Custom eCommerce Development: Everything You Need to Know

There is no denying the fact that opening an online store can be quite challenging, especially if you are doing it for the first time. But once you know the ins and outs of custom eCommerce development, your job becomes easier. But before you step into it, you need to have a comprehensive e-commerce website development project plan or you will be all over the place. Among other things, building an eCommerce store can be quite powerful and profitable for business growth. Not only for businesses but it’s super beneficial for customers as well. The reason is simple: convenience.

A Short Yet Amusing Anecdote

So basically, COVID-19 and social distancing policies triggered the growth of online stores. Agreed? The popularity of eCommerce is now making headlines more than ever. Amazon, Walmart, marketplaces, and branded online stores are rapidly expanding, not to forget the local stores in your area. If you need to buy a good pair of jeans and order online. Want a pair of sneakers or peep-toe to go with your outfit, just order online! 

Even though massive gatherings have come to a halt due to lockdown policies, you can always have small ones at your place by ensuring everyone follows the SOPs right? So it was my birthday, and even though I couldn’t throw a birthday bash, I had to invite some of my friends over. After all, I have lived 28 years of my life, big deal. 

After scrutinizing my closet inside and looking for a cute outfit, I finally realized that I have nothing to wear for my supposedly big day. That’s when I started to freak out, floating with panic attacks. No judgments alright, I am just being a typical woman! Before COVID I barely shopped online because of trust issues. But I could finally see why I needed to order online since there was nothing I could do, and so I did. 

Read More: 7 TIPS TO SUCCESSFULLY REVAMP YOUR ECOMMERCE WEBSITE FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON 2021 + 2 BONUS STRATEGIES

From that day to this, I only shop online. Why? Because it's quick, accessible, and super convenient. So anyway, I got my clothes on time, I am sure I looked super fly, threw a great birthday party for my friends, and took a lot of pictures for Instagram. Also, now I think I never owned this many clothes before, half of them still unworn. Well, it’s a story for another day. *wink wink*

Did you know that global eCommerce sales rose to $26.7 trillion in 2020 due to the Pandemic alone? The bottom line is, I am sure there are a lot more people like me out there who are looking for quick and easily accessible services. The only reason why custom eCommerce development is the need of the hour.

Things to Consider When Building an eCommerce Website

Research, Research, Research

Whether it's custom eCommerce website development or any other project, conducting proper R&D is crucial. Through research, you understand loopholes, if any. You get to know about your target audience along with their demographics, buying behavior, and competitor analysis. Based on all the market and customer insights you can then mold your software accordingly for maximum engagement. 

Branding & Content Strategy

Branding helps businesses stand out from the crowd. People associate brands with logos, colors, and the way they present themselves online. Say for example Sephora - a beauty retail brand that has changed the way women buy cosmetics. One look at it and you can tell what Sephora is all about.

Similar is the case with H&M - just by looking at the logo one can tell everything that it offers. Their remarkable product details, taglines, and visuals make them so popular. Therefore, it is very important to focus on branding and how you present your content for growth. 

The Money Talks

Then comes the budget. But budgeting is fairly important if you want to ensure smooth development processes. Businesses can easily exceed their initial budget limit but with careful planning, you can get your eCommerce store up and running within a budget. Therefore, it is critical to review your budget after every decision you make and how it affects your eCommerce website cost estimates.

Innovate Please

The job of every custom eCommerce platform is to sell products. You are right! But how would you make sure that people buy your products? This is where you have to offer value addition, something that your competitors lack but people need. Offering something of value sure does encourage customers to buy consequently leading to higher conversion rates. The purpose has been served.

You should involve everyone in the project planning stage, be it a developer or a project manager. Someone rightly said, ‘Lone wolf, the one-man army is a myth.’ Feel that? 

Outsource or Not

Do you have a full-fledged team in-house for custom eCommerce application development? Good enough. Or you have decided to use pre-made templates or custom websites? Well, you know better. But ready-made templates can only do so much, most of the time they aren’t even SEO friendly but you need a fully optimized website for Google ranking. But in case you don’t you know what to do. Hire help! Because it's never too late to ask for help.

Find a credible custom eCommerce website development service to see your idea to fruition because they tend to have all the necessary technical skills required for development, deployment, and maintenance. But do keep the following things in mind before making your final decision.

