Choosing the right e-commerce platform for you

Like many things in life there is no one right answer and in some cases it can cause some sleepless nights when weighing up what is the right Ecommerce platform for your needs.  Do you go for a build it yourself project using a system like volusion or shopify or will that be limiting for the company as it grows? Do you need the enterprise features that Magento has to offer, decisions decisions. Or do you install a theme and modify for your needs using Drupal Commerce?

Here are some questions to ask yourself to help start you off?

1. Does my company have any unusual processes that need accommodating? 

By this I mean, do you sell customisable widgets that have multi tiers of options with lots of prerequisites, or are site visitors from Russia only allowed to basket specific products, or do you want to have logins where trade accounts are shown different rates? If the answer is yes to the above then perhaps a self build maybe a little bit of a stretch. 

2. How big is my wallet?

If you are running a cottage industry making knitted teapot covers and you have the capacity to make 5 a week then maybe a custom built e commerce application is a little overkill. But its important to consider your budget to make sure you are spending enough to make a success of it. 

Don’t be to rigid in the way your approach if you have a smaller budget. If you have a set smaller budget and its going to be tight, be as flexible as possible and embrace new approaches. Being rigid could mean that developers have to use your budget creating unnecessary systems you think you may need when it could be put to better use in areas that our experience tells it might be. 

3. Am I selling stuff that needs a more creative approach?

If your selling ink or car parts, where the products themselves aren’t of aesthetic significance, then perhaps creative design is a secondary consideration over say a powerful faceted search system. However, if you are the next Dolce & Gabanna who has 3 variations of diamond encrusted handbags then creative luxurious design is the more appropriate way to spend your budget, no need for faceted search when you have 3 products.

This is just a start and I hope this gets the cogs whirring when considering the right approach. At Lupimedia we start with questions, getting to know you and what your about to make sure you get the biggest bang for your buck.