How To Choose The Right E-Commerce Platform For Your Online Business?
An online store without a solid ecommerce platform is like a strong home without a sturdy foundation. When starting an online business, one of the first decisions you'll need to make is which eCommerce platform would suit your business needs.
This choice can be overwhelming, as there are many uncountable options in the market, each with its own set of pros and cons. In this blog post, we will outline the most important factors to consider when making your decision, so you can choose the ecommerce platform that's best for your business.
What is an eCommerce platform, and how does it help online businesses?
An eCommerce platform helps businesses to set up and run an online store. It provides the tools and infrastructure to sell products and services online and manage orders and customers. In addition, it also allows businesses to track inventory, sales, and other data related to their online store.
The eCommerce platform meets all of the essential requirements that entrepreneurs seek to take their business online. An eCommerce platform offers these exciting benefits to online businesses:
- It gives customers the ability to search for and buy the product themselves.
- It provides virtual carts so that customers can add interested products to the cart.
- It provides a secure payment gateway for customers to pay for their products.
- It provides a database to store customer data and day-to-day transaction details.
- Inventory management tracks the available merchandise
- security features and integrations help expand into new channels
What are the critical qualities to look for in an eCommerce platform?
1) Free trial to know the overall experience
It is challenging to onboard the new customer no matter how hard you have tried to engage and advertise to them to try out your new ecommerce platform. Customers need to try & experience the new eCommerce platform features before they convince themselves to onboard the platform. So why not give your customers a sample first? It just makes sense to offer a free trial.
Fynd platform, the market leader in eCommerce platforms, offers a 30-day free trial without the need for a credit card. No questions asked!
How to do it?
- Click the "Get started for free" button.
- Fill out your details and get started.
2) Assist in marketplace catalog generation
An eCommerce platform must assist in marketplace catalog generation to enable the eCommerce brands to quickly sell on other marketplaces like Myntra, Tata Cliq, Nykaa Fashion, Flipkart, Amazon, etc.
A well-managed online product catalogue is necessary to ensure that customers can easily find products, product details, technical specifications, images, related products, and more.
Fynd Platform helps eCommerce companies run their business super smoothly by uploading their catalogue across numerous marketplaces. How to access on Fynd Platform? Platform Panel >> Sales Channel (select application) >> Catalogue
3) Inbuilt data tracking and analytics
One of the major benefits of opting for an e-commerce platform is internal data analysis and eCommerce. In ecommerce websites, a vast array of data is generated at every step of the shopping process.
For instance, the customer data tracks the number of visits to your website, the source of the traffic, the location of the visitors, the type and model of the devices used, the duration of the visit to your website, etc.
Fynd Platform can get figures and data from cart, order, and payment in graphs and tables. Download them in PDF and CSV too! Use application tokens like Firebase, Mo Engage, Segment, and GTM for application analytics.
4) Access to inbuilt plugins
Plugins solve the critical problems that store owners may have. It can be related to improving merchandising, marketing, inventory, fulfillment, customer service, conversion, channel management, etc.
Fynd platform lets ecommerce websites access a whopping 72 Free plugins. Some of which are related to
- Security
- A/B Testing
- Fraud detection
- Discounts & Rewards
- Email verification
- Offers & Announcements
- Abandoned Cart emails
- Selling on Nykaa, Ajio, Myntra, Tata Cliq
Get access to free plugins on Fynd Platform and boost your online business.
5) Abandoned cart handling feature
Abandoned cart email features are one of the most critical things to check while selecting an eCommerce platform. This essential feature helps in retargeting and increases the chances of getting lost sales from customers that have abandoned the cart without making a purchase. eCommerce websites powered by Fynd Platform automatically send emailers to customers who have left their cart. Thereby, boosting overall sales.
How to access the abandoned cart handling feature on the Fynd Platform?
Platform Panel >> Sales Channel (select application) >> Orders >> Abandoned Checkouts Check this feature on Fynd Platform today, retarget abandoned cart customers and get ready to boost revenue for your business.
6) Inbuilt email and SMS marketing features
Ecommerce platforms should have inbuilt email, and SMS marketing features to enable small businesses to reach their target audience effectively. Email and SMS marketing are personal, fast, and low-cost communication channels, and email is said to be 40 times more effective for customer acquisition on Facebook and Twitter combined.
Many businesses have to select separate email and SMS marketing subscription packages for their marketing activities and allocate individual budgets. But with Fynd Platform, you don't need to do it as ecommerce websites built on this platform come pre-integrated with up to 50000 free emails and SMS. Thrilled! Discover these integrated marketing features today.
7) Create your marketing coupons
Coupons are a highly effective marketing tool for any ecommerce site, and when used properly, they can significantly enhance the conversion rate of your marketing campaigns. It has the potential to attract new customers, increase existing customer engagement, and generate new revenue.
Fynd Platform can create customized vouchers that entitle a customer to a discount on one or more products. Select the type of coupon and enter all its eligibility criteria. Subsequently, a customer can enter the coupon code into their cart and avail of a discount. How do I access marketing coupons on the Fynd Platform? Platform Panel >> Sales Channel (select application) >> Marketing >> Coupons
8) QR code feature
QR codes can be used by e-commerce businesses to provide customers with discounts, coupons, giveaways, and special promotions. Additionally, it can personalize offers for individuals who discovered you via a targeted scan.
It can also help you cross-sell, upsell, and increase your average order value. The QR code feature on the Fynd Platform can redefine sharing URLs and links related to products, collections, carts, and applications.
9) Feedback capture mechanism
Capturing feedback is one of the oldest and most popular methods of understanding user behavior. It can be used to measure customer satisfaction, identify areas of improvement on websites, or determine the effectiveness of a campaign.
Captured feedback can also help to improve the overall customer experience and encourage loyalty. Many ecommerce platforms provide users with the option to leave feedback after making a purchase.
Fynd Platform's feedback capture mechanism helps you get to know your customers better by providing a valuable option to share their invaluable feedback & suggestions. The robust platform uses several bundled services as a part of its offering, like
- SMS Marketing
- Email Marketing
- Coupon Creation
- Ratings and Reviews
10) Inbuilt order management system (OMS)
An order management system (OMS) is a business software application that helps companies manage the orders placed by their customers. An OMS integrates with a company's e-commerce platform to provide a centralized location for all customer orders.
This ensures that all customer orders are accounted for and allows businesses to track orders and view order histories. In addition, an OMS can help companies process orders, track inventory levels, and print shipping labels.
Fynd Platform provides an Order Management System (OMS) for managing orders originating from all your sales channels and marketplaces such as Amazon, Flipkart, etc. It is a reliable enterprise-grade system for supervising ordering and fulfillment workflows.
How do I access the Order Management System (OMS) on Fynd Platform? Platform Panel >> Orders
Choosing the right eCommerce platform can be a complex process. It’s essential to understand what the different eCommerce platforms bring to the table and how they can help you achieve your business goals rapidly.
We checked crucial features of Fynd Platform and found it to be one of the best ecommerce platforms in the market that fulfills the needs of every business aspiring to go online with their products and services. If you would like to learn more or would like to speak with one of our eCommerce website experts, please feel free to Book a Demo or Contact us anytime.