E-commerce Website Development Requirement
What is e-commerce?
“Electronic commerce” or “e-commerce” is the Internet trade of goods and services. It’s your brick-and-mortar store or bustling downtown transformed into zero and one on the internet highway. An estimated 2.14 billion people buy goods and services online, and the number of Prime members shopping at Amazon stores globally now exceeds 200 million. E-commerce is a way for people to buy and sell things in retail. Some businesses only sell products online, while others use e-commerce as part of a larger strategy, including physical stores and other distribution channels. Either way, e-commerce allows startups, small businesses, and large corporations to sell products at scale and reach customers worldwide.Definition of e-commerce website
An e-commerce website, by definition, is a website that allows you to buy and sell physical goods, digital products, or services online. Trade has been shared for centuries, whether barter or buying and selling goods and services. No one can be independent. And this leads to demand for supply and demand for goods and services. Trades have taken place worldwide for centuries, locally and across locations. Keeping the same concept in mind, now think about electronics. However, it should also be remembered that with the world going online, data privacy laws are becoming more stringent daily. And before starting an e-commerce business, you should know all the necessary legal policies for your e-commerce website.
What is an e-commerce business?
An e-commerce business is a business that generates revenue by selling products or services online. For example, an e-commerce business might sell software, clothing, home appliances, or web design services. You can run an e-commerce business from a website or through various online channels like social media and email.How does e-commerce work?
E-commerce works by connecting buyers and sellers using different electronic channels. For example, you need a medium, such as a website or social network, for customers to find products and services to buy. The payment processor then authorizes the exchange of goods or services. After the successful transaction, the customer will receive a confirmation email or SMS and a printable receipt. If the transaction is for merchandise, the seller will ship the items and send the customer a tracking number via email or SMS. If the transaction is for a service, the provider may contact you to schedule and complete the service. E-commerce websites are portals that facilitate online transactions of goods and services by transferring information and money over the Internet. Initially, e-commerce was done partly through emails and phone calls. With just one website, everything a transaction needs can be done online.Types of E-commerce Websites
Different e-commerce websites are labeled or referenced differently, depending on their function.
Business to Business (B2B):
Electronic transactions of goods and services between businesses. For example:
One company sells S.A.S. products to other companies.
Business to Consumer (B2C):
Electronic transactions of goods and services between businesses and consumers. For example:
You buy a new T-shirt from an online store.
Consumer to Consumer (C2C):
Electronic transactions of goods and services between consumers, primarily through third parties. For example:
You resell your old smartphone on eBay to another consumer.
Consumer to Business (C2B):
Electronic transactions of goods and services where individuals provide products or services to businesses. For example:
A social media influencer offers exposure to their online audience in exchange for compensation.
E-commerce website Legal requirements
Before launching your e-commerce website, you must ensure it is legally compliant with data privacy laws applicable to your target region. GDPR and CCPA are two of the first to impact large-scale data collection, use, and storage directly.
Here are some policies you should have on your e-commerce site that we will discuss at the end of this article.
- Privacy Policy
- Terms and Conditions
- Disclaimer (regarding your products, services, content, or affiliate earnings)
These are just some basic policies you need to communicate to your visitors. In addition, if your website uses cookies (and you most likely don’t), you must ensure that you have the user’s permission to store their data in cookies.
How to create an e-commerce website?
Selling products through an online store is the best way to earn extra money. With an e-commerce website, you can simultaneously showcase your products to many customers.
E-commerce websites have many advantages over physical stores. And this is why many marketers tend to take their business to the next level by creating an e-commerce website.
You don’t have to be an expert to create a website for your business. All you need is knowledge of WordPress; then, you can customize your e-commerce site in several ways.
Alternatively, you can hire dedicated developers to help you build your e-commerce website. In addition, you can easily create your e-commerce website using various e-commerce platforms. An e-commerce platform is the fastest way to make an e-commerce website.
Some of the e-commerce website requirements
Fast, stable, and secure web hosting
To publish your eCommerce website, you need a web hosting service. Web hosting provides all the necessary facilities to launch, host, and maintain websites on the Internet.
It also handles your site speed, uptime, and security, which is essential to any e-commerce store. Now we will go into each element.
Security
Cybersecurity remains a top concern for all internet users; customers should feel safe before filling in card information and other valuable personal information for payment.
In addition, web browsers warn their users whenever they visit a website that does not have an SSL certificate – indicated by the “HTTP” subdomain. This alone can scare people away from your online store.
On the store owner’s side, a secure website offers many benefits. It can protect them from cyber attacks, data theft, and other unwanted risks.
Stability
If your store closes suddenly when a customer makes a purchase, you will lose a lot of revenue and even your reputation. For e-commerce, digital stores must always be up and running, except for maintenance periods.
In fact, uptime – when your store is accessible online – should be at least 99%, while downtime – maintenance time, system failures, etc. – must be less than 1%.
