Many people started their own online stores to sell their products directly to the consumer. Having a quality product to sell is important, but creating a memorable online shopping experience for the customer is equally as important. A website for ecommerce sales must have the functionality and design that keeps the customer on the site through the point of sale. According to ecommerce statistics, only 9.6% of Gen Z customers report buying items in a physical store. Even when consumers made purchases in a brick-and-mortar store, 39% reported that they visited a brand’s website before making the purchase. So, building the right website could mean the difference between a sale or a potential customer moving on to other brands.
What to consider when creating a website
Whether your goal is to build a website to sell products solely online or you are building one to compliment your physical store and increase sales, there are a few important things to consider before setting out to create a website.
Design features: With over 500 beautiful templates to choose from, you will have no shortage of options, and each is customizable. Wix hosts hundreds of SEO-friendly plug-ins to help boost your online store presence. Ease of use: The non-tech-savvy among us will love Wix’s ease of use. Users can build a basic online storefront in less than 10mins (ask me how I know). The drag-and-drop building feature makes the process painless. Brand building: Wix offers free business tools like Wix Logo Maker and even a Business Name Generator for those who need fresh ideas. Manage transactions: Your products can be listed and sold on multiple sales channels. Online transactions like purchasing, tracking, and processing, delivery, refunds, or payouts can all be managed from the Wix dashboard and Wix Payments.
Wix ecommerce pricing has three monthly plans: Basic - $23 | Unlimited - $27 | VIP - $49
High-quality design: Squarespace offers attractive theme options created by world-class designers. There are hundreds of layouts to complement your product.ecommerce options: Inventory management, shipping tools, social media integration, and consumer analytics, and SEO optimization are just a few of the features you get with Squarespace.Customizable checkout: Squarespace allows for ultimate customization, even at checkout. Support: Squarespace offers mobile support to ensure your website is accessible at all times. It also offers 24/7 tech support.
Squarespace pricing features annual and monthly plans: Business - $18/$26 | Basic Commerce - $26/$35 | Advanced Commerce - $40/$54
Customize your design: Volusion gives users a powerful site editor to customize the professionally designed themes, ensuring it has a look and feel you want. Drag and drop features allow you to curate your website with the media content you want.Payment setup: Volusion makes getting paid fast and easy. Payment services such as PayPal, Apple Pay, and Stripe can be easily integrated.Built-in tools: Order management features make bulk processing and order creation simple. Features like MailChimp allow you to set up, track, and measure the effectiveness of your email campaigns. A Live Chat feature makes sure your customers get their questions answered quickly. Analytics: Performance tracking is available with Volusion. Customer insights, such as spending habits, will help you understand and serve your customers better.
Volusion pricing features three-month prepaid or month-to-month options: Personal - $26/$29 | Pro - $71/$79 | Startup $161/$179 | Business - $269/$299
Professional design: Shopify has over 70 customizable themes designed by professionals. Each template can be easily configured to your taste, allowing you to stay true to your brand and storefront vision.Mobile ready: Each storefront comes with a built-in mobile shopping cart, allowing your customers to shop hassle-free on the go from any tablet or phone.Shopping features: Shopify integrates over 100 external payment gateways, from PayPal to Bitcoin. If you want to reach international customers, Shopify’s online checkout is offered in over 50 languages.SEO and analytics: Getting found online is easier with Shopify’s customizable SEO practices. It also offers product and traffic reports so you can analyze your growth and sales and gain insights into how customers found your store online.
Shopify pricing and monthly plans: Basic Shopify - $29 | Shopify - $79 | Advanced Shopify - $299 BigCommerce pricing and monthly plans: Standard - $29.95 | Plus - $71.95 | Pro - $269.96
Type of business: What are you selling? A product or service? Are you a new business or startup that is seeking to build a brand from the ground up? You need to find an online store builder that fits your vision, brand, and needs. Ease of use: You will need an ecommerce website that has the flexibility to fit your needs, one with SEO capabilities that help get your online storefront noticed online. Customizable templates and theme options are important for those who lack knowledge in coding or website design.Works with the tools you need: You will need to ensure the ecommerce website builder is able to integrate with the tools you’ll need for your online business; email marketing, customer data, mobile optimization, etc. Cost: Perhaps the biggest consideration is cost. Ecommerce website builders have varying prices, with monthly or annual price structures and web-hosting options.
Selling products and services online is nothing new, but in the last year, we saw many businesses throw their hat into the ecommerce arena. Building an online store is an investment, one that pays off if done the right way. Choosing the best ecommerce website builder is essential in helping you bring your product to the internet market. You want to choose one that is affordable, easy-to-use, and one that houses a host of online features that help you reach your customers while allowing you to stay true to your brand.
