![\"E-commerce](\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/7-Attributes-to-Look-For-in-an-E-commerce-Platform_1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/h2>\n<\/h2>\nImage source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n E-commerce is as old as the internet itself, but things really took off in the 1990s when companies like Amazon and eBay became ingrained in our consciousness. Today, establishing and maintaining a strong online presence is almost compulsory for businesses of any size. There is no shortage of <\/span>E-commerce platforms<\/span><\/a> available to help you tap into the digital market, but how can you decide which option is right for your business?<\/span><\/p>\n The earliest E-commerce pioneers were primarily brick-and-mortar retailers attempting to expand their business through omni-channel commerce. Today, many new B2C and B2B companies exist only in the digital realm, so failure is not an option when it comes to choosing the right platform. Let\u2019s take a closer look at some of the key factors and features that should drive your E-commerce platform choices.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cE-commerce is not an industry; E-commerce is a tactic.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013<\/b> Tobias Lutke<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n The E-commerce ecosystem generates over<\/span> $850 billion of revenue<\/span><\/a> in the U.S. alone, with over 2.6 billion consumers participating worldwide. All those sales have led to a healthy level of competition among E-commerce platform providers, but a<\/span> handful of top companies<\/span><\/a> continue to lead the pack. These platforms offer similar features and price points, so a fair bit of homework is required to zero in on the best choice. In general, a third-party E-commerce platform enhances your business by providing:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n When you carefully choose the right <\/span>E-commerce software<\/span><\/a> for your business, the results can include an improved user experience, increased ROI, and profits that continue to multiply each year. Making the wrong choice can have the opposite impact; the platform is such an integral part of your presence that choosing the wrong one can spell disaster.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In the end, your choice may be influenced by intangible factors like comfort level or recommendations from enthusiastic friends and customers, but as you narrow your choices, be sure to consider these seven key factors that contribute to long and short term success:<\/span><\/p>\n In the 1980\u2019s, the Ford Motor Company launched their highly successful \u201c<\/span>Quality is Job 1<\/span><\/a>\u201d marketing campaign. When it comes to choosing an E-commerce platform, <\/span>Security <\/span><\/i>is job one. In other words, ensuring customer privacy and data protection is more important than any other factor.<\/span><\/p>\n With E-commerce platforms so<\/span> frequently targeted by hackers<\/span><\/a>, your platform should deploy a multi-layer strategy to defend against tactics like phishing, SQL injections, and DDoS attacks. Features like secure hosting, <\/span>PCI compliance<\/span><\/a>, and frequent data backups signal the commitment to security you need to look for.<\/span><\/p>\n Image source<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s hard to ignore a common element that runs through the most popular digital platforms of all types: A well-designed and functional customer interface. You should select an E-commerce platform that offers a differentiating customer experience while providing enough customization options to make your storefront stand out in the crowd. With <\/span>46% of customers<\/span><\/a> using their smartphones for shopping, the focus on user experience should extend to both mobile and desktop platforms. Additional user experience factors to consider include:<\/span><\/p>\n No E-commerce platform guide would be complete without discussing cost as a guiding factor. However, since most of the leading platforms target a<\/span> similar monthly subscription cost<\/span><\/a>, pricing may not be a determining factor. If you find yourself concerned with listing and transaction fees that add to your cost burden, some quick calculations will reveal how much you could potentially save by switching to another platform. Unless the numbers are significant, these fees should not be relevant if you have found a solution that checks other boxes for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.\u201d<\/span><\/i> \u2013<\/b> Warren Buffett<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n To connect your E-commerce platform with systems like order fulfillment, customer relationship management (CRM), and inventory management, you need the right integration capabilities.<\/span> Integration with inventory management<\/span><\/a> is especially important since it allows you to track inventory levels through the E-commerce platform in real time. Robust integration capabilities also let you scale the business by adding new tools and systems or customize your E-commerce solution using third-party plug-ins and APIs.<\/span><\/p>\n Organic traffic is more likely to discover your E-Commerce storefront if your search engine rankings are consistently higher. <\/span>SEO optimization<\/span><\/a> helps your business stand out in a sea of digital competition. The right E-commerce platform should have features in place to support SEO so that you won\u2019t need to build this infrastructure from scratch. The best platforms include built-in systems and practices to optimize SEO for Google algorithms, including metadata updates, image captions, and canonical tags to direct traffic to your preferred URL.<\/span><\/p>\n Customers use a variety of payment methods, so it\u2019s important to ensure your E-commerce platform supports most or all of them. This should include payment methods preferred by international customers. You should also verify all payment transactions are executed smoothly, even on mobile platforms, so that customers are less likely to abandon their carts. In a recent survey,<\/span> 47% of E-commerce customers<\/span><\/a> reported they had abandoned online shopping carts based on long or seemingly unsecure payment experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n Your order management software allows you to track shipments accurately and send customers regular, timely updates on their purchases. E-commerce storefront, order management, and<\/span> inventory management software<\/span><\/a> must be well synchronized to prevent overselling and other issues that can impact customer satisfaction levels.<\/span><\/p>\n When you select an E-commerce platform, you should consider whether it\u2019s compatible with your existing inventory management system. If you are happy with your current option, selecting an incompatible E-commerce platform might force you to change too many things at once.<\/span><\/p>\n The good news is you can leverage many E-commerce platforms simultaneously if it benefits your business. Each of the platforms you select can help you tap into different market segments and collectively build sales and brand reputation. Factors to keep in mind when operating on multiple platforms include:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n With approximately<\/span> 2.5 million E-commerce businesses<\/span><\/a> operating in the United States alone, the days when only major retailers could pivot to an online sales platform are long gone. This incredible number of options signals intense levels of competition, with low margins for error. In this competitive landscape, choosing an E-commerce platform for your business could be one of the most important decisions you\u2019ll ever make.<\/span><\/p>\n Agiliron allows you to sell in more places while managing them all through a true <\/span>multi-commerce solution<\/span><\/a>. Our extensive library of templates will allow you to get your new E-commerce store up and running or migrate an existing store. Agiliron supports integration with the leading E-commerce platforms as you leverage our<\/span> inventory management, POS, warehouse management, CRM, and other advanced software suite capabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n Inventory management and E-commerce must work together seamlessly to optimize business performance and the customer experience. We can help you choose and implement the platform (or platforms) that best complement your business model. <\/b>Schedule a consultation today<\/b><\/a> and let our solution experts share their advice and expertise.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" With dozens of options, make sure the platform you select checks these seven boxes. Image source E-commerce is as old as the internet itself, but things really took off in the 1990s when companies like Amazon and eBay became ingrained in our consciousness. Today, establishing and maintaining a strong online presence is almost compulsory for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2073,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,13],"tags":[23],"class_list":["post-2072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ecommerce","category-growing-your-business","tag-ecommerce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Why E-commerce?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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How to choose the right E-commerce platform<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Security<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"E-commerce](\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/7-Attributes-to-Look-For-in-an-E-commerce-Platform_2.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/span><\/p>\n2. User experience<\/span><\/h3>\n
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3. Pricing<\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Integration<\/span><\/h3>\n
5.\u00a0 Search Engine Optimization (SEO)<\/span><\/h3>\n
6. Payment support<\/span><\/h3>\n
7. Inventory management<\/span><\/h3>\n
Do you really need to decide?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
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E-commerce platform selection: Final thoughts<\/span><\/h2>\n