Tips for Selecting the ecommerce Development Firm that Works for Your Business Qualities to look for in ecommerce development firms Selecting an ecommerce development firm to build your ecommerce platform or site may be one of the biggest decisions that you will ever face as a business owner. How well the firm develops your site will directly impact your sales, SEO, and ultimate ecommerce business success. Here are some qualities to look for and tips to help you choose an ecommerce development firm that will work best for your enterprise business. Expertise One of the first qualities to look for in a development firm is expertise. You wouldn’t hire an amateur with little experience to build your house, so why hire an amateur to develop your ecommerce platform or website? Checking out a firm’s portfolio of work will help you see the type of work they have completed and give you a sense of whether or not they have enough experience creating solutions for businesses like yours. Development Styles Another thing to look at when selecting a development firm is the firms’ preferred development styles and processes. Some like to stick to the traditional waterfall process, while others use the spiral model, and others prefer agile. Deciding ahead of time what process you think will work for your ecommerce project, its timeline, and your goals for the project can help you narrow down contenders. Speak with firms’ developers to see what process they are most familiar with and how they would use it to benefit your ecommerce development project. Customization Skills Another area of expertise to look for in development firms is customization. You want to choose a firm that has a good track record of customizing projects to fit their clients specific business needs. The firm shouldn’t just install an out-of-the-box solution and call it a day. Find a firm that takes what you need and creates a custom ecommerce solution that satisfies all of your needs. You Get What You Pay For One of the biggest pieces of advice to remember when selecting an ecommerce development firm to work with is that you get what you pay for. You may be looking for a good deal or the lowest price around, but that can often lead to subpar work filled with glitches and issues. Don’t try to skimp on your ecommerce development project because this will be the system that you want to be able to use and build upon in the future. If you do have a limited budget, look for a firm that is honest with you about what they can do for you within the restraints of your budget. Never trust a firm that will promise you a luxury vehicle for the price of an economy car. If your budget is strict, you might consider again the firm's development style. While there might be a solid plan in place to complete everything on time and within budget, issues will certainly arise which could leave the project short of the finish line. A development process like Agile can ensure that if the work is not finished when your timeline or budget is up, you will at least have the most important elements completed and functioning. Communication is Key Finally, one of the most important areas to assess when selecting an ecommerce development firm is communication. Choose a firm that is good at responding to your questions and takes the time to tell you about themselves and their goals for your project. Make sure that they respond to communications in a timely manner before you choose them. You want to ensure that you are able to contact them while they are working on your project and inform them of any changes that need to be made or special functions that you need added. You will be relying on this firm to complete your project, teach you how to use it, and troubleshoot any issues you may have in the future, so establishing good communication from the beginning is critical. Clarity Can Help Clarity Ventures is an ecommerce development company with almost a decade of experience creating and implementing ecommerce solutions for enterprise and B2B businesses. Our team of experts takes the time to learn about your business and its needs. Our portfolio of work is filled with custom solutions that our team created to help our clients succeed. To find out more about Clarity and our development work, call or click to contact us today!