How to Choose an CMS Platform for Creating an Online Business

To help you make a decision, we will look at the features of a number of popular platforms that are most popular in the development of online stores. Some of them are paid engines, and some are free (open source). In this article we will look at free CMS.

In addition to good prices, product range and a number of other factors, the quality of the technical implementation of the site also affects the success of the online store, particularly the available functionality and the ability to fine-tune.

A critical factor in the success of e-commerce is the choice of CMS. On what to stop: the simplest solution to start quickly, or deploy a complex and resource-demanding platform with a claim to an online supermarket? Or maybe there is some optimal solution, the golden mean? In this variety it is easy to get lost.

After the launch and at the initial stages of business development in online trading, it seems that the main thing is to make sales and get the first customers. But after the sales flow becomes stable, and the quantity of goods and attendance will begin to grow, you may face a number of technical limitations. Then comes the understanding that the right choice of CMS for an online store, in fact, is far from the last importance for the success of the project as a whole.

After a few months it becomes clear that the sales ceiling has been reached, and in order to move on, it is necessary to expand the range. And to reach a new level of development and customer service – significantly refine technical functionality.

If you initially chose the wrong script online store, not ready for scaling and loads, this task will cost the owner of the business a lot of money. At the same time, in some cases, the implementation of the set goals may be completely unworkable. This means that you have to start everything from scratch.

A similar situation is also the case if a self-written engine is used as a CMS for an online store. Such a development by default will cost several times more, even in comparison with a paid "box" system. No less expensive will be the cost of support, maintenance, permanent bug fixes, etc. In addition, in case of modifications, you will often have to spend the budget on implementing the capabilities that are available in the ready systems by default.

I think you already understand what the wrong choice of a technical platform for starting a business can turn out for a business owner. That's what criteria should be guided when choosing a CMS for an online store.

Patterns of design.

This is a kind of face of your online store, and therefore, this issue must be given the highest priority. In many ways, trust in the seller also depends on this, because the potential buyer evaluates the site, primarily from the visual side. The more paid and free themes available for selection, the more chances to make an online store that will look exactly the way you would like. It should be understood that the same adaptive design has already become a necessity.

Catalog and card of goods.

These are the most important components of the online store, and therefore, when analyzing the engine for future use, this must be given priority. Adding products must be simple, and managing the product catalog is flexible and understandable. It should be possible to customize various attributes, inferring additional characteristics, for example, discounts, etc. Here is a sample of how a good quality product page looks:

Similarly, in relation to the product catalog, you need to pay attention to the ability to control the display of the list of goods and their sorting by using different filters. For example, it can be sorting by price, date of receipt, separate technical characteristics. Such functionality on the part of the user is especially in demand.

Ways of delivery and payment.

Different people have different preferences, and what is convenient for one person will be inconvenient for another. Before, the owner of the online store must provide their customers with a choice between different options for delivery and payment. For example, a resident of a large city will approach a method using a courier and cash, but a buyer who lives in the outback will give preference to mail and cash on delivery. Also you need to remember about such an option as the final recount of the purchase price in the basket taking into account the price of delivery. The client must see how much he will pay after the fact.

Extended capabilities.

In addition to the above points, the functionality of the engine for the online store can include a very large list of prospects. Of course, not all of them are critically important, but some directly affect usability, conversion and other factors on which profit depends. This includes the removal of related and recently viewed products, sales hits and novelties, the formation of product sets, the management of orders and customer data, a wish list, flexible discounts, etc.

The cost of maintenance.

This point usually remains unobvious until the business owner is faced with the negative aspects that are associated with it. Regardless of whether you are using a paid CMS for an online store or open source, sooner or later you will need to implement various additional works. And their cost can vary greatly depending on the engine. Usually for a popular system with a high-quality architecture, it is not only easier to find a specialist, but the price of work will be more affordable, as it is dictated by the market.

Free platforms for the online store

There are quite a few available CMS for the online store. At the same time, some of them are already outdated both morally and in terms of technologies, and some are not supported even by the developers themselves. Therefore, we decided to consider the characteristics of those who are in the top three

Despite the fact that the developers of systems are bribed with the promised functionality, technical support and other buns, open-source CMS for the online store is equally popular. The fact is that many of them offer functional, which covers 90% of the needs of a typical online store, and refinements in most cases are of an individual nature, with these tasks are perfectly handled by specialists of the web agency. In this case, there is not much use from the modules available in the basic assembly. The most popular free engines for online stores are Magento, PrestaShop and Opencart.

