Category: Retail

How to Improve Overall Performance & Security For Any eCommerce Website In 2023

Posted on by galaxy-admin

The eCommerce industry has seen remarkable growth in recent years, with global eCommerce sales reaching $4.9 trillion in 2021. However, as eCommerce businesses become more prevalent, they also become prime targets for cyber attacks, putting pressure on maintaining website performance and security.

In fact, according to a report by Security Magazine, eCommerce websites are a prime target for cybercriminals, accounting for 22% of all cyber attacks. This means that eCommerce businesses need to prioritize website security to protect their customers’ data.

But it’s not just security that eCommerce businesses need to worry about. Poor website performance can lead to lost revenue and dissatisfied customers. Even a one-second delay in page load times can reduce conversion rates by 7%.

Investing in regular eCommerce maintenance services, updates, and security measures is becoming more crucial than ever for eCommerce businesses to ensure they can maintain their market position and protect their customers’ data.

How To Detect Website Performance & Security Issues 

Regular audits can help you identify issues early and prepare the necessary adjustments. But with the combination of a few methods you can try to detect and address performance and security issues in your systems before they become serious problems, and ensure that your systems are optimized for performance and security.

Here are some ways for you to detect performance & security issues and how you can solve them: 

Code Profiling:

  • Recommended for: Performance optimization & identifying security vulnerabilities
  • Category: Performance audit 
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Frequency: Regularly, especially after making significant changes to the codebase.
  • Impact: Identify performance bottlenecks, memory leaks and security vulnerabilities.
  • Popular Tools: JetBrains dotTrace, Visual Studio Profiler, and Eclipse MAT for Java.
  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

Security Scanning:

  • Recommended for: Ensuring compliance with security standards and regulations
  • Category: Security scanning and compliance
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Frequency: Regularly, depending on the application’s risk profile and industry regulations.
  • Impact: Identify compliance gaps that result in data breaches, legal and financial consequences, and reputational damage.
  • Popular Tools: SonarQube, Veracode, and Checkmarx.
  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

System Monitoring: 

  • Recommended for: Detecting system errors, ensuring system uptime, and optimizing system performance
  • Category: Performance optimization
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Frequency: Continuous monitoring, with regular analysis of system metrics and logs.
  • Impact: Helps to identify system errors, optimize system performance, and ensure system uptime and availability.
  • Popular Tools: Zabbix, and Prometheus, New Relic and Datadog for application performance monitoring (APM); ELK stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana) for log
  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

User Behavior Analysis: 

  • Recommended for: Improving user experience, optimizing marketing strategies, and identifying user trends
  • Category: Performance optimization
  • Priority: Medium – High
  • Recommended Frequency: Regularly, depending on the frequency of user interactions.
  • Impact: Understand user behavior patterns, identify areas of the application that need improvement, and optimize marketing strategies.
  • Popular Tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Amplitude. Salesforce and Hubspot for customer behavior analysis and Hootsuite and Sprout Social for social media behavior analysis. 
  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

Manual Audit: 

  • Recommended for: Security audit and compliance checks
  • Category: Security audit and compliance
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Frequency: Periodically, depending on the application’s risk profile and industry regulations.
  • Impact: Helps identify security vulnerabilities and compliance gaps
  • Popular Tools: Manual audits are typically performed by security professionals with expertise in the relevant industry regulations and security best practices.
  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

User Report: 

  • Recommended for: User experience feedback, bug reports, and feature requests
  • Category: Security audit
  • Priority: Medium
  • Recommended Frequency: Regularly, depending on the frequency of user interactions with the application
  • Impact: Helps to identify user pain points, bugs, and feature requests to improve the application’s user experience.
  • Popular Tools: Google Analytics, Mixpanel, and Amplitude for web and mobile app analytics; CRM tools – Salesforce and Hubspot for behavior analysis and segmentation.
  • Technical Proficiency Required: No it doesn’t, it requires technical expertise.

Automated Testing: 

  • Recommended for: Ensuring software quality, improving development efficiency, and reducing testing costs
  • Category: Quality assurance and testing
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Frequency: Continuous integration and testing throughout the software development life cycle.
  • Impact: Helps to ensure software quality, reduce testing costs, and improve development efficiency by identifying defects and bugs early in the development process.
  • Popular Tools: Selenium, Appium, and Cypress for web and mobile app testing

JUnit and TestNG for unit testing. Jenkins and Travis CI for continuous integration and testing

  • Technical Proficiency Required: Yes, it requires technical expertise.

Ways To Improve Website Performance: 

There are a few major factors that can significantly improve the performance of an eCommerce business website. Improving performance leads eCommerce businesses to increase conversions, revenue, and customer satisfaction. 

Here are some of them:

Optimize images: 

  • Task: Optimizing website images to improve website performance.
  • Priority: High.
  • Recommended Approach: Use a combination of image compression and resizing tools, and choose the right file format for each image.
  • Industry Standards: 2-3 seconds load time (source: Hubspot).
  • Impact on Performance: Increased website traffic, improved SEO and search engine rankings, and reduced bounce rates.

Use caching: 

  • Task: Configure caching on your website to improve website speed and reduce server load.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Use a combination of browser caching, server-side caching, and CDN caching.
  • Industry Standards: No specific industry standard, but the faster the website loads, the better.
  • Impact on Performance: Reduced server load and improved website scalability, increased website traffic, and improved user experience.

Minimize HTTP requests:

  • Task: Minimize HTTP requests to improve website performance by reducing the number of requests required to load a page.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Combine files and resources wherever possible, use CSS and JavaScript frameworks, and optimize images and videos.
  • Industry Standards: According to Yahoo, reducing the number of HTTP requests can reduce page load times by 20-50% (source: Yahoo Developer Network).
  • Impact on Performance: Improved website performance on slow network connections and mobile devices, improved user experience, and reduced server load.

Use a content delivery network (CDN): 

  • Task: Improve website performance by using a content delivery network (CDN) to distribute website content globally.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Choose a reliable CDN provider, optimize website content for distribution, and configure DNS settings correctly.
  • Industry Standards: CDNs can reduce page load times by up to 50% (source: Cloudflare).
  • Impact on Performance: Improved website availability and performance during peak traffic periods, reduced website downtime, and increased website traffic.

Ways To Improve Website Security: 

Conducting regular security audits can significantly improve the security of an eCommerce business website. By improving website security, eCommerce businesses can build trust with their customers and protect their sensitive information from attackers. Here are some of the major methods: 

Conduct regular security audits: 

  • Task: Identifying and assessing potential vulnerabilities, testing security controls, and developing a plan to remediate risks.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Engage a professional security firm or hire an experienced security professional to perform comprehensive security assessments and penetration testing.
  • Industry Standards: Follow established security frameworks and standards, such as the NIST Cybersecurity Framework or ISO/IEC 27001, to guide the security audit process and ensure compliance with regulatory requirements.
  • Impact on Performance: By ensuring that your website is secure, you can protect your business and customers from the increasingly sophisticated tactics used by cybercriminals.

