Here is what you need to consider before starting an eCommerce project
Working in internet solutions company is fascinating, especially when clients are international or from different sectors of business. Everyday is a challenge that we have to overcome. However, I can just imagine, how you, as our clients, are feeling when you contact us regarding fresh e-commerce projects. E-commerce might be a difficult task for both: newbies and veterans.
Sometimes asking for technical advice is inescapable. If technical knowledge is not your strength, you are already familiar with Magento Content management System (CMS), but it is not enough or you just don’t really need that kind of knowledge – we can go on a journey together to develop new or upgrade existing e-commerce project.
Primary information, that we receive from our clients, differ: some of you are very specific with tasks you need us to complete, some of you just ask for help. As a result, we are not always able to act on tasks right away, sometimes it is necessary to spend more time on communication and analysis. Either way – we deliver same results and take care of our clients needs.
Howether, If you are anxious to start right away (there is no time to spare) – we advise you to prepare for e-commerce project in advance.
A proper preparation is essential
Usually we ask a lot of questions early in a project. Sometimes, we ask some details might seem insignificant. We understand you wish we would start working immediately and your project would be finished as soon as possible. However, It is not necessary the best approach. Generally, preparations have a lot of influence on the course of project implementation, quality and overall financial result. The more you are experienced in ecommerce business, the more you should be familiar with this information.
And it doesn’t matter if you are just starting with e-commerce business or you are planning to migrate from f.e. OpenCart to Magento, there are some things you should consider and some tasks you should deal with before starting.
Company profile
We always keen to know more about you as a client. We ask to tell about your company, where it is located, what are your business activities and so on. t is very important to provide us detailed information about products you sell or services you provide, your target audience and it’s geographic segmentation, your future plans, your competitors and more. Also it is very important for us to understand what kind of emotion you want to deliver to your customers.
After we gather this information it becomes clearer how you might want your ecommerce website to function and look. Now we will be able to propose the best option for you and your business.
Functionality
Magento is an open source e-commerce platform that has a lot of functionality. Therefore, if you are just taking your first steps in e-commerce business, we recommend starting with basic Magento functionality.
Howether, if you are migrating to Magento from any other ecommerce CMS, you should analyze if there are any functionality you might not get with Magento Starter plan.
The same stands for new Magento clients who have in mind definite functionality. Basically, there are almost none functionality we unable to deliver. The only obstruction might be time and a budget.
Data migration
When you migrate from one e-commerce platform to another or upgrade Magento v1 to Magento v2, one of the main concerns is successful data transfer. After complete data and database structure evaluation we will deliver data migration tool or use official Magento migration tool for those who are upgrading Magento versions.
External systems
It is at most importance to get information about any external systems you need to be integrated with your e-commerce website. There are various external systems that could save your time and accelerate your business processes. Therefore you should inform us about any external systems you might need an integration with. The most popular such systems are:
- Payment gateway:What kind of payment gateway you would like to use? Magento already has some options that needs to be configured. You might want to examine these options and choose the most suitable for you. It will have an impact for your business: commission, convenience, speed etc..
- Shipment providerWhat kind of payment gateway you would like to use? Magento already has some options that needs to be configured. You might want to examine these options and choose the most suitable for you. It will have an impact for your business: commission, convenience, speed etc..
- ERP – enterprise resource planningIt is one of the most important and regularly desired integrations that we deliver. We need to take into consideration software you use for internal processes optimisation and data you wish to be synchronized. We have extensive experience with warehouse and similar integrations. Some of our clients have individually created unique solutions – in that case we should see documentation to consider any obstacles might occur in the future. ERP and webshop integration has a lot of advantages:
- You will be able to present a real data in a webshop (residues, prices, product names…).
- You will no longer need to insert data to 2 systems separately.
- The possibility of human mistake will be reduced.
- You will speed up internal processes, data processing time will be reduced.
- System will do all the mechanical work for you, therefore you will have spare time.
Budget
One of the most important factors to take into consideration is a