Since COVID-19 hit and businesses were forced to close, it seems like everyone is rushing to develop an e-commerce platform for their small business. Seeing how this is the only way many “non-essential” businesses were able to stay open, it seemed like the best solution. However, having a poorly built e-commerce platform could be more detrimental to your business than having no platform at all. Here are just a few reasons why you should have a professionally developed and agency backed e-commerce platform instead of using a DIY builder.
This should go without saying, but working with someone who has experience in building e-commerce platforms will lead to a better result than trying to do it alone. Relying solely on tech support forums and tutorial videos will never come close to replacing live and personalized interactions with the experts.
When working with a professional e-commerce developer, you are also working with their connections within the industry. Perhaps they have a good deal on a quality credit card merchant, or they have a developer on staff who specializes in your type of store. The experience and connections that a professional e-commerce developer brings to building your platform can be worth their weight in gold.
In addition to helping you find better deals that may only be available to agencies, an experienced e-commerce developer knows what works and what doesn’t. With thousands of hours of work backing them up, they know what mistakes are commonly made and how to avoid them. Take a look at any well-established e-commerce platform. The people who worked on these websites have learned from years of trial and error and have built powerful stores that dominate the market. Lately, many companies don’t even need a physical location because their e-commerce platform and distribution centers are more than enough to keep them going. This has been especially important during our current global events and will continue to have an impact moving forward.
An important principle to remember when developing your e-commerce platform is that you only have one chance to make a first impression. If your site is not user friendly, attractive, and functional, there is a good chance you will not have another chance with this potential customer. How many times have you visited a website once, had a bad first impression, and never returned? Working with an established developer ensures that you will have a strong first impression on your potential buyers, because we know what the end user is looking for and how to deliver that to them. Do you rely primarily on repeat customers or new customers? When a larger portion of your business is based on attracting new customers, your e-commerce platform needs to be solid to help win them over.
Now we know what you’re thinking: “This is great, and I would love to work with a professional e-commerce developer, but they charge way too much money. I’d rather do it myself and save that money to be spent elsewhere within my business!” We get it. Let’s look at it from a different perspective, though. While you are paying more up front to have a professional work on your e-commerce platform, you are saving costs for yourself down the road. Professionally built e-commerce platforms don’t break as often as DIY stores, and they have less issues with credit card processors, software compatibility, and other technical problems. At Drift2 Solutions, we are here to assist you and to ensure you have the best platform for your business. Additionally, the hours that you aren’t spending teaching yourself how to create this platform can be spent in other areas of business development instead. Imagine how much further you can get in other areas when this is taken off your plate!
No matter what you choose to do regarding your e-commerce platform, it is important to remember that online is the future of doing business. With COVID-19 changing the way everybody operates their business, your options are to stay on top of it or be left in the dust of your competitors. Working with a professional e-commerce developer will help your business push ahead of the competition and stay on top of global trends.
