I would say that the best platform for e-commerce is the one that helps you as a marketing agent.

Although to answer this question, it is first necessary to know what the main objective of your online store is. 

This objective will depend on the type of products or services your business offers among other variables such as:

• The geographic reach you want to obtain.
• The size or budget of the store you have.
• The ideal client you intend to attract.

A good online commerce platform helps you manage your company as a mediator between supply and demand, with tools for you to manage:

• The way to display your products (design, photographs and text).
• Stock control (removing or adding items).
• Sales measurements, depending on whether they are by week, month, and year.
• The  way to manage payments.
• The moments to modify the promotions.
• The most convenient way to organize shipments.
• Means of contact and communication with your clients.

All these tools, plus some others, can be modified according to each platform.   

When opting for the platform that best suits your business model, it is important that you know the different options that are on the market today, and that you have done an in-depth study and analysis of your business, in order to find that optimal “match” between these two. 

It is worth clarifying that when starting out, if what you are looking for is a simple store for an e-commerce that is starting, you are looking for speed and simplicity, and for that there are specialized platforms.

If you are already in a larger business or with a studio made to scale in the short or medium term, there are other types of platforms.

Three modalities are distinguished:

• Open source (free and open source platforms)
• On-premises (proprietary platforms under license)
• SaaS (rented platforms in a software as a service model)

From your e-commerce platform you will be able to see the two structures, called:

Back-end / store interface with the administrator: interaction between the platform and the person in charge of managing your business, or yourself.

Front-end / interface of the store with the consumer: interaction between the platform and its clients or users.

Why have an e-commerce platform?

You must keep in mind that by creating your business and offering products in an online store, you are opening your offer to many more customers. 

The increase in your sales is guaranteed; since every year the desire of consumers to buy online, without having to leave home, increases. 

And this is happening outside of current health restrictions, or confinements.

The growth of online sales has been on the rise since e-commerce platforms were created.

And today we see stores, already part of the famous social networks, because online marketing is the new way of selling and has a future projection.

If your business is local, within your province or nearby region, or if you are going to ship your products nationally or internationally; It is the first decision you must make and from there propose the marketing and business development strategy.

Being clear about this can guide you in finding the platform that best suits your online store idea. 

Assuming you open a store only for your region and will ship within a small radius in the territory, your sales still increase because an online store never closes.

Customers can buy on your platform at any time. If they can't sleep one night and they come to your online store, they discover that your products provide them with the solutions or benefits they are looking for, (sometimes without knowing it) they decide to buy and that's it.

The platform automates that transaction and notifies you at the time. If you're sleeping, you'll see it the next day, so it's like having a 24-hour store. Without having to stay up late working, or hiring staff to cover all the hours, among other expenses that you would have to make to maintain a 24-hour store. physically or in person.  

How to choose the e-commerce platform that suits your business?

There is a wide variety of e-commerce platforms today, and as I mentioned before, choosing the one that best suits your business is the key to achieving your sales goals.

It is not necessary to have prior knowledge if you want to work with your online store, since many platforms come in template formats that you can customize; and they are also free.

Without a doubt the most used are those made in WordPress, but you can also find other variants.

It is recommended that the platform offers you a support system, and that  you can create intuitively.

Each product with its image and description, not only about features, but also in terms of the hidden or not so obvious benefits that your products can offer.

Optimizing your store is part of the strategy and marketing you need.

Where to look for e-commerce platforms?

On the internet you can find many options for e-commerce platforms. That is why it is essential that you already have your business defined. As I mentioned before, it will depend on your marketing strategy, your desired reach to sell and consequently make shipments. 

Nowadays you see the offer of platforms and it is a long list of possibilities.

In Spain it is being used, for example,  WooCommerce, from WordPress; according to a 2021 report by the Builtwith site. While other Spanish-speaking countries use PrestaShop, and non-Hispanics prefer Shopify.

Of course this study gives a generalized result. And as you already know, if you read this article from the beginning, the general and standard is not recommended when choosing your e-commerce platform. 

Your online store depends on your business awareness, your goals and desires that you want to achieve. 

At first, if you are starting out with online sales, set achievable goals in the medium term. Then, when you are in the phase of scaling your business, those goals and objectives will change, it is logical and it is also logical that at that time you decide to change the e-commerce platform, it is a natural change and you must keep it in mind to be able to do it at the right time.

If you have questions or want to consult us about how to create and manage an e-commerce platform, write to us.

We are specialists and have the experience to give you that extra help that can boost your business.