Planning your next eCommerce project is always a challenge. It is crucial to understand that chosen technology directly influences the budget and timeframe necessary to complete it optimally. For every eCommerce website, a properly chosen technology guarantees successful project development.
Nowadays, dozens of platforms offer eCommerce website solutions that fit various budgets, and choosing the right one depends on your business size and specifics. Instead of spending extra on unnecessary features, it makes sense to thoroughly research your niche and direct competitors to understand what option will fully meet your needs.
Let’s look at the essential steps you need to take to plan your e-commerce project budget efficiently.
1. Analysis and Project Specification
Before planning your project, the first thing to do is to analyze your target audience and realize what kind of product is convenient and desirable for the end user. Knowing this will allow your team to design, build, and implement your solution with appropriate technology and ensure the best conversion.
It is crucial letting your contractor know how you see your project and discuss the prior features for you. Your business objectives also matter here. If you feel like you glimpse the end product, you can be the person to deliver the actual specification document. Alternatively, you may ask your contractor to advise you on writing your project specification or even doing this for you. The more details you include, the easier it is to evaluate the time and effort needed for completion. Of course, define what technology solution is applicable in your case.
2. Readymade or From-Scratch?
There is a large number of free or paid solutions that offer readymade systems or separate modules for your eCommerce website. On the one hand, it is excellent, as you accomplish the need to spend much and reinvent the wheel, but merely use what thousands of other businesses have. With your contractor, you can find what delivers all functionality necessary for your project and just set up the system to function correctly.
Typical additional work that may be required:
- styling according to your brand guides
- adding your content
- integration with 3rd parties (payment providers, CRMs, etc.)
- disabling unnecessary functions or add-ons to reach better performance
- customizing specific functions
On the other hand, readymade solutions may limit your eCommerce website functionality and block future enhancements. Of course, it is possible to customize any solution according to your needs, but this kind of work often is too expensive, and building the same feature from scratch would be much faster. That is why it is vital to discuss the project with your contractor and make a decision before the commencement of work.
- Do you want to be just functional or also unique?
- Do you aim at speed or conversion?
- Are you ready to invest now or receive a functional MVP for starters?
These and many other questions are a must to discuss before choosing between readymade solutions or from-scratch development.
3. A platform for your eCommerce website development
Your business objectives and the budget available mainly determine your choice of platform. After thorough consideration you may decide on going with one of the following options:
A popular readymade CMS that has all basic eCommerce website functions built-in (WordPress, Magento, OpenCart, etc). This is the optimal choice for small and middle businesses. The design and development process is fast and usually requires minimal customization. In the end, you will get a fully functional and well-supported product that is flexible for future enhancements.
You can find a couple of WordPress projects in our portfolio – framework-based development or fully custom development. When it comes to custom-built websites, it is necessary to understand that a massive amount of work is needed to launch the product. Hence, the budget and timeframe. Custom development suits big businesses with far-reaching goals and those ready to invest in a stable and secure product with unique features.
It becomes clear that before choosing the best platform for your eCommerce business, you are supposed to consider several factors. Investing some time in the pre-project analysis will be a wise conclusion to help you determine your business needs. Choose a competent contractor who can also give their recommendation in the beginning.
For every budget, there is a solution, and it is only a matter of research to find the proper one.
