eCommerce | 2020 Website Wishlist

Whether you’re contemplating adding eCommerce to your website or thinking of enhancing your already implemented eCommerce store, we’re here to show you how eCommerce and its powerful functionality can propel your business! eCommerce has without a doubt shaped the way people shop and studies are showing that users would rather do their shopping online than in stores. Major benefits of eCommerce include reaching a wider audience, cost and labor reduction and ease of convenience and availability. Below we take a look at some of the hidden gems that eCommerce offers and how you can utilize them for your business.

Adding Plugins & Extensions

Most eCommerce platforms come with plugins and extensions that you can download to customize your store completely. From connecting your marketing or email software to adding real-time USPS shipping rates, you can basically find an extension/plugin for any specific need that you have. When searching for an eCommerce platform, check if they offer plugins, extensions or even API integrations. Common eCommerce plugins are memberships, appointments, subscriptions, payment and taxes, to name a few.   If you already have an eCommerce store, explore the plugins and extensions that are offered and see if there are any to help enhance your online store!

The popular CMS WordPress offers a wide variety of plugins and extensions for your eCommerce store. Below is a screen recording of what a quick search of eCommerce will pull up for your store within the WordPress plugin store! 

Enhancing SEO

eCommerce adds an extra layer of metadata to your Search Engine Optimization efforts. Most eCommerce platforms come equipped with SEO features that will help your business’ products and services rank well on search engines. Features such as focus keyword, meta description and SEO title will boost your products and services visibility on search result pages.  If you currently have an eCommerce store, make sure you are fully utilizing the SEO features or plugins that are available to you in order to maximize your search engine appearance. 

A popular and trustworthy SEO plugin that we use is called Yoast, which works great with eCommerce platform WooCommerce. Below is a screenshot of the fields available through the regular version of Yoast, including focus keyword, meta description and SEO title. This version of Yoast works great, but they do take it a step further with their Yoast WooCommerce SEO plugin. The Yoast WooCommerce SEO plugin allows you to enhance the rankings of your product or service on search engines through advanced rich metadata not available through the regular version. 

Analytics and Reporting 

Reporting on what products and services are performing well in your store is critical to your business and your customer’s shopping experience. Most eCommerce platforms will come with built-in reporting functionality. Below is a screenshot of what the WooCommerce built-in reporting functionality looks like to give you an example of a real-time report. 

If you are using Google Analytics (which why wouldn’t you be?) you can also setup your analytics account to report on your eCommerce store, simply follow these instructions to  setup your Google Analytics to report on eCommerce. If you are in the market for an eCommerce service, make sure the analytics and reporting functionality are worthwhile. Features such as trend monitoring, customer-feedback breakdown, product intelligence and automatic insights can give you more insights into your business.  If you already have an eCommerce application, check what kind of analytics and reporting is available and explore their functionalities! 

Enterprise Solutions 

Many eCommerce platforms/plugins today come fully equipped with enterprise features to help you manage your business. Features such as cross-channel commerce, B2B and financial management can help streamline your operations giving your sales team and marketing team a visual into your customers journey both online and offline. Enterprise eCommerce can bring your POS, CRM and marketing efforts all under one roof. If you are in the market for a full-scale enterprise eCommerce plugin or platform, check out WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce or SquareSpace. 

Our team is here to help! Whether your in the market for an eCommerce platform or are looking to enhance your already implemented eCommerce store, reach out to our web developers below!

Related articles