Magento

One of the most popular CMS for online stores in the US and other Western markets. One of Magento's key advantages is the large number of possible templates, plug-ins and other extensions that greatly simplify the addition of new functionality. True, most of them are paid.

Features of Magento:

  • The developed platform with the big functionality and wide capabilities of adjustment;
  • A large number of available extensions in the marketplace both paid and free;
  • The scalability potential allows you not to be afraid of possible problems when developing an online store in the future;
  • For high performance and speed, you need a dedicated server.

PrestaShop

CMS with open source code, which, due to its flexibility, is actively used in the development of online stores of various levels. At the moment, the creators of PrestaShop have integrated into the system more than 300 functions to solve a variety of business tasks. Virtually everything needed is already available free of charge, and non-standard individual needs are addressed through third-party extensions or additional work.

This engine is a European development and according to the data of Wikipedia the number of stores created on this CMS has exceeded 250 thousand!

Features of PrestaShop:

  • A large number of built-in functionality, which is more than enough for most online stores;
  • A lot of modern design templates, adapted for use on mobile devices, most of which are really high-quality;
  • High speed of work even with a large catalog of products with tens of thousands of products;
  • The ability to scale from a small online store to a large online supermarket;
  • The cost of some modules is higher than the average (60-70 euros), so in some cases it is more profitable to order modifications than to buy a ready-made solution.

PrestaShop is well suited for those owners of online stores who want a project "for themselves", with extensive basic functionality, modern appearance and flexible management.

OpenCart

One of the easiest to manage engines for online stores. The main factor is the ease of mastering the admin panel, the ease of adding and managing goods. True, the disadvantages of OpenCart. Simplicity of start turns out the expenses connected with necessity of constant completions and correction of errors. Web agency specialize in ecommerce solution, responsive web design, custom web development and creation of online shops on different CMS platforms, the development of individual software, services and etc. It can help you with the solution of current tasks and improvements.

Features of OpenCart:

  • Ease of management of the online store by the user;
  • A lot of plug-ins, both paid and free;
  • The system itself is simple and "lightweight", without problems will work on virtual hosting;
  • Low cost of additional work, since there are many specialists working with this system;
  • Design templates are usually adapted to a specific version of the engine;
  • A large number of duplicate pages that are generated by the engine is one of its main drawbacks.

In general, this option is only for small and limited in terms of functional sites. If you need to develop an online store running OpenCart will require a lot of refinements and the complexity of scaling will be a key problem.

Which CMS for an online store is better?

In general, each of the engines is good in its own way, and when choosing you need to build on the specific requirements of your business. It is necessary to take into account the specifics of trade, available resources and the planned development strategy. Otherwise, the wrong initial choice will result in loss of time and money in the future.

The peculiarity of working with free CMS is that if you want you can download and install any of the open-source engines to try it out in the work. But a person without appropriate technical competencies to make the choice of the engine for the online store will not be easy. Therefore, if you have such questions, and you do not know what to stop at, please contact web agency specialists, and they will certainly help you make the right decision.

6 High-End OpenCart Extensions to Boost Your eCommerce Sales

With the eCommerce industry growing at its peak, numerous development platforms have come to the scenario including OpenCart. OpenCart hosts a myriad of high-end features, which facilitates seamless eCommerce development. However, to upgrade your OpenCart-built eCommerce store, you can deploy a set of compatible extensions.

Following here are some of the most efficient extensions to take your online business to the next level.

NitroPack

The page speed is the determining element behind different fundamental growth factors

Like search engine ranking, user experience, usability and conversion rates. One effective way to optimize the speed of web pages, products and categories is by installing a caching tool. However, NitroPack is not merely a caching tool as because, it acts as a comprehensive optimization framework with all its features needed for maximizing the loading speed of your OpenCart-built website.

