Navigating the complex world of eCommerce platforms and choosing the right vendors

Industry Insight

ECommerce has seen aggressive growth over the past decade. Data from comScore suggests the sector saw double-digit percentage growth each and every quarter. To keep up with such rapid expansion, merchants across the globe have turned to new technologies that allow them to streamline several mission-critical tasks, such as merchandising and order management.

This also means that you have a lot of options when it comes to picking and choosing which eCommerce software you want to use to help your webstore grow. In the U.K. alone, the market for eCommerce technology grew by 10 percent in 2012, according to data from Econsultancy, and has expanded similarly in other regions . For first-time retailers and experienced merchants alike, picking the right solution and the vendor that best suits your business has never been more difficult.

SalesWarp is a multi-channel eCommerce management system that is dedicated to helping retailers increase sales, improve quality while reducing operating costs.

Choosing the appropriate software out of a sea of possibilities can even be a paralyzing decision to some.

So, now you're faced with a situation where you need the best-of-breed technology to provide your customers with that seamless multichannel shopping experience they desire. At the same time, because of all the options available to you, the research and purchase cycle can be very protracted. That's only the beginning as well – once selected, you still need to consider integration.

SalesWarp is a multi-channel eCommerce management system that is dedicated to helping retailers increase sales, improve quality while reducing operating costs. We know you have a lot of options to pick from when it comes to establishing your retail empire, but few platforms are as easy to use and implement as SalesWarp.

Below are just a couple of the areas to consider when reviewing your next eCommerce management system

1. Flexibility – Does it have enough built-in options to meet all of your specific eCommerce business needs (i.e. order flows, managing vendors & suppliers, fulfillment rules…)? If not, how easy is it to customize the software? Make sure the solutions you are considering are flexible, both in terms of pre-set options as well as how accessible is the code. SalesWarp is commercial source code which provides retailers with the ability to customize to meet their specific needs without expensive custom development.

2. Scalability – As you grow, can the software scale to meet the growing demands of your business? Make sure the solution has a robust development program in addition to a platform that can easily scale as your business grows. Your success should not be limited by the scalability of your eCommerce software system. SalesWarp is built on a modern programming architecture that can handle large volumes of product, order and customer data simultaneously. It is virtually unlimited in its expansion capabilities.

3. Integration – Make sure the solution you’re considering can integrate with every other stand-alone system your business currently uses to manage portions of your retail business. No one wants to purchase an expensive software solution only to find out afterwards that is doesn’t integrate with other critical business systems. Being agnostic to the other systems needed to manage a retail business (shopping cart, erp, WMS), SalesWarp can make sure retailers connect all business systems to streamline operations and create one “control center” for all eCommerce operations.

4.Deployment – How fast you can deploy this new system? Can it meet your timeline and get you generating more revenue? Make sure that all implementation factors are considered when outlining a deployment schedule. What customization is needed? What systems need to be integrated? Who is handling these tasks both internally and externally? SalesWarp’s rapid deployment process gets retailers up and running in as little as 6-8 weeks. And with most clients, provides a easy planning process for identifying those priorities critical to launch and those that can be part of a phase 2 if necessary.

5. Features – This is simple. Does it provide the features to meet your needs now and as you grow? There are many solutions out there that have strengths in certain areas, but very few offer a complete eCommerce solution for retailers. SalesWarp provides a complete end-to-end solution allowing merchants to manage products, orders and customer across multiple suppliers and sales channels.

6. Visibiity – Are the solutions your considering limiting in the number of users? Are they able to allow varying access rights? Can all departments that need access to the data get access to the data? SalesWarp has no limit to the number of users and has tools to create different user groups with varying rights of access. This is especially important for retailers wanting to grant suppliers access so they can manage their own product feeds and orders.

7. Lastly, Value – How is the solution structured in terms of pricing? Is it an annual license fee or one-time? Does it offer technical support? Are there recurring revenue fees? Another value area that is often overlooked, is ease of use. Making sure this system is easy to use, efficient and is easy to learn will ensure internal acceptance and ultimately deliver greater ROI.