Plug-and-play platforms such as Shopify allow millions of small startups to have their own online stores. You don’t have to be a web developer or designer to have your own website. These platforms have thousands of customizable templates, making every website unique in its capabilities and functions. But design and functionality are more than what eCommerce sites need. These sites need to offer features that will provide great customer and seller experience.
A warranty management system, for example, will help sellers manage their returns and inventory. Putting in place this kind of program will help detect fraudulent transactions. It will also manage the gaps in the production process. As a business owner, you are responsible for making sure that you manufacture products on time and deliver quality items to your customers.
Content Management
A dashboard that tells the seller all the information about the shop makes for a great eCommerce site. From here, the business owner should see the shop’s income, inventory, customer list, pending and canceled orders, shipment schedules, and blog metrics. Through this information, the seller can maximize conversions, grow sales, and encourage more customers.
Payment Gateway Integrations
Why limit your online store to a couple of payment options? Make sure that your store accepts credit and debit cards, PayPal, bank transfers, cash on delivery, and many other payment schemes. Many tools can integrate a host of payment gateway solutions to your website.
Checkout and Shopping Cart
When people add items to their shopping carts, does your website allow them to continue shopping, or will it automatically take them to their carts? If you don’t see how annoying the former option is, then you are more clueless about online stores than you can imagine. Allow your customers to “continue shopping.” When they click on that button, make sure that the website redirects them to the page they have just come from. Remember that they may not be finished adding items to the cart from that page yet.
At the same time, allow customers to check out the items without having to sign up for a membership. Requiring them to sign up takes a lot of time. Most people don’t have that. Let them check out and pay for the items and hope that they will sign up in the future.
Security
Your site needs to store financial information securely. If your website looks dubious, no one will want to do business with you. Invest in SSL certificates. Customers are going to look for that padlock symbol beside their browser’s web address bar. If your site doesn’t have it, say goodbye to potential clients.
Logistics Integration
You should partner with a logistics provider. The customers should be able to track their orders right on your website. This will also give you important data on how long it takes before customers receive their packages.
Having these features on your website will also improve your site’s SEO standing. And while there are more important eCommerce features to have, these five comprise the list of essential tools. Building an online store requires that you think about your customers—how they’ll use and engage with the website.
