What is an e-commerce platform?

If you run a brick-and-mortar store, you’ll agree that managing the purchasing process, products, prices, and inventory is quite complicated. In the case of virtual trading, you need software that can handle all these operations. Its task is also to ensure data security, which is extremely important. The system should also support marketing and SEO activities – thanks to this, acquiring customers will be easier. It is a kind of backbone that significantly simplifies many issues related to running an e-shop and in many cases means that advanced technical knowledge is not needed for this.

There are plenty of e-commerce platforms. Each of them has different advantages, offers a different set of functions and method of operation. Systems dedicated to both small businesses and the largest online stores are available. This variety means that everyone can choose a tool tailored to their needs. At the same time, however, it may make this decision difficult.

Open Source or SaaS?

Platforms for online stores can be divided into two basic types: Open Source and SaaS (Software as a Service). Does that tell you nothing? Does not matter. We’ll briefly outline the pros and cons of both types of systems, making it easier for you to make a decision.

Open Source Platforms
Open Source platforms are designed to be installed on your own server. This provides much more freedom and independence. The open source concept means that they can be developed by multiple developers and offer a variety of plugins or add-ons to extend their functionality. Their other advantages are:
– adaptation to the needs of both small and large stores (scalability),
– the possibility of selling any assortment,
– the ability to change the appearance of the store,
– the ability to edit the source code,
– access to marketing tools,
– wide range of SEO activities,
– access to technical support.

However, it should be remembered that Open Source systems require self-installation and implementation, which requires at least basic technical knowledge or professional help. More freedom also means more responsibility – incl. for creating regulations or privacy policy, as well as data security. In addition, when using such a platform, you also have to take into account the costs of maintaining your own domain and hosting.

SaaS platforms
SaaS platforms are also called subscription platforms. They allow you to create a store without the need to invest in your own hosting, installation or backup. They usually offer a complete set of tools necessary to sell online. You can use them on a monthly subscription basis. The advantages of such a solution certainly include:
– ease of setting up a store and its operation,
– quick configuration,
– no need to purchase hosting
– less investment at the beginning,
– access to all necessary functions without the need to install plugins,
– access to technical support,
– no need to adapt the store to legal standards – the service provider takes care of it.

The specificity of SaaS platforms, however, means that by using them, you are only a tenant of the virtual space in which you run your store, and not its owner. The condition for its operation is to pay the subscription. Moreover, it should be remembered that such systems can create many limitations and are therefore usually not suitable for demanding users.

Open Source platforms – popular solutions

Let us remind you – Open Source platforms have definitely fewer restrictions, but also greater challenges. These types of engines are recommended primarily to at least intermediate users who know the basics of e-commerce, have technological knowledge or want and can use external help in this area. It is also a solution for those who want to freely develop their business. What is worth choosing in such a situation? We cover several popular platforms.

PrestaShop
PrestaShop is currently one of the most popular e-commerce platforms operating all over the world. It gains recognition mainly due to the lack of fees. However, this completely free platform is also appreciated for its combination of simplicity with high functionality. Installing the engine on the server is very simple, as is setting up the store. So it is a good solution even for beginners with basic technical knowledge.

PrestaShop provides various templates that allow you to change the appearance of the store, as well as many plugins that allow you to increase its functionality. Unfortunately, they are largely paid. However, the platform creates very large opportunities, also in terms of individual store customization. Developers often create solutions based on the engine that respond to the needs of specific users.

The most important features of PrestaShop:
– a free Open Source platform,
– access to many plugins (mainly paid) that allow you to expand the store’s functions,
– the ability to customize the appearance of the store using templates,
– simple operation from the administration panel,
– performance,
– universality,
– frequent updates to take care of security, but you have to install them yourself.

The PrestaShop store can be suitable for beginners (the platform is free, which allows you to limit the initial cost) and for larger stores.

Magento
Magento is a very universal system dedicated primarily to larger stores. It facilitates the management of large quantities of products and can be expanded with various additional functions. It is available in two versions: free (Community Edition) and paid (Enterprise Edition), which gives you more options.

The most important features of Magento are:
– availability of a free script (Community Edition) with quite extensive functions,
– many possibilities of expanding and extending the store’s functions with plugins (free),
– the ability to run several stores from one place,
– the ability to operate a mobiles store,
– complicated installation and modification,
– quite complicated service through the administration panel,
– quite high requirements as to the server capabilities – usually requires the use of a dedicated server.

