Selecting the Right ecommerce Platform for Your Business Qualities to look for in an eCommerce platform that differentiates it from the pack Choosing enterprise eCommerce platforms to build your online store on is difficult enough for a small business, much less a large enterprise. A great deal of time, resources, and money got into selecting, customizing, and launching an enterprise eCommerce solution for your website. When you pick a platform, you want to make sure you choose one that works well for your business and will still be functional for your business as it grows. Here are some key qualities to look for when comparing enterprise eCommerce platforms. Scalability When choosing between eCommerce platforms for your business, it is important to find one that is able to grow as your business does. The platform that you choose should be able to support a large product catalog that can expand later if need be. It also needs to be equipped to handle a high increase of concurrent users and visitors on your site without crashing. The database and architecture of the eCommerce platform you pick should have multiple components that add to the scalability of the platform. Pricing and Costs One of the first things that most people compare when shopping around for anything is the price. With enterprise eCommerce solutions, you also need to factor in the additional costs of each platform. Some platforms have an upfront price where you buy the rights to the platform. Others have an upfront cost as well as monthly fees to use the platform. All eCommerce platforms will have setup fees that include customizing the platform to work for your eCommerce enterprise. You may have to also purchase additional modules, add-ons, and extensions to make the platform work right for you. When considering all of the additional costs, a platform that seemed the least expensive at the beginning could turn out to be the priciest. Flexibility No one likes a “my way or the highway” attitude, especially from an eCommerce platform. Certain eCommerce platforms seem to be set in stone and won’t allow you to alter how to the platform runs or what software it runs with. When choosing between platforms, you need to look for one that is flexible so you are able to adapt it to what your business needs. integrations An eCommerce platform could turn out to be useless or even worse have negative effects if it can’t integrate with your business software. When comparing platforms, you need to look at which ones are able to integrate well, or even seamlessly, with your current business software. Choosing a platform that can’t integrate with your software means that you either have the added expense of purchasing new business software or you don’t integrate and have inefficient processes. Integrating your already-in-place business management software with your eCommerce platform saves you time, energy, and money. Customization For an eCommerce platform to work well for your enterprise business, it needs to be customizable. A platform with customization capabilities allows you to alter it to fit your enterprise’s specific needs. By letting you manipulate functions, turn certain capabilities on or off, and customize product groupings and listing, a customizable eCommerce platform enables you to have control over how your eCommerce site looks and operates. Ease of Use One of the most important qualities to look for when selecting an eCommerce platform for your enterprise is its usability. You could have a highly scalable and customizable platform, but if it is too complicated to use, it is basically a waste. You need an eCommerce platform that enables you to make some adjustments without having to call your technical support every time someone is working on the eCommerce store. To figure out how easy each platform is to use, look at online reviews and talk to website and eCommerce developers. They will be able to let you in on how different eCommerce platforms operate and how simple they are to use. Clarity Can Help At Clarity, we specialize in developing and customizing eCommerce platforms for our clients. We examine your enterprise’s needs when helping you decide what eCommerce platform with benefit your business the most. We even went so far as to build our own platform, Clarity eCommerce, to deliver a truly flexible and scalable eCommerce platform. To find out more about how our developers can help you select the right platform or to learn more about Clarity eCommerce, call or click to contact us today!