Every brick-and-mortar retailer, from small to big, is attempting to present their business online. As the number of ecommerce players grows, so does the number of ecommerce development vendors. Choosing the right ecommerce technology partner is difficult considering the number of options in front of you. However, we will make that decision-making process easier by providing some key tips when selecting an ecommerce development vendor.
The market is saturated with a large number of ecommerce production firms consisting of experts and professionals who can design, code, and launch a custom solution according to your business needs.
However, choosing the right one can give you a tough time because of the countless options. So, we have got you covered. Read out the tips below to choose a reliable ecommerce development agency for your business.
What is an ecommerce development company?
Ecommerce development companies are the agencies that globalize the presence of your business on the market by designing a website or application for you. They design and develop or optimize your website, platform or application according to your unique business requirements so that you may be able to sell the products or services online and able to target and reach more clients by providing a better shopping experience.
These companies hire experts and professionals having the technical knowledge and expertise to handle complex projects.
Role and importance of ecommerce development agency
An ecommerce development company plays a vital role in the success of the business.
They help improve your business and, as a result, increase in sales and online customer traffic. They suggest better ecommerce techniques and strategies that may help you in the long run.
The team of developers by the agency use the latest technology stack, tools, and constantly improve their skills to provide best practices as ecommerce experts.
An experienced ecommerce development agency will provide you with idea validation, proof of concept, UI UX design, web development, testing, project management and dedicated team creation. They provide you with in-depth knowledge about the latest technology, software, and tools for your ecommerce website or project.
Success in ecommerce directly is linked with user experience. The ecommerce development agency ensures to make your website easy to scale and makes it simple for your clients to navigate and find what they are searching for on the website.
They conduct meetings throughout the whole process for a better understanding of requirements and also provide ideas for a better approach to business in the future.
They develop attractive and user-friendly ecommerce websites and platforms through which customers can easily buy online and use your services without visiting physical stores.
Not only this, after developing and releasing the site, they also take complete responsibility for updates and changes.
How to choose an ecommerce development vendor?
Here are tips you should consider while choosing the right ecommerce development vendor for you.
1. Identify your needs, goals, and objectives
Before hiring an ecommerce business partner, it is essential to identify the goals and objectives of your business, the need for your ecommerce platform, and the image of how you want to communicate with your clients. So, the vendor may be able to implement the business requirements in your ecommerce site or application appropriately.
2. Budget Check
The basic requirement for an ecommerce website is knowing your budget. The more money allocated for the project, the more you can have creativity and functionality. You should first look up to the budget and services provided by the agency that coincides with your expectations, tell them your budget and deliver your requirements to them. They will give you a clear solution. For clarity, you can also ask to break down the cost estimation.
3. Check out the customer reviews and recommendations
The reputation and credibility of the company play a vital role in the selection, so checking out the customer reviews and recommendations for the reliability of a company. This check allows you to get the opinion of the company's previous clients, about their style of work and expertise. Reviews and testimonials are present on the company's websites, or you can also find them on different review sites like clutch or goodfirms. The company should understand the requirements and provide more explanations on why they have decided to implement your solution in this way and not the other way around.
4. Check portfolio of the ecommerce development agency
The next step after checking the trustworthiness of an ecommerce development company is to check its portfolio. Portfolio refers to the company's previously delivered work and projects.
Make sure that the vendor you selected has undertaken the projects in your product category, industry, or market segment. It is important to evaluate whether they have relevant experience in your area of interest. If yes, then check whether the job matches your requirements.
5. Talk to the company's professionals
Good ecommerce development vendors have experienced professionals as team members because they know that the client's experience depends upon their expertise. Ask the vendors to introduce you to the project manager, who will lead your project. Ask who will be in the team working on the project (developers, designers, QA testers). Ask the project manager about the methodology they use for developing ecommerce sites or applications. Reliable vendors are fully transparent in that regard. You can also check their profiles.
It is always better to have a google meet/zoom meeting with a team of professionals you consider hiring. If you have the technical knowledge, you can also ask them a few questions or conduct a small interview to evaluate their skills. In this way, you can make sure that the objectives and the important features are clearly understood, and both parties are on the same page.
6. Decide the cooperation model
Before signing a contract, ask how they work with their clients and deliver work. Most companies choose between 2 cooperation models:
- Dedicated team model
- Time and material model
Here you can read more about the difference between the two.
Tell them all your requirements, deadline, and expected budgets. Ask them their expectations and come to a deal on the middle ground. You can also request a list of milestone deliverables for each phase of the project. Compare their fees and expertise with other ecommerce development agencies to make the final decision.
7. Decide upon the deadline
In this world of competition, you need to be fast. Your ecommerce store has to be equipped with the latest technologies to provide the best experience for your users. Make sure that the company you hire is known to deliver results on time. You can confirm this from the reviews and testimonials of the other clients.
Ask the company reps to specify the actual time they are going to deliver the project so that you manage your time appropriately. The sooner they complete the project, the more favorable it will be for your business.
8. Maintain good communication
Communication is the key to success. Make sure that you and your ecommerce development partner have good contact with each other. Specify how you like to be reached and in which form. Is it texting that you prefer or have daily/weekly calls with your team or just with the project manager or maybe a mix of everything? Apps for communication, WhatsUp, Slack, Google Meet, Zoom, etc.
9. Development Process
In the development process, a relationship is maintained between the vendor and the client. The requirements are collected, and detailed discussions are made about the possibilities and ideas through time to time meetings and walkthrough. The company offers technical expertise and boasts past accomplishments to the customers to understand expected results and implementation procedures. They offer emerging technologies and tools to follow the latest trends.
10. Demand post-service support and maintenance
The website needs regular maintenance because the new updates always appear to keep your site up-to-date. That is why your terms of the contract must include a clause about the post-service support.
Sometimes, when the website or application goes live, it does not respond as well as you may expect. It may have small bugs due to which the users are unable to operate properly. Make sure that you asked your ecommerce development vendor to provide post-service support for at least 3 months.
If you hire a new company for post-service support and maintenance, it will cost you more and the developers may not be able to understand the complexities of the code.
11. Demand a warranty claim
At times, product launches may not go as smoothly as planned. Always demand a warranty claim. Some vendors just want to get the money and provide a mediocre solution. In case your website or application does not work appropriately, you can always refer to your warranty claim. Since all vendors value their reputation, they will get it fixed in no time.
Conclusion
Choosing a reliable ecommerce development vendor is a challenge because many vendors are in the market of providing such services and the success of your project largely depends on who you decide to work with, so please select carefully. Choose a vendor that fulfills your requirements and provides services for future updates, all within the agreed budget. Also, make sure that they use relevant technologies and tools to enhance or develop your project within the specified timeline.
We hope that our tips and information above will help and benefit your company.