Use SSL/TLS encryption: 

  • Task: Implement SSL/TLS encryption to secure data transfer between the server and the client.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Use reputable SSL/TLS certificates from trusted Certificate Authorities (CAs) and configure servers to use strong encryption protocols and cipher suites.
  • Industry Standards: SSL/TLS protocol versions and cipher suites are regularly updated, and industry standards are updated accordingly. The latest TLS 1.3 protocol is considered the most secure and recommended to use.
  • Impact on Security: Implementing SSL/TLS encryption ensures secure data transmission, protects sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card information from interception by attackers, and prevents man-in-the-middle attacks.

Use a web application firewall (WAF): 

  • Task: Protection against common web-based attacks such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and other vulnerabilities.
  • Priority: High
  • Recommended Approach: Configure the WAF to regularly update and maintain its ruleset to stay up-to-date with new attack techniques and vulnerabilities.
  • Industry Standards: The Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) maintains a list of the top 10 web application security risks, which can serve as a guideline for selecting and configuring a WAF solution.
  • Impact on Security: Provide an additional layer of protection against web-based attacks, protecting against common vulnerabilities such as cross-site scripting (XSS), SQL injection, and other web-based attacks.

Regularly review third-party integrations: 

  • Task: Regularly review third-party integrations on your website to ensure they are secure and up-to-date.
  • Priority: This task is of high priority as third-party integrations can introduce vulnerabilities and weaknesses to your website’s security.
  • Recommended Approach: Monitor and assess third-party integrations regularly for security updates and permissions.
  • Impact on Security: Regularly reviewing third-party integrations can prevent security breaches and protect users from cyber threats.

Opportunity & Financial Cost of Ignoring Website Issues

It is important for businesses to regularly assess their performance and security measures and take proactive steps to mitigate these issues. Conducting regular audits and updates to their systems can help minimize these risks and ensure smooth operations. Here we have assessed the major performance and security elements you should consider:

Performance- 

  • Slow Loading Speed: 

Slow loading speed can lead to a significant loss of potential customers. According to Google, 53% of mobile users will leave a website that takes longer than three seconds to load.

Example: If an eCommerce website earns $10,000 per day and 53% of mobile users leave due to slow loading speed, the company could potentially lose $5,300 per day, resulting in a significant loss of revenue.

  • Poor User Experience:

Poor user experience can lead to decreased customer loyalty and missed opportunities. According to Adobe, 38% of users will stop engaging with a website if the layout is unattractive.

Example: If an online retailer has 10,000 visitors per day and 38% of them leave due to poor user experience, the company could potentially lose 3,800 customers per day, resulting in a significant loss of revenue.

  • Mobile Optimization:

Failure to optimize a website for mobile can lead to a significant loss of potential customers. According to a study by Statista, mobile devices accounted for 54.8% of global website traffic in 2021.

Example: If a website is not optimized for mobile and receives 100,000 visitors per month, the company could potentially lose 54,800 visitors, resulting in a significant loss of revenue.

Security

  • Data Breaches:

Ignoring website security vulnerabilities can lead to data breaches and financial losses. According to a study by IBM, the average cost of a data breach in 2020 was $3.86 million.

Example: In 2017, Equifax suffered a data breach that exposed the personal information of 143 million people. The company’s initial estimate of the financial impact was $600 million, which later rose to $1.4 billion.

  • Loss of Reputation:

Ignoring website security issues can lead to a loss of trust and reputation. According to a study by Edelman, 71% of consumers will stop using a brand if they perceive the brand as doing something unethical or illegal.

Example: In 2020, the video-conferencing app Zoom faced criticism for its security vulnerabilities, which led to a loss of trust and reputation among users and investors.

  • Legal Liability:

Ignoring website security issues can lead to legal liability and financial losses. According to a study by Ponemon Institute, the average cost of a data breach involving more than 50,000 records is $6.03 million, with an average cost of $146 per record.

Example: In 2020, the hotel chain Marriott was fined $123 million for a data breach that exposed the personal information of 339 million guests.

Get High-End Performance & Security Support

Neglecting website performance and security can lead to lost revenue, damage to reputation, and increased vulnerability to cyber attacks. However, investing in website maintenance and security can provide significant benefits, including improved customer satisfaction, increased revenue, and reduced risk of security breaches.

If you are an eCommerce business owner looking to improve your website performance and security, consider partnering with a trusted web development agency like Galaxy Weblinks. With years of experience in eCommerce maintenance services, Galaxy Weblinks can provide expert guidance and support for all your website maintenance and security needs. 

Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you with eCommerce maintenance services to maximum performance and security.

Is headless e-commerce really the future?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

The e-commerce sector has made tremendous strides. There was a time when eCommerce platforms were designed mainly for desktop users. Cut to the present, customers can purchase products using various devices such as wearable tech, smartphones, social media platforms, etc. The idea behind the evolution is simple: customers who engage with brands across multiple platforms tend to make more purchases.

The market’s ever-changing needs have given rise to new e-commerce approaches in recent years. Earlier methods focused on back-end configurations, but the need for personalized, customized, and engaging omnichannel experiences has prompted the development of a new e-commerce design approach – the headless commerce approach.

Headless e-commerce has gained significant popularity among digital brands, and in the last couple of years, investors have invested heavily in this domain, with over $1.6 billion being poured into such opportunities. Numerous startups and established players in the e-commerce industry have introduced new technologies or products to leverage this trend to stay competitive in an increasingly crowded digital marketplace

Companies are increasingly adopting headless e-commerce as it offers more flexibility, scalability, and customization than traditional e-commerce platforms. In this blog, we will explore whether headless e-commerce is the future of online retail, looking at the benefits of this approach, statistics on its adoption, and examples of businesses that have successfully implemented headless e-commerce.

Is headless e-commerce really the future?

What is headless e-commerce?

Traditionally, e-commerce platforms have been built using a monolithic architecture, meaning the front and back ends are tightly coupled. This can limit the flexibility and customization of the user interface. Headless e-commerce, on the other hand, separates the front and back ends, allowing businesses greater control over the user experience.

In a headless e-commerce architecture, the front end is decoupled from the backend, meaning businesses can use any front-end technology they want. This allows for a more customized and flexible user experience. The backend, responsible for managing the business logic and data, is usually built using an API-driven approach, enabling the platform to communicate with any front-end technology.

Successful businesses that leveraged the benefits of headless e-commerce

Many businesses have already adopted a headless e-commerce approach, with some seeing significant improvements in their online shopping experiences. Here are some examples:

👟 Nike: Leveraged headless to optimize every aspect of their website to suit small-screen interactions, including visuals and call-to-actions. They utilized React SPA and Node.js backend for frontend (BFF) to ensure consistent user experiences across all pages. As a result, Nike gradually gained market share and became a leading player, surpassing their competitor Adidas.

🧼 Lush: Handmade cosmetics became even more accessible thanks to Lush’s faster, more intuitive mobile app with personalized recommendations and real-time inventory updates.