PreOrder

Pre-ordering is an effective attribute included in an online store which allows customers to know the status of product availability and avail a positive experience. This would prevent customers from not experiencing a negative feeling by adding the preferred product at shopping cart and then finding it to be out of stock.

iBlog

Blogging is the most widely-accepted way of generating online traffic to your website. Free knowledge is acceptable by all and if, the articles are helpful and good, then you can even opt for generating subscribers to the newsletter. iBlog is a typical intuitive session by which, you can add a blogging section to the eCommerce store, thereby allowing you to publish articles about your products, business and the industry.

WaterMark

Branding the images and products is a crucial part of promoting your business and protecting the images against misuse. With this extension, it becomes very simple to add a brand logo to the product images, thereby making them appear professional.

The module hosts a complete customization tool package which, includes text, position, image opacity, color options and rotation as well.

iAnalytics

It is a lightweight integration along with Google Analytics meant for your online store, which helps in keeping track of all the reports and metrics directly from the store's admin panel. You will gain an abundance of data to track, use and analyze for planning the next move. Moreover, it aids in tracking the flow of viewers, traffic sources, conversion rates, most ordered products and most used keywords.

OrderReviews

It not only lets the customers submit reviews, but also helps in sending them emails thereby, inviting to share their individual experiences with the store and the ordered products. Reviews plays a significant role while operating an online business. It helps online merchants to get the assurance that the product was worth buying and customers are happy.

Final word

OpenCart boasts a set of revolutionary features which will help you in both improving your existing online store and develop a new eCommerce store. However, installing these aforesaid extensions will lead you to fetch greater online success. So, consider to try these high-end and feature-packed extensions, the next time you consult an OpenCart developer.

Going for M-Commerce App Development? Five Things You Need to Know

The mobile e-commerce business is one of the most hotly contested markets worldwide where every unicorn and fattest e-commerce companies in their respective sectors are vying to outpace their competitors.

With more than 206 million predicted shoppers procuring goods online, there are no chances of any source of friction hampering your growth in e-commerce universe. Most companies, who have managed to establish a firm root online, have already trekked to take a concerted approach required to engage the customers.

While those who are new noir in this field and are convinced to an amount to get developed a M-commerce app and are yet to ascertain about the key steps and decisions needed to successfully build, launch and grow a deep-pocked mobile commerce business, this due diligence is for you.

# 1 Choose the Perfect eCommerce Platform

Do your homework before heading into the m-commerce app development company by finding the right e-commerce platform. Here are the some of the leading eCommerce platforms you can choose:

• Magento: Magento is the world's most flexible commerce platform that allows offers almost everything an e-commerce site would need to showcase products, carry out online transactions, offer customer service and run all your backend processes efficiently. Some of the key Magento e-commerce features are User Dashboards, Inventory Management, Advanced shipping and supplier management, Allows bundling of products, Built-in cross sell and up sell capabilities, CMS option, Newsletters and much more.

• OpenCart: The OpenCart marketplace, is an open source PHP-based online e-commerce solution that features 13000+ modules and themes to jump-start, grow and expand your business. You can find beautiful themes for just about any sector, service integrations, payment providers, shipping methods, social media, marketing, accounting, reporting, sales as well as language packs.

• Shopify: Shopify has it all in terms of an easy setup, with a handy dashboard area for quickly adding products, customizing the look of your site and more.

• Woo Commerce: WooCommerce gives store owners, the control to sell anything, anywhere. Beautifully. Additionally, it provides a strong, robust framework to developers which is extendable, adaptable, open-sourced which gives them the freedom to create a beautiful online store.

# 2 Simple and Fast Admin Panel

Admin panel acts as the most pivotal element for an E-commerce website, since the controllers to manage the front end of the website lies in the back-end and Admin panel plays the same part. It allows you to manage and control your data, such as products, emails, inventory, promo codes, payment status, methods and much more.

So, before choosing an e-commerce platform, make sure you take a demo on the platforms discussed above and check if you are able to handle the back end without any hassles, & there's nothing that confuses you and makes your work even messier.

Alongside it, also make sure you're able to:

• Upload the products easily in larger volumes.

• You're able to provide discounts, flash sales, display special offers and promo codes.

• View, add, edit and delete email users.

• Able / disable product tags, wishlist, price tiers, ratings and reviews.

