Most top-tier website builders are packed with enough features to build whatever website you want, whether it is a personal blog or a robust ecommerce platform. That being said, if your goal is to build an e-commerce site, you will have an easier time with a purpose-built ecommerce website builder. With many options to choose from, here are some tools that any self-respecting ecommerce website builder should have.
Many Customizable Templates
There are two factors we are focusing on here, the number of templates and how customizable they are. A good ecommerce website builder will offer a wide variety of templates to choose from. This ensures that you can find one that fits best with your brand identity while standing out from other websites designed by the same platform. But even when you find the perfect template, chances are you will still need to customise it further to create your dream website. Customizability allows your creative touch to truly make the website your own.
Ecommerce Tools
There are many tools that online businesses need to facilitate their ecommerce ventures, and you should expect them to be supported by an ecommerce website builder. These include tools that assist in inventory management, shipping, tax calculations, payment processing, customer management, determining affiliate commissions, managing digital marketing campaigns, and even a photo editing tool for enhancing product photos. It’s best to have an idea of what tools you need to facilitate your online business and shop for an ecommerce website builder that offers them.
Blogging Tools
Any modern ecommerce website must have a blog section if the owner wants traffic. A blog gives you a platform to share your journey, provide informative articles, post “how to” guides, and share important news affecting your industry or market. Through effective SEO optimisation, your content will rank highly on search engines which will drive organic traffic to your website that you can convert to ecommerce sales. Blogging tools include scheduled posting and SEO tools. A well-curated blog section can position yourself, and your brand, as the go-to industry experts in your market.
Custom Professional Email
Like with many tools we’ve mentioned so far, you can get custom email support as a separate service but it is cheaper and more convenient when it is bundled with your ecommerce website builder. As your online business grows, you need an easily verifiable means to communicate with your customers and other partners. You can’t do this with a free email address, you seem more professional writing from a “sales@mycompany.com” address over a “companysales@gmail.com” address. Using your known domain name for your email also verifies to your correspondents that they are communicating through an official email address.
Reports and Analytics
You can’t formulate strategies and monitor your online business’s performance without data. A website builder with reports and analytics tools gives you a dashboard from which you can view web traffic and sales information for your various products and web pages. The data you get helps you determine which web pages are popular, which products sell best, the seasonality aspect of various products, and much more.
Conclusion
Your best bet to build an ecommerce site is with a purpose-built ecommerce website builder. Features that you must look out for include a wide variety of customizable templates, ecommerce tools, blogging tools, custom email support, and analytics.