🎯Target: The retailer faced stiff competition from retail giants like Walmart and Amazon, with customers frequently switching between brands. Through thorough analysis, they discovered that almost 80% of their customers begin their buyer’s journey on one device but finished it on another. To capitalize on this opportunity for growth, Target adopted a headless commerce approach to unify the customer buying journey across various devices. As a result, Target experienced an increase in its site’s conversion rate as more users found it easier to finish their purchases with the new unified experience.

📎Staples: The UK-based office supplies behemoth grappled with a massive product catalog that was often siloed and required frequent updates, depending on inventory and promotions. Adopting headless architecture allowed them to update their product catalog quickly and efficiently, and to optimize their website for various functions. They can now offer features such as registering/login in, ordering by item number, or reordering previously purchased items, significantly enhancing their customers’ shopping experience.

💄Lancôme: The French luxury perfumes and cosmetics powerhouse and one of the world’s most valuable brands made the switch to Progressive Web Applications. The decision paid off, with Lancôme seeing a 17% boost in their conversion rate. The headless approach made it much more convenient for their target audience to purchase items even while on the move.

Why is headless e-commerce gaining popularity?

There are several reasons why headless e-commerce is gaining popularity among businesses. Here are some of the key benefits:

Flexibility: Headless e-commerce allows businesses to use any front-end technology they want, which means they can easily customize the user experience to meet their specific needs.

Speed: Because the front and back ends are decoupled, developers can work on them simultaneously, speeding up the development process.

Scalability: Headless e-commerce is more scalable than traditional e-commerce platforms, allowing businesses to add new features and functionality without impacting the user experience.

Integration: Headless e-commerce is designed to work with other systems, making integrating with other technologies easier.

Future-proofing: Headless e-commerce is future-proof, as businesses can easily swap out the front-end technology as new ones emerge.

Headless e-commerce trends 

There is a growing trend towards headless e-commerce, with more businesses adopting this approach. According to a report by Mordor Intelligence, the headless e-commerce market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 22.5% between 2021 and 2026. The report also notes that North America is expected to be the largest market for headless e-commerce during this period.

Another report by Digital Commerce 360 found that 43% of e-commerce decision-makers are planning to adopt a headless approach in the next two years. This indicates that headless e-commerce is becoming more popular among businesses as they look for ways to improve the customer experience and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

A report by MarketsandMarkets predicts that the global headless commerce market size is expected to grow from $1.4 billion in 2020 to $3.5 billion by 2025 at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.8% during the forecast period. The report notes that the adoption of headless commerce is increasing due to the growing demand for a personalized customer experience, the need for omnichannel marketing, and the increasing focus on improving customer engagement.

A report by Acquia found that 77% of organizations plan to adopt a headless approach within the following year. The report notes that headless commerce offers greater flexibility, scalability, and customization, which is particularly important for businesses looking to provide a differentiated customer experience.

Digital Commerce 360 found that 43% of e-commerce decision-makers plan to adopt a headless approach in the next two years. The report notes that headless commerce is becoming more popular among businesses as they look for ways to improve the customer experience and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

A survey by BigCommerce found that 76% of e-commerce businesses plan to invest in headless commerce in the next two years. The survey notes that headless commerce is a way to differentiate from competitors, enabling companies to offer a more personalized, seamless, and engaging customer experience.

So, is headless e-commerce really the future?

Yes, headless e-commerce is the future of online retail, as it offers a more flexible, customizable, and scalable approach to e-commerce. Decoupling the front and back ends enables businesses to use any front-end technology they prefer, allowing for a more personalized and intuitive user experience. This flexibility, coupled with the speed and scalability of headless e-commerce, makes it an attractive option for businesses looking to improve their online shopping experiences and stay competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape. With the headless e-commerce market expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 22.5% between 2021 and 2026 and an increasing number of businesses planning to adopt a headless approach in the next two years, it seems that headless e-commerce is set to become the future of e-commerce. 

Want help with adopting headless for your business? Let’s talk. We can help.

What Are the Best Practices for Running a Successful Ecommerce Website?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Ecommerce is growing at a quick pace and having an online store is getting increasingly important for your business to stay ahead of the competition. Ecommerce stores provide a great opportunity for businesses to explore several geographical markets and attract new customers that were not accessible with only a brick and mortar store presence.

Your company’s growth and success will be determined by your Ecommerce website. Hence, the need for a well-designed Ecommerce website to increase traffic, high conversions, and achieve more sales. We know how important it is to set up an Ecommerce website in this highly competitive online environment. In this article, we have compiled seven best practices for running a successful Ecommerce website.   

  • Simple and Effective Design – Ecommerce websites with simple designs offer customers a better user experience which results in a higher conversion rate. A well-designed home page is crucial for visitors as this will be the first thing that they see on your website. You should design your home page with a clear point of focus to drive visitors to perform the desired Call-To-Action (CTA). The right CTA would depend on your business objectives – to register a user or sell a product or draw attention to a specific point. A too complicated and cluttered design would make it difficult for visitors to identify your CTA. 

A simple design eliminates confusion and makes everything easy for visitors. Simple menu features, search bar, filters, etc are key components of a well-designed Ecommerce website. Concisely introducing your products can boost your value proposition and enhance the experience of your users. 

  • Page Speed Optimization – Page speed is the time taken for the content on a page to load. It is an important element when it comes to measuring the effectiveness of a successful Ecommerce website. Research indicates that even a delay of a second in the page loading time leads to a 16% decrease in customer satisfaction and a 7% loss in conversions. There are various ways to optimize page speed such as the selection of an Ecommerce platform based on your business needs, using a fast and reliable hosting service provider, using the appropriate server network for content delivery, etc. 
  • SEO Optimization – Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is very important to get noticed and drive traffic. Most visitors start their buying process from search engines like Google. Therefore, your Ecommerce website needs to feature in the top results of any relevant searches. Based on industry research, almost 40% of Ecommerce traffic comes from direct searches, and hence most successful Ecommerce stores invest in good SEO plans.
  • High-Quality Images  – Once a visitor starts looking in your Ecommerce website, having high-quality relevant pictures helps you engage and connect with the visitor. A high-quality picture can influence visitors in making a purchase. 
  • Customer reviews and testimonials – Customer reviews and testimonials help add credibility to your products and brand. When it comes to buying online, customers mostly tend to buy products with the most reviews. Customer testimonials can be a powerful tool for a successful Ecommerce website. Not only do they help build credibility but also help spread your products and brand; thus, effectively reducing your marketing spend and increasing profitability. 
  • Customer Service – Online businesses need a customer service division to help their users. This includes everything from helping them complete their purchases to resolving shipping/ refund/ payments issues. Having a well-thought-out customer service plan is a prerequisite for a successful Ecommerce store. These customer service touchpoints would vary depending on businesses but would cover topics such as shipping, returns, product feedback, etc. By having seamless customer service functionality, you can create greater customer loyalty in the overall process.
  • Responsive Website –  A responsive website design is essential when it comes to a successful Ecommerce store. Mobile makes up almost half of all internet traffic, and having a responsive design allows your website to properly load across all devices, and ultimately provide a good user experience.