The store created with the use of Magento is very functional, although the implementation and operation of the system are quite complicated. This solution is primarily for those who manage several e-commerce platforms and many different products, and at the same time have efficient hosting and a generally larger operating budget.

WooCommerce + WordPress
WordPress is a free CMS that allows you to create many different websites. It is used by both small private sites and large sites of well-known companies. Thanks to the WooCommerce add-on, it also allows you to create stores. This is a good solution for those who already use WordPress. However, the platform is very intuitive, so it is also suitable for beginners. Its great advantage is that it is free.

The most important features of solutions based on WooCommerce and WordPress:
– a free Open Source platform,
– suitable for beginners and advanced,
– ease of use,
– expandable with the necessary functions,
– high level of security and frequent updates,
– wide possibilities of personalizing the appearance of the store thanks to templates,
– very good integration with SEO,
– possibility of integration with various forms of shipping and payment,
– easy integration of the store with the company’s blog.

WooCommerce integration with WordPress allows you to create a professional-looking, functional and truly free store (excluding the cost of your own domain and hosting, of course). This is a very versatile solution, but recommended especially for small and medium-sized trading platforms.

SaaS platforms – popular solutions

SaaS (subscription) platforms are great to get you started. All it takes is a small investment and literally a few minutes to set up the store to start working. Their disadvantage may be the lack of independence and certain limitations, e.g. related to the positioning of the online store or customization, but this does not change the fact that many people praise this type of solution very much. What do you have to choose?

Shoplo
Shoplo is an international service offering numerous features, including multi-channel sales (Shoplo Multichannel). It offers various subscriptions aimed primarily at small and medium-sized stores. It provides many useful functions, however, available mainly in more expensive packages.

The most important features of Shoplo are:
– subscription system – various subscription thresholds from several dozen dollars per month,
– limited functions and quantity of products in basic packages,
– 15-day free trial period,
– the ability to customize the appearance of stores using templates or configurator,
– subscription sale and virtual products,
– the function of recovering abandoned carts,
– possibility of integration with courier companies, accounting and warehouse management systems,
– the ability to create an integrated Facebook store,
– customer communication panel – messages from various platforms in one place,
– access to marketing tools.

Shoplo provides relatively simple configuration and operation, and many interesting functions. It works well with small and medium-sized stores, including those selling virtual products or subscriptions!

Shopify
Shopify is an international e-commerce platform that is hugely popular around the world. Shops created on the basis of Shopify are adapted to UX requirements, but templates that allow you to change the look are paid. It is a universal system that allows you to sell different types of products through a store that can be launched in a few moments.

Shopify’s key features include:
– subscription system – various subscription thresholds, from $ 29 per month,
– commission on the sale,
– an international platform, recommended for sale abroad,
– compatibility with social networks – the possibility of selling via Facebook,
– limited personalization options,
– responsive themes,
– no possibility of advanced product management.

Shopify can be the perfect solution for those looking to sell overseas. The service is simple to use, and the various subscriptions make it easy to scale up your business.

Which online store to choose?

So how do you choose a platform to run a store?

– Start by defining and writing down your expectations in detail. Compare them with the possibilities (e.g. financial or technical), and you will probably easily decide whether an Open Source or SaaS platform will be better for you.
– Then you can independently analyze the offers of available systems in terms of the necessary functions and features. An even easier solution, however, is to send a query to specific platforms with a request to select a package to meet specific requirements.
– On this basis, you will probably choose a maximum of 2 or 3 interesting websites.
– Before you make your final decision, take advantage of trial periods wherever possible.
– If you are still hesitating, compare not only the prices, but also the other benefits offered by the platforms – often these are various discounts that can be useful when running a store.

Remember that when choosing a platform, your needs and feelings are the most important! Therefore, it is not always worth following reviews and opinions that are usually biased.

The Internet is the most promising sales channel – there is no doubt about it. Regardless of the field in which you operate, the ability to reach the customer without locations restrictions gives you a huge competitive advantage. It is worth using it – especially since setting up an e-shop today is simpler than a few years ago.

But be careful! If you think it will become like the snap of a finger… well. It’s not that good. To move from idea to implementation and then successfully build your market position, you need to know how to do it step by step. So see what you need to open a well-functioning online store.

Step 1: refine the business concept

Before getting into the technical details of your own e-shop, you need to go through some basic business tasks. They are the foundation of your investment. Remember: when setting up an e-shop, you invest in the long term. Therefore, you have to be prepared that the development of your business will not happen from month to month, and you will have to wait for the results.