# 3 Be Prepared with the App Flow

Since you're all set for mobile e-commerce development, you should have a clear idea of ​​- how your app process will run. Do not fret, it never means you should have in-depth knowledge of every screen, but being prepared with a basic idea of ​​the app flow helps the development company to identify your requirements.

As a rule of thumb, keep the following points in mind:

• Make user registration as easy as pie, like allowing the users to sign up by social networks is the most obvious solution.

• Strictly do not keep the sign-up process mandatory. Research reveals, 23% of purchases are abandoned because of the tedious sign-up process.

• Make the process simple, human-centered by reducing the number of screens your customer has to go through. Like you can avail one page check out, it reduces the opportunities of mood swings and prompts customers to quickly land on payment section.

• Providing more than one payment method including PayPal, Apple Pay and Android Pay.

# 4 Support and Maintenance of your eCommerce App

Make sure your e-commerce development company backs you in every unsolicited moment like when the payment stops working, when the server gets overloaded on special occasions or when traffic is more than average days, or when your mobile store goes down. Providing you with the future updates and taking you out of such dilemmas should be their first priority.

# 5 Mobile App Marketing

Mobile marketing is an infallible part of the equation – you need to let people know about your app. It's essential to show your customer all the perks of becoming a user of your app. This way you can reach out customers, attract and engage them with your mobile commerce app.

Is your m-commerce development company providing a comprehensive package that includes Mobile App Marketing?

Efficiency is intelligent laziness. Do your homework before you go to Mobile app development agency taking your great idea. Things become simple and comprehensible for both parties. All the best.

Get a Feature-Rich Website With Custom OpenCart Development Services

In the present arena of deep neck competition, online merchants are looking for something unique and out of the box for their eCommerce websites. OpenCart is a robust and effective eCommerce solution offering varied features and an attractive interface. It is an open-source PHP-based shopping cart platform which is secure, feature-rich, easy to use and search engine friendly. If you want a user-friendly site that suits your business' needs and requirements, you must opt ​​for OpenCart shopping cart tool. The platform has been designed by keeping all sorts of needs of internet users and merchants who look for a better and reliable eCommerce solution.

There are several reputed outsourcing companies that provide custom OpenCart development services to help one get a business-specific websites which are innovative and have a touch of visual appeal.

Features of OpenCart:

  • Supports extensive entries of products.
  • Reliable, stable and secure platform.
  • Search engine friendly.
  • User friendly and cost-effective.
  • Supports multiple treaties and languages.
  • It renders complete support to the administrator to manage and integrate templates.
  • Restore and back-up tool available.
  • Supports search engine optimization for products as well as categories.

If you want that all your needs and requirements are considered during the design and development process of your eCommerce store, you can outsource OpenCart development to experts. They would provide high quality OpenCart development services at reasonable prices as per your budget and business specifications.

Some of the key benefits of outsourcing are listed below:

  1. You get efficient services at cost-effective prices.
  2. You get round the clock support and maintenance services.
  3. Experienced and highly trained developers work on the projects, which are further supervised by project managers.
  4. The professional outsourcing companies provide personalized OpenCart development services within a committed time frame.
  5. Fast development process.
  6. The outsourcing companies maintain data security and confidentiality.
  7. The experts have access to the latest technology and tools to provide customized services.

When compared to other eCommerce shopping cart platforms, OpenCart is considered as one of the best as it offers an enriching and hassle-free experience to the users. The websites developed on this platform perform with speed and accuracy. Its framework is such that websites can be developed as per specific client's needs. Another important feature of OpenCart is that the webpages built on this platform is translated in other languages ​​quickly. So, while you are looking to migrate your eCommerce site to another platform or want to get a new website for your business, you can opt for OpenCart.

Know These Cutesy Themes for an Online Baby Products & Toys Shop

Busy parents these days scroll through different websites and online apps to get things for their kids. They hardly get the time to visit supermarkets or big shops, but all they want is to make their kids happy and satisfied. While eCommerce stores are helping them a lot to get everything from food, clothing to toys and stationseries, the retailers too got a huge opportunity to expand their market reach and sales overnight. However, if you are into the selling of baby and kids products, you need to design your store with lovable themes and elements that would complement it well. Only then a store looks appealing to the eyes of parents and convinces them that you really have an idea of ​​kids' needs and have the best items for them.

