Over the years, the e-commerce domain has witnessed a rapid boom. Not surprisingly, more and more entrepreneurs are keen to join the online selling bandwagon. But the online space is competitive, so standing apart is easier said than done. You cannot expect to win with a simple website, even if you have the most incredible products and competitive prices. So you must invest in relevant technology solutions to match customer expectations and create flawless shopping experiences.
You also require them to sustain business operations, from showcasing your products online to getting orders, facilitating payments, ensuring timely delivery, and everything in between. Although you may get off-the-shelf solutions for these functions, custom software is a better alternative on any day. The investment is hefty, but it serves immense benefits and pays back sooner than later. Let us explain how custom software can fuel your e-commerce business.
Personalize according to your unique needs
Every e-commerce business is different, even if they sell similar products at comparable prices in the same market. For example, you may have a unique business model, such as selling on an online marketplace or reselling products instead of manufacturing them. Likewise, you may target a niche audience or have a distinctive service offering, such as same-day delivery. Leveraging off-the-shelf e-commerce software may not be good enough to match your unique needs, challenges, and goals. A custom solution is better because you can ask your team to build relevant features and functionalities into your software to facilitate smooth operations.
Ensure integration with your current systems
Running an e-commerce business takes more than investing in a website that serves as the online storefront for your buyers. A lot more happens at the back end as you manage your supply chain, handle customer queries and complaints, and streamline deliveries, returns, and refunds. You require a robust ecosystem comprising different systems and platforms. Custom e-commerce software ensures seamless integration with current systems and applications. You need not worry about tweaking the elements to make them work in tandem.
Get full control and ownership
Another customization benefit you cannot overlook is complete control and ownership of the software. Since e-commerce trends are ever-evolving, you cannot take a set-and-forget approach to your platforms. With standard solutions, licensing or restrictions may always cause hassles when you plan to tweak or scale your website or backend platform down the line. In fact, some solutions do not allow you to add more features and users, leaving growing online businesses in a lurch. But having complete ownership of your digital assets does not leave you at the mercy of a software vendor.
Handle high-traffic volumes
When it comes to scaling your e-commerce business over time, handling high-traffic volumes is the trickiest part. The most daunting concern is that your site may crash when it encounters a sudden traffic surge amid the sales rush or peak hours. A standard solution may fail on this front because it can support only a specific volume of traffic at a point. You can go custom by dedicating a web server to manage traffic surges and ensure a fast response to user requests.
Custom platforms are generally hosted in the cloud, so they have unlimited resources for your business to grow at no cost. Besides supporting more traffic, your site can load product images and videos without glitches. It enables a great UX, regardless of the traffic surge or catalog growth.
Enhance your long-term ROI
Custom software development is more expensive than picking off-the-shelf solutions. Many e-commerce entrepreneurs are hesitant to invest, specifically in the startup stages. But the decision to skip it can land you in a problem because you will need to do it eventually. A move from standard to custom software for a running business risks downtime. The good thing is that you can outsource software development services for the project to get the best of both worlds. With this model, you get the best developers for the job without spending a hefty sum for hiring an in-house team. Most importantly, custom solutions enhance your long-term ROI.
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Improve customer experience
Customer experience is the mainstay of success for e-commerce businesses. You may have a superlative product offering, but do not expect visitors to convert or return unless they are happy with their first shopping experience. The only way to do it is by providing a smooth journey down the conversion funnel once they land. A tailored platform is an ideal solution, as you can tweak it to match the UX expectations of your visitors. Integrating a reliable customer relationship management solution into your web platform takes the UX a notch higher. It lets you gather information about each customer, understand their shopping preferences, and get valuable insights to enhance their future visits. A standard tool hardly covers more than letting people click and buy.
Empower your business with better security
Security is perhaps the most significant downside of off-the-shelf e-commerce platforms. You cannot rely on them to maintain comprehensive security for confidential data such as the personal and financial details of your visitors. User privacy is the last thing you can compromise because a data breach can land you in a huge problem. You may face penalties for non-compliance with data privacy regulations. Even worse, your customers lose their trust in your brand and leave for good. It can affect your reputation and credibility in the competitive market, leading to survival issues in the worst-case scenario.
An e-commerce startup may want to start small and slow with an off-the-shelf technology solution. While it may seem a good choice in the early stages, you will probably end up regretting it sooner than later. Conversely, a custom software solution is a viable alternative, even if it costs a bit. It empowers your business with a competitive advantage through high-end UX, advanced security, and reliable scalability. The best part is that you can get a custom solution without breaking the bank by collaborating with a reputable development company. Going nearshore is even better because these destinations serve top talent at optimal prices.
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