Conclusion 

Running a successful Ecommerce website in today’s highly competitive online environment requires adhering to several best practices. While we have listed down some key best practices, there are many more considerations in order to drive maximum traffic and have high conversion rates. If you’ve any doubts related to Ecommerce platforms and if you need assistance developing one, then feel free to talk to us here.

How to Estimate the Cost of Building an Ecommerce Store?

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Building an Ecommerce store is important for your business to stay ahead of the competition. It also builds a connection between your users and your brand. Your company’s growth and success will be determined by your Ecommerce website. However, the crucial question that everyone faces before building an Ecommerce store is how much it would cost to build one? 

There is no formula and an exact answer to determine the right cost as numerous factors come into play, and each of them has a direct impact on the overall costing. We have listed a few important considerations that will help you estimate the right cost based on your business needs and will also help you in the selection of the right development company. 

Having clarity on these considerations as well as having a clear action plan will not only help you estimate the right cost for developing and running an Ecommerce store but will also ensure that you do not overshoot your budget. 

1. Ecommerce software

Ecommerce websites’ costs can vary based on design, out-of-the-box features, chosen software, and services provided. There are several platforms (Shopify, Magento, WordPress, WooCommerce, etc) to choose from based on your requirements. There are many pros and cons of each of these platforms, and the selection based on your business needs will greatly affect the cost of your Ecommerce website. 

The cost of developing an Ecommerce website based on basic features on these platforms can vary between $5,000 and $15,000. However, customizing advanced features will require a bigger budget depending on the features/functionalities. 

2. Domain name and hosting 

Your company’s domain name is one of the smaller cost components in your Ecommerce website. Typically purchasing a domain name via GoDaddy, Hostinger, Bluehost, etc, costs between $5 and $20 per year. Prices vary depending on the uniqueness of your choice as well as the extensions (.com, .shop, etc). 

After you have registered a domain name, you will have to find a web host. BigCommerce and Shopify, for example, are cloud-based solutions that include web hosting as part of the subscription. This implies that you won’t need to opt for third-party hosting or the myriad challenges involved in website management. A typical website hosting plan can range from $40-$200 per year. Securing your Ecommerce website is important given the personal data of your customers and an SSL certificate can cost between $70 and $300 per year. 

3. Website design

Business’ success largely depends on the User Experience you would provide. Creating a unique user experience involves building store themes and using add-ons, plugins, and extensions. Some standard costs are associated with the design. This includes – 

  • Store theme and design costs: In Ecommerce platforms, some themes may not cost anything more than what you already paid to use the platform. However, there are paid themes that cost between $60 to $200 per theme.
  • Add-on, plugin, and extension costs: Depending on your business needs, you would require add-ons, plugins, and extensions to your selected platform. These could be integrated with CRM, email marketing solutions, inventory management, chatbots, etc, and come at a cost that varies based on the platform. For example, Magento add-ons typically require expensive custom development. Magento’s marketplace has thousands of extensions that vary in price and can go up to $15,000. On the other hand, Shopify merchants have access to hundreds of free and premium apps with varying prices.

4. Payment Gateway

There are payment processing fees that are paid to payment gateways (such as PayPal, Stripe, etc) as users make payments online on your Ecommerce website. These prices depend on the volume of transactions, geography, total amount, etc. 

5. Marketing and SEO

Product marketing, SEO, and analytics help create brand awareness and drive traffic to your online store. These costs will depend on your business objectives but should be factored in while creating an Ecommerce store. 

6. Maintenance

Running an Ecommerce website required timely attention and maintenance. These could be technical maintenance (version upgrades, bug fixing, feature enhancements, etc) as well as store maintenance. Maintenance costs depend on the size of the Ecommerce store. A typical small to medium-sized business requires maintenance spend between $500 to $1,500 per year. For bigger businesses with high customizations, a higher maintenance budget is required. 

Conclusion

Your business needs to have a feature-rich and robust Ecommerce website. If you’ve any doubts related to Ecommerce platforms and if you need assistance developing one, then feel free to talk to us here.

About Galaxy

We, at Galaxy Weblinks, specialize in developing the best online experiences for your users. We have expertise in customizing websites using multiple platforms, be it Shopify, Woocommerce, Magento. Contact us for your Ecommerce project today.

Scaling in WooCommerce – Challenges and Solutions

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Scaling an Ecommerce website can be a challenging undertaking. You have to factor in a lot of situations like logged-in user accounts, order information, add-to-carts, coupons, pricing variables, etc. These situations need to be dealt with besides common scaling issues such as well-written code, custom database tables, and server infrastructure. 

It is important to approach this with great care because delays or breaks can have a direct financial impact. According to Kissmetrics a single-second page delay can potentially cost $2.5 million in lost sales over a year, for a website that brings in $100,000 of business every day. This proves that it’s crucial to have a highly functional and efficient Ecommerce website. 

WooCommerce is typically installed over WordPress CMS and the sites running WooCommerce are often customized to fit specific business needs. These customizations can range from something as basic as integrations with external services to custom SQL interfaces that don’t use WooCommerce or WordPress classes. As the number of these customizations increase, so does their difficulty to scale. A majority of customizations are one-off and not made to scale under load. This makes it difficult to approach scaling as a one-size-fits-all solution.

However, this doesn’t imply that scaling is impossible. Some methods work despite a website’s complexity and customizations.

Figure Out The Problem Areas

You can’t fix things you can’t see. So the first plan of action is to find out the problem areas, especially related to sales and incoming revenue. 

  • Begin with a site audit and gather information about code, the server, services, and integrations. 
  • Identify the problem areas with the help of this data you can identify the problem areas. For example, issues such as slow query logs in server information may show up. 

Run Query Monitor

We suggest you use Query Monitor to identify things that are running slowly on different pages. Notice where the slow-down is occurring. For example, is it happening when you’re adding a product to the cart or when you’re applying a coupon? A quick study of the system process and interactions in checkout can help reveal things that need fixing.

Perform Load Testing

The next step is to perform load testing. Design test cases around different sales activities with a load testing service to analyze the website’s performance when there’s a sudden spike in traffic and activity. Ensure that you’re doing these kinds of tests in staging and not in a live environment. Also perform load tests when you introduce new functionality, integrations, or other changes in your system. You’d want to be double sure as there are new variables in the system. 

Keep Databases Separate

WordPress has a single database table for all post types while it stores all post meta content in another table. This can work for small-volume websites but might pose a major problem for larger ecommerce websites. And since all the content is in only two database tables, it causes a performance bottleneck when the volume increases. In that case, user orders might fail or users might find it difficult to add or remove items from the cart. All this will eventually cause your revenue to take a hit. 

Consider creating custom database tables based on the bottlenecks you encounter. That way you will be able to store different content in their separate tables. When the post types have separate homes, you can optimize SQL queries for faster load times.

Upgrade Older Code

As WooCommerce has evolved, some older functions and processes have become completely obsolete and hence been replaced with better code. With updated core WooCommerce code Legacy custom websites might not perform as their modern counterparts. 

