It's equally amazing and obvious how the advent of the internet has changed the way we do things, especially in business.
The internet's speed and reach has played a critical role in how the economy works in the recent years.
It's undeniable influence is incredible.
From small humble companies, to huge and sophisticate enterprises, every business today has to incorporate this medium to further sell products and services via an online store.
The market you have now has grown exponentially and with such a huge consumer pool it's so critical for you to pick the ecommerce platform that's the absolute best for your kind of business.
You're looking to make a site that'll bring in your type of customers.
Further more, there are lots of varying platforms at their respective prices.
For those who haven't come across this yet, choosing the platform is an anxiety-ridden task.
You want to get it right and you want to do it the very first time.
Regardless of your experience, you have quite an advantage reading this article.
It'll give you tips and considerations you'll have to take in picking an ecommerce platform.
The main and most important features of any platform that you'll find are age, scalability, security, reliability and support.
Take note of these aspects for their quality will determine your success in the future.
Customers want to be assured that all their transactions with you are secure but as easy to conduct as possible.
You should mind the different prices that go with each platform.
There are three types of ecommerce platforms that are common and widely-used right now and here's a rundown of all of them.
Open Source ecommerce Options Flexibility is a big advantage with this one, not being confined to the coding rules as you are with software.
Open source shopping carts are like cars that are custom-made.
You can design them according to your preferences.
Certainly open source systems are strong and full-bodied that,.
in addition, provide more flexibility.
Though it's open source, it does come with a price.
Here's where you might back track from using this type of platform.
Open source solutions still need to be built and this equates to more time and effort and possibly, cost.
Another downer is that there are no free upgrades and no support.
You'll be in a rough and hard place if ever your site crashes so you might want to think about how this will fare.
Hosted ecommerce Solutions Hosted solutions give you less headaches since you don't need to slave over the technical operations so that you can concentrate more on your business.
Hosted solutions guarantee quick start-up and turn around.
Here, you'll get reliability, scalability, continuous monitoring, full support and unlike open source solutions, free and automatic upgrades.
As a system, it's more robust, so to speak.
By the way, while picking a hosted solution, make certain that your provider's CISP certified and on Visa's approved list.
Their name has got to be in there to if you want trusted service and to avoid transaction problems.
In a nutshell, hosted solutions are ideal for small to medium sized business.
This way you don't have to spend so much investing in your own IT department.
It's a more simple and affordable way to safeguard your sales without the excessively costly investments.
Licensed Ecommerce Solutions A licensed solution is a combination of the two types of solutions mentioned above.
Here, you get the flexibility that open source solutions can give.
It can also integrate third party solutions as your business spreads.
This can be a very significant tool to secure you a place in the competitive market.
Most licensed ecommerce solutions usually go for a less price than hosted solutions, despite the start up cost to be higher.
A slight problem is that it really needs to be installed with a licensed cart that should be integrated with your site.
You need more than your basic skills and paint by numbers gameplan to achieve this properly.
That is, unless you're a web designer.
Otherwise, this wouldn't be a worry at all.
In Summary Finishing off, all you have to remember is to choose the platform that fits your respective criteria and your budget.
Don't forget your company's goals and pick out the features that will work well with them.
So there, now you can get about choosing the right ecommerce platform for your microbusiness.