Speed
Over a decade ago, Amazon discovered that every additional 100ms of load time costs 1% of their sales. This idea is still relevant today, such as big websites like Amazon, Google, Netflix, Facebook, etc., which are super fast. Because customers are so used to these fast experiences, they expect every other website to do the same. Google suggests that no web page loads longer than 2 seconds, which is the goal of all e-commerce stores.
So, understanding e-commerce hosting and choosing the right one will solve many security, performance, and stability issues.
Mobile site is very responsive
Responsiveness means your online store can adapt to various screen sizes, giving your customers a pixel-perfect experience no matter their device.
71% of Black Friday Cyber Monday 2021 sales are made through mobile devices, while desktop sales account for only 29%. Additionally, in the U.S. alone, mobile shoppers are expected to reach 187 million by 2024.
Unsurprisingly, mobile is the number one sales channel for all e-commerce stores, and optimizing mobile sites for a seamless customer experience is the key.
Store owners must pay attention to details to ensure their mobile sites look perfect. For example, magnify call-to-action buttons to easily tap them with your fingertips or adjust text banners for complete smartphone visibility.
Upgrading to a P.W.A. (Progressive Web App) can significantly improve mobile loading pages, enabling offline shopping and web push notifications. So P.W.A.s are also a great way to leverage the mobile experience.
Finally, a flexible native app has excellent power to interact with your customers and maximize your revenue through smartphones.
User-friendly web design
UI/UX design captures customers’ attention when they land on your website while showcasing your items and brand features.
You can do a lot of creative things with your stores. However, remember that usability is critical in designing an e-commerce website.
Before going into the details, here are some statistics that speak for themselves:
- 42% of visitors leave the site because of poor functionality
- 38.5% of web designers believe outdated design is the cause of high bounce rates
- Eye-catching colors attract 22% of new website visitors. On the other hand, if the color is too eccentric, 21% will walk away.
- The first time browsing a website, 38% of visitors will try to understand the site layout and find navigational links.
People leave because these sites don’t seem easy to them and don’t meet their needs.
The user-friendly design makes it easy for visitors to navigate, browse products, find information, and pay. Besides, it also engages them with satisfying visual presentations.
For a modern e-commerce website, it is essential to:
- Make a clean design that is not complicated to consider
- Use eye-catching colors that are exciting and exciting at the same time.
- Make a layout clear and easy to understand its functions, and the navigation menu should be easy to find.
4. Powerful Operating System
A reliable order and inventory management system saves you much time on manual tasks and lets you confidently run a digital store.
For example, when it comes to inventory, your e-commerce website backend can manage inventory and multiple warehouses, bulk import categories and customer information, calculate tax rates by location, and more. Points, alerts for products about to run out of stock, and more.
Meanwhile, for order management, it can create and print invoices/delivery notes, send email notifications about orders, and allow you to track each order easily. All popular e-commerce platforms like Magento, Shopify, or Wix have powerful functions for order and inventory management, although their offered functions may vary.
Magento can be a great choice if you plan to have multiple online stores up and running simultaneously.
If you intend to dropship or start a P.O.D. business, Shopify seems more suitable with many supporting extensions and low starting costs.
5. Fast payment process
Seven out of ten customers abandon their shopping carts. This means that 70% of customers still need to complete a transaction for what they intend to buy.
One of the most important reasons is the complicated checkout process.
Many purchasing decisions are impulsive; consumers buy when they feel like it. On the other hand, a prolonged payment will destroy their patience and motivation to buy.
Smooth checkout makes payments quickly while customers remain excited to purchase, maximizing sales potential.
6. Shipping cost
Unexpected shipping costs caused 55% of shoppers to leave their carts. This could be because they needed to be informed about the rates or expected a lower amount or additional charges.
7. Integration with Content Management System
All your visual and written content and your marketing materials can be stored and managed in one place with a content management system, “C.M.S..” You may modify or add new information, and the modifications will be reflected on the website once they are posted. A (C.M.S.) can help your staff respond to customer inquiries faster.
8. Mobile compatibility
Mobile devices account for more than half of all online purchases. While people prefer to shop via mobile apps, you’ll see a higher conversion rate if your e-commerce interface is only mobile web.
9. Website design that complements and matches what you have to offer
Your website’s color scheme should complement and match your selling products. If you’re building an e-commerce site for products related to a game or fanbase, the fonts or backgrounds you use should be self-explanatory for the wide range of products available.
10. A thoughtful basket
We don’t need statistics to convince us that internet shoppers love simple yet functional shopping carts. There are ways to increase the usefulness of a simple shopping cart, even if it has the fewest steps imaginable.
Final thoughts
To say there is a lot to think about when building an e-commerce website is an understatement. We have first-hand knowledge of all the features, details, and technologies needed to create a user-friendly, successful online store that will attract customers. Even if you use WordPress, an e-commerce plugin, or software like Shopify, it’s not easy.