Identify outdated functionality and replace it with newer code from WooCommerce Core or custom code based on the latest practices and standards. To replace the legacy code you must know what it does first. This is where detailed code documentation comes in handy. The better the documentation, the easier it becomes to upgrade.

Find An Alternative To Default WordPress Search

The default search in WordPress is built on a set of queries to the database. This is bad news for complex site searches, filters, or custom content pages. Look for custom search solutions like Elastisearch or Algolia. These alternatives will perform better in complex higher-volume sites than WordPress’ default. 

Final Thoughts

A smooth and flawless user experience is key to customer retention in an Ecommerce business. Scaling the website to match rising traffic is a good problem to have. It can be easily facilitated by strategy, thought, and customization.

You can outsource this important task to an experienced WooCommerce development agency to reinforce your Ecommerce website from the inside out.

About Galaxy Weblinks 

Galaxy Weblinks is your one-stop solution for WooCommerce solutions. We offer a complete range of IT services including WooCommerce development and WooCommerce optimization. Contact us now for complete WooCommerce solutions.

Selecting The Right Ecommerce Platform – The Key Factors

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Setting up a shop online? Yes it is easier than setting one up made of bricks and mortar but comes with its own set of complications. 

Ecommerce isn’t easy. The insane level of competition aside, your problems begin even before you’ve begun to build your website. The first important decision that you need to make is selecting the best Ecommerce platform to build your website. The options are numerous and they all seem to offer some distinctive features that make this choice so difficult. 

We have listed a few key considerations to help you select the right Ecommerce platform.

How secure is the platform?

One of the first things that you should consider in your Ecommerce platform is the language it is based on. The platforms based on object-oriented programming language come with embedded security protocols and are, therefore, considered safer. Magento and Shopify pay extra attention to reduce the vulnerabilities of websites with two factor authentication. 

The platforms which do not have multi factor authentication to protect sensitive information, security plugins can provide that extra layer of safety.

A platform is safe when –

  • An Ecommerce platform should conduct security audits for sustaining websites.
  • It should safeguard sensitive data from breaches and attacks.
  • To prevent any monetary frauds, an Ecommerce platform should be PCI and SSL certified.

Is it SEO friendly?

39% of Ecommerce traffic comes from direct searches. This makes it a good reason for you to take SEO considerations into account.

Popularity of a website depends on various factors with content playing a significant role in attracting the audience towards the site. To understand things better, ask questions like, does the Ecommerce platform allow you to write meta-information about the product or is there Google site map support? These questions are important as they have a direct impact on SEO rankings of the site.

Onveos is a perfect choice if you are considering SEO as a selection factor because it provides independent fields for SEO elements. Other than this you can also go for Magento, WooCommerce, and OpenCart as they play a significant role in inbound marketing initiatives.

Responsiveness 

A responsive web design is a must have for a great user-experience from a desktop to tablets and mobiles of various sizes and orientations.

Having a separate mobile and desktop site requires having different marketing campaigns, product information & banners, catalogues, etc. Platforms like Magento and WooCommerce have various responsive themes and templates to make websites vertically stacked.

Shopify even lets you edit HTML and CSS directly. You can change the colors, size, and positioning of any element on the page within the platform.

Does the platform provide multi-channel support?

Always prefer a platform that lets you sell products or services across different channels like Instagram, FB Messenger, Amazon, and others. It increases the revenue percentage on the whole. The best multi-channel Ecommerce platforms are Shopify, BigCommerce, PrestaShop, Magento, and WooCommerce. 

As soon as you choose a platform, your next step should be towards understanding the audience. It will help you analyse what your end users are looking for and how they buy things online.

Adding more channels will increase the task of managing and tracking inventory systems. Centralised management of the data creates diversified selling options in online marketplaces. Multi-channel selling increases the revenue of Ecommerce sites.

What are the key plugins and integrations?

Even though an Ecommerce platform has all the things to run an online business, it still needs integrations and plugins to add crucial functionalities like Payment gateways, Tax calculators, Inventory management, etc.

You’ll find a popular bunch of essential plugins and integrations that are common to all the platforms. But your platform of choice should be the one that has an active community and supports plugins and integrations relevant to your business.

How important is the pricing of the platform?

Price of an Ecommerce platform depends on multiple factors like design, setup configuration, custom development, maintenance, and so on.

The per month cost of Shopify platform starts from $9 and goes till $299 whereas Volusion starts from $15 and goes upto $299. Shopify is a perfect choice if you are looking for multiple features and add ons in your app. You can select Volusion for a more selling-focused experience.

BigCommerce has the highest starting price of $29.5 followed by 3dcart at $29. BigCommerce is one of the best platforms for SEO considerations. 3dCart is a feature rich platform that builds and manages online stores real well.

Conclusion

Before you zero in on any platform, match your website’s specific needs with the platform’s features and estimated cost. Ecommerce platforms can also utilize AI, VR, Chatbots, and Blockchain to help your online business stay relevant.We know how important it is for you to get things right as your business is in question. If you’ve any doubts related to Ecommerce platforms and if you need assistance developing one then feel free talk to us here.

Top Reasons (and solutions) for Cart Abandonment

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Shopping cart abandonment is an Ecommerce store owner’s worst nightmare. It can be frustrating to successfully move a shopper through the sales funnel and create offers that pique their interest, only to lose them at the point of purchase. It’s extremely aggravating.

And it is for this reason that we are here with this blog. We’ll go over a variety of cart abandonment statistics to paint a clear picture of why shoppers fail to complete their purchases and shed light on how to fix common problems to further increase the conversion rate.

What Are the Most Common Reasons for Shopping Cart Abandonment?

To gain a better understanding of why shopping cart abandonment is a problem for retailers and what causes it, you must first thoroughly understand your customer persona and business processes.

When making a purchase, it is critical to understand the customer’s psychology and mindset, i.e., what turns them off and what leads to a successful transaction.

Here are some of the most common reasons why customers abandon their shopping carts:

1. Excessive/Hidden Costs: Nobody wants to pay extra. As a result, it is one of the most common reasons why customers abandon their shopping carts. Customers are always hesitant to make a purchase when they are faced with additional costs.

2. Compulsory Account Creation: Forcing your users to create an account to make a purchase can turn out into a blunder and result in cart abandonment. Some users prefer not to create an account for a single purchase, so they would choose not to purchase if there’s no guest checkout.

3. Complicated Checkout Processes: When designing your Ecommerce website’s checkout flow, keep in mind that each additional step and form field limits the users’ ability to make a payment.

4. Technical errors and lags: Technical difficulties and flaws can happen on any website. However, you should make every effort to avoid these situations because they may make the customers uncomfortable. 

5. Payment methods are insufficient: Having only the traditional options is no longer prudent. Nowadays, everyone is used to a different payment method, and you can easily lose a customer if you do not offer a variety of payment options.

6. The website does not appear to be trustworthy: No matter how secure your transactions are, customers are unlikely to trust you with their credit card number and personal information if the page lacks a security icon.

While the six reasons listed above are the most common, there are several other reasons why customers abandon shopping carts.

