Just how important is e-commerce web development for your business? Consider these two facts in tandem:
- More than half of all Internet users now do some or most of their shopping online (and that includes both goods and services).
- 88% of online consumers say they won’t return to a website if the shopping experience is unpleasant.
The take-away here is that people are busier today than ever — they shop online because it’s convenient, and they don’t have time for a frustrating or sluggish e-commerce system.
Why not equip your company with the kind of shopping website that will drive sales instead of driving new customers away?
What does E-Commerce Web Development Cost?
It’s hard to say precisely how much professional e-commerce development costs. Small projects can be a few thousand dollars. Complex projects can be ten thousand dollars or more and there’s a variety in between.
Complicating matters more is the fact that there are a variety of potential solutions for each e-commerce need.
Hosted E-Commerce
For example there are hosted e-commerce solutions that are a rental based solutions. You never own the solution, you simply lease it. These are the most inexpensive and can range from $40-$200/month or more. These can be great for testing out an idea quickly however most companies prefer to own their system outright and there are many benefits to doing so, not the least of which is having full control over your Search Engine rankings.
Semi-Custom E-Commerce
The next step up from a hosted solution is to use an off-the-shelf shopping cart system such as Magento for e-commerce web development. This platform, like others, provides a good foundation for a robust e-commerce system. Developers will take this system and can assemble for you a basic or very complex e-commerce system. This system is open source and can be supported by thousands of developers, so you’ll never have to worry about being locked into one vendor for the long haul. We are skilled Magento developers and have built very complex systems on this platform as well as some basic sites as well. These websites might range from $2,500 on up to ten thousand or more, depending on how much customization you need and how feature rich the final product is.
Custom E-Commerce
The next step up is a system built from scratch. Such systems are built from scratch when a client wants to strictly control how a system functions and operates and this is critical to the project’s success. In this case we simply build from scratch exactly what is needed. These projects can range from $15,000 on up.
What To Look For in Professional E-Commerce Web Development
As mentioned earlier, not every ecommerce solution is the same and some designers emphasize their shopping systems more than others. At ClearTech, we believe the ideal e-commerce solution for you is one that matches your current needs while also giving you the flexibility to expand in the future. We have skills & experience across more than a dozen e-commerce platforms and so we try to match the best platform to the client in front of us.
ClearTech Interactive is a full-service e-commerce web developer with the skills required to develop virtually any kind of online e-commerce system. Based on our years of experience, we’ve put together a few pointers that you should keep in mind when picking a provider:
Your Shopping Cart System Does Matter
Everyone hates going to the grocery store and getting a noisy or off-balance shopping cart. It’s annoying when the wheels shake or rattle and create unnecessary attention. But you’re not going to leave the store when you can just grab a different shopping cart instead.
But what happens when website visitors are stuck with a shopping cart that’s confusing or difficult to navigate? More often than not, they abandon the website altogether, and you’ve just lost a sale. Having a fast, smooth, and user-friendly interface is critical, and you should be able to facilitate a large range of products , as well as a variety of payment & shipping methods.
And let’s not forget another important part of running an e-commerce web site: your shopping cart should be easy for you to use, too. Chances are, your company product catalog changes from time to time. Adding, modifying, or removing items should be a breeze.
All the systems we recommend are easy to use, easy to manage and easy to maintain. Don’t get stuck with a proprietary or lemon system. Do your homework and be sure to speak an expert.
Services Are Products, Too
If you’re a service provider, you might be thinking your choice of online shopping carts isn’t that important. But you have to remember that web transactions work in essentially the same way, regardless of what’s being sold.
Just think of your service as a product. If a customer comes to your site and buys a 6-month membership, books a hotel stay, or pre-pays for a day at the salon, those services are bought and paid for just like an appliance or a pair of shoes would be. The customer also expects a highly capable and quick-to-process shopping cart either way.
Be Wary of Cheap E-Commerece Web Development Costs
When it comes to e-commerce web development costs, the underlying shopping cart system is as important as the way it looks. The right e-commerce web developer can give you great performance and design.
Fact: A poor e-commerce development solution can cost you 25% or more of your sales, not to mention the additional loss of non-returning customers.
ClearTech Interactive is a full-service firm specializing in ecommerce web development and website design in Tampa, serving all-sized companies throughout the United States. When it comes to ecommerce web design, we offer:
- Customized, tailor-made e-commerce web development
- Unlimited product capability
- Upsell features to increase sales
- Ongoing customer service & support
- Integration with a comprehensive web design & web marketing plan
- Magento e-commerce system expertise
- Sales tactics proven to boost sales by 20%
- Strategies for incentivizing customer loyalty / repeat customer business
- 10 years of online sales experience
- Affordable solutions for most budgets
Reasonable E-Commerce Development Costs
Don’t risk losing customers or making fewer sales because your ecommerce system isn’t up to snuff or because you decided to cut corners. Get an e-commerce website that you can be proud of and one that will have your customers constantly coming back for more.
To learn more about how ClearTech Interactive’s e-commerce web development costs and solutions, send us an email or call 727-562-5161 & Press 1 to speak with an E-Commerce Development Specialist.