To make that happen, there are hundreds of baby themes and templates bought by different eCommerce platforms and below are mentioned some of them.

# 1 Infant

This is a 100% responsive theme from Magento to suit all infant products, from clothing (girls and boys) to accessories and toys. With straightforward installation, clean design and easy navigation, it also best suits mobile sites. Its playful background and mild color tones create an ambience of a carefree childhood. Best store features:

  • List / Grid view for categories
  • Icon fonts
  • Language translation (Localization)
  • Slider / banners with real images

# 2 Claudine

Designed by OpenCart with love and care for babies and kids, Claudine is a drag and drop responsive theme. Its playful navigation, eye-catchy elements, and superior resolution images help parents to view the products with complete detailing. Key features:

  • Drag and Drop layout composer
  • Revolution slider with multilayer, image, video caption and text
  • Mega Menu with easy drag and drop interface
  • Products slider
  • Unlimited colors and fonts
  • Featured categories

# 3 Bambino

It is a responsive WooCommerce theme and comes with advanced features and fancy design for baby stores. Website customization is simpler with Bambino. It helps to make pages colorful and elegant with catchy elements like Cherry PopUps, countdown timers, product badges, special giveaways (free images based on category), social options, star ratings etc. It makes sites mobile-friendly too!

Some of its exceptional features:

  • One-click installation
  • AJAX Filter
  • Compare and Wishlist
  • Quickview
  • Products Carousel Widget

# 4 Kiddo

Again a Magento theme, it is best known for kids fashion items. Site created with it quickly adapts to any devices, irrespective of the screen sizes and do not restrict visitors with respect to the locations. Its exclusive set of features:

  • Newsletter Subscription Pop-up
  • Film Slider
  • Sorting Options
  • TM AJAX Search
  • Catalog Images Grid
  • Featured Products
  • Special Price Countdown

# 5 KidFun

If there's one template for toys store that can woo the young ones and their parents, then it is KidFun, designed by OpenCart. It is a well-documented and custom-made template that showcases games and toys in pro way. Moreover, intuitive navigation with product Quick view and drop down cart offers the buyers a hassle-free shopping experience.

Special features:

  • Parallax
  • Theme Color Switch
  • Multi-currency
  • AJAX search
  • Product Badges
  • Facebook Like Box
  • Cross Browser Compatibility
  • Valid Semantic Code

Babies and kids store themes need to be clean and colorful and must have a mix of elements that can capture the attention of parents. These customized themes and templates adhere to all of these. So, if you have thought of launching such a store, personalize it using one of the above that will best help you represent your products.

Magento Development – A SEO Friendly Ecommerce Solution

When it comes to PHP open source ecommerce solutions, there are plenty of options to choose from such as Magento, osCommerce, OpenCart, Spree Commerce, PrestaShop, VirtueMart, Ubercart and CubeCart, amongst many more. Each has been designed with a different user in mind with different needs. However for most developers, Magento is their first choice because of its rich features and its ability to use key marketing promotional tools.

Magento is a key player in the competitive world of e-commerce platforms. One of the main reasons for this is because it is an SEO (Search Engine Optimization) friendly ecommerce solution which has the flexibility to design and develop optimized ecommerce websites. Here are few reasons why Magento is the best SEO friendly ecommerce solution:

Category Optimization

Magento allows you to add the category name to a path for a products URL. The most important fields to consider when doing this are:

Meta Description: A well written SEO friendly description should be used here because it will show in result listings of search engines.

Page Title: Keep this blank to use the category name including parent's categories.

URL Key: This should be kept short with the key words in the URL.

These options can make a big difference to a SEO strategy. Details such as Name, Description, Page Title and Meta data can be specified for each store view, which is particularly useful for multi-language stores.

Product Optimization

In Magento, products can be optimized the same way as category optimization. The Meta Information can be set for the "Default Values" and for each "Store View". When dealing with images, a good file name can create additional interest and improve SEO rankings. The images of product information can be labeled and can be used for the image's alt and title tags.

CMS Pages

Magento is a very flexible and powerful CMS. It can control each aspect of every page easily. The page title, Meta keywords and the Meta description can be set for every individual page.