So the question is: how to start? It depends on several factors. Consider: should an online store be a way to develop a stationary business or is it the first step you take on the market? If you already deal with the production and distribution of certain goods via stationary channels, you probably already have appropriate mechanisms developed, including with transport and storage of products, as well as marketing facilities. You already have a customer base and you know who your solutions are addressed to.

However, if you start completely from scratch – the first step is to find an industry. Start with in-depth research. Check what is the economic situation at the moment and consider in what area you are an expert or you can quickly become one. There are two approaches to this topic: either targeting a niche or building an exclusive brand, or vice versa – relying on proven and common material goods.

Also, remember that you have to decide whether you will sell goods under your logo (e.g. by cooperating with the manufacturer to create your own brand) or redistribute it.

It is equally important to ensure a suitable place for running an e-shop. While at the beginning, with small orders, you can manage by storing products, e.g. in a home garage, over time you will need professional storage space.

You can also decide to work in the dropshipping model, which means that you will work with the supplier of products, and you will only deal with the entire sales process until the order is finalized. This solution is good for completely novice entrepreneurs, but of course it also has its downsides, such as limited impact on the shipping process or checking the quality of products.

So, as you can see, if you are a complete beginner, you need to start by developing the business foundation. When they are ready and you know:
– What do you sell,
– to whom your products should go,
– what are your “processing capacities”,
– what budget do you have to start with,

you can start setting up an online store from the technical side.

Step 2: branding

If you already run a stationary business and have developed a brand recognizable by customers, the best solution is to promote it also as part of e-commerce activities. Remember, however, that if your market niche is highly competitive, an expressive, easy-to-associate brand may be one of the factors that will affect your business success. So developing a good branding strategy right from the start is the best you can do. Changing the name later can be time-consuming, costly and, above all, risky.

How to create a good brand? Before you start:
– precisely define the group of customers to which your products will go – assess their needs, expectations, problems, challenges,
– indicate the key values with which your store (and products) is to be associated – which will be more important: prestige and very high quality of products, or maybe their designer character?

Once you know how you want to communicate with the market, you can go to the next step: choose the brand name and its visual identification system.

Especially in the latter aspect, it is worth using the help of professional graphic designers and web designers – they can perform this order on their own or as part of cooperation in designing the e-store layout. It all depends on how you want to “put it up”.

At this stage – when you develop a store brand – it is also worth buying a website domain. Remember that you have at your disposal not only com domains, but also .eu or .co.uk, but also many unusual ones. Nevertheless – these 3 mentioned just now give you more credibility. If you have the option, choosing a domain:
– buy a few “endings” of the address at once – you can then redirect them to the correct store (yours!),
– avoid dashes and other elements in the domain name that may make it difficult for the user to enter the address “by finger”,
– remember that the domain name itself has no impact on positioning – it should be easy to remember and of course be associated with a given business.

Step 3: choosing a platform

At this stage, a very important decision awaits you – which technology will be used in your e-shop. You can go several ways.

A. Commissioning experts to develop your store “from scratch” – it is the safest solution, which at the same time can be fully adjusted to your business needs. However, you must remember that the costs of creating a dedicated platform can be high (and unnecessary), and the time to prepare the website can be very long. That is why this solution is chosen by investors who can afford a one-off spend from several dozen or even several hundred thousand dollars.
B. Take advantage of the e-commerce platform.

When choosing an online store platform, be guided primarily by how large-scale you plan to operate – also in the perspective of many years. Also consider your budget.

When it comes to e-commerce platforms, you have two basic types of services: subscription platforms and open source platforms. How are they different?

Open Source Platforms
This is software that you must install on your own server. They are suitable for people who care about high independence, the ability to adjust the e-store to specific expectations, and above all for medium and large-scale stores. Running them may require previous e-commerce experience or technical support (especially at the beginning).

Usually the platform itself is available for download free of charge, but its operation and extension of the store’s functionality may require investment in paid plugins. It must also be remembered that it will be necessary to implement it on the server and integrate the selected graphic layout with it (own or selected from the available ready-made templates).

Open-source platforms:
– provide the possibility of a very wide “customization”,
– they are friendly for the positioning of online stores,
– they have enormous technical support – especially the users themselves, who are constantly developing this technology

When you choose one of them, you will experience additional costs of implementation, hosting, administration, as well as challenges related to adapting the platform to legal requirements (including developing store regulations).

If you choose an open source platform, you will also need to purchase hosting at this stage. The hosting server should:
– be well secured – so that it is not vulnerable to attacks, and that your clients’ data is safe,
– be adapted to the requirements of the e-commerce platform that you have chosen,
– provide you with sufficiently fast data transfer.

