15 Right + 1 Foolish Question You Need to Ask Before Launching an eCommerce Website [Quora List]

The primary reason 90% of startups fail is that founders focus on the idea rather than its implementation. You don’t have to write a business plan which will be hard to slog through, but the moment you cross the Rubicon for a startup journey, you have to know exactly what to do. So we’ve made a list of Quora’s questions useful to ask before you launch an e-commerce startup.

How to Start

Questions: How do I start ecommerce business? or What are the steps to start an eCommerce business?

It has never been easier to start an ecommerce business. As a general rule, as long as you have a great startup idea, supported by a strong business plan or a pitch deck, it will not be hard to find developers or a development company with the due expertise to do the rest, but it’s always handy to check up on benchmarks and the guidelines.

Best Platform

Questions: Which eCommerce platform should we use? or What is the best CMS for eCommerce?

There are many platforms suggestions you can consider using the link above. One of the most popular platforms is Spotify, since it’s easy to use, SEO friendly, and integrates with payment providers. Using do-it-yourself site platform might look like an all-in-one solution, however there is a reason website development is a profession — if you want something done, you don’t do it yourself, you hire an expert.

Web Development

Question: Is it wise to build my own customized eCommerce website?

As you can see from the recommendations at the link above, solutions vary on a case-by-case basis. The general rule is, if you are launching a small online shop with ordinary products and you want to get it running cheap and easy, a platform would be your best pick. Alternately, if you would like to create a special e-commerce shop featuring customized products and unique customer experience, then you would be better off hiring a software developer.

Question: What is the best programming language to develop an eCommerce website?

Follow the link above to see that any programming language has its strengths and weaknesses. So it’s not about choosing the best programming language, it’s about finding the best programmer who would develop your website meeting your requirements, providing a high level of security, maintenance, cross-platform usability and fast page load time.

Question: What is better for e-commerce stores, native mobile apps or web apps?

People switch between devices while shopping, so to ensure the customer completes the purchase, follow through that your website looks good both on mobile and desktop of all screen sizes. Or maybe there are more other options. Let’s check it out!

E-commerce Features

Question: What top 10 features are a must for any e-commerce site?

The non-negotiable feature checklist includes fast loading with powerful search, payment systems displayed, mobile-friendly design, KPI tracking, PCI DSS compliance, social integration, product reviews, advanced loyalty programs, and free shipping. Find out more strategies to keep your customers engaged and clicking through to a lucky purchase at the link above.

MVP Development

Question: What would a minimum viable product (MVP) look like for an e-commerce startup?

Minimum Viable Product is a streamlined version of your webshop with the following key features — simplified functionality at minimal cost, maximum value to gain loyalty, channeling feedback to improve your product. If you need professional help, look for the web development experienced in building MVPs that have gained power in the market with a minimum must-have number of features.

How Long to Build

Question: How long does it take to build an e-commerce website?

Provided you have a business plan and little if any customization is required, you can make a rough estimation of how long it would take to build a website guided by this checklist. Decide on your web content management software, choose a Web host, pick from hundreds of templates the one that fits you most, pick add-ons to make your site intuitive and user-friendly, organize the main menu and submenu selections and develop compelling content with crisp visuals. If you are tired to do the math already, you can always ask for help to handle all the technical work on your behalf.

Hiring For Startups

Question: What is the best place to hire software developers for my startup commerce company?

Finding great developers can be though thing, but having an understanding of how you will collaborate with them will make this thing easier. You have a lot of options from finding them for an equity to hiring developers with the help of Tech Partner.

Question: What is the best way to find a CTO/co-founder for an e-commerce start-up?

Once you define the skill set your startup is lacking and the type of person who would fit your philosophy and core values, look for the ideal candidate in your personal network. If you cannot find the right person through your connections you have nothing left but to spot a stranger at startup networking websites and startup networking events. If you think you need a CTO or co-founder because you are lacking technical expertise, you can hire a web development shop that would serve as an implementation partner taking care of all technical questions so that you could focus on core business functions.

Ecommerce Development Companies

Questions:

• What is the best E-commerce mobile app development company?
• What is the best web development company for helping us to start a complete new eCommerce website?
• Where can I get a List of eCommerce solution providers in the US?

You can find many development companies offering their services at the links above and you can look at the reviews and ratings such as B2B rating &reviews, and top software development companies by GoodFirms or Clutch.co to make your choice. Benchmark your potential developer against the best practices such as portfolio of projects in your domain, client references, NDA protecting your intellectual property rights, Agile and Scrum project management, application maintenance, transparent pricing, and communication.

Other

Question: What are some hot innovation trends in e-commerce?

E-commerce is evolving rapidly to become much faster, smarter and more personalized, so to thrive you have to stay on top of new tools. According to Business Insider survey, 80% of businesses are going to implement chatbot automation by 2020. 40% of millennials use voice assistants to help shopping. Algorithmic dynamic pricing feature, targeted advertising, reviews aggregation, cryptocurrency, virtual mirror, and other disruptive features have been already adopted by e-commerce entrepreneurs.

Question: What are some of the best designed ecommerce websites?

The best design is not only about the esthetics of crisp visuals or engagement of compelling content. The magic of the website starts with the development of sophisticated infrastructure of both the site and SEO functionality that must be tested before commissioning. So it all comes down to a professional developer sticking to acceptable industry standards and offering you the benefits of a highly functioning website. Aren’t we right?

The Most Important Question? ;)

Question: With the market being flooded with e-commerce entrepreneurs day after day, will I be able to become an e-commerce millionaire if I start now?

E-commerce is on the verge of a breakout reaching $453.46 billion in 2017 compared with $390.99 billion earned the previous year. While more users are rushing to the Internet for shopping there is a reward waiting for the brave entrants who board on this retail digital transformation journey.

So, don’t worry about the market, just start the business with the right idea, a strong team and a thought-out plan. And no doubts you will reach your goal.

This article was originally published in Ezetech blog and shared with Medium community.

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