Conversions can be increased by a whopping 35.26 percent by implementing the right checkout optimization strategies, according to experts. 

(source – https://baymard.com/lists/cart-abandonment-rate)

The Ecommerce store owners need to determine what isn’t working and make a concerted effort to improve the design, promotions, offerings, checkout flow, and other aspects of their store.

What Are Some Strategies for Reducing Ecommerce Cart Abandonment?

Every Ecommerce store is unique, and the methods for reducing checkout abandonment will also differ. We will go over some of the most important yet simple strategies for online retailers.

1. To avoid confusing and losing prospective buyers, make directions and CTAs as clear as possible.

Why it matters: Your purchasing path should be clear and simple. The better the UX, the more sales you can expect to make. Conversion rate optimization is distinguished by clarity and simplicity.

2. Display trust seals and use secure transaction methods to make shoppers feel safe when providing payment information.

Why it matters: While shoppers are much more comfortable with online shopping than they were when it first became available, they are still wary. The threat is kept alive by news of data breaches. Trust seals, such as Norton Secured (shown below), reassure customers that you are protecting their data.

3. Make it simple for customers to make changes to their shopping carts to avoid frustration and keep them engaged.

Why it matters: This part of the checkout process can be especially aggravating. You reach the end of the procedure and realize you have forgotten something. So, what now? Changes to the cart will be simple and instantaneous, thanks to the optimization.

4. To maximize conversions, audit the entire checkout process.

Why it matters: When an obvious problem is discovered, spot checks of stuck points along the path to purchase are typically required. Regular full-system inspections of the entire checkout process can identify revenue-draining areas before they become visible.

5. Use one-click shopping for repeat customers to make it even easier for them to return.

Why it matters: Online shopping is no longer a novelty or something you do because a particular item is not available locally. Ecommerce is now the preferred method of ordering for many people. There will be no driving, no fighting crowds, and no waiting in line. Shopper loyalty will increase if you make shopping with you as simple as loading a basket and clicking the Buy Now button.

6. Use testimonials and reviews liberally as social proof that doing business with you is a good idea.

Why it matters: Social proof is critical in Ecommerce. You, like the rest of the online shoppers, frequently read reviews before ordering an unfamiliar product. We are more likely to believe others (even if we have never met them) than we are to believe the seller. It’s just human nature.

7. Display contact information clearly on every page to establish trust and the ready availability of customer service.

Why it matters: Highlighting the various ways your customers can contact you is akin to reaching out and holding hands with them. Nothing beats company when it comes to removing fear. You can’t physically walk them through your online store, but you can guide them virtually and be there for them every step of the way.

8. Profitably stop cart abandonment by removing shipping costs or disclosing them.

Why it matters: The most obvious solution to high shipping costs is to eliminate them. This, however, may not be possible depending on your product mix. One effective strategy is to include the additional cost of shipping in the product price.

You can employ a personalized message bar to inform customers that if they meet a certain threshold, they can avoid paying shipping fees. This is a fantastic way to boost AOV and conversions, and it’s all made possible by personalization software tools.

If you are unable to reduce costs, fully disclose them. The product page is the best place to do this. Transparency is highly valued by digital shoppers and is essential for store success.

Conclusion

We hope that these tips and tricks will help you manage the shopping cart abandonment rate in your online store.

It takes time and effort to create an exceptional shopping experience. Do not pass up this opportunity, as it has the potential to help redeem what has been lost. To put it succinctly, you only need to be concerned with one thing: creating an experience that your visitors and existing customers will enjoy.

And, while your Ecommerce shopping cart abandonment rate is unlikely to drop to zero overnight, your efforts toward successful conversions should not be put on hold. The trick is to never stop striving to improve your company and its customers.

Begin by A/B testing the aforementioned techniques, keeping what works, and discarding the rest. You can even seek help from industry experts, whose knowledge and experience can help you stay ahead of the competition in this competitive Ecommerce landscape.

About us

We, at Galaxy Weblinks, specialize in developing the best online experiences for your users. We have expertise in customizing websites using multiple platforms, be it Shopify, Woocommerce, Magento. Contact us for your Ecommerce project today.

Ecommerce User Journey – 15 Must-haves to Include

Posted on by galaxy-admin

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on global eCommerce trends. With brick-and-mortar stores closing overnight, customers flocked to the internet to purchase their necessities. The pandemic hastened the shift to online shopping by up to five years.

mCommerce, or mobile commerce, refers to online shopping via a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. It will continue to grow in the coming years as a majority of people now prefer to shop on their phones. 

Even though mobile devices account for the majority of Ecommerce traffic, desktop sites have lower cart abandonment rates and higher average purchase values. Mobile Commerce is the way of the future, but if designers want to maximize profits now, they must improve desktop sites with Ecommerce UX best practices.

Yet, mobile sites fail to meet three key metrics: they have higher cart abandonment rates, low conversion rate, and lower average order values than desktop sites.

Four Crucial Pages of the Ecommerce Experience

Almost all Ecommerce sites on desktop rely on a similar sequence of pages to guide customers through the sales process.

  • Homepages that are uncluttered and offer irresistible value propositions
  • Category pages that are well-organized and simple to navigate
  • Product pages that have been polished and incorporate social proof and compelling content
  • Checkout pages that are simple to use, show progress, and make customers feel safe

…

Uncluttered Homepages

1. Product Names That Shoppers Understand

Internally consistent product names can be perplexing to customers. Provide context for decision-making. Names based on model numbers or underlying technology run the risk of alienating the general public. The same is true for titles that are overly cute or creative. Choose product names that indicate utility or value in the eyes of shoppers.

2. Enable Search From Anywhere

Ecommerce websites offer a plethora of products and therefore, the search feature becomes an essential way for customers to find products based on their requirements. Sticky search bars ensure that search is available everywhere on every page, but for the sake of conversion, it is best to remove search from checkout pages.

3. Highlight Deals and Promotions

Customers visit Ecommerce sites with a specific product in mind. Deals and promotions go unnoticed when they blend into homepages. Bright colors, bold text, and full-page photos are used in call-out advertisements.

If a promotion is the most important thing shoppers need to know about, make it the center of attention.

4. Make the Product’s Value Immediately Visible

Getting the product page right is important as first impressions matter. Customers must be able to quickly determine the worth of a product. We recommend that you assist the customers in visualizing how your product will solve their problems and improve their lives (the Jobs to Be Done framework is a useful starting point). 

Keep your product descriptions and technical specifications brief and to the point. Use photos and videos that demonstrate the benefits of the product. If the shoppers must read and scroll a lot, or watch long-winded explainer videos to understand the value, then you are doing something wrong here. 

…

Well-organized Category Pages

1. Display Best-Sellers

Bestsellers should be labeled with distinct icons or placed in bestseller sections. Why? Bestsellers provide social proof. When people are unsure, they will look to others’ actions to determine their own. This is especially true for first-time buyers.

A similar rule applies to newly released products. Displaying new and improved items is more than just a one-time sales tactic; it is a way to entice customers to return for future updates.

