Finding the right eCommerce platform for your business can be daunting since there are more than 500 to choose from. To narrow down your search and find the best fit for you, it’s important to consider your business model, product or service offering, budget, target markets and channels you’ll use.
Make sure to also consider factors such as scalability, usability, support, functionalities, integrations and website design options when deciding on an eCommerce platform. This will help ensure that you make an informed decision.
While it may be difficult to find a solution that meets all your requirements 100%, having a clear understanding of what you’re looking for can help guide you in the right direction.
In this article, we will be discussing eight key factors that should be considered when selecting an eCommerce platform. Don’t go anywhere just yet – this post contains in-depth and comprehensive information. If you stick around until the end, we will introduce you to LogiCommerce, the B2B & B2C Headless eCommerce platform that satisfies all these critical factors and more at a very competitive price. So, let’s dive in!
Don’t make a costly mistake – consider these 8 factors before choosing an eCommerce platform
Intuitive BackOffice
The BackOffice plays a critical role in the successful operations of an eCommerce business. It is responsible for handling many of the internal tasks such as order tracking, financial reporting and inventory management.
A user-friendly BackOffice is essential for every eCommerce company, as it helps to simplify and streamline daily operations. Investing in an easy-to-use BackOffice platform will not only improve user experience but also ensure smooth running of all internal processes.
Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
When selecting an eCommerce platform, it’s important to consider the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). This takes into account the initial and operating costs of using an eCommerce software, such as licensing fees, implementation costs, integrations, hosting, security and support. Having a good estimation of TCO will allow you to make a more informed decision on which platform to choose based on your budget and business needs in both the short- and long term. It also helps to prioritize investments so that you can correctly define your strategy from the outset.
Failing to consider TCO before investing can result in unexpected losses. On the other hand, researching the cost of different options will enable you to choose software that can grow with your business and fulfill its requirements for many years to come.
Scalability in eCommerce
Scalability is essential for eCommerce success, as it allows a platform to expand and upgrade automatically with increased traffic, customers and orders.
It is, therefore, important to have a platform that can scale up and down automatically in response to varying numbers of visitors, optimizing performance during traffic peaks.
By investing early on in a scalable solution, you can help ensure the success of your eCommerce by preserving product quality while simultaneously increasing efficiency and improving customer
service quality with minimal disruption. If you plan on expanding into international markets at some point, scalability is key to achieving those goals.
Native eCommerce functionalities
When it comes to choosing the right eCommerce platform for your online business, the model of the company (B2B, B2C, or B2B2C) is an important factor. The right platform should provide you with a wide range of features and capabilities that are tailored to meet the unique needs of your customers and provide them with an exceptional experience every time.
The advantage of having native functionalities is that these have been developed by the software vendor and not by third parties. If the platform has limited native functionality, you will have to rely on third-party plug-ins, and this can lead to additional risks and costs.
Furthermore, relying on an eCommerce platform with multiple native functionalities also helps businesses maintain their competitive edge and stay ahead of trends to drive more sales and conversions.
Third party integrations
Integrating your eCommerce platform with other existing systems is essential for any business that wants to optimize their core processes, streamline operations and become more efficient. This synchronization of data allows businesses to simplify the customer experience and provide them with current information about orders and invoices, stock levels, customer details and product catalogs.
The best eCommerce platforms must be capable of interfacing with multiple third-party solutions including Order Management System (OMS), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Information Management (PIM) and more. With these options in place, companies can keep up with the competition, remain flexible and get the most out of their eCommerce platform.
Support and SLA
Service Level Agreements (SLAs) are an essential part of any service contract and define the conditions and parameters that a service provider must meet to satisfy customers. These agreements set expectations for companies and ensure that the services they deliver match those promises, specify the amount of time available for responding to and resolving customer requests, and guarantee availability of 24/7 support for crucial issues.
Having a platform that offers 24/7 customer support is something very important to consider since, if at any time any failure or unforeseen event occurs, they will be able to solve it quickly.
SaaS vs Open Source
When considering different eCommerce platforms, you should keep in mind that there are two main models: SaaS vs Open Source. A SaaS platform is a cloud-based software delivery model that allows users to access it through a pay-as-you-go subscription model. With a SaaS solution the technical debt is reduced, and companies do not have to worry about aspects such as security, updates, maintenance, performance or technical support.
On the other hand, the Open-Source model is distributed under an Open-Source license and allows organizations to have full control over their eCommerce environment, but this also means that the user will be responsible of the initial development, implementation, ongoing maintenance, upgrades and migrations to new versions of the software as they emerge, which in most cases results in higher costs, security issues and headaches.
Headless eCommerce
Headless eCommerce is a modern approach to eCommerce that involves splitting the architecture into two sections: the Front-end and Back-end. The primary goal is to increase flexibility and reduce limitations. An API bridges the gap between the Front-end and Back-end, facilitating the exchange of information. As an example, when a user clicks on a product displayed on the Front-end (a brand’s website), more information such as product description, images, customer reviews, price, size, and color could instantly be requested by the Front-end from the Back-end via APIs.
This approach ensures both the Front-end and Back-end operate independently, allowing for seamless changes or updates to either channel without interfering with the other. Furthermore, the shopping experience of customers is dissociated from eCommerce platform management, which ultimately allows for a more personalized sales experience across all channels.
So, how does LogiCommerce, the Headless eCommerce platform, fulfill all these factors?
We have already seen that factors such as an intuitive BackOffice, low total cost of ownership, high scalability, native functionalities, integrations with third party solutions, support and SLA, a SaaS model and Headless architecture will ensure the success of your online business according to your budget and your short- and long-term goals.
LogiCommerce, is the Headless eCommerce platform that will guarantee you the fulfillment of all the above factors, plus fast loading speed, excellent customer experience, automatic updates, scalable infrastructure and a transparent pricing policy, among many other things.
Founded in 1999, LogiCommerce has become the perfect SaaS Headless eCommerce solution for growing and large businesses that democratizes Headless eCommerce by providing cutting-edge technology through a unified B2B & B2C platform. This solution offers more than 200 native features including multi-currency, multi-invoicing company, sales agent management, customized catalog per user group, stock and warehouse management and multi-shipment system, among others, and it stands out from other platforms because of its intuitive and easy-to-use BackOffice. With no hidden costs or transaction fees, LogiCommerce helps you reduce technical debt and keep your total cost of ownership (TCO) to a minimum. World renowned brands such as VW, GAP, Audi, eseOese Munich, Nestlé and IMC Toys already use LogiCommerce.
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