In short, yes. Designing and developing a fully functioning eCommerce store is just one of the many skills a website developer can offer.
Offering you expertise in design, navigation, database management, payment options, product layout, delivery options, and more.
And as e-commerce websites can be the primary source of revenue for many, we know you need to get all of these elements just right.
Prioritising your needs for the site, making sure the site meets your goals and business agenda. That it represents you visually, heightening your brand and online presence. That when a customer lands on your site, they can find what they’re looking for easily. A site that helps increase sales due to simple payment options, product layouts, etc, and so much more.
However, we also understand that sites such as WordPress and using WooCommerce or more off-the-shelf setups that Shopify offers can entice people to design and develop their own eCommerce store.
But do these set themes and standard templates really offer you what you need? Are they able to scale with your business? Does it represent your brand? Your image? Your vision?
Ultimately, are you now working with an eCommerce platform and website that you’re simply making (or, should we say, forcing) work?
We’re going to go with our experience and say….you probably are.
Don’t get us wrong; these sites may well provide you with a great starting point, getting you online quickly and building your presence from the words “go live.” But if your eCommerce website is one of your business’s primary sources of income, then it is better to work with a professional developer.
Adding value from the very beginning.
Professional full-stack developers bring an abundance of expertise in the setup stages. Carrying out a scoping exercise with you, they will be able to define the most appropriate e-commerce solution and, most importantly, the correct platform to create a more professional site. A site that meets your business needs and satisfies the user experience perfectly.
So not can…but how a website developer can help you set up your e-commerce store…
Product set up
A crucial step for any eCommerce site is how your products appear online. Crucial because your product setup ultimately facilitates sales for the online element of your business.
Full-stack developers understand this requirement and the need for an eCommerce store that allows you to easily add and remove products and services, making changes, amendments, and updates, as and when required.
Providing you with a detailed but simple-to-use database and servers, a full stack developer can create robust backups, avoiding potential loss of product information and providing you with a front-end setup that looks good and works well for your customers.
Professional theme design and development
How many times have we heard, and indeed have we talked about, your website visually representing you? And, how a good website may help you now, but a great website will support you now and scale with you in the future (saving you time and money in the long run).
Providing you with more than standard off-the-shelf designs, developers work with you to create a professional theme. A theme that supports your visual appeal and a highly functional eCommerce site.
Fitting with your vision and values and providing navigation that offers the best user experience, developers write and design efficient and effective code to ensure that everything from the interface to backend databases works effortlessly.
Integration with payment services
Developers want to help you to draw in your customers, not lose them at the last hurdle due to poor payment options and integration.
Integrating payment platforms like stripe or PayPal allows your business to access payments, manage subscriptions, scale faster, and more.
Developers ensure that the right gateway (not site) you opt for integrates seamlessly into your checkout processes, considering mobile payments, transactions, and other fees.
Set up delivery options
Setting payment and delivery options that suit you and your business by consolidating delivery integrations can support an increase in sales.
This means, having the right eCommerce delivery solution is vital. And for any online business to be successful, you must have strategies in place to work with the right delivery couriers, include the most appropriate delivery options for your customers, and more.
Building these options into your databases and delivering a seamless experience at the front end is exactly what a professional and experienced web developer can offer.
An eCommerce site with a developer by your side
Over the past 12 to 18 months, at Arkay, when it comes to eCommerce, our team has noticed:
Increasingly, more people are looking to run a membership-based website with content behind a paywall. However, handling recurring payments and the complexities around these (such as members cancelling, changing pricing tiers, enabling/blocking content access based on payments, and custom emails sent around subscriptions) can be quite difficult to set up without additional development/coding expertise.
In addition, if you have subscription/virtual products alongside physical products, then the checkout flow may need to be different based on what the user is purchasing. This could be by directing them to a user dashboard on checkout completion and sending various emails based on purchased products. Again, all require a high level of development work and know-how.
Post development, it is incredibly beneficial to have your website developer on hand, providing you with ongoing support if there are specific payment issues from customers that may be challenging to track down or if product information from the site has suddenly disappeared, for example.
A partnership that finds solutions to digital issues
Are you looking for a web developer to support your eCommerce store?
A team who can help with design and the various software applications and payment gateways available.
A team who can customise the look and feel of your site and take it to the next level.
Your team is Arkay Digital.
A full-stack development team that can support you in building an eCommerce site you can be proud of. A site that is unique to you, visually appealing, well thought through, secure, easy to operate, and ready to scale with you.
Working with Arkay Digital is an investment in your business’s future growth.
Contact us today to find out more.
