The Complete Ecommerce Website Development Guide

1. The Complete Ecommerce Website Development Guide Developing an Ecommerce website is a common investment decision among the majority of business owners, retailers, entrepreneurs, and most of the commercial enterprises in order to transform the competitive advantages of online shopping into a consistent revenue source through a professional Ecommerce online store. Ecommerce websites “online stores” enable consumers to discover, compare and purchase desired products or services online conveniently from home in few minutes with few clicks using their smartphones, tablets, and PCs which make the decision to invest time, efforts & money in Ecommerce website development process a rational decision regarding increasing your business growth with more sales and higher revenues. In addition to the convenient online shopping experience, there are many other competitive advantages offered by Ecommerce websites which are including but not limited to: Increasing your business reach through targeting different local & international markets Attracting more potential clients & increasing the sales volume with professional online Ecommerce store available 24/7 Reducing operational and marketing costs required to run and promote a physical store Tracking and analyzing consumers behavior “your Ecommerce website visitors interests” to customize your products & marketing campaigns Generating more upselling & cross-selling opportunities with remarketing campaigns When it comes to the benefits of an Ecommerce website development, there’re endless business opportunities generated daily once you have a professional online store customized to suit your business needs and goals. Types of Ecommerce Websites

2. Before discussing the process of an Ecommerce website design and development, we will discuss first the main types of Ecommerce websites to define the most suitable type for your needs and goals before starting the development process. The main types of Ecommerce websites are: B2C Online Stores: The common type of Ecommerce businesses with an Ecommerce website dedicate to display and promote products to final consumers like clothes and tech products including mobiles and PCs or furniture. B2B Ecommerce Platforms: Enterprises develop online Ecommerce Platforms to promote their products and services to other businesses while increasing their reach and targeting international markets. C2C Ecommerce Stores: Third-party stores like eBay enable regular individuals and retailers to promote and sell their products online to final consumers. There’re other types of online platforms where individuals and specialists offer their services to businesses like freelance platforms which are not typically fit the Ecommerce website criteria discussed in this article. Starting an Ecommerce business is a choice suitable for different types of commercial, technological and industrial projects as you’ll be able to promote and sell physical products and also digital products like online courses or eBooks or exclusive digital content like stock images through your e-commerce website or innovated products as when we helped our client “Boxture Egypt” with an online store to sell smart furniture products. Main Ecommerce Website Development Steps Once you have defined the suitable type “model” of an Ecommerce website for your business whether it’s a dedicated online store to promote your products or a marketplace for individuals and retailers to promote their products, the next step is to start the Ecommerce website development process.

3. The main steps of the Ecommerce website development process are: #1. Choosing the best suitable Ecommerce solutions The first step in your Ecommerce website development process is choosing the best suitable Ecommerce solutions to transform the website into a fully-functional online store with the required and desired features integrated efficiently. The main Ecommerce solutions that require careful selection before starting the Ecommerce website design phase are: CMS Ecommerce platform (ex: WooCommerce – Magento – Drupal) suitable for your Ecommerce business regarding the nature of your products and desired integrated features Ecommerce website hosting plan suitable regarding the price, performance and expected visits volume to your online store The suitable theme “template” for your Ecommerce platform regarding the Home page appearance and mobile-friendliness level Convenient online payment options for your potential customers Custom features and extensions “ex: accounting extensions” to provide full control of your Ecommerce platform All Ecommerce websites are expected to have a flawless performance by the website visitors “potential buyers” which can be guaranteed by choosing the best Ecommerce solutions suitable for online store nature, needs, and the desired goals. #2. Creating a user-friendly Ecommerce website design Once you have decided which Ecommerce solutions are suitable for your Ecommerce online store, the following phase of your Ecommerce website development is creating professional user-friendly Ecommerce website design to take huge steps further towards owning a successful Ecommerce business. Your Ecommerce website design will create a competitive advantage for your online store when you keep the user experience in mind to ease the website navigation experience through:

