Selecting an eCommerce platform is an important investment that can have a major impact on your business’s ability to generate online sales. With countless software solutions on the market, it can be daunting to evaluate all the available options to choose the one that best aligns with your specific goals and online commerce needs.
By focusing your decision-making process around general factors like required functionality, scalability, ease of use, and data management capabilities, you can determine which platform is right for supporting your current operations and future growth. Going more niche into eCommerce, these are the factors hidden below the general that matter the most:
B2B vs. B2C Feature Set
If your company mainly sells to other businesses, opt for a platform that is optimised for B2B workflows. This includes access to account management portals, role-based permissions and approvals, integrated purchasing processes, and global compliance standards.
B2B models have very different demands than B2C when it comes to software capabilities as corporate customers do not behave or purchase similarly to regular consumers. In most cases, there are many additional layers of bureaucracy, attention to technical details, and payment-related dynamics that need to be considered.
Complex Pricing and Catalogue Management
Businesses with vast inventories and complex pricing models will require robust product information management and enterprise resource planning (ERP) integrations to centralise real-time inventory data across warehouses and 3PLs for accurate order fulfilment.
Account Management Portals
Solutions promoting account manager and buyer self-service via customer portals help free up time for the sales and customer support team. Customers can access self-service modules that allow them to complete their purchase, view order/shipping status, and manage user permissions as needed without requiring the assistance of a customer support representative.
Backend Systems Integration
Minimise manual data entry and risk of error by evaluating integration capabilities with vital backend systems like order management software (OMS), CRM, and ERPs to enable real-time data flows. Rapid and safe data transfers will help optimise your business’s internal processes.
Cloud-Based Vs. Self-Hosted Platforms
SaaS or hosted platforms provide lower risk and require less upfront investment in infrastructure, servers, and ongoing security patching. However, they offer less control over customisation as vendors tend to offer one-size-fits-all solutions rather than tailored interfaces and working modules.
Meanwhile, self-hosted options allow businesses to customise the solution to their needs but increase the associated overhead substantially.
The Bottom line
By carefully aligning a commerce solution with your specific business priorities and workflows, you can ensure that the software can scale to meet current and future demands.
As key considerations are weighed during the vendor evaluation process, identifying the platform that offers an optimal blend of functionality, ease of use, and flexibility will set your business up for successful implementation and may increase the project’s return on investment.
