We all know that sales have shifted from in-store to online purchasing. Shopper expectations now include high-functioning websites: they want to easily find product information, they don’t want to waste time browsing products that aren’t relevant, and they especially want to buy when they are ready to buy—that means they better be able to buy from their phones. These expectations can put a lot of pressure on small to mid-size sellers (both B2C and B2B) to keep up with the user-centered navigation of larger e-commerce websites.

But giving shoppers all the options they want is not optional. E-commerce that doesn’t function well will lead to lost sales.

So it’s time for the quiz: Are you using the right e-commerce platform?
#1: Do you get customer complaints about any of the following?
     o Products are hard to find
     o Search results aren’t relevant
     o Navigation isn’t consistent throughout the website
     o Slow page load times
     o Customers can’t figure out how to complete a purchase

#2: Does your platform include omni-channel ability, which keeps the buying experience consistent across channels and devices?

#3: Can you complete minor changes to your website quickly and without breaking other parts of your site?

#4: Can you implement marketing strategy without having to involve IT staff, including:
    o Personalizing product recommendations
    o Targeting marketing and merchandising campaigns
    o Boosting and/or burying products at a category level

If your current platform isn’t meeting the needs of your customers, it’s time to consider a new e-commerce platform. The right choice will be a platform that can integrate with your existing systems, give your customers the options they want, and is designed to customize to your specific needs.

Make sure to identify your internal requirements and set out your priorities and vision before you reach out to vendors. Implementing a new platform is a large-scale project and you don’t need the complications of a shift in priorities midstream.

Check back on our blog for more posts that will help you identify your priorities.