According to a report by KPMG, the Indian eCommerce market is projected to reach $200 billion by 2026.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Owning a website for your online business has become easier than ever before. In 2022, there are numerous eCommerce platforms to choose from to start your own online business. <\/span><\/p>\n But, you will have to spend your time choosing which one is best for your business. Never choose a platform just because it\u2019s popular, choose it because of it’s ability to help your specific needs.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Choosing the best eCommerce store is one of the most important decisions you will be making for your online business. An online store builder will help you take your business to the next level \u2014 a wider customer base, better brand awareness, and more revenue.<\/strong><\/p>\n An online store builder will help you take your business to the nest level \u2014 wider customer base, better brand awareness, and more revenue.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Imagine a physical store. You will have to consider many factors before setting one up\u2014space of the building, location, rent expense, posters and boards, maintenance cost, equipment, and so on. <\/span><\/p>\n Similarly, there are some technical factors to consider when creating an online store on an eCommerce platform.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Selling on eCommerce platforms is the future of online businesses. This means, if you don\u2019t have an eCommerce website for your small business, it will get more difficult to compete online. When more and more businesses come up online, the only way to stand out and grow as a brand is through your own online store.<\/span><\/p>\n To help you choose the best eCommerce platform<\/a>, we have put together this guide which has everything you need to know while selecting a platform to build your online store.<\/span><\/p>\n If you want to choose the best eCommerce website for your business, here’s what you should know:<\/p>\n Related read: How D2C Brands have an Advantage over B2B<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If you are a small business selling on social media and making enough profit, it is still best to start an online website.<\/a> You don\u2019t want your business to be at the mercy of the ever-changing social media algorithms. <\/span><\/p>\n Moreover, it will give your business a more professional and authentic look if you have an eCommerce website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n There are different types of eCommerce platforms. Before exploring features, it is best to know what categories are available and how they differ. Here are the three main types you should know about:<\/span><\/p>\n On such platforms, you have to build and customise the website and host it and install it into the cloud. You will need a team of developers for this. You will need to pay for initial development, implementation, and upgrades. An example of this is Magento.<\/span><\/p>\n Open-source platform features along with a hosting system are cloud platforms. Basically, it\u2019s a platform to develop your site and deploy it yourself.\u00a0 Knowing coding skills is a must. Thus, you will get little support.<\/span><\/p>\n Imagine a physical store which is already built, has enough space, and also supports your needs. The only thing you need to do is add the products and decide the theme. <\/span><\/p>\n This is how a SaaS platform for eCommerce<\/a> is. You will have a completely ready-to-go online store. You don\u2019t have to deploy the site (which means no developers or tech knowledge required).<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n SaaS is the future of eCommerce. <\/span><\/p>\n More businesses are using such platforms. If you don\u2019t have the technical knowledge and want dedicated support, this is the platform you should choose. Examples of SaaS eCommerce platforms in India are Instamojo, Shopify, BigCommerce, and Wix site.<\/span><\/p>\n Read this guide to know more about the best eCommerce website builders in India<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that you know which type of platform you need, it\u2019s time to go through different platforms and check the features.<\/span><\/p>\n The simplest way to check if an eCommerce platform is best for you is to check its features from its website, go through its free resources, and see if they have a community of small business owners who trust them.<\/span><\/p>\n These are the 7 essential features to look for when choosing an eCommerce platform<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n Customers are the most important aspect of any business. Therefore, an eCommerce website should be able to make your customers\u2019 buying experience as smooth as possible. The various features that improve the user experience will be discussed further in this blog.<\/span><\/p>\n Consider the pricing plans<\/a> for using the platform. Consider the yearly\/monthly subscription plans. Is there a free trial? If so, which features can be explored before purchasing?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n You can sign up for free<\/strong> on Instamojo to create your own online store. Instamojo provides you with different premium plans to choose from based on features.<\/span><\/p>\n This factor is very important to ensure the safety of you and your customers. See what features the platform offers to maximise security. Check if they have PCI compliance and multi-layered security.<\/span><\/p>\n We talk more about this in our latest Whitepaper report. Download your free copy today<\/a> and get to know how you can use your eCommerce platform to build trust among customers.<\/p>\n Another major feature an eCommerce website<\/a> must have is a mobile-friendly UX. Check if the platform supports mobile-friendly themes or templates. The check-out system should also be mobile-friendly.<\/span><\/p>\n A payment gateway<\/a> needs to be integrated with your eCommerce store to collect payments. It is best if your site has multiple payment options so that your customers can choose their preferred mode.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Does the gateway offer single-page checkouts? In how many days will you receive money in your bank account? How much is the transaction fee? Is it safe and easy to use? Consider these when selecting payment gateways. Also, consider how long they have been in the field.<\/span><\/p>\n When you use Instamojo, you get an in-built payment gateway for your eCommerce website with all the above features. You don\u2019t have to worry about payments and they will reach you at the right time.<\/span><\/p>\n If you are a product-based business, it is better to choose a platform that offers no limit to the number of products that can be added. Check if the platform allows you to upload more than one product image. Adding your products<\/a> to your online store should be easy.