Having a website is not all it takes to be in the online business. Customers will not come if your website is experiencing loading times and is difficult to navigate.
You should understand what makes your website stand out from the millions of other websites on the internet.
You want to ensure your website is up and running to drive the right traffic your way and increase your conversion rate.
If you are alone, putting your website and eCommerce before the right audience will not be that easy. You will need an eCommerce agency to hold your hands. So, what should you do when choosing an eCommerce development agency?
1. Does the agency know your goals?
The only way you will build the best eCommerce store is once you invite one of the top-rated eCommerce agencies that understand your business goals. The development agency should familiarize themselves with your products and understand your business.
One of the processes for the eCommerce agency should include learning more about what your store offers and the goals you have in mind. The agency should be ready to ask you questions about the business and get direct answers – this is the only way the agency can know your expectations and help you realize them.
If you don’t have any goals in your eCommerce store, the agency should help you set realistic goals.
2. Who is your competition?
The most successful online stores in the consumer market can make a difference. Therefore, it is important that before inviting an eCommerce agency, you should research all the key ingredients for business prosperity.
Carry out some competition analysis of your target market and build new solutions. Through competition analysis, you will make some strategic steps that will help you achieve your business goals.
Your competitors are companies that operate in the same market as you and offer the same products and services as you do. You can find out who is ranking above you by using popular keywords on search engines like Yahoo and Google. Do this regularly before launching your marketing campaign.
Also, you can beat the competition by adopting the best technology in the product to outsmart your competitors.
3. Determine your Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)
Do you have a set budget for developing your online store? The first step to having the best results in your eCommerce is having a set budget in advance. This way, you can negotiate with the company and get the best deal. Take into account the Total Cost of Ownership which refers to all the costs that can arise from the project like post-product, upgrades, and maintenance cost.
Check the project’s cost with the company before hiring them to develop your eCommerce store. This is one way of avoiding unexpected costs when you kick off the project.
4. Know the experience level of the agency
How many years has the eCommerce firm been in the industry? The company you hire should have all the UI and UX development best practices in place.
They have to implement all the essential features of your eCommerce, and the only way they are going to achieve this is when they have the required experience in the game. If you want to be certain that all you need will be implemented, you should check the portfolio of everyone who will work on your project. What is the size of the team, and what portfolio do they have?
Check the experience level of each member on LinkedIn. You should go beyond the teams’ resumes and establish whether they are the best fit to handle your project or not.
5. What makes the agency different from the rest?
If you hire a development agency, you should find out if they have anything that makes them different from others. Are they any different on their core values or experience level? Is the company able to work as a partner throughout the project? You can look out for many factors when deciding on which agency to hire.
Final Thoughts
Choose an agency that stands out in whatever you find interesting. Check on the personality of the people in the team, their experience level, and previous projects. Also, don’t forget to go through the customer reviews and testimonials on their blog section before hiring the agency for your project.
