eCommerce Website Design - Where to Start

When it comes to eCommerce website design, many businesses are at a loss for where to start. Question such as, "How do we manage our inventory?", "Where do we find product images?" and "How do I choose a company?" always seem to arise. OuterBox Solutions eCommerce Website Development offers its suggestion below to help you better understand eCommerce and moving forward in developing your new website.

When it comes to choosing your eCommerce web design company, there are a lot of options. Many companies claim to be experts, so how do you know which is for real and which company may be a 15 year-old in their basement. The first area to explore is the company's portfolio and client list. Be sure they have experience in website development and especially eCommerce website design. There is a big difference in a standard informational websited opposed to eCommerce websites. Next, be sure the company has a location and is easily accessible. If you need to sit down with them and go over ideas, you want that availability. Or, if you're not in the region of the company you're interested in, be sure they are readily available via phone and email. Also, check into how long the company has been in business, and you can always ask for references! Remember, any questions or concerns you have, be sure to ask. The more informed you are, the better the development process will be.

Managing your product inventory, or getting it online into your store, can often seem to be a daunting task. There are a few ways you can go about this. Your first option is to compile a database of all of your products in an Excel (or Excel type) format. This will allow your web design company to import all of your products into your website. Remember, images must be attached to your products as well, so be sure to create a column for the product image filename, or name of all of your images by SKU number. Your other option is to put in all products by hand. Any eCommerce website should come with an administration that will allow you to add products. Using this administration to add products is usually fairly easy, but it can be time consuming if you have hundreds of items! Be sure to check out the eCommerce website features that are included before making your decision.

Your product images are the key to success when selling your products online. As we all know, a photo is worth a thousand words, and customers want to know exactly what your product looks like before they make a purchase. Showing the details, whether it be a zipper or button, can be the difference between a sale or losing a customer. If your manufacturer provides product images, they will be often be high quality and will save you much time. If not, you can take photos yourself or hire a professional photographer. If you do opt to take photos yourself, be sure they come out well. Your photos are all you have to offer in order to sell your product.

For more information regarding eCommerce website development, please visit OuterBox Solutions, Inc. at www.outerboxdesign.com or call us at 1-866-647-9218.