Ask any successful eCommerce brand: The key to making sales and outdoing competitors is a great website. Beyond the obvious – like an attractive and engaging design – your site needs to be easy to navigate and embody everything that is unique (and better) about your brand and products or services versus competitors. Without a website that functions as well as it engages users, you can rest assured that potential customers will keep looking elsewhere.
But how do you develop a site that sets your business up for success? Take it from us: you should really consider working with an eCommerce development team to help get you up and running. With our eComm development professionals on your side, you’ll have a site that’s easy to navigate, super secure, and mobile friendly.
Here are a few things to look for in an eCommerce development team, so you put your trust (and dollars) in the right agency.
What Does an eComm Development Team Do?
When you work with an eCommerce development team, they’ll ensure your site has all the bells and whistles needed to support a successful business. Development experts know how to leverage their skills to facilitate new leads and greater conversions. Here are a few things they’ll watch for when building out your site:
- User friendliness. Clickable images are a huge plus since visitors don’t have to navigate small text if they’re trying to get more information. Another feature your development team may incorporate is an auto-complete function on the search bar. However they choose to spruce up your site, the goal is to develop a design that’s user-friendly and gets customers to your products in as few clicks as possible.
- High-resolution visual content. eCommerce development teams know how important product shots are to the final sale of the respective products. As such, they’ll make sure to incorporate high-resolution photos from various angles and add videos when available. They’ll also ensure that your page’s load speeds are up to par to make sure site visitors stick around.
- User reviews. If you want to incorporate a feature that allows customers to share their experiences with your brand, your development team can help you do so. This allows other users to make informed shopping decisions and adds credibility to your website.
Now that we’ve covered the basics of eCommerce development teams, here are eight things to look for when searching for an agency to partner with.
Do They Automate Everything?
By automating some of the more time-consuming tasks developers face, they can be freed up to work on more creative aspects of your project. This also ensures that the development process is easily repeatable and consistent.
Do They Strive for (and Achieve) Excellence?
Developers who are constantly looking for ways to improve their skills and acquire new ones will bring the most value to your project. Teams who strive for excellence spend a ton of time working and testing together, sharing new information the moment it’s available.
Do They Put Website Safety and Security at the Forefront of Their Processes?
eCommerce business owners fear bugs, breachers, and security threats just as much as (if not more than) shoppers. No customer wants to come into contact with potential cyber threats while they’re browsing your brand. But, as an eCommerce shop owner, the threats are far greater for your company than the average user because you’re storing information about your products and your customers.
Any breach of this information puts your brand at risk. Your customers’ contact or payment information could be stolen and sold, for example. If you have an unsecured website, you’ll likely also earn a poor reputation with Google, which is bad for business.
If a development team doesn’t put safety and security first and foremost, they’re probably not a good fit for you.
Are They Professional?
Not all developers can maintain professionalism, especially when it comes to communication. Despite excellent programming skills, you might find yourself in a pickle if your development team isn’t proficient in certain technologies or doesn’t have the patience to communicate with you on a level you understand.
It’s okay if your development team isn’t made up of “people persons.” As long as you have a liaison who’s willing to translate on their behalf, you could find your way to a winning website. The downfall comes when you’re left to your own devices if you have a team that’s unwilling to meet you where you are.
Are They Willing to Get to Know You?
As their customer, you should be front and center during the development process. They should want to know who you are, who your brand is, and who your customers are, and develop a deep understanding of what you’re asking of them so they can make the right technical decisions on your behalf.
How Well Does Their Team Work Together?
All great relationships are built on trust, and the one between you and your eCommerce development team is no exception. Your developers and brand representatives should be able to work together with honesty and integrity to develop problem-solving solutions and report if their efforts are bringing in the desired results. If you get the sense a development team is cutting corners or being anything but completely honest with you, it’s time to move on.
Do They Emphasize Optimization?
If you’re working with an individual eComm developer, they might understand the intricacies of optimization. But often, you’re better off working with an agency like Zero Gravity Marketing that employs search engine optimization (SEO) experts, as well. Teams like ours work together to bring you sale-enhancing elements that help your site rank higher on the search engine result pages.
Our full-service eCommerce agency, complete with an expert team of developers, SEO specialists, designers, and content specialists, has everything you need to hit the ground running with a top-notch website. To learn more about our full-service eCommerce agency, contact us.
