Are you a product-based business that needs an advanced e-commerce platform to run your business in the Internet realm? If you’re wondering how to choose an e-commerce platform, this blog post is for you. There are a variety of web builders and hosts that can accommodate your e-commerce needs, but each one sets itself apart with its unique traits and abilities, so it’s necessary that you do your due diligence and choose the right one.

How to Choose an E-Commerce Platform That’s Right for You

Every business has different goals and needs, and therefore each business is going to need a different web hosting platform to meet those aspirations and foundational necessities! Not everyone is going to need multiple variants (size, color, shape, etc.) for their products, and on the flip side, not everyone cares to have a super branded website (which I believe should be your first priority!).

There’s 8 questions you should ask when choosing your e-commerce platform:

1. First, What’s the Cost?

If you’re a startup in the beginning, it’s important that you calculate (and budget for) the costs that come along with hosting your website since these will be costs with or without any profit on your end. There’s typically a discount if you sign up for the annual plan vs. monthly, so keep that in mind, too.

2. What Are the Shipping Capabilities?

Another key element you want to look for is the abilities the host has for shipping options - is it strictly weight-based or flat rate, or do you have the option to opt-in to Carrier Calculated Rates? CCR allow you to easily estimate the cost of your shipping depending on the size of the order, the shipping agent (UPS, USPS, Fedex) used and the state (or country) you’re shipping to. Weight-based and flat rate only works for some business structures and isn’t always ideal. Similarly, some shipping programs only offer pound weight calculations vs. ounces.

3. Do You Need Lots of Variants?

As listed above, variants include traits such as size, color, shape, etc. depending on the product sold. For example, when I was starting my web design services I had a client ask me to make a website for her ready-to-heat meals. She was a nutritionist and offered these accessible meals for those with dietary restrictions, meaning that each ready-to-heat meal had dozens of variations allowing you to include or substitute different ingredients depending on what you desired.

Luckily, the platform we were using allowed us to utilize a plugin that could calculate more variants per product, but not all platforms have this functionality. If you anticipate needing a ton of variants, it’s super key to note this ahead of time and choose a platform accordingly.

4. What’s the Processing Fees Associated?

Unless you pay for the premium e-commerce level plans on some website builders, they may choose to charge you an additional processing fee per transaction if you utilize one of their lower level plans. To remove this fee, you can opt to upgrade your plan and waive the fee. Then, all you have to pay for is your payment processor fee, usually about 3% (whether through PayPal, Stripe or Square). But if you don’t waive the host’s fee, it could easily shoot up to 6%! This is something to consider when launching your e-com store, as well.

5. Does the Platform Offer Easily Customizable Design?

A huge issue as I shared earlier, having a well-branded site is number one. Without this, you will fail to grab hold of the audience’s attention and elicit that brand recognition in their minds. Without a beautiful, interactive website, you’re failing before you even begin. Thinking about how you can best show up for your audience and craft a one-of-a-kind aesthetic (and usability) experience should be top on your list.

6. Do They Process Payments by Way of Third Parties?

This may be a pro or a con depending on your opinion of third party processing systems, some mentioned above such as PayPal, Stripe and Square. Some platforms allow processing in different systems and some don’t. You may dislike this option because of the extra fees associated, or some of your customers may not trust them (although they are fully vetted, trustworthy programs!). Or you may like this option because it gives you a more versatile, well-rounded offering for payment options and may encourage more customers to purchase because they already have a PayPal account, for example. This is another thing to add to your “to-consider” list.

7. What’s the Customer Service Like?

When you choose an e-commerce platform, customer service is a key element that can make or break your backend experience as the website manager/creator. Having a solid customer service, help/support team with the platform you’re using is so necessary. Consider the ways in which you prefer to access your help team - do you like live chat (instant messaging)? Maybe you prefer email? Is phone calling a non-negotiable for you? Some sites don’t offer phone support to streamline their systems, but others offer it as their main go-to. Considering your personal needs and preferences here can be helpful, although I wouldn’t suggest basing your decision on this question alone.

8. Is It Easy for You to Use?

One of the biggest struggles I’ve seen clients go through is not being able to utilize their website on their own post-launch. Either they hired a fancy web developer to code the site but then can’t make any changes later on, or they aren’t tech-savvy enough to navigate what should be considered a user-friendly platform. Assessing your personal comfortability with the platform options you have to choose from can help you make an informed decision for the long run. You don’t want to get stuck with only one person who can utilize the platform! What if that consultant shuts down their business, or that employee moves on to another opportunity? You always want to make sure that YOU are equipped with a user-intuitive system that can accommodate your level of knowledge.

I hope this article was a helpful starting off point for those of you wondering how to choose an e-commerce platform for your product-based business! Please leave any questions for me in the comments, I’d love to help assist along your journey :)