Choosing the right technical tools for responsive ecommerce has become a big part of development, sales, and marketing. Developers understand this imperative and are always looking for new tools and technologies, and B2B companies need to take special care when choosing enterprise software because there are an astonishing number of expectations placed on medium-to-large-sized companies. Choices in Technology Include Enterprise Software Software applications rank among the most advanced technologies, and the market for software that streamlines business applications is tremendous. There are Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications for many ecommerce needs. Companies that are just beginning to expand into ecommerce can choose SaaS or modular platforms so that they only need to pay for the services they need. Expansion is easy when companies build a sales platform with a robust API layer that makes their systems infinitely scalable as the businesses grow. How to Choose the Right Technical Solutions There are many concerns when choosing enterprise-level software. It's risky to choose early versions of a new software product or platform, but integrating any iteration of software can make it work for your business like a custom-engineered application. Questions that decision-makers should ask about any software include: Does the technology solution actually solve the company's current needs? Is it a platform that’s designed for growth and expansion or an off-the-shelf product? Who are the developers, and are they startups or experienced coders? It's risky to use version 1.0 of any software, so how many versions of the software have been developed? What are the licensing and support costs, and are there adequate substitutes available at a lower cost or from open-source applications? Does the developer offer collaborative development, staff training, and other support services? Can the technology meet company needs for handling volume and providing failover mechanisms during higher-than-normal platform traffic? Unfortunately, many companies address scalability issues by getting larger servers, but a larger server can't solve the problems of an internal architecture that has a single point of failure. It's better to address software issues that manage failovers, throughput, and consistency. Full integration can solve many of these issues. Assessing Your Company's IT Skill Quotient Unfortunately, each company faces the problem of whether its IT staff can handle any new software, fix problems, and upgrade the software as needed. The problem also extends to the developer. Time could play a critical factor in the decision. For example, if a company needs a working iteration of software or an app within a few months, it would be necessary to choose a fast-working developer that uses coding shortcuts such as JavaScript frameworks and other coding resources, or whose platform can be quickly stood up and customized, like Clarity’s ecommerce modular solution. If the code is written in a programming language that the company's IT staff doesn't know, that can create a maintenance problem. If the in-house team is inexperienced, it's important to work with a developer who’s willing to train staff and provide ongoing support. If the staff doesn't have the requisite skills, HR might need to hire new people. If that's not an option at the present time, it will be necessary to choose a simpler software product that's user-friendly or budgeted to have the developer do the ongoing maintenance. For example, a company that uses Microsoft would probably choose a C#, .NET, or SQL Server instead of Oracle, Java Spring, or AWS. If the company needs a complex programming language, then Node JS or Ruby on Rails probably won't work. [1] Finalizing Your Choice of Enterprise Software Choosing enterprise software correctly makes it easier to build agile applications, integrate modules as your business grows, and connect with third-party companies and social media. The right choice should fit the company's development needs and the staff's skill level. The result should enable automated builds, continuous deployment, easy performance testing, and full integration of software, business applications, and third-party connections. For B2B companies, social sharing is imperative. Social media marketing can position a given company as an expert in its field and enable the company to grow its technology accordingly. about 90 percent of marketers feel that social media marketing increases their sales, and 66 percent of those who spend 6 hours or more on social platforms report increased leads. [2] LinkedIn, which was bought for $26.2 billion by Microsoft, is gaining steadily among the critical demographic of millennials. More than 87 million of the world's 2 billion millennials are on LinkedIn, and these decision-makers are critical to B2B marketing success. LinkedIn SlideShare enjoys 70 million active users each month, which is a great place for sharing content and nurturing the millennial sector as the strongest lead for future success. [3] Clarity ecommerce touches all the bases for companies choosing an enterprise platform with support from an experienced development partner. The company offers modular technology that makes it easy to expand, upgrade, and scale the business up or down as needed. Customers only need to pay for those platforms and modules they need, but they can add new options as the business grows. Clarity also works with various programming languages, frameworks, wireframes, and other technologies that speed the development process. Choosing the Right Developer for Your ecommerce Needs Choosing the right coding company and the right technology for your needs ranks as the most critical issue for your company. It's important to choose a developer that will take the time to learn about your company and its immediate goals and long-range development plans. Clarity offers over 350 combined years of development experience in B2B ecommerce and building world-class ecommerce platforms when you're looking for custom-developed software. Contact Clarity today for an in-depth consultation on your needs and recommendations for choosing enterprise software for your company. References: [1] Forbes.com: 12 Factors To Help You Evaluate Potential Technical Solutions https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2017/02/09/12-factors-to-help-you-evaluate-potential-technical-solutions/#517ac59f4f66 [2] Contentfac.com: 18 Reasons Why Social Media Marketing Is Important For Any Business https://www.contentfac.com/9-reasons-social-media-marketing-should-top-your-to-do-list/ [3] Foundationinc.co: 45 Eye-Opening LinkedIn Statistics For B2B Marketers In 2018 https://foundationinc.co/lab/b2b-marketing-linkedin-stats/