5 Factors To Consider While Hiring An eCommerce Developer

Hiring a Professional eCommerce Developer

A lot has to be taken care of while developing an eCommerce site, and due to this very reason, eCommerce merchants usually prefer to hire a professional developer even when they have little bit of technical knowledge. Hiring a professional developer, however, doesn't guarantee that everything will be hunky-dory, especially when a relatively inexperienced developer is hired. If you wish to make the development process of the website simple and quick, you need to consider following five factors while hiring the developer.

Experience:

The first and the foremost factor to consider is developers’ experience. While discussing the idea of eCommerce sites, they usually tend to spout technical jargon. You need to cut through that and look at the hard facts. Ask them for the examples. Look at the websites created by them. Scrutinize the designs they have used, features they have embedded in the websites and the applications that are implemented to offer superior user experience. If the given examples do not match with what you are expecting, ask them to show the example of what they can do. This will give you a fair idea of what the developers can do for you and if that’s enough for you.

eCommerce Platform:

Before you proceed with the development, you definitely need to know which eCommerce platform the developers are going to use. But before you ask this question, you will need to conduct your own research. So look at the various eCommerce platforms and solutions that are available in the market; what exactly they bring to the table and how much they can contribute toward your business success. Apart from the paid software and solutions that offer hi-tech features, ecommerce platforms such as e-Smart eCommerce Suite, Magento and PrestaShop are quite handy because they offer convenience yet are free for use. 

Special features:

Although you will require bit of technical knowledge for looking into this aspect, it’s definitely worth the research time. Ask the developers what special features they will embed in the website, ask whether the theme will be the existing one or a new, custom one built from the scratch. Consider the amount of time they will need to create such features an

d embed them. Compare this estimate with the open-source eCommerce platforms that offer various innovative features at nominal prices.

Mobile-friendly:

Mobile website is as important as a desktop website, if not more. You need to make sure that your eCommerce site is easily accessible for mobile users as well as is user-friendly enough to engage them. You can opt for responsive eCommerce site that will allow you to offer unique shopping experience to all the users irrespective of the gadgets they are using.

Managing website:

Building a website is a one-time effort; however, managing it is a continuous process. The photos, videos, content, product details and banners need to be constantly updated. So make sure the developers understand this and they create a website that you can handle it on your own. Also, ask them how they are keeping your website’s backup as well as get access to all accounts, passwords and codes associated with your site.

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How to Measure ROI for Social Media Marketing

Measuring an accurate return on investment for each business operation is quite necessary as it gives businesses an idea about how successful their strategies are and how effective their processes are. Measuring an accurate ROI for social media marketing is complex and difficult, and due to this very reason many eCommerce sellers hesitate to initiate such a strategy. However, through the following metrics, you can measure the ROI of your social media marketing efforts up to a certain limit.    

Referring domains or traffic sources

When you are selling on eBay, Amazon or Etsy, you don't have access to the information about how the customer found the product they were looking for even though the marketplaces have that information. But you can definitely learn how your customers visited your store or item pages if you are selling on eBay or Etsy. This is called referring traffic or traffic source.

If you are selling on eBay store, traffic reports will be included in your subscription price. From this report, you will know from where your customers came, i.e., if they found you through eBay search or through your Facebook page.

Amazon doesn't offer traffic source information to merchants, but merchants do have access to total traffic per item data.

Followers

You can gauge the success of your social media presence by monitoring the number of followers you have. As your following grows, so does your influence. Initially your followers may just consist of people who know you but as you continue to share interesting and informative content, interested people too will start following you.

Approval

When you get a "Like" on Facebook and Pinterest, a "Heart" on Instagram, a "+1" on Google+, and a "Favorite" on Twitter, it means your content is being liked by the readers and they are approving it. Monitor how many of your posts garner approval and study the trend of the most liked posts. This will help you understand what's working for you and what's not.
 
Comments

On social media platforms, readers have an option to offer their comment. Whenever the readers come across interesting content, they tend to comment or reply. Monitor and measure how many comments and replies your content is receiving.

Shares, retweets and repins

Whenever the readers like your content, they will share it, retweet it and repin it on various platforms. This simply means that your content is being shared without any cost or effort from your side, and this is the best feature of social networks. So always aim to create the type of content that the users would like to rebroadcast on their own without any prodding.

While monitoring shares, retweets and repins, do understand getting likes, shares or comments on every post is impossible. If a post doesn't get any interest from the users, try posting similar content at a different time of the day and gauge its success. If it doesn't seem to be working, it's better to avoid such content in the future.

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Top 10 Features For eCommerce Websites

Although mobile websites and apps are gaining popularity, eCommerce websites are still in vogue. Focusing on an effective website would be definitely beneficial for any business in the long run. Following are the Top Ten eCommerce Features that any eCommerce website should have to reach and engage its target audience.

1.Branding: Have your logo and tag line in the front and center. The features and content of the website should revolve around the logo, making visitors aware of your brand and business.

2.Focus: Clutter free websites are always attractive and soothing on eyes. Update only relevant and helpful information and sections on the website. Too much of fluff is not very amusing or entertaining for visitors.

3.Attractive images: This is the age of clarity and transparency, specially when it comes to eCommerce websites. You need to have multiple images for all your products. Also, make sure those images are of high resolution for better visitors' interest.

4.Videos: The latest fad is to have demo videos of the products. If you can't mange to have a demo video, upload videos of user guides and videos about your customer reviews.

5.Easy search: User-friendliness is key to success. Let your customers easily find the products they are looking for through simple and effective search options. Having a huge search bar at the top of all the pages is a good idea. You can also keep a button for advanced search along with the regular search option.

6.Easy login and checkout: Garner customers' loyalty by giving them easy access to their accounts. Make the checkout process quick and painless. Also, reassure the customers about the security of their personal and financial data.

7.Free offers: Customers love free stuff. Always have something free for your customers. It could be free gift, shipping or something similar.

8.Clearance section: Do away with your old products or clear the overflowing stock by having a separate clearance section. You can also offer cheaper alternatives in this section, drawing a wider section of audience.

9.Information: Customers like to make informed decisions. Have a news section, broadcasting the latest happenings of your industry.

10.Personal touch: Customers love to feel human connection even if they are buying online. Put up your team's information in a friendly manner, encouraging your visitors to connect with them.

We’re here to answer any questions you may have or give you information on how we can help grow your eBusiness!

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