted through subscription. eCommerce platforms
are a type of SAAS that allow different services to be conducted in one central location
or “hub” with either an annual fee or a share of sales with the platform itself.
These platforms are most beneficial for people looking to get started in a business or service,
with little to no background and varying levels of technical experience.
How to decide what platform is best for you:
There are several factors to take into consideration when selecting an
eCommerce platform to work with. Listed below are some of the most important things
to keep in mind:
- Complexity: Looking for a system that is easy to understand, with clear
and concise rules and regulations is crucial. If you are not able to
navigate the platform, your chances of success when competing with
other online businesses offering similar services decreases immensely.
- Price: Making sure the system is affordable is undoubtedly one of the first
things anyone looks at when deciding to purchase any good or service.
However, you do not always want to go for the cheapest option, and
make sure to do thorough research on this website or application to
make sure it is not a scam or something that could endanger your
business or personal information. One thing many people do not know is
that a lot of eCommerce platforms are free, and simply take a share out
of the sales you make in order to keep supporting your business. This is
probably one of the most beneficial systems, and something to always be
looking out for.
- Competition: As a business owner, entrepreneur, or freelancer, it is
always key to understand your competition in order to gain the most
advantage. When selecting a platform, look to see if there is enough
competition to sustain healthy growth for your service. Take note of how
your competitors have set up their work, and try to understand the
atmosphere surrounding your service, and what draws in your target
demographic. While you want plenty of healthy competition, try to avoid a
platform that is overly saturated with offers of a similar service. This can
make it difficult to get any headway, and there is often a more lucrative
opportunity elsewhere. Having plenty of variety is important to
maintaining the status of your specialized service.
There are many more factors to look for when choosing a platform for yourself
and your services, but these are great starting points for initial impressions of any site
or application you are interested in.
3 Good eCommerce Platforms for Consideration
While there is no perfect answer or guidebook to eCommerce and online
business and entrepreneurship in general, there are some good places to start, as well
as some good platforms for reference. Below you will find three of the top-rated
eCommerce platforms to date, as well as general insight to the system itself, pros, and
cons of the particular service. These three include:
1. Magento eCommerce SAAS Platform
Magento is a highly popular eCommerce platform with some key features that make it a great resource to use. With a great community of developers on hand, Magento is an easy-to-use site with a variety of themes and features to use according to your service type or business.
Each step of the process, from ordering and checkout, to payment and shipping, is conveniently carried out within the site, and a great bonus is a multilingual option that allows businesses to reach an even wider variety of audiences and clientele.
They also offer the ability to send updates and alerts to your consumer base, allowing for more outreach of new launches and other ventures. Overall, the site is convenient, accessible, and comes with a variety of beneficial options for most business owners of any kind.
- Pros: Magento is highly customizable, offering a wide variety of options and opportunities for flair and unique intrigue that will attract customers and hold an advantage over the competition. While Magento is a host for many competitive markets, there is a healthy growth of success due to their reputation, as well as their customizability that gives business owners room to succeed in their respective ways.
- Cons: Magento can be on the more expensive side. While Magento is initially free to sign up for, there are plenty of fees associated with the platform the further along you wish to advance your business on the site. There is also an upgraded package that costs money, so in reality, it is far from free if you want all of the options that will set you up for success in general on the site.
2. BigCommerce eCommerce SAAS Platform
BigCommerce is by far one of the most successful and highly used platforms out there. There are little to no cons associated with this platform and some major advantages. Big Commerce is a great tool for beginners looking to get into the industry, simply because it is so easy to use. With clear directions and a simple dashboard, BigCommerce is the platform that is the easiest to get your business up and running in the shortest amount of time.
BigCommerce has built-in tools, multiple options for payment methods, and has a high-security option. Aside from amazing accessibility, BigCommerce also offers 24/7 live support for any needs or issues involving the site, which not only shows a sense of care for the business owners on the platform but allows problems to be solved quickly and efficiently.
- Pros: The best benefit to using BigCommerce is the phenomenal accessibility offered by the platform. Because it is so easy to use, the site is one of the best options for getting an online business started quickly, with the ability to use the platform skillfully in no time. With easy-to-use
tools and accessible help always on hand, success is easily achieved on this platform in no time.
- Cons: While the site is overall pretty flawless, there could be more options for customization. The ability to customize your online format and appearance is key to attracting clientele. Because there are fewer options for customization on this particular platform, it can put business owners at a disadvantage when compared to other sites and applications.
3. Shopify eCommerce SAAS Platform
Undeniably the largest eCommerce platform used to date, there is no question of its reliability or its efficiency in function. Shopify has all the works, including accessibility, customization, and an easy setup. There is analysis available for easy tracking of your progress and income, as well as easily adding products to expand the variety you can add to your business. By far one of the best options as an eCommerce platform, Shopify is undoubtedly a great choice for beginners as well as advanced
online entrepreneurs.
- Pros: One of the biggest advantages to using Shopify is the easy migration of other sites to the central location, making it easy to import previously purchased items into the Shopify system with ease. This is beneficial because it allows more organization of your workspace by keeping all of your goods and services flowing through one location.
- Cons: The biggest complaint people have about Shopify is the payments. Many say that it is too much money per month for what they are getting and that it is outrageous to pay for every aspect of the platform. Whether this is true or not, always make sure to look at any monetary investment before making a decision. While Shopify is a wonderful resource, there are plenty of options out there for platforms just as good, if not better.
How To Choose
While there are plenty of eCommerce options out there, and these three only
scratch the service of the entire industry, they are not only great starting points of
where to look, but also good guidelines of what to look for. Accessibility, price, and
competition are some of the first things you want to take into consideration when
looking at platforms.
Though the idea might be intimidating, with enough practice and experience
over time it will become easier and easier to navigate your way through the seemingly
never-ending sea of options, which can grow confusing. However, maintaining your
goals and striving to meet them is the most important aspect, and it is best to find a
system that works for you and your service.
ECommerce in Action
Once you have decided on a platform and have a plan to get started,
commitment is key. It will take some time to get momentum, even if your initial start-up
time is fast, but patience is a virtue, so stick with it! Remember to keep an eye on your
competition, and take notice of what is drawing customers in. Don’t be afraid to
experiment with concepts and plans at first, to find what works for you.
Investments are always risky. For more information on different platforms, try
using connections from the platforms mentioned here and work from there.
eCommerce, like any other industry, is a network, so those connections will get you far
in no time.
When selling your service, remember to keep in mind your target audience, and
use the tools from your platform to set up the best possible information and system for
your consumers. eCommerce is a growing industry, especially in our digital age, so
help yourself stay on top of the game with the right mindset and the right options. Find
your perfect eCommerce platform today and take the dive into this lucrative industry