The best e-commerce website builders make it easy for businesses to add online sales to their revenue streams. These platforms also support inventory, payments, and shipping all in one place.
Branding
E-commerce sites are digital storefronts where customers will learn about your products and services, browse your inventory and purchase products or services online. These platforms support a wide range of transactions, including business-to-consumer (B2C), consumer-to-business (C2C), and business-to-government (B2G).
Branding is key to an e-commerce site’s user experience, ensuring that your website design matches your company’s visual package and creates an enjoyable shopping experience. Choosing the right ecommerce website builder that understands your branding is essential to creating an experience that connects to leads and builds brand loyalty. E-commerce website builders offer a range of tools that allow you to sell your products and services online and manage inventory, payments, and shipping all in one place. Some platforms are ideal for micro and small businesses and e-commerce beginners with limited web design experience. Many also provide domain registration and web hosting for an additional cost.
Design
The right e-commerce website builder understands how your brand is perceived online. It will ensure your colors align with the type of products you sell and create a consistent design that matches your overall visual identity. It’s also essential that your e-commerce site provides customers with an easy and clear checkout process. Customers should be able to find all the information they need to make an informed decision about their purchase.
It’s also important to include customer reviews and testimonials on your site. These can help boost your sales and give potential customers confidence before buying your product.
Some e-commerce website builders focus on business features, while others provide more basic building tools.
Technology
Whether your business is a small-scale retailer that offers physical products or a large wholesaler shipping goods to retailers worldwide, the right e-commerce website builder will support scalability. You need to find one that can accommodate the influx of sales in five years, not just the growth your current audience sees.
Many subscription-based e-commerce website builders have themes that give your online store a consistent look and feel. These themes also allow you to create an “About Us” page and customer service pages that spell out your returns, shipping rates, and other policies. Lastly, the website builder should integrate with the tools you use to manage logistics and other business processes. Check the integrations each site builder offers before signing up to ensure they work well with your existing software.
Customer Service
Access to live, consistent tech support is essential for any business new to e-commerce or has been around for a while. Look for a builder that offers a variety of ways to get support, including live chat, email, and phone calls.
Ensure the e-commerce site builder you choose integrates well with the software you use to manage your omnichannel business. This includes the tools you use for logistics, data analytics, and email marketing. Otherwise, you may pay extra for services that could have been included with your site builder package. A great e-commerce site builder is versatile enough to handle various businesses, from small micro audiences to massive wholesaler shippers.
