Planning is the most important stage in eCommerce web development. Once the design team, the coders and the graphic designers have begun working on a particular plan, it’s difficult and costly to change course. It’s also here where many lose their way. Without any basis or starting point, it’s easy to get confused about how to do it. Here are three big questions whose answers should prove excellent launchpads for your site plan.
To whom are you selling?
Marketers call this consideration the ‘target market’ in their professional lingo. Regardless of what you call it, your target market will definitely have to be one of the biggest factors in your eCommerce website design. After all, they’ll be the ones who’ll see the site and to whom the site should be appealing.
Although you could get off with not specifying your target market in your business plan, you simply can’t proceed with eCommerce web development until you define it. That’s because certain elements and design considerations work differently for different people. Pages with lots of moving images, for example, might not appeal to older buyers; in the same vein, elaborately written descriptions will be under-appreciated by younger crowds.
How are you different?
Establishments in shopping malls have it easy: a fancy window display and loud music can immediately set them apart from adjacent shops. How do you set yourself apart in the big, big world of the Internet? Your answer to this question will also dictate much of the direction of your eventual eCommerce web development.
Do you have a quirky, eclectic company image? Design a site with lots of kiddie graphics and a web application game or two. Are you trying to come off more as a sophisticated online retailer? Put little visual details like minimalist or Victorian themes into the design. Is an online clearance outlet the goal for your company’s image? Show customers special offers and discounts at every turn.
You’re bound to have just one or two advantages over the next website on the Internet. That’s why, once you’ve identified the things that set you apart, your eCommerce website design should reflect that very thoroughly. It’s not enough that the customers see it; they have to feel and remember your advantage as well.
Do your products have special requirements?
Not all products are made equal, so it’s highly likely that the needs of your site and your products will be very different from the next site’s. Here are a few examples.
If your eCommerce company sells audio hardware, for example, the typical shopping cart software with the click-pay-deliver model will work for inexpensive things like regular earphones. That won’t, however, be enough to sell high-end ,000 theater systems. One common eCommerce solution to this kind of problem is to incorporate a live help system that will have a live customer service representative selling high-end equipment for you.
Aside from high-end items where customers tend to ask a lot of technical questions, there are countless other situations where the usual model won’t cut it. Observe how other retailers sell similar items and check what special measures need to be done with you.
It’s usually very helpful to have someone on your team who’s well-versed with eCommerce web development. He or she should be able to advise you on the specific nuances for your business, thus giving you a better and more profitable site overall.
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