How to Choose the Right E-Commerce Web Development Partner?

A company that specializes in E-Commerce Web Development can help transform your online business using the most recent tools and technologies. Your trusted E-Commerce Web Development partner can help you attract customers to your online store in today’s highly competitive market. Your eCommerce store will show how intelligent you are at selling products and meeting customer needs.

 

According to a Nasdaq survey, 95% of all online purchases will occur by 2040. eCommerce is one of the few industries that has seen growth in this economic crisis. People prefer to shop online for everything, from groceries to household goods, during a lockdown-like environment. This trend is set to continue!

 

You can consult an experienced E-Commerce Web Development company to help you start a business or convert your eCommerce idea into an online shop. Ask about their experience and portfolio. It is important to find out about their privacy protection and how they ensure the security of confidential corporate information in light of increasing cyberattacks.

 

Remember that a secure browsing environment and effortless navigation are essential prerequisites for any eCommerce shop. If the shop does not meet these requirements, visitors will leave. Let’s look at some important factors that you should consider when hiring an eCommerce website design company. Solid research is the first step.

 

A successful eCommerce business is built on partnerships. You can outsource your eCommerce development project to help you concentrate on the areas that require undivided attention, such as sales and marketing.

 

It can be difficult to find the right eCommerce agency, as there are many agencies that offer development services regardless of which platform you use.

This blog will walk you through 8 steps that can help you find the right partner for your budget and scope. 

 

To help you narrow down your options quicker, here are some prerequisites.

 

A scope document

You must clearly define your goals at least at the highest level so it is easier for agencies to understand.

 

It is possible to do this by creating a list of details such as technology stack, expected outcomes, staffing resources, if applicable, areas to improve, and operational bottlenecks.

 

If you believe you are a good partner, you can share additional information such as competitor challenges, buyer personas, and customer experience. You can also discuss use cases, analytics, and operational protocols.

A criteria checklist to help you select the right agency

What criteria will you use to choose the agencies? These criteria should be defined in advance. This could include the size of the agency and local presence, overlaps in time zones, design, technology, marketing, B2B/B2C eCommerce experience, and payment gateway experience. ERP integration experience and pricing are all possible.

 

It is important to consider the importance of developer certification. It is a guarantee of the developer credibility of the agency you want to sign up for. The criteria used to evaluate certified developers include technical knowledge, programming skills, and the ability to spot gaps. 

This resourceful member of your team can be a great asset to your eCommerce project.

Let’s now get started.

Step 1

Talk to the providers of eCommerce platforms. You could choose Magento, Hybris or Demandware, Shopify, or any other eCommerce platform.

 

Four to five agency partners should be chosen that they feel will best suit the project’s scope and budget. This will not work if you’re looking for an Enterprise or premium version of a platform.

 

Google is the best search engine to find open-source versions of the E-Commerce Web Development platforms you are interested in. To find more service providers, you can also use service-based keywords such as Managed Services or Magento Implementation in conjunction with the platform name.

Step 2

Do an online pre-qualification of all agencies. Find out how big they are, what their service offerings are, and the number of consultants that they have.

 

You can check out their case studies, ratings, pricing, and FAQs. Also, you might find testimonials. After you are satisfied with the information you have seen, you can contact them. You will need to remove two agencies from this tab.

Step 3

Call the agencies. After the introduction, if you are satisfied with their answers and have seen their work, you can give your scope document to the agencies so that they can prepare a proposal.

 

You should also check if they are open to listening, responsive, asking great questions, and making an effort to understand your goals and challenges. You should also check if they can identify growth opportunities you didn’t realize and suggest areas for improvement.

 

Compare the experience you have had with each agency so far. This may take several calls with each agency.

Step 4

Consider all criteria when evaluating agencies. Examine the proposal to see if it is clear about the scope, pricing, timeline, and deliverables. The project approach and communication plan are also mentioned. Milestones are clearly defined.

 

You should also have an understanding of the project’s development and average turnaround times during this phase. Agile development methods are best suited for eCommerce projects because they allow for better project control, lower risks, faster ROI, and stable releases. These factors guarantee continuous growth and innovation.

 

Don’t let the average turnaround time fool you. It is important to know if the agency follows a schedule. Agencies that follow the Agile development method will be able to deliver projects at a steady pace in sprints.

 

Based on your evaluation, it is time to narrow it down to just two agencies.

Step 5

Ask for a reference customer so you can talk to them about the agency. Referencing checks are best done by listening to what customers have to say. Open-ended questions are better than specific ones.

 

Examples – How was your experience working with XYZ? Why did you choose to work with them? What were their promises during the sales process and how did they keep them on track? Etc

Step 6

You should now know who you want to work with. These are the questions you need to answer before you make your final decision.

 

• What if, despite your careful selection of the agency?
• Three weeks into your engagement, you don’t like the work done by the agency.
• What can you do to reduce your risk?
• What if you don’t like the team members assigned to you?
• How can you keep up with the latest project updates?
• If there is a scope shift, know how to make change requests.

To discuss changes, progress, and updates, get to know the one point of contact on the development side. A well-structured E-Commerce Web Development design team will have a dedicated project manager who delivers updates to all stakeholders.

 

Ask the development company for their Escalation Matrix if you need to escalate. An Escalation Matrix is a group of people who are in different roles such as project managers, directors, and so forth. In the event of an alert, this team will be on the list of people to contact. It will help you, as a stakeholder to hold the agency responsible for any shortcomings.

 

These questions can be answered before you proceed.

Step 7

Contract part. This can be done by your legal finance team. It might take some time. If you want to get started early, ask the agency if they are able to approve your work via email. You should verify the team composition and how billing hours are divided on an hourly and daily basis.

 

Learn the terms and how the SOW works. If there is a scope shift, understand how change requests work.

Step 8

Step eight. You’re now ready to go. Now, you can form a team for your project and get ready to go.

 

We hope these tips will assist you in improving your vendor selection skills.

Conclusion Lines

While the thriving E-Commerce Web Development industry presents many challenges, it also offers many opportunities. There are many options available to you as a startup owner for setting up an E-Commerce Web Development store. You need to choose the right E-Commerce Web Development company. Each eCommerce company has its own goals and needs. However, the following factors can help you to find a trustworthy and reliable partner in eCommerce development.