What is an eCommerce website?

Trade is something humans have been doing for years. Everyone cannot do everything to sustain themselves, so they depended on each other to get various necessities. First, it was the barter system wherein people exchange goods. Then the money system came into being. Markets, shops, and malls were set up. Then came the online shopping facility. Today transactions are done all over the world. People buy things from across the world and get them delivered to their doorstep. Such sites are called e-commerce sites. Popular examples include Amazon, Flipkart,eBay, etc.

E-Commerce

E-Commerce or E-Business is simply doing business over an electronic medium like the internet. It includes transferring funds and resources between two parties. This is the basis of online shopping.

History

Michael Aldrich, the pioneer of online shopping, connected a modified domestic television via a telephone line to a real-time multi-user transaction processing computer in 1979. It was marketed beginning in 1980 and offered mainly business-to-business systems that were sold in the UK, Ireland, and Spain. Charles M. Stack in 1992 created an online bookstore Book Stacks Unlimited and then began as a dial-up bulletin board two years before Amazon was founded by Jeff Bezos.

Present
Right now, online shopping business is booming. Many sites have come up dealing in almost every type of resource put there from clothes and accessories to fresh produce. Many newcomers are still coming up with interesting ideas to gain profit.

Now the question arises: How can we build such a website?

There are many e-commerce websites available in the market today. Of course, it’s not easy but it is possible. And with the right steps and proper execution, anyone can build a successful e-commerce site.

Build your ideas:

Before you do anything, the first and foremost thing to do is build your idea. One needs to have a clear-cut picture of what he wants to do and how he wants to do it. He should also have a fair idea of what features and services he wants to provide. Also, he needs to have a fair idea about what’s happening in the market now and who all are his competition.

Select a Platform:

One of the first steps is to select a platform. Today there are many options for open source e-commerce platforms to select from like Magento, WooCommerce, etc. these would help build an advanced shopping e-commerce website like Amazon.
Perhaps the most common platform used is Magneto. With its regular updates, the community of developers and repository of extensions, it can give you 360-degree flexibility in upgrading your online shopping store at any given time

Choose and Register a domain name

Another step to be done is by choosing the domain name. It has generally been observed that consumers remember the .com domain names much better than the other ones like .net or .biz.
Since the main aim is to increase customers, it would be better to choose a common name.

Design the Store

This is an important step. The more you design your store better, the more customers are attracted. This is the face of the business. The level of customization and the amount of traffic expected are two key points to take into consideration.
Fortunately, many developers provide an eCommerce development solution without any uphill process.

Hosting
An eCommerce website needs proper hosting to handle the traffic caused by a load of users. It is expensive but required. There are several types of web hosting. Cloud hosting is one that can be used.
Once the hosting is done, do not forget to test it. This would help to find the bugs and fix them.

Team
In today’s world, nothing can be done alone. Every successful major project has a hardworking team behind it. So, make sure you have a well-balanced team of developers, designers, testers, etc.
Have them at your disposal to launch your dream and materialize your vision into a reality.

Payment gateway
Another important aspect of consumers to be taken care of. Make sure you have as many options as possible for payment. Different consumers prefer different ways and if they do not find it comfortable, they would never come back.
Consumers continue using the website if they find the payment way easy and secure.

Security
A big problem that the world is facing today is security. Ensure that your site is secure and protected. Consumers’ safety and privacy are paramount.
Have a team specially for this, to maintain and ready to jump in at emergency times.

Mobile App
Today is the age of smartphones. People use their phones more compared to laptops and PCs. They prefer mobile applications on websites.
Having a mobile application will help pique customer interest and improve user experience. But it is a heavy investment on the entrepreneur side.

Logistics
Since it is an eCommerce site, the shipment has to be delivered to the doorstep of the customers. So, sign up with a mercantile company like FedEx to ensure safe and timely delivery

Market your site
Once you are ready with everything, the next thing to do is let the world know about it. Yes, the market! Unless people come to know about your site, they won’t visit or buy anything. Family and friends are a great way to let the word out and reach. Advertisements on TV, newspapers also help. Social media is a powerful tool used today to let the world know about things, Apart from these, some organizations help in marketing your product.
Once your site is launched, ensure that your website has features like customer reviews and ratings, easy returns, wishlists, help options, FAQs, a good service helpline, etc. these are some of the features that users like to have. The more attractive and better-quality pictures you use on your website, the better attraction. Always try to be innovative in your ideas, design, and service. There are hundreds of eCommerce websites out there. To stand out, you need to have innovative ideas along with good quality products, fair prices, discounts, offers, and a responsive network.

What makes Metric Tree Labs one of the best e-commerce design and development companies in Kochi, Kerala, India?

There are thousands of eCommerce development companies out there that create e-commerce websites for clients without considering the one most important thing that matters. Conversions. E-commerce apps and websites should be built taking into account the experience the user is going to get from the point a user sees the logo or icon to a point where they make purchases. Our consultants first talk to you to understand your business objective and then a strategy and the user experience is mapped before the first line of code is written. This ensures faster development and client satisfaction when the final product is launched.