There is no shortage of enterprise e-commerce platforms on the market. This is great news, but having so many options can be overwhelming. When shopping, we recommend considering these factors to narrow down your search and narrow down your search to the right solution for your unique budget, needs, and preferences.
essential features
Make sure that the enterprise e-commerce software you choose offers the following important features to help you run your online store successfully.
- website builder. Website Builder allows you to create and manage your online store. It should be able to be optimized for both desktop and mobile shoppers.
- Marketing and SEO. Marketing and SEO tools are very important if you want to drive organic traffic to your store. Coupons, abandoned cart emails, SMS text marketing, and pop-ups are all useful.
- analysis and reporting. Analytics provides valuable insight into what is working and what isn't. You should be able to track conversion rates, average order value, customer lifetime value, and other data.
- Inventory control. E-commerce platforms should be able to easily track inventory levels in real-time. This way you will never run out of stock.
- Personalization tools. Customers appreciate personalized shopping experiences. Tools like search bars, wishlists, related product recommendations, and push notifications can help provide them.
- delivery. Most solutions provide shipping functionality. But there's more to it, too, including shipping calculations at checkout, order tracking, SMS notifications, and recurring order automation.
- Omnichannel capabilities. If you run an enterprise e-commerce store, you'll want to sell your products across multiple channels. These may include websites, social media shopping tabs, mobile apps, and online marketplaces such as Amazon or Etsy.
ease of use
Some e-commerce platforms for businesses are easier to use than others. Unless everyone on your team is extremely tech-savvy, ease of use should be paramount. Fortunately, many products offer free trials or free demos, so you can determine how intuitive a product is before making an investment. Some options are created with beginners in mind, while others may prove more extensive and come with a steeper learning curve.
customer support
An enterprise e-commerce platform is only as good as the customer support behind it. You may have questions or need troubleshooting help, so it's important to have easy and quick access to customer service. You should look for phone support, email support, live chat, a robust FAQ page, and a self-service knowledge base.
integration
Most enterprise e-commerce solutions offer important functionality. However, integration could make it even more useful. This is especially true if you are already using other business technologies, such as customer relationship management (CRM) platforms or accounting systems. Integrations with Salesforce, Slack, QuickBooks, or any other tools you rely on simplify your processes and help your business run more smoothly.