If a specific description is not given to each page in the CMS, the search engines will pick any string from the content automatically.

Canonical URLs

Canonical URLs are a big help for search engines to understand duplicate pages and can suggest the preferred URL for each web page, using the new canonical URL tag. To give a canonical URL to web pages, install the Canonical URL's for Magento module.

XML Sitemaps

XML Sitemaps are Google sitemaps for providing information to search engines that shows where web content is. An XML sitemap never helps to rank well, but it is always useful to get indexed webpages faster in search engines. An XML sitemap can be created by going to Catalog then Google Sitemap then Add Sitemap, choose a filename, path and store view, and then finally press "Save & Generate".

It is essential to offer a flexible and SEO friendly ecommerce solution for any online business; This is why Magento is the best option for web site development.

7 eCommerce Trends That You Might Be Missing Out

Over more than half of the world's population now love to shop online by sitting at their cozy bed or armchair. The boom of eCommerce has clearly bought some huge noticeable changes in the retail segment and in consumers' buying behaviors. For you as well as all other retail enterprises, it is no longer a choice to have an online storefront. Rather, it's imperative to stay in the game. However, for those who already own a vibrant store, it is not an easy at all. There are many similar retailers coming into the scene every day. So, what is important for the existing players in the market is to keep them updated with the latest trends being unleashed by eCommerce evolution every year.

If you have a reigning position in the online retail market, then do not miss out the following trends that eCommerce sector is pushing out presently.

Increased mobile use

"The future of eCommerce will be ruled by mobiles" studies have revealed. With a hefty proportion of consumers now tapping into their phone's screens to place orders instead of logging into the site via their desks. Further, with Google's announcement on the ranking algorithm that it would count on the mobile responsiveness of a site, there was even a greater push in the mobile purchases via an app that is site's exact replication.

Voice Purchases in on rise

While the smartphones are recently being integrated with voice assistants, eCommerce has a great scope to leverage that to offer more personalized shopping experiences. The voice assistants help users to execute different tasks on the phone by speaking it. So, an eCommerce app can deploy it too so buyers can search products just by voicing their wants.

More enhanced fulfillment and payment options

Apart from flexible shipping options, like free-shipping within a specific distance or above a certain order amount, eCommerce owners are offering more lucrative fulfillment to beat out the competition. They are coming up the premium shipping options like same-day delivery, speedy delivery., Order-pickup from in-stores and so forth. On the payment side, new options unraveled like Purchase now-Pay Later, e-Wallet, Mobile pay, etc. So, on an obvious note, you need to consider them too for securing your position in the market.

Chatbots along with Messenger feature

Chatbots that helps in personalized interaction via the messenger will be on rise in eCommerce segment. Retailers are using them to send out personalized marketing content, recommend product purchases, and notify on deals or coupon offers. Furthermore, with Chatbots, retailers can pay heed to customers service requests or queries any time and get them solved instantly. With increasing relevancy of personalization in eCommerce, Chatbots trend is sure to grow more prominent.

Omnipresence

It's 2018 where mobile presence has overshadowed everything else in the world. Hundreds of range of mobile devices with different OS platforms are being used by people to search for things online. So, it will not be any more fruitful for the eCommerce businesses to just target only particular devices. They have to target all, from smartphones to iPhones, tablets to laptops and desks.

Video integrations along with AR

Popular eCommerce giants have already pushed ahead this trend. They are using up videos to showcase products or demonstrate their uses. Beside, some are also toying with the concept of Augmented Reality where users can try a product specifically on screens.

Storytelling that captivates viewers more

Well, in eCommerce marketing, storytelling nowdays goes well to lure visitors to buy because that directly links their lifestyle to the brand. It pinches the emotions of the buyers. Different stats, consumption tips or habits will help in making a difference in the perception of individuals.

That was all for now! The retailers who consider them to be a strong player in the market, need to quickly grasp one or fewer of these trends as fast as possible before time runs out.

Demystifying the Definition of A Quintessential E-Commerce Website

For businesses who ever wanted to develop or integrate an e-commerce website into their existing business strategy this post goes to you. Figure out the best mixing strategies and other strong banners that will take make your ecommerce website a successful business model.