4. Creating a responsive mobile-friendly Ecommerce website design with scalable content, images, elements & buttons on all devices for “mobile / tablet / desktop” users Creating a branded web design for all of your e-commerce website pages with clear branding elements “ex: official logo / colors schema” Simplifying your e-commerce website design by removing unnecessary items Using drop-down categorized navigations menu to ease access to product categories and subcategories Displaying your products in use “ex: clothes” with high-quality images and 360° panoramic images & videos Using a brief short copy for each product description Eliminating users distraction with avoiding displaying popups #3. Providing the best online shopping experience The increasing competition among Ecommerce businesses requires providing the best online shopping experience to avoid losing potential and current buyers to your competitors. The process of providing the best online shopping experience through your Ecommerce website can be done through: Increasing the online store pages loading speed “not more than 4 seconds” Efficient products categorization “main categories – subcategories –tags” Applying advanced search and products filtering options Displaying all details for each product (stock status – shipping cost & duration – professional product photos – customers’ reviews & testimonials – related products) Using a “Thank You” page for confirming completed purchases Offering efficient multiple customer support options “ex: live chat / email” and accessible contact information Creating an easy registering process and supporting guest checkouts Multiple convenient secured online payment options integrated Securing visitors personal information & financial transactions with SSL certificate encryption Supporting many languages and ensuring compatibility with different browsers Declaring a clear return and exchange policy for products with a FAQ page

5. Displaying icons for official social media accounts to offer more communication options\ #3. Providing the best online shopping experience The increasing competition among Ecommerce businesses requires providing the best online shopping experience to avoid losing potential and current buyers to your competitors. The process of providing the best online shopping experience through your Ecommerce website can be done through: Increasing the online store pages loading speed “not more than 4 seconds” Efficient products categorization “main categories – subcategories –tags” Applying advanced search and products filtering options Displaying all details for each product (stock status – shipping cost & duration – professional product photos –customers’ reviews & testimonials – related products) Using a “Thank You” page for confirming completed purchases Offering efficient multiple customer support options “ex: live chat / email” and accessible contact information Creating an easy registering process and supporting guest checkouts Multiple convenient secured online payment options integrated Securing visitors personal information & financial transactions with SSL certificate encryption Supporting many languages and ensuring compatibility with different browsers Declaring a clear return and exchange policy for products with a FAQ page Displaying icons for official social media accounts to offer more communication options #4. Testing & launching your Ecommerce Platform The next phase of your Ecommerce website development journey is testing all components and features to ensure launching an efficient professional online store including: The navigation experience (compatibility with browsers – mobile navigation – support options) The checking out process for online purchases (ease of completion – integration of online payment options)

6. The security level of databases and financial transactions The functionality of tracking codes and discount coupons The integration level of custom extensions and features added Once you’re satisfied with everything related to your Ecommerce website, you can start the launching phase to make your online store available and accessible for potential buyers to discover and buy available products. #5. Promoting your Online Ecommerce Store The Ecommerce website development process will end after launching your online store with the exception of future updates of your Ecommerce website structure & features and another phase will take place which is the online Ecommerce store marketing process. Integrated digital marketing solutions are the most suitable cost- effective choice for promoting your online store to generate more sales and revenues including: Customizing an Ecommerce SEO strategy for generating more free profitable traffic from search engines of potential buyers Paid search engine ads for attracting more motivated buyers within your budget limits Social media marketing campaigns on suitable channels to increase awareness and visits to your Ecommerce website Email newsletters and promotional sequenced campaigns for promoting related and new products suitable for targeted users interests Offering sales discounts and coupons for loyal customers Creating a professional Ecommerce website and launching integrated customized marketing campaigns are the main required steps to deliver consistent profits from your Ecommerce business. #6. Evaluating your Ecommerce business performance Owning an ongoing Ecommerce business will require periodical evaluation for your Ecommerce website performance to figure out the strengths and weaknesses of your online store for generating a consistently high return on your investment.

7. Using tracking codes and accurate traffic reports and behavior analysis will enable you to evaluate your Ecommerce website performance efficiently using suitable metrics which are: Monthly traffic volume & each source% (search engines – social channels – referral websites – paid ads – returning visitors) Conversion rate (completed purchases / traffic volume) Each product sales volume Each product category sales volume Average order value Return on Advertising Spend (ROAS) Session average duration & average time on each page Bounce rate Shopping cart abandonment rate The mentioned metrics will help in providing a clear picture of your Ecommerce business performance and which areas require improvement to ensure having a successful Ecommerce website. Conclusion The journey of successful professional Ecommerce website development process starts with defining your business needs and desired goals to achieve with your online store then cooperation with an experienced Ecommerce solutions provider in order to develop, launch, and promote a flawless online store that generates endless business opportunities and the highest return on your investment.