2. Ensure Ease-of-Use Navigation

The navigation must be simple. Customers should not have difficulty switching between category pages or enabling product filters. Sites with a large number of products in a single category should use left-column navigation to allow customers to sort products by various attributes (faceted search).

3. Display Products in Grids

Desktop screens provide ample space for product grids. Grids align with F-pattern scanning and allow shoppers to quickly compare multiple products. They are especially useful for items that are easily explained with pictures. To get the most out of grids, keep the number of items per row between two and four. Grids become significantly more difficult to scan when there are five or more products.

Bonus: List views can be useful, but they’re best for products that require more detailed explanations.

…

Polished Product Pages

1. Create large, eye-catching “Add to Cart” buttons.

When it comes to product pages, “Add to Cart” buttons must be visible. Make them large, contrast-heavy, and easy to click. Resist the urge to be witty and instead create call-to-action text that is clear and action-oriented.

When customers add items to their shopping carts, they must receive visual feedback. Many desktop sites do this with cart-summary overlays that slide in from the side of the screen for a brief moment (a creative way to allow shoppers to transition to checkout or keep browsing).

2. Upsells and related products can help you earn more money.

If customers are dissatisfied with what they see on product pages, they should not have to return to category pages to find other options. Show them alternatives at comparable price points or more expensive options with better features, reviews, or brand recognition.

It is also possible to suggest complementary items to the product page. Considering purchasing shoes? Why not get some shoelaces and arch supports as well? Make sure that related items have a “Add to Cart” option to reduce friction.

3. Make use of copy and imagery to demonstrate the good life.

Ecommerce content should be informative, but persuasion requires more than facts and feature lists. Use text and images to help customers imagine the good life that awaits them after they complete their purchase.

Again, desktop sizes are advantageous. There’s no reason not to use massive photos and videos or show products from multiple perspectives. The same is true for the copy. Don’t be afraid to use large headers and a lot of white space around text blocks.

4. Use Social Proof to Persuade

Shoppers are more likely to buy if they see social proof. Ratings and reviews have a significant impact on purchasing decisions, but desktop sites are large enough to accommodate other types of social proof:

  • Customer-taking product photos
  • Approval badges from independent review sites 
  • Celebrity and influencer endorsements
  • Expert quotes 

Social proof aims to make shoppers feel as if they are making informed decisions that are consistent with the positive experiences of others.

…

Simple Checkout Pages

1. Accept Various Payment Methods

When it comes to payment gateways, shoppers’ primary concerns are convenience and security, and these are two of the leading causes of cart abandonment. Fortunately, an increasing number of online payment options alleviate security concerns while also expediting checkout. Third-party payment options supported by well-known brands (such as Amazon and Apple) may be more appealing to customers than entering credit card information.

It is also worthwhile to consider “buy now, pay later” (BNPL) options such as Paypal Credit and Klarna. BNPL is a type of point-of-sale credit that allows customers to pay for products overtime after they receive them.

2. Give a detailed order summary.

This is highly recommended. We suggest that you provide shoppers with brief order summaries that include:

  • Details and quantities of the product 
  • A breakdown of all charges
  • Details on shipping and billing

It’s also a good idea to display product images, but make sure the attributes match the attributes chosen by customers (color, size, finish, etc.).

3. Think about Guest Checkout.

Guest checkout may not be appropriate for all Ecommerce retailers, particularly those whose business strategies revolve around the creation of customer accounts. It has, however, been shown to speed up checkout, prevent account creation fatigue, and reduce cart abandonment.

An alternative is to require email confirmation for orders, then follow up with deals in shipping and delivery messages.

4. Display Shoppers Checkout Progress

Ecommerce customers spend a significant amount of time and energy searching for products online. When they’re ready to buy, they want to know that the end of the process is near. A progress bar is a simple way to show shoppers where they are in the checkout process.

…

We hope that this practical piece curated from our eCommerce experience will assist you in developing the best Ecommerce strategy. And if you want to interact with your customers in a completely new way and increase your conversion rate, get in touch with our experts here.

About Galaxy Weblinks

Galaxy Weblinks is a company that specializes in creating the best online experiences for your users. We have experience customizing websites on a variety of platforms, including Shopify, WooCommerce, and Magento. Contact us today to discuss your Ecommerce project.

The Cost of Building an Ecommerce Website

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Do you wish to start an online business and would like to know how much it would cost? How we wish there was a simple answer to this question. Numerous factors come into play while developing an Ecommerce website, and each of them will have an impact on the overall cost.

You can overshoot your budget if you do not have a clear action plan. We have penned this blog to give you a clear idea of how much an Ecommerce website costs.

How to Estimate the Cost of Creating an Ecommerce Website?

Several factors contribute to the overall cost of developing an online store. In general, some Ecommerce stores cost a few hundred dollars to set up, while others can cost tens of thousands of dollars to set up.

You will have to pay for the following:

  • Ecommerce software
  • Domain name
  • Ecommerce hosting
  • SSL certificate
  • Store theme and designs
  • Add-ons and extensions
  • Payment Gateway costs
  • Marketing and SEO
  • Maintenance

Ecommerce Software

The cost of Ecommerce solutions varies depending on their out-of-the-box features, the type of software, and the level of service they provide. There are numerous platforms to choose from, and selecting the right one is a critical step in launching an Ecommerce store. Let’s take a look at some of the platforms you might want to look into few platforms:

– Magento:- Magento provides both on-premise and cloud-hosted options, but many businesses are now turning to SaaS models because they provide continuous updates, including security patches. Magento does not include training wheels. There are also no on-site developers to whom you can turn for assistance in building your site. To build your site, you will need either a developer or a team of developers.

You can choose from Magento Community Edition or the Enterprise edition for your Ecommerce website. A Magento website is likely to cost you $5000 onwards. 

– Shopify:- Shopify was created to meet the needs of small businesses looking for an easy way to create online stores. If you’ve never worked with code before, it’s fairly simple to build a site using drag-and-drop areas. You can quickly set up a simple website; however, if you want to add more advanced features, you will need to add additional apps or custom coding. 

Domains purchased through Shopify start at $11 per year. Whereas, the majority of our Shopify website design projects start from $5,000. 

– WooCommerce:- You can use it to build your online store by going through the installation process. However, to make your Ecommerce website attractive, flexible, and functionally operable you need to spend money on other essential things like- hosting, domain registration, themes, extensions, and customization.

However, to run your WooCommerce store, you need hosting, domain name, extensions, and a developer that can charge a monthly/yearly fee. You can build a feature-rich Ecommerce website using this platform for around $3,500. 

Ecommerce Hosting Costs

After you’ve registered a domain name, you’ll need to find a web host. BigCommerce and Shopify, for example, are cloud-based solutions that include web hosting as part of the subscription. That means, unlike Magento, you won’t have to look for third-party hosting or deal with the challenges of managing it.

Hosting Costs for Self-Hosted Ecommerce Website:- A basic website hosting plan can range from $40-$200/year, a domain name can cost $10-$15/year, and an SSL certificate can cost $70-$300/year. All of these expenses add up to a small but significant investment to create a starter Ecommerce store. For example, the Magento domains generally cost you from $10 – $15 per year. 