Also go through the potentially stressful spots that kept your online endeavors behind, despite the long trails of building an ultimate web design.

Three Strong Pillars of a Successful E-commerce Business Model:

1. Domain name:

A striking and arresting domain name that describes a product or service immediately or glues in the mind when you hear it first counts for a perfect domain name and it is only what that makes an e-commerce website click inside the consumers.

When you decide the domain name of your e-commerce website think of Amazon, Flipkart, Alibaba, eBay, Etsy, etc. The store name should be catchy, memorable, brandable and short enough.

2. Technology:

Magento, Shopify, OpenCart, WooCommerce are some of the open-source software that is best in developing a super sleek e-commerce website which is balanced at all ends ie UI / UX and functionality.

Logistic support:

If you are landing in this e-commerce project with a pretty deep pocket or may be with a rich balance sheet than it is worthy to invest in warehouses, cold stores in metro cities spread out across the geographic location that bears the majority of the population . These quick-to-go locations help in rendering prompt services to customers.

Three Solid Ways to Pull More Revenue from Your E-commerce Store

1. Optimize & Optimize For Organic Search (SEO):

It's really necessary for your store to rank higher in search rankings. This, in turn, drives more traffic to your store which naturally leads to higher conversions.

And for doing that identify a keyword that is the lifeblood of your website that means if you are an apparel based e-commerce company, "t-shirts" "would be a solid keyword.

Tip: Google keywords planner is a helpful SEO tool that helps you build Search Network campaigns by finding keyword ideas and estimating how they may perform.

2. Quick Page Load Speed:

Page loading speed is the most critical part of your visitor's user experience and it directly impacts page abandonment. So, it is critical for your website that users seamlessly and swiftly open your website. The average user expects a site to load in 3 seconds or less, research shows that if it takes more than 3 seconds to load they will abandon your site and switch to another competitor.

3. Responsive:

We are all not unaware of the fact that we are accessing the internet via various mobile devices, tablets, and system. And to ensure an optimal user experience it is necessary to design for multiple devices.

A responsive web design responds according to user's behavior and environment based on screen size. It should be like "one-size-fits-all"!

An Expert's Definition for Successful E-commerce Business Model:
• An ideal e-commerce website will always have an intuitive and user-friendly interface.
• It will be updated with all latest product offerings.
• It will have multiple payment modes and payment gateways.
• A mobile friendly website is another major necessity.
• A properly managed social store.
• On-demand delivery tracking app
• Cloud Hosting
• Strong Marketing model and you're done.

The E-commerce Mantra:

Go walk with right technology with this short burst burst tips and techniques. And do not forget to find the right e-commerce website development company because these are not the simple sites that are meant just for the purpose of information sharing rather they are the shopping platform that calls for an intuitive experience where every individual should feel as if the site is customized as per their choices.

And for this to happen progressively, it's particularly important to hire a dedicated software company which can make the right cut and justify the kind of niche you belong.

So, what are you waiting for? You've already stacked piles of information in your gray matter and have secured the right acumen to move forth. Put your mind to it and discover what you can accomplish in this arena and get an e-commerce website now.

Let Your Magento Store Stay Ahead of Others With These Assured Tips

It is obvious that some websites are running more frequently than others, despite providing the similar type of products or services. As per experts research, a mere percentage of retail entrepreneurs actually succeed in the first attempt because either they do not get the right eCommerce platform for developing their site or do not get the tactics of running a store right. This article is definitely going to serve the interests of new online businesses but in context of Magento, which is currently the front-running platform for eCommerce sites development.

The following points are the major tricks that online merchants must follow and adhere to while operating a Magento-powered store to stay ahead of their counterparts in the market.

