Just this week our agency was flooded with emergency requests from companies whose e-commerce web developers left them in the lurch just before a critical launch date. They were left scrambling for fixes or just standard build procedures that are putting their business in jeopardy. What’s going on?
Do Your E-commerce Developer Homework First.
There are so many components to a successful company that have to be done right. Your e-commerce site may be the lifeblood of your company. Don’t leave your digital platform in the hands of amateurs. This is not the place to skimp and “hope” things work well. Your company is at stake. The best product or service in the world can be torpedoed by a bad site, or worse, no site at all.
How do you select the right team to build your site?
The best place to start is to bring in professional developers. Make sure the team you selected actually knows business. Then learn to ask the right questions about what you need for your site. And make sure you get answers that work for your business. Don’t be swayed by style over function. Yes, a pretty website is nice, but the real beauty is function—easy to use and fast, simple checkout.
Don’t Get Stuck….Get the Right E-commerce Developer
Here are some tips and important questions you should be asking and evaluating when selecting your e-commerce developer:
The WooCommerce platform powers more e-commerce sites (large and small) than any other platform on the planet. Finding a WooCommerce expert would be a good start. Research a developer’s web site and check out if they are vetted WooCommerce experts.- Learn about the development team. Get on the phone and talk to the team leader. If your “team” is a one person operation—watch out!
- Did the developer get right back to you? What questions do THEY ask you? Do they “get “ your business and understand your customer base? Make sure they get your products and your market.
- How much experience does the developer have? Check out the specifics. Do they have a project management system in place? If so, what is it and how are you integrated into the communication flow? You want to know you will have an easy time getting updates, training and feedback throughout the process as you need it.
- Ask about the developer’s schedule? When can they deliver your site and is the timeframe reasonable? A small to medium sized e-commerce website can take anywhere from 2 – 4 months depending on how many SKUs you have and how much design and content work you require for your new site.
- Do they have digital marketing services in place?
- Do they have dedicated personnel to handle theme and plugin updates?
- Do they have an itemized and very detailed project process?
Price, Price, Price.
Yes, your budget is important. But don’t let it completely drive your decision. What’s the cost of not launching on time with a warehouse filled with inventory? What’s the cost of lost sales due to a clumsy checkout process and high abandoned cart rates? What’s the cost of not being able to sleep because you just don’t know what’s going on with your site build? What’s the cost of wasted marketing announcing a launch that doesn’t happen?
Get the pros. You’ll launch on time with a site that customers love.
Or better yet, get in touch with the team here at FirstTracks Marketing by calling 603-924-1978 or filling out this short form. Our team of developers, designers and marketers have been specializing in e-commerce websites for years and are all WooCommerce experts. We would love to meet you and learn more about your online sales!
