How do I choose an e-commerce solution that fits my small business?

25/09/2018

Woman entrepreneur working on business

Woman entrepreneur working on business

Retail e-commerce continues to reach new levels of growth and is expected to surpass the global revenue mark of $4 trillion USD by 2021.

As a small business owner, you may wonder how to start small and scale from there. You need to choose a platform that can meet your business requirements but which features do you really need and how do you get the best value for money?

So, how do you choose the best e-commerce platform for your start-up or small business?

We put this question to the experts in a live #TradeElite Twitter chat and uncovered plenty of valuable insights:

  • the importance of having a realistic plan
  • be systematic about evaluating different solutions – get help if necessary
  • don’t forget about the internal resources you will need to be successful

Highlights of the chat are below, and you can scroll through the #TradeElite hashtag to follow the entire chat.

Moderator: Ewan Roy, Digital Marketing Specialist with FITT (@FITTNews)

Panelists:

Cathy Roberson (@cmroberson06), Founder/Head Analyst of @LogisticsTI, based in Atlanta, GA

Robb Collins (@robby_disco), E-Commerce Director at the Conference Board of Canada, based in Ottawa, ON

Isaiah Bollinger (@IsaiahBollinger), Founder and CEO of Trellis, based in Boston, MA

Patrick L. Perreault (@plperreault), Digital entrepreneur, global e-commerce expert, founder of SquareOne and Perimeter

Is e-commerce a good idea for any business? If not, how can businesses decide whether e-commerce makes sense for them?

Once a business decides to start selling online, what’s the best next step for them to take?

How should businesses decide which e-commerce features or requirements they want to have? What are some of the features that are most popular or trending right now?

In what situations are building a custom e-commerce platform a viable solution for a business? What are the biggest advantages and disadvantages of doing so that you must consider?

What factors should businesses prioritize when choosing between all the various e-commerce platform providers? And what are some of the biggest differences between major providers to think about?

What are some of the most common early problems companies make with their e-commerce, and how can they be avoided?

Any other final tips or advice for companies trying to choose a new e-commerce platform?

Read the rest of the chat and join future discussions by following the #TradeElite hashtag. And stay tuned for the next #TradeElite chat, coming up on October 20 at 2:30-3:30PM ET, and if you haven’t yet, join us on Twitter at @FITTNews.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the contributing participants, and do not necessarily reflect those of the Forum for International Trade Training.

About the author

Author: Nicole Chevrier

I am a digital media writer and a Content Marketing Specialist with the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT). My background is in digital marketing and communications. Creating content that inspires, informs or delivers on results is my passion.

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