Hosting Costs for SaaS Ecommerce Platforms:– Shopify offers three membership levels: Basic Shopify ($29.99/mo.), Shopify ($79.99/mo), and Advanced Shopify ($299/mo.).

Note: This cost estimate is intended for small to medium-sized online stores. For high-volume stores, you’ll most likely need to upgrade to Shopify Plus, which costs thousands of dollars per month.

Ecommerce Website Design Costs

Creating a unique user experience with a website design that reflects your brand and keeps customers coming back is an important part of developing your ecommerce store. There are some standard costs associated with the design of your online store.

Store theme and design costs:- Some themes may not cost anything more than what you already pay to use the platform, whereas others may range in price from $60 to $200 per theme.

Add-on, plugin, and extension costs:- No ecommerce solution has everything you need for your online store, no matter how hard you look. This is where add-ons, plugins, and extensions, as well as their associated costs, come into play. For example:

Magento add-ons typically necessitate custom development, which can be costly. Magento’s marketplace has thousands of extensions ranging in price from $0 to $15,000. Whereas, Shopify merchants have access to hundreds of free and premium apps, with prices varying depending on the app.

Cost of Payment Gateway 

When selecting an Ecommerce platform, many beginners fail to consider payment processing fees. This can have a serious impact on your business by significantly increasing your costs and decreasing your profits. You’ll have to pay fees to each payment gateway you want to provide. Here’s an example of how it works:

PayPal charges 2.9 percent plus $0.30 for transactions exceeding $10.

Stripe charges 2.9 percent plus $0.30 per transaction.

They also offer some of the most flexible payment options.

Maintenance

Aside from the costs of technical maintenance, there are also costs for store maintenance. Larger companies may need to train and hire customer-service executives to improve their service. Random bugs and glitches add to the maintenance costs as well.

So, if you own a small to medium-sized business, expect to spend $500 to $1,250 per year on maintenance. 

We hope this article provided you with a good idea of how much an Ecommerce website costs in real dollars. If you want out-of-the-box solutions, you should consider hiring a professional Ecommerce website development agency to create a site for you.

Dos and Donts to Keep in Mind for Building an Ecommerce Website

Posted on by galaxy-admin

Despite stiff competition from the brick-and-mortar stores, the Ecommerce space is thriving. 

  • Digital Commerce 360 estimates that the consumers worldwide spent nearly $4.29 trillion online in a pandemic-fueled 2020, up from $3.46 trillion in 2019. 
  • By 2023, Ecommerce sales are expected to double to an astounding $6.5 billion.

In the post-pandemic world, people are likely to opt for online shopping for their regular and not-so-regular shopping. If you currently run an online business or plan to launch an Ecommerce venture soon, you have a great chance of success. 

We would however like to point out that attracting and retaining customers largely depends on how your Ecommerce website is built and the user experience. Failing this, your customers are likely to abandon their efforts to purchase your products or services. 

How can you ensure that your Ecommerce website meets (or even exceeds) the expectations of your customers? We have listed 8 ‘Dos and Donts’ that you must keep in mind while developing your Ecommerce website. 

Do These Things When Developing an eCommerce Site 

#1 Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail 

Whether you’re starting an online store, redesigning your website, or preparing to launch a new marketing campaign, solid execution needs careful coordination of numerous activities. Therefore, we recommend that you start with a plan that covers all the contingencies. Your plan should include key objectives as well as a timeline for when you want to reach certain milestones. Aside from that, it should include key metrics for measuring your progress and success. Don’t forget to plan financially to help get your business off the ground and save for future investments.

#2 Ensure Your Website is Responsive

A web search accounts for approximately 39 percent of global Ecommerce traffic — and with more people using their mobile devices than ever before, you’ll likely have a good number of prospective customers who will try to visit your site from their smartphones. If you’re wondering why you need a mobile-friendly website, one good reason is that a non-responsive website will immediately deter anyone who finds your site on their phone or tablet. When you hire a company to create a custom web design for your Ecommerce business, make certain that their work is responsive. Otherwise, you risk alienating mobile customers who are otherwise eager to place an order.

#3 Focus on Shopping Cart Design

Customers will not take the risk of checking out if the shopping cart does not function properly. It is preferable to have a cart that allows the customer to easily add different products and quantities as well as make revisions or deletions. You must provide pricing transparency, especially when discount codes or gift vouchers are used, and allow customers to get a clear idea of the shipping charges they may incur before proceeding to the next step in the process. If a product in a customer’s shopping cart sells out before they can buy it, it’s a good idea to include special notifications. 

#4 Open Source or SaaS – Choose wisely

You’ll have a significant decision to make as you enter the world of Ecommerce, depending on a variety of factors such as your company’s current and future needs, as well as budgetary and other constraints. Should you host your online store on an open-source or SaaS platform?

If you don’t need a highly customized online store and instead want to focus your energy and time on running and scaling your business rather than managing technology, a SaaS platform will suffice. It will save you a lot of time and money while allowing you to focus on your business goals. 

If you want a highly customized shopping experience, open-source is a good option.

Avoid These Habits When Building an Ecommerce Site

#1 Don’t Make Customers Do the Work

You’ll want to make the customer’s journey as clear as possible with any type of custom web design. This is especially true for Ecommerce websites, where any confusion or frustration can cause a customer to abandon their cart. Make certain that your website is simple to use and that there are no inherent complications that would cause anyone to reconsider placing an order. Your custom web design should be created in such a way that achieving any specific result requires only a few clicks. In general, you should not waste the customer’s time.

#2 Don’t Forget Call to Action

A call-to-action is essential, especially when encouraging customers to make an immediate purchase. While you should avoid overcrowding your custom web design with too many buttons, links, or pop-up advertisements, you should also not pass up an opportunity to create an incentive. Weigh your options carefully and ensure that all calls to action serve a specific purpose and can demonstrate real pay-off.

#3 Don’t Think Ecommerce as a One-time Project

Setting up Ecommerce for your business requires a great deal of care and attention to detail to ensure that everything is perfect. You must update your website regularly to reflect the most recent products and their prices. Check that all of the pages and links are functional and that the checkout process is working.

#4 Don’t Try To Do Everything at Once

While it is true that juggling multiple activities is required to achieve online success, keep in mind that you cannot do everything at once. Attempting to accomplish everything right away will work against you, leaving you feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and discouraged. Instead, plan wisely, set realistic goals, and carry out your activities per your pre-established schedule. 

Wrapping Up

An Ecommerce website has the potential to completely transform your business. It can not only increase your sales but also help you establish your company on a global scale – all without the hassle of opening a physical store.
Developing an Ecommerce website indeed necessitates a significant amount of sweat, time, effort, and money. A good Ecommerce site, on the other hand, can not only increase sales but also retain more long-term customers than you could ever expect if you know the right techniques.

Our team at Galaxy prides itself in designing some of the best Ecommerce solutions for businesses globally. Contact Us right away for a free consultation!