In the age of digitalization, every organization needs the best team of developers who can bring their customized digital product ideas alive on the internet. This is why; if you're also thinking about getting your retail store online, it's crucial that you choose your eCommerce development company wisely.
To ensure that the selected company understands your project's complexities and has enough expertise in this field, you can use a sophisticated research approach to find ideal candidates. And once you have shortlisted the companies you would like to move ahead with, you can test their compatibility with your requirements through these ten essential questions.
What technologies do you use to develop eCommerce websites?
This should be your first question with your shortlisted eCommerce development company to understand the company's level of expertise and proficiency in using the latest technologies and tools to build an online store. Using the latest technologies and tools can significantly impact the performance and functionality of an eCommerce website.
For example, a modern eCommerce platform such as Shopify can provide a better user experience and more advanced features than an older platform like WooCommerce. Similarly, modern front-end technologies like React or Angular can help improve the website's speed and responsiveness. It is also essential to know that if required, the company will be able to build eCommerce stores from scratch using technologies like Python, Java, PHP, .NET, etc..
This will help you understand the level of customization the company can offer when building complex functionalities on your eCommerce website.
Can you provide examples of eCommerce websites you have built in the past?
Asking a potential eCommerce development company to show the other eCommerce websites they have built in the past is a crucial step when considering hiring them. This will also allow you to evaluate the quality of their work. You can set your expectations through their portfolio if you choose to work with them. You can use these portfolios as a reference to share your ideas and requirements more comprehensively. You will also know if the candidate company is familiar with any specific technologies or platforms that may be relevant to your project.
How will I track the progress of my eCommerce website development project?
Asking this question will help you understand the company's project management methods. Once you have a clear understanding of how they will report the project's progress, you will need less time to adapt to their approach and start monitoring the progress of your assignment right away. You can easily remain aware of any potential issues or delays and thus make informed decisions about the project release. Understanding and customizing the project management approach of the company will also help you ensure that the project gets completed on time and within budget.
What particular features can you develop for my online website?
This question will help you clarify the specific eCommerce development services you can expect from the company. It also gives an insight into how experienced the company's eCommerce developers are when it comes to building tailored online shopping experiences. This is important because some companies may offer generalized packages, which may not result in the ideal user experience that you can get through bespoke solutions. But before you ask the company this question, you must know what features you want to be included on your website. This will guide you toward working with a team that perfectly matches your requirements, ensuring that the design and implementation phase goes smoothly without any room for misunderstanding or disappointment.
What security measures do you take with customer information stored in the database to make the website compliant?
When you hire an eCommerce development company, you need to make sure that it takes the appropriate steps to protect the data of your customers. Knowing the security measures they take can give you an idea of how reliable they are in keeping customer data safe. This is essential to ensure that your website will remain compliant with regulations such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA). And in the long run, it will also help with any potential legal penalties and loss in revenue and reputation.
How will you ensure I can track Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)?
KPIs are essential for monitoring the performance of any eCommerce store. They provide critical insights into customer satisfaction, sales, website traffic, and more. They also help you understand which products are performing well and where your customers might face bottlenecks. With these KPIs, you can make informed decisions for optimizing the operations of your eCommerce store to increase the net revenues. This is why you must ask your potential eCommerce development company how they will facilitate data analytics and reporting on your website.
How do you handle search engine optimization for eCommerce websites?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is essential to any successful eCommerce website. It sees how many potential customers your website can attract when searching for the products your eCommerce store is dealing in. For example, if yours is an online fashion store selling party dresses, you would want to come up among the high-ranking results whenever someone is searching for a party dress on a search engine like Google and Bing. To facilitate this, it is essential to ask a potential eCommerce development company how they will handle SEO for your eCommerce website. This will give you an idea of their understanding of SEO and how they intend to implement it into your website. It will allow you to gauge their knowledge and experience with SEO, giving you an insight into the quality of their work and the success rate of their eCommerce projects.
How do you handle mobile optimization for eCommerce websites?
As per the Insider Intelligence forecast, mCommerce sales in 2022 hit $415.93 billion. It's clear that the web is no longer the only place where people go shopping online. With time, more and more people are shopping online through their mobile phones. Whether it's mobile apps or the responsive version of the eCommerce website, mobile presents them and easier access to their favorite online store. This is why you must ask your potential development partner question about the mobile optimization of your online store. This will ensure that your eCommerce website provides a good user experience for visitors accessing it on mobile devices and can read and navigate the content on smaller screens. This also includes ensuring that the web pages are loading quickly on every platform and that all the functionalities are running smoothly. Alternatively, you can hire an eCommerce app development company to launch an app of your website instead. This will help you provide better user experience and gather more audience for your brand.
Do you provide ongoing support services post-launch, such as bug fixes, security updates, performance optimization, and feature enhancements?
An eCommerce website is a constantly evolving online presence of a retail store, and it is essential to have a support team that can help you to keep it running smoothly long after it is launched. This is why, when you hire an eCommerce development company to build an online store for you, you must also ask them whether they will provide you with post-launch support and maintenance services. These ongoing services will include bug fixes, security updates, performance optimization, and feature enhancements. These essential services will help you keep your eCommerce store contemporary with changing market conditions and customer needs. Without ongoing support, you may face costly downtime or security breaches that can result in considerable losses in revenues. While it is ideal that you hire the same company to offer you the support services if your chosen candidate doesn't provide those, you must know beforehand to make an informed decision.
Can you make my eCommerce website contemporary with next-gen features?
Features like chatbots, virtual and augmented reality, personalization, and AI-powered search and recommendations are slowly but steadily becoming the core feature of any well-known eCommerce store. Even though these solutions are next-generation, they are becoming so ubiquitous that you would need to include them in your online store to remain relevant. Whether you consider your competition or not, these features can help you provide a better user experience, increase sales, and improve customer engagement. Eventually, this will help you grow your net revenues by keeping your brand ahead of the curve and up-to-date with the latest trends and technologies in the industry. So, when you ask your potential eCommerce development partner this question, you ensure that you are giving away your projects to the right hands. Whenever you are ready to invest in more advanced features, you do not have to look for migration and upgradation services elsewhere.
Wrapping Up!
In conclusion, hiring an eCommerce development company is crucial in building and growing your online business. Asking the right questions before choosing can help you find the right partner for your project. The questions in this blog cover a range of essential topics, from tracking Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and search engine optimization (SEO) to mobile optimization and ongoing support. It's also necessary to ensure that the eCommerce development company can make your website contemporary with next-gen features. Another critical question to ask in the end is, “Do you provide the option to hire dedicated developers for my project?” This will ensure that you will have a dedicated team working on your project, and you can have more control over the development process, timelines, and deliverables. By considering these questions and finding the right eCommerce development company to partner with, you can set your online business on the path to success.
