The Content Management System (C.M.S.) can be seen as the engine sitting at the back running the entire operations of the eCommerce Store. From publishing the content to managing the products and managing the user database and running sales reports, the C.M.S. is the single most important piece of software in the entire business landscape when it comes to selling online. Therefore one of the most critical decisions for a business wanting to develop an eCommerce store is the choice of C.M.S.
At Websites ‘N’ More we have an in-house team of back-end developers who are experts at developing eCommerce solutions and can deliver projects using a C.M.S. based on either open source technologies (Magento, WordPress, PrestaShop and Drupal Commerce) or custom built solutions based on the P.H.P. framework (CodeIgniter, Yii, Zend).
Some of the key elements we focus on during an eCommerce development project
Number of Products on Offer
How large is the inventory on offer? How frequently will the inventory be updated? Will the inventory be updated manually or automatically? Where does the business see itself in a period of 1-2 years? How diverse is the product range? These are some of the most important questions our eCommerce developers address in order to choose the right eCommerce content management system for your needs.
Functionalities Required
The functions required at the back-end in order to control the store operation smoothly and the functions required at the front-end (customer- side) in order to achieve highest levels of user experience. Our team of eCommerce developers focus on both the ends of the spectrum while developing an eCommerce store.
Integration with other systems or software
While the C.M.S. is the most important piece of the puzzle, there will be other softwares that need to be integrated with the C.M.S. in order to achieve the overall solution. As an example this can be a third party inventory software or a delivery management system. Therefore it is important that we take into account the third-party software’s into account before developing an eCommerce system.
The Checkout and Payment Process
Another important consideration while choosing an eCommerce C.M.S. is how the purchase process works? Will it be a simple store checkout or will it be more than that? E.g. subscriptions, delayed payments. If the eCommerce store requires a somewhat unique solution then it is best to develop a customised checkout process based on the needs of the business. The next step is choosing the right payment gateway. Pricing, service, security, integration are the top considerations when it comes to payment gateways.
The Content
Our eCommerce developers need to focus on the type of content that will be displayed on the front-end and as such provide the users information about the products and services. Will it be a data driven store with information such as price, stock, static image, product description or will it be a media rich solution where we need to show videos, personalised content based on the users behaviour etc.
The Vision and the Budget
Last but not the least it depends on the budget the business has to develop an eCommerce store. If the business forecasts a large chunk of their revenues to come in from online selling and have a budget to back it up then offering a dedicated eCommerce solution will be the way to go. This will provide a business complete control of operations including running customised reports, managing user and product database, third party software integrations and running dynamic marketing campaigns based on user behaviour. However if this is not the case then we start with developing a basic eCommerce C.M.S. using a hybrid open source platform and slowly build on it as the business grows.
eCommerce Development FAQ’s
What Content Management Systems (CMS) do you use to develop eCommerce stores?
Our team of eCommerce developers can work with WordPress, Magento, Drupal, Joomla, osCommerce and PrestaShop.
Can we connect our Inventory/Accounting software to our eCommerce store?
You sure can. But our eCommerce developers need to understand if there is a ready API available to connect your accounting software with your eCommerce store or would we need to create a custom API to do so.
What standard functionalities do you provide as a part of an eCommerce store?
We develop eCommerce stores based on the client’s requirements rather than providing a standard out of the box solution.
We need custom functionalities as a part of our eCommerce store, can you develop these?
Yes, we can. Our eCommerce developers have plenty of experience when it comes to developing custom functionalities for WordPress, Magento, Joomla and Drupal.
What Payment Gateways can we use for our eCommerce stores?
This is purely your choice as a client. We have in the past worked with Paypal, eWay and SecurePay.
Can we manage our own eCommerce store?
Yes. Once your eCommerce store has been developed, we will provide you training on how to use the admin panel of your store.
Do you provide training once the eCommerce store has been developed?
Yes, we do provide training.
What steps do you take to ensure the security of visitors or data that is collected on our eCommerce store?
Our eCommerce developers follow various Industry standards to ensure that your eCommerce setup is as secure as possible. This includes using an SSL certificate, 2 Factor Authentication, not storing credit card information on the backend, use of strong passwords, regularly performing system updates and continuously monitoring the system.
What are the ongoing costs that we can expect to pay for my eCommerce store?
Some costs include Domain Hosting, Website Hosting, Email Hosting, Third-Party Plugin Fees if applicable and System Maintenance Fees.
Do you develop custom CMS’s for eCommerce stores?
Yes, we can. We have a team of full-stack PHP developers who have experience working with PHP frameworks such as CodeIgniter, Yii, Cake PHP and Custom MVC.
Can you develop custom API’s for connecting my eCommerce store to third-party software?
This will come down to the platform that you use to develop your eCommerce store and the plugin/extension/module that is used to integrate eCommerce functionality for your store. There are a lot of ready plugins available in the market that allow for cross-border selling and have in-built tax calculators.
Yes, we can.
Do you provide advice on marketing our eCommerce store?
We are a full-service Digital Agency and can surely provide you advice on digital marketing as well.