<\/span><\/p>\n Collecting orders and managing them is a challenging task. A good eCommerce platform makes this task easier for you. You should have the ability to view, edit, and fulfil orders from a single dashboard. Also, learn if the platform has the ability to send email notifications to customers.<\/span><\/p>\n With Instamojo, you will be able to fulfil all your tasks from a single dashboard without going anywhere else, thus making your tasks easy. Here is a list of our most powerful features on the Instamojo dashboard.\u00a0<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n To choose the best eCommerce platform, you need to look out for features other than the basic ones. These features will help you grow and scale your business online. Here are some extra features that are good to have for your online store.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is likely that things may go wrong. So, you will need a robust support team to aid you. Every platform will have a support team, but the question is how quickly will they respond to your queries. Do they offer 24\/7 support?<\/span><\/p>\n Related read:\u00a0Instamojo customer support and its superpower: Personalisation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Apart from payment gateways, you may need other applications depending on your business requirements. You may need a chat app, email marketing integration, trademark registration, etc. Check what third-party platforms can the platform integrate with.<\/span><\/p>\n Shipping orders and managing them is one of the most challenging parts of online business. A good eCommerce platform will offer flexible shipping partners. It should either support in-built shipping or have shipping plugins. You have the option to choose the shipping partner of your choice.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Related read: 8 Factors to Consider when Choosing a Shipping Partner<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Instamojo offers you options to choose from different trusted shipping partners<\/a> such as Shiprocket. You can send, track, and schedule shipments directly from your Instamojo dashboard.<\/span><\/p>\n Don\u2019t forget to check if your platform has features to help in marketing your business. One way is to see if coupon codes can be run on your store. This will be helpful during festive discount sales.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instamojo allows you to run ads on your online store and send SMS and email campaigns to potential customers.<\/span><\/p>\n To get discovered by customers, your eCommerce website should be SEO-friendly<\/a>. Consider the following questions:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Instamojo helps you get organic reach through Google with its SEO features.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n This feature will help you convert more prospects into customers faster. Being able to capture customer details, and track and send them marketing communication emails will help increase your sales. <\/span><\/p>\n This can be achieved if your eCommerce store has a customer management system<\/a> to manage your customers. This feature is available on Instamojo\u2019s premium plans.<\/span><\/p>\n Now that you know which features are needed in an eCommerce store<\/a>, it\u2019s time to choose one for your business. But, how to choose the best eCommerce platform? It depends upon your business and goals.\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Not all platforms are suitable for all businesses. And, you should definitely not follow popular opinion. What works for one business might not work for you.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here are some things to keep in mind when choosing an eCommerce platform for your small online business:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Related read: Is D2C eCommerce the way to go for your business in 2023? <\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Instamojo has features that make it one of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses.<\/p>\n An eCommerce platform that understands your needs, and helps you scale your business is the best to choose. Trusted by\u00a0 20 lakh+ online businesses across India, Instamojo has all the features for you to grow your online business at affordable prices.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Start today and discover your dream online store<\/a>. Take the first step to business success!<\/p>\nWhy use an eCommerce platform for your business?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
How to choose the best eCommerce platform<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Different types of eCommerce platforms<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Open source platforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Cloud platforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SaaS eCommerce platforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n
8 important factors to consider when choosing an eCommerce platform<\/strong><\/h2>\n
![\"how](\"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/features-of-an-eCommerce-Platform-1024x978.jpg\")
<\/h3>\nUser experience<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Pricing<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Security<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Mobile-friendliness<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Checkout and payments<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Product Catalogue<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"online-store-themes\"](\"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/themes-onlin-store.png\")
Order management<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Additional features of eCommerce stores that matter<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Support<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Integration<\/strong><\/h3>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/integrations.png\")
<\/p>\nShipping<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Marketing<\/strong><\/h3>\n
SEO-friendly<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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![\"seo-friendly](\"https:\/\/www.instamojo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/seo-features.png\")
Customer Relationship Management (CRM)<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How to decide which eCommerce platform is best for your small business<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Start your online business with Instamojo<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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