You have your products lined up. Your marketing campaign is ready. Even your customers are excited.

Now the only barrier you need to cross before launching your site is to choose the right e-commerce platform. And it is not an easy decision. The choice you make will have far-reaching consequences – one that can influence your success or failure.

What is an e-commerce platform?

Let’s start with the basics!
An e-commerce platform is an online application or a suite of applications that let businesses sell products or services on the internet. These platforms include various aspects of managing an online business. These include managing inventory, taking care of payments, and even customer service and marketing.

Why use an e-commerce platform?

An e-commerce platform makes it easy and fast to sell online.
Using an e-commerce platform gets rid of all the hassles of building a website from scratch. Most importantly, e-commerce platforms are cost-efficient. Using an eCommerce platform is cheaper than creating software from scratch and more comfortable than using many plugins. Elaborate eCommerce platforms facilitate the purchasing process for your customers, prevent system failures, technical issues, and help you troubleshoot them whenever they pop up.

Different types of e-commerce platforms

• SaaS Platforms:
  The Software-as-a-service model is one of the most user-friendly options out there. With such platforms, you basically rent the provider’s platform to host your own e-commerce site. They involve zero development costs and are pretty straightforward since the SaaS provider covers the necessary technical features. The major drawback of SaaS e-commerce platforms is that they are less flexible. Unlike when you host or develop your own website, you cannot change or customize every aspect of your e-commerce website. However, they are the ideal options for a startup or a beginner.

• Open Source:
  You can utilize open-source e-commerce platforms as a code that you can install on your website. It gives you the freedom to configure and customize every feature of it to make it fit your business requirements. However open-source platforms require top-level expertise and a high development cost. You will need to either learn how to do it on your own or hire someone to set this up on your site.

What to look for while choosing the right platform for your company?

• Inventory limit:
  It is one of the most important factors to be looked into while choosing an e-commerce platform. Some platforms have SKU limits. Therefore, if you are planning for growth and foresee your product catalogue increasing soon, then you need to think twice. In that case, you may need to look for a platform with unlimited inventory space.
• Scalability:
  You need a platform that can grow with you, especially if you see growth in your near future. Confirm whether your e-commerce platform can afford to handle extra traffic into the foreseeable future. It should also be flexible and robust enough to handle short-term spikes in volume during peak seasons.
• Online Marketing Support:
  Integrating your platform with your digital marketing can easily improve your chances of success. Depending on your product or industry, some marketing channels might work better over others. Take that also into account while selecting the e-commerce platform.
• Customer Service:
  Just like with every other business, having responsive customer service is a critical factor to look into while choosing the right platform. A reliable partner can usually solve your queries and fix your problems in a jiffy. Make sure you look for an e-commerce platform with a strong customer support service.

Still cannot decide on an e-commerce platform?

Wise Design Lab is a reliable web design company that can help you with your e-commerce website queries and needs. Our expert team is well-equipped to conduct thorough audits of your business operations, evaluate your objectives, and find the right pick for you.