It is estimated that 96 percent of Americans do their shopping online. This is probably because shopping online saves time and avoids crowding at stores and shopping malls. It is no wonder that $2 trillion worth of sales is made annually from the online retail industry.
But online selling is not confined to established companies such as Amazon. Anyone is able to start an online store right at the comfort of their homes. If you already own a business, then you should consider taking advantage of the internet to attract more customers and boost your sales.
The good news is that you don’t need to be a computer geek to be an online store builder. There are ready-to-use templates and make improvements as time goes by. However, there are certain features that you should always look out for.
Below are 8 must-have features to consider in an online store builder:
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Ease of use
One of the features to watch out for in an e-commerce platform is the ease of creating an online business store. In some cases, you will be required to have a good understanding of different coding languages. That means you won’t be able to create an e-commerce website that caters to your business needs.
It would be better to check out a DIY platform that has an intuitive design and features. This way, you will be able to experiment with several things and create a website that’s best suited for your business.
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Design tools
While creating an online store, you may reach a point where you feel the design of your website is not in line with the vision of your store. It would be a good idea to have a platform where you have an opportunity to choose different design themes that can easily match.
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Product order management
An online business cannot succeed unless it permits you to easily manage orders. That’s why it is advisable to create an online store that uses less time to manage products and orders.
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Mobile support
This is another must-have feature when considering an ecommerce platform. If your online store cannot be easily accessed through mobile devices, then you are missing out big.
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Multi-channel integration
In the current e-commerce world, you can’t make the mistake of allowing your website to operate on its own. You need to choose an online store builder that makes it easy for you to integrate with various channels and their-party tools.
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Site speed
Most customers cannot bear with an online store where items take ages to load. A majority of online shoppers (51 percent) in the U.S. admit that they would abandon a purchase due to slow loading.
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Multiple payment methods
You need to view online shopping from the perspective of a shopper. Try to provide as many payment options as possible.
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Analytics and reporting
It would also be a good idea to have a system with in-built analytic features accompanied by reporting tools.
Bottom line
Choosing the right e-commerce platform provider can be a challenging process. But if you understand the right features as mentioned above, then everything should work out fine. There are reputable e-commerce platform providers, like Nexcess StoreBuilder that can help you build an online store without any coding required.