# 1 To boost sales, prepare a high-end store

The best way for increasing the traffic to their website, retailers need to think like their customers. They never get fancied by how beautiful the store looks or which platform it is built of. Instead, they seek for features, usefulness from the website and wants it to be really unfussy. Fast pages download, products loading, vast product ranges, pleasant prices, and great customer services, these are all they look for in a website. However, the most critical tactics to gear an online Magento store for more traffic are:

  • Directing search results with redirect feature of Magento
  • Making the website global-level with personalized languages, location-based features
  • Reducing checkout steps for reducing hassles of the buyers

# 2 Making website search engine friendly must be a priority

For a Magento store owner, it must be a known fact. SEO (Search engine optimization) is one of the integral online business strategies and Magento is in fact specifically prepared for that. Thus, retailers did not have to put much more external efforts for enhancing their on-page SEO. Moreover, SEO makes eCommerce site more interactive allowing it to gain wider visibility and new customers from the search engines. With user-friendly interface and premium customization options, Magento makes it extremely easy for owners to optimize their site for search engines and drive traffic overwhelmingly. Steps to follow for making a Magento based site SEO friendly:

  • Page optimization with keywords-rich titles
  • Generating XML sitemap
  • Optimizing Meta descriptions with most relevant keywords
  • Avoiding duplicate content
  • Creating SEO friendly URLs

# 3 Careful consideration of the typical Magento errors

Many times, online buyers face such serious hassles while browsing through a shop or placing orders. Buyers may find it difficult to add products to the cart, to checkout, review orders, or cancel orders. Such impediments in the checkout stage make it worse for the site by reducing the prospects of sales. Thus, for online merchants to provide a seamless shopping experience to their customers and encourage them to keep visiting back, securing the store from all probable vulnerabilities is essential. The most effective way to deal with errors in a Magento site is:

  • Use of Shopping Cart Diagnostics, that troubleshoot stores to find and rectify errors
  • Getting store configuration checked from time to time

Summing it Up!

While deploying Magento and working with it calls of immense expertise and knowledge as it is one of the most complex, feasible and progressive eCommerce platforms known, keeping these critical tricks in mind retailers can get their store run successfully. Magento undoubledly brings in flexible features to boost website traffic and sales and these tricks will help better to outperform other competitive stores and ease out all problems of the customers and sellers.

Start Your Home-Based Online Business With These eCommerce Platforms

Starting an online venture these days is super easy. There are many inexpensive or free open source platforms for eCommerce store development.And, with the right development team, you are just one step away from getting your own website. Starting a home-based shop to trade your handicraft items, or other locally sourced products is a great idea as a startup. Starting an online business is trouble-free with ample of flexible open source and inexpensive eCommerce platforms available. The only secret of success is not to stop halfway but go on expanding product categories and store's features to convert from a small startup to a leading online business.

While we know that for any individual who is not much aware of the functioning of the eCommerce world and how things go live overnight, selecting a platform rightly to set their own online shop is a backbreaking job. So, here's a list of most powerful and easy-to-use platforms which can help owners to successfully transform their startup idea into a vibrant reality.

# 1 Magento

Acclaimed as the leading and fastest evolving platform, Magento is the benchmark platform. It supports all trades and can accomodate up to 500,000 products and 80,000 orders an hour. With a number of advanced features, easy integration, SEO oriented and versatile content management, it stands to the best solution available within the budget.

Further, it is modular and customisable, means you can gradually expand your store and add new features over time.

# 2 OpenCart

If there is one simple platform for startups, then it is OpenCart! This is the reason it is exceptionally popular among small retailers or the home-based ventures. Easy backend functionality, extensive feature plugins, unlimited products capacity and less server load are few of the perks bestowed by OpenCart.

# 3 Shopify

It comes as a befitting platform for eCommerce stores that simultaneously wants focus on mobile shopping and also social shopping. Easy integrations, lightning-fast loading speed, versatile payment gateway integrations, SEO features, direct social selling are the key features Shopify offers.

# 4 WooCommerce

Those who are at ease with WordPress, then WooCommerce is the right platform for them. Based on the WordPress, it is easy to install and start and since developers will charge you less. Further, there's a large number of additional plugins or templates and themes of WooCommerce, which will help owners to deck up their stores as per the business category.

# 5 ZenCart

The whole reason for putting ZenCart in this list is its user-friendly approach and easy store management. It bears a set of far-reaching tools that offer full-scale customization options to the owners. Moreover, it focuses on the store security features to safe keep all customers and products information.

For a household person who is new to the eCommerce world with zero technical knowledge, selecting a platform that serves their business interests fully is tough. So, the wisest decision lies in choosing the one that offers best user-experience and inherent SEO features that will help the store outshine on the Google results.

Freelance Web Designer | WordPress Developer | Hong Kong