When you make that decision to set up your online store, especially if you think it will revolutionize the world (“I have to do this right now idea”), those temptations can cause hasty irrational decisions that could cost you big down the road. We want you to carefully consider your options, and choose the best route to take for your success.
There is however, a reality of selling online…and this truth is that the BEST stores take time, effort, and plenty of technical preparation to set up. In fact, if you rush and don’t consider the options, you’re likely to miss one of the six most crucial technical aspects that go into any eCommerce website development… and these results could hurt you immediately right at the start… or catch up with you anytime down the road, at that bad moment when you can least afford it.
So, we’re going to go over some of the most important technical options eCommerce newbies should know before they touch anything! From site software options, to proper security, to payment gateways choices, we have you covered! Remember that each eCommerce situation is unique, so everyone will need to consider their proper route.
1. eCommerce Website Software
What would an eCommerce store be without the right software to power it? Well, it wouldn’t be an online store…
This is one of the most important choices you will make, because this will power and drive your store to success or failure. It really is best to consult with us regarding your online selling idea, so we can guide you to the perfect solution. Are you selling a couple things, hundreds, thousands? What features do you need beyond the “norm”. Your store software selection helps narrow the range from which you can choose compatible add-ons (like payment gateways or shipping suites, or neat product usage features), and determines whether or not you need certain hosting. So it’s best to make this decision and head down the right path quickly so we can move onto the next steps.
If your a newbie, here’s a quick guide on what you’ll be choosing between. There are two basic types of online stores:
Hosted — essentially store software run on a server provided and maintained by the same company, with one monthly payment (what we consider to be restrictive and basic, with little growth opportunity)
Self-hosted — you pick and pay for the server, and download, install, and maintain the eCommerce software yourself (well we would be doing this part for you, however, self-hosted sites give you the greatest features, flexibilities, and capabilities to grow and change over time, not to mention owning your own site and not being stuck in a proprietary software and held hostage (don’t get me started on that!).
But I have to be “positive” so I guess there are advantages to each. Hosted sites are often preferred by new store owners due to ease of setup, but they lack the same kind of control over add-ons, bandwidth, etc. that self-hosted sites do. I would like to say in other words, that this is the cheap quick way of doing it but you will have no control or capabilities, so we don’t recommend this. Do I sound like a broken record?
We have some suggestions about the most important features of a CMS, and what we recommend. We prefer using WordPress WooCommerce Solutions in most cases. This CMS software allows us to be as basic and simple or as complicated, large and sophisticated as we need to be. The plug-in capabilities are endless, so the site can constantly add new features to keep your customers coming back for more! Contact us regarding these solutions.
2. Hosting
Of course, any eCommerce site is nothing without a server to power it. We must consider servers with daily backups, quality redundancy control, and 24/7 maintenance, your best route to get the space and support your store needs is through a quality host. (us!)
A server is where your website “lives,” and what gives speed and power to your store.
There are quite a lot of things that make up a quality host, and finding one — Here are a few of the most important things to look for:
Features — Nearly any host can promise 99% uptime and daily backups. But beyond that, you probably have a wishlist of “must-haves” or “nice-to-haves,” like one-click software installs, 24/7 tech support, specific hosting environments (Linux/Windows), and so on. Make a wishlist and hold to it.
Reviews — Hosting reviews are fairly easy to find, so if you find a few hosts that sound promising, have a look at what others say about them. It also doesn’t hurt to ask people you know for their unbiased opinions or recommendations, either.
Price — You don’t want to get caught in the “race to the bottom” for the cheapest hosting possible, but you don’t want to spend more than you have to, either. Look for reasonably priced plans that correspond to features given, or monthly plans that scale up or down without contracts.
Ability to grow — What works for your store now might not work in six months. Look for a host that gives you room to grow and expand without emptying your pockets or breaking contracts. You should be able to add more RAM, get more bandwidth, add storage, etc. without being punished — or your store being disabled. That one is never fun.
Going the hosted route? You don’t need to find a server. However, it’s worth looking into any upgrades that your provider might offer, such as increased bandwidth for busier stores or larger packages for more products. Remember to take these costs into consideration before making a final decision on your CMS or plan!
3. Site security
Quite a lot of sensitive information flows into and out of eCommerce sites. Credit card numbers, billing addresses, and other personal details need to be kept secure — otherwise, you might gain a bad reputation or your site hacking rate sky rocket.
Many eCommerce platforms now come bundled with security essentials, but you’ll still want to double-check that you have these technical aspects before you sell a single product:
- A SSL certificate, which secures credit card and other sensitive transactions
- No permanent or plain-text storage of sensitive customer data, like credit card numbers or security codes
- Secure password requirements and storage, meaning you don’t allow “1234” as a valid account password, nor do you store it in plain-text
- Server protection like a firewall or a host-provided maintenance service
- You should also keep an eye out for critical updates to your eCommerce software, which are usually made available in the event of bugs or newly discovered vulnerabilities. Patching these quickly can prevent your site — and your customers — from being exposed to a potential threat.
4. Backups
Accidents happen. Even the best hosts and most well-meaning store owners delete files they needed, or wipe out customer records with accidental button clicks. We’ve all been there, right?
Ideally, you should set up routine, automatic backups for your online store before you sell a single product. This will allow you to swiftly recover from even the largest catastrophe (no matter whose fault it is). And if the backups are set up from the very start, you won’t even have to think about it — they’ll always be there, just in case. Don’t worry though, here at Web & Moore, we take backups seriously and have a whole other section on our procedures for that.
5. Shipping software
Once your customers place an order with you, how are you going to get your products to them? And how do you plan on sending them tracking information, or even printing out the appropriate labels to place on their boxes?
For most store owners, the easiest answer to all of these questions is “with shipping software.” From simple web interfaces provided by your local carrier to more robust, multi-carrier software suites, shipping platforms can provide:
- Automated management of outgoing shipments
- Creation and printing of shipping labels for packages
- Import of tracking information for your orders and automated customer emails
- They can also save an immense amount of time, since you won’t need to enter tracking information by hand or generate labels one-by-one via a clunky website.
You’ll probably want to select shipping software after you choose your site software, because compatibility can vary by CMS. However, most store platforms will be able to interface with your country’s major carriers of choice — like the USPS and UPS in the United States — so that’s a good starting point, and often the most affordable to boot.
6. A payment gateway
Finally, with all of these other technical aspects sorted out, your store should be taking shape. But it won’t be functional until you’re able to accept payments from customers!
A payment gateway is the piece of software you need to accept credit card payments from customers online. There are dozens, if not hundreds, of gateways compatible with each platform out there, and the gateways available also vary by region and currencies accepted. Until you can accept payments from customers, your store can’t really function at all.
Not certain how to choose the right payment gateway for your store? Here’s a guide on doing just that. What it all boils down to is this:
- If you need a merchant account to use the gateway you select, apply for one right away to reduce the waiting period
- Whether you go with integrated or hosted should depend on customer preference and how much time you have available
- Nearly all gateways have fees, but keep in mind that up-front costs could negate higher monthly ones, long-term
- If you’re planning to offer bookings or subscriptions, keep an eye out for gateways that offer automatic billing — not all support this feature
There’s a lot to prepare before you sell online!
To recap, before you start selling online, you’ll need to spend some time setting up these six technical aspects:
- Your eCommerce software or CMS
- Hosting or plan upgrades
- Site security
- Site backups
- Shipping software
- Your payment gateway
By getting these out of the way up front, you’ll be better prepared to create a solid, sustainable store that runs well and can scale easily. You’ll also be able to withstand almost anything that is thrown your way, be it loads of traffic, data loss, or even a sly hacking attempt or two.