Benefits of Custom eCommerce Development

• Custom eCommerce development greatly decreases the bounce rate through better branding and user-friendly interfaces.
• eCommerce products are available throughout the day, 24/7. People don’t have to wait for the right time ‘for the store to open.’ Not even on holidays.
• Higher search engine optimization for Google ranking.
• You can seamlessly integrate your eCommerce web solutions with various CRMS and chat tools for support. 
• You do not have to rely on their party to maintain and update your system and effortlessly update it whenever you want.
•  Access unlimited features according to your requirements. 
• Online stores offer instant customer support that leads to higher satisfaction. Integrate a chatbot and you are golden.
• Ability to reach newer markets. Custom eCommerce solutions are not restricted to geographical boundaries. 
• You can add as many products as you like without worrying about inventory space.
• Upselling and cross-selling become super easy. 
• You can collect valuable customer data for offering personalized offers and discounts through push notifications. 
• Recommendations based on customer preferences can lead to a higher sales ratio.

Custom eCommerce Website Development Checklist

Custom eCommerce development requirements include but are not limited to:

• Technicalities: Website hosting, development, server logs, site map, SSL certificate
• Performance: Search engine friendliness, website speed, optimization
• Design: Focus on accessibility design guidelines, responsiveness across devices, UX/UI branding, favicon
• Content: Spell check, grammar check, writing for accessibility, complete product details, SEO optimized content, contact information
• Functionalities: Whether forms are working fine, payment gateways are flawless, thank you pages, social media integration, cart options, confirmations emails
• Google Analytics: Analytics code embedded, set sales funnels and goals
• Additional Functions: Refund/ exchange policies, live chat, feedback, and reviews section
• SEO: ALT tags, compressed images, URL structures, page titles and meta descriptions, metadata, XML sitemap, URL redirection if needed

How much does the custom eCommerce website development cost?

Total custom eCommerce software development costs depend greatly on the complexity of the product features. If you have an experienced in-house development team you can do the math but if you are looking to hire outside help then the cost will also depend on additional features such as the development models: dedicated remote teams, individual developers on hourly rates, or project-based. 

If you are looking for cost and time efficiency then outsourcing our dedicated teams is the best choice. Among other countries, Canada has also been considered the best destination for outsourcing eCommerce web development. But roughly the price estimation could range from $5000 to $100,000 or even more. Basic custom eCommerce website development may cost around $10,000 to $16,000 - all depending upon the requirements.

Basic Features for eCommerce Web Solutions

• Seamless navigation
• Discount pop-ups
• Smart search functionality
• Wish-lists
• Ratings & Reviews
• Cart option
• Secure payment gateways
• Recommended items and FAQs
• Social platform integration
• In-built chat options
• Order history
• Shipping information 
• Contact page
• Policies
• Favicon & SSL certificate
• Newsletters

Best Platforms to Create eCommerce Website

Drupal, Magento, Shopify, Woo Commerce are some of the most popular platforms used for building intuitive eCommerce platforms. InvoZone is a leading software development company known for providing top-class custom eCommerce development services to clients from all around the world.

Our accolades and honorable mentions by GoodFirms, Top Developers, Clutch, Upwork, Top Firms, and other globally recognized platforms are living proof of our success. We can develop both B2B and B2C eCommerce products for you to help you grow your business, boost your sales, and cut down costs using renowned eCommerce development platforms such as Shopify et al. 

That being said, I hope this guide helped provide you with insights about the things to consider before proceeding with your eCommerce platform development. Do you have any questions on your mind? So why wait, Ping us to share.

Find out more about Custom eCommerce Web Development Platforms

Frequently Asked Questions

What is custom eCommerce development?

The process of custom eCommerce development entails creating a personalized eCommerce website that is specifically designed to meet the particular requirements of your business. It involves the stages of strategizing, creating a design, and coding a comprehensive eCommerce solution.

What are the benefits of custom website development?

Here are the benefits of custom website development:

• Unique Design: Custom website development allows creating a unique design that aligns with a brand’s image and messaging, making it stand out from the competition.
• Scalability: A custom website can be built to accommodate growth and future changes, ensuring that it can handle increased traffic and functionality as needed.
• Enhanced Functionality: Custom website development offers the opportunity to integrate specific features and functionality that may not be available through pre-built website templates, improving user experience and engagement.
• Greater Control: With a custom website, businesses have greater control over the website’s features, security, and maintenance, allowing for a more secure and reliable online presence.

How much does a custom eCommerce store cost?

To have a custom website developed for an average-sized eCommerce business, the expenses could range between $1500 to $6000. If an enterprise-level custom theme is desired with additional plugins, the cost could increase substantially to between $10,000 and $30,000.