You can choose from shared, inexpensive and suitable for small stores, and dedicated servers – more expensive, but also easier to configure individually. They are suitable for larger and more advanced e-shops.

When choosing an open source platform, you also have a greater impact on the appearance of your e-store. So you can implement it on a template prepared by a computer graphic – so that it fits best into your brand’s visual identity system. You can also take a look at the ready-made templates that are already available.

Subscription platforms (SaaS)
Subscription platforms usually operate in the SaaS model, i.e. Software as a Service. This includes such platforms as Shoper, Shopify or Shoplo. On them you get access to the software in the form of an accessible panel – and this is what your e-shop is based on. In their case, there is no need to “upload” the store to your own server – you use a ready-made system. Fees for using the platform in the SaaS model are charged in the form of a subscription – e.g. monthly or annual, and you, depending on your needs, can choose a specific scope of services and possibilities offered by the website. The costs of such a solution range from several hundred to several thousand dollars per year.

Who are the subscription platforms for? Primarily for beginners who want to run a small-scale online store, especially in the dropshipping model. The use of this solution is the simplest, but it poses many limitations – related to e.g. with limited functionality or the need to choose one of the ready-made graphic templates. Some SaaS platforms are also not perfect in terms of positioning online stores and are burdened with various barriers.

If you are in doubt as to which e-commerce platform to choose, get advice from experts. Analyze your business model with them so as not to make a mistake. Changing the platform later can be costly and time consuming.

Note: Your online store should be responsive. This means that it should be displayed in a fully functional way on various devices – both on computers as well as on tablets and smartphoness. Sales via mobiles channels are also growing very dynamically, so you cannot afford to lose customers from this source!

Step 4: e-shop integration with ERP

Although this is not a necessary requirement, it is worth considering integrating the online store software with the one that controls warehouse resources. Why? The reason is very simple: if it turns out that a customer orders a product that you do not have in stock, you will face trouble. This single situation can happen. However, if such problems become widespread, you will quickly lose your reputation, and with it – your customers.

That is why the best solution is to use the option of integrating the online store with the ERP system. The immediate flow of information will eliminate the possibility of a mistake and make your task easier.

Step 5: selection of payment methods and their integration with the e-shop

In order for customers to be willing to shop in your e-shop, you need to give them the ability to conveniently pay for goods. Of course, a standard bank transfer is not enough. That is why you must decide on a convenient, yet safe and easy-to-use payment method. There are many trading platforms to choose from. When choosing, consider both available payment methods, as well as commissions and other fees, and flexibility in accessing funds.

Step 6: choosing the delivery methods for the products

This is a matter that you need to take care of primarily in the model in which you handle the shipping of goods yourself. If you have decided to dropshipping, your contractor has probably specified the shipping methods.

However, if not, make sure your customers receive convenient forms of receiving products – apart from courier services, pay attention to the increasingly popular options for delivering goods to points, e.g. shops or parcel machines. On the other hand, however, remember that the more options there are for a customer, the greater the logistical challenge. Therefore, it is worth keeping the golden mean.

Step 7: Add Products

Many e-commerce platforms allow integration with wholesalers and automatic updating of product data. However, if you sell your own assortment, you have to describe it “by hand” in the store. When adding products to ready-made subpage templates, it is worth taking care of two key issues: on the one hand, the attractiveness of the presentation of the product range for the client, and on the other – the fulfillment of SEO requirements.

Therefore, both a good and unique description as well as attractive product photos count. If you sell an assortment of other manufacturers, you can usually get ready-made materials. If you distribute your own products, have professional product photos taken.

In the content area, make sure that:
– were written in the language of benefits – so that they presented not only the advantages of the products, but their translation into the customer’s needs,
– were written in a style adapted to the characteristics of the potential client,
– are in line with SEO requirements – care should be taken, inter alia, o the use of appropriate keywords, headings and bullets. You should also take care of entering metadata and generating friendly URLs.

Step 8: Marketing

Once your store is up and running and you start serving customers, it’s time to increase its visibility to customers, and thus – its popularity. In order to promote your e-store, you can take a number of activities – from paid links, PPC advertising, through social media activities, to positioning your online store and using inbound marketing tools.

It is also good to think about a blog in an online store, which will strengthen the potential of positioning and the image of the website. As you can see, the recipe for setting up your own online store is a methodical step-by-step operation based on a well-thought-out strategy. This is the best way to achieve long-term business success.