While 2019 saw the number of e-commerce buyers cross 2 billion, the count of e-commerce developers globally also grew dramatically to cater to the demand of online store development services. However, the huge database of ecommerce development service providers doesn’t mean it is now easier for business owners and entrepreneurs to hire development talent. In fact, it has become extremely difficult for diverse reasons. But don't worry, we are here to help you make the right hiring decisions.
By asking the right questions to your shortlisted website developers, you can hire the best from the ecommerce development talent pool. We bring for you 18 questions to ask ecommerce development firms or developers to confirm their expertise, professionalism, and reputation.
Let’s get right to it!
Online stores come in all shapes and sizes. While some e-commerce platforms are setup using SaaS based solutions and some are based on off-the-shelf solutions, others are built from scratch using modern technologies like PHP and MySQL. Hence, it is important to confirm what kind of stores your ecommerce development partner has delivered in the recent past.
Today, products are discovered on mobile devices, and hence having a mobile-friendly online store is highly critical. Mobile-ready websites are also Google-friendly and help in ranking higher than competitors. This is why you should ask potential website developers to confirm expertise in mobile-friendly ecommerce websites.
Going through the portfolio of shortlisted ecommerce website developers will help you identify their design style, development expertise, and ecommerce philosophy. While experienced developers have a vast array of projects to show, it is quite possible that NDAs restrict the firm from sharing some of the most challenging work done. In such cases, it makes sense to gather details through comprehensive discussions.
A complete breakdown of the
ecommerce website development cost!
When it comes to building online stores, nothing beats experience. Trusting your online store to a team that has been in ecommerce for a decade will guarantee expertise and best practices. Experience of the developer who will be leading your project matters a lot. If you can get someone with 10-15 years of experience in building ecommerce stores and database websites, then, you have hit gold.
While an online store set up on a simple off-the-shelf solution can go live in a couple of weeks, a bigger & feature-rich platform can take some months for the first launch. Keeping in mind the final list of features and design goals, get a specific idea of how much time it will take for your online store to go live. If someone quotes a really short time while promising an Amazon-like store, then, think thrice before signing on the agreement.
SEO helps sites rank higher on Google and hence your online store must be developed keeping in mind the latest SEO norms. Ignoring SEO while developing your e-store will hamper its performance and growth in the long run. Hence, test shortlisted ecommerce development firms or developers on their SEO knowledge.
Learn how TechoSquare guaranteed ecommerce success to AskGanesha
Because you have the best understanding of your website goals, it is important for you to be part of the ecommerce store development process. This question will help you in ascertaining how you will be made part of the development process. Experienced developers don’t hide behind an iron curtain and work on the project in phases or modules. This keeps the client in-the-know at all times.
Top-rated ecommerce developers work with methodologies like Minimum Viable Product and Proof of Concept to test the technical dependency before diving deeper and investing further. Such processes also help validate the product idea without pumping a lot of resources and time into it. In short, your partner ecommerce development firm should be familiar with such development methodologies and processes.
Technology is everything when it comes to building an online store. It happens very often that entrepreneurs start their online stores with a solution that is not scalable with their business and later on have to rebuild everything. Hence, this is something that requires all the attention you can give. Top ecommerce development firms understand this and their products are highly scalable horizontally as well as vertically.
Got an online store but need new features? You need custom development
Confirming your budget in the initial stage is the wisest thing you can do. While a small online store can cost between 1000 USD and 5000 USD, a bigger & feature-rich one can cost a lot more. Costing depends a lot on the features you have in mind, the technology you want to build with, scalability and reliability. Hence, look for a firm who is experienced enough to deliver you best value for your money.
Top-rated ecommerce developers use a comprehensive design and development process that includes requirement gathering, initial planning, design mockups, development, review, deployment, and support. You must be an active participant in each and every step of the development. Anyone who misses any of the mentioned doesn’t follow what’s must for delivering a powerful online store. Long story short, ask plenty of questions regarding their work process.
A design and development team can deliver custom design, use a pre-designed template, or combine both when designing your ecommerce store. Online stores built from scratch using modern development technologies are powerful, scalable, and slightly expensive. Stores built on SaaS solutions can be launched super quickly but falter as your store grows.
Not sure how much to pay for your online store? Email at info@techosquare.com for free quote
Launching an awe-inspiring ecommerce store is not the end of your digital journey. Online stores require the support of the content, SEO, social media, and branding to succeed. That’s why it helps if your web design and development team can help with other aspects of digital growth. This shouldn’t be a deal-breaker but something that brings an added advantage.
Most online store developers initially ask for website goals, budget, and feature requirements to create the perfect proposal. After that comes product catalog, product images, product descriptions, content, and tons of other things. Building a powerful online store is a collaborative process and if a developer says that all he needs is payment to get started, well, consider it a red flag.
If you are not hands-on with ecommerce websites, then, you will need plenty of after-sales support. This will help you in resolving bugs, making design changes, and improve newly-built processes. Leading ecommerce development firms offer at least 4 months of support for mid-sized online stores and upto 12 months of free support for any technical issues caused by their own development.
Asking the above questions to your potential web development partners will help you choose the best development team for your ecommerce website project. While the above questions will lead the path, trust your judgment and insights gathered during the initial interviews.
If you have something truly unique in mind for your online store, Team TechoSquare can deliver the same by becoming your development partner. To discuss your website development goals, send an email to info@techosquare.com
