Are you thinking of starting an ecommerce store? If you are, you aren’t the only one. E-commerce has been growing in popularity for a number of years due to the fact that you can run a store from any spot on the globe with a WiFi connection.

This has led to many success stories of instant e-commerce millionaires living the dream. However, before you can begin setting up your store and making money you must first decide on an e-commerce platform for your new business.

With e-commerce sales predicted to reach $4.5 trillion in 2021, now is a good time as any to get started with your own business. In this article, we will show you the five things to look out for when choosing an ecommerce platform for your website.

1.   SEO

You’ll be relying on keywords and search engine optimization for your marketing strategy, so you will need a platform that simplifies your SEO. SEO is simply any “optimization” you make to your website to make it more visible to search engines.

However, you should never rely wholly on your ecommerce platform for your SEO, and you might want to consider investing in your own strategy to reach clients through search. It pays to always be ahead of the curve, which means looking into frequent keyword searches, link building campaigns, creating SEO content and blog, and optimizing product pages.

2.   Payment flexibility

You got into the ecommerce business in order to make money and it makes sense to stick with a platform that simplifies your payment needs. If you plan on starting an ecommerce store, your platform should accommodate a range of payment options.

This includes both credit card and wallet options. If you only offer a few options during checkout, you may inadvertently turn away customers. The range of payment options has grown in recent years and many ecommerce platforms have made payment processing as easy as ever, even allowing PayPal or direct deposit.

3.   Third-party integration

Gone are the days when you could reach your customers on one social media platform. Today we have Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and many other areas which also double as places to find good leads and help you to build brand loyalty.

Ensure that your ecommerce platform allows you to integrate apps or plug-ins that allow you to connect your store to your social media feeds. Not only does this help to build a community around your site, but it also makes it much simpler to keep customers updated on what new products or discounts you are offering.

4.   Mobile compatibility

With over 81% of all traffic to Shopify-hosted stores coming through mobile devices, it is important that your ecommerce platform is mobile friendly. Most of your customers will access your store on mobile and tailoring your web experience for mobile will help boost sales. This can also help if your customers are accessing your site through social media. As more and more people are choosing to purchase items with their mobile devices, you want to make sure you are on this trend.

5.   User experience

It’s common that a potential customer needs an extra push to make a purchase, and a great user experience is as much a push as any. Everyone hates browsing through a slow and clunky website, and misplaced menus and 404s can turn any willing client off. Make sure you have gone through your site and fixed any technical errors, as well as made the efforts to speed up your website.

By keeping these five things in mind, you can create an ecommerce store that allows you to live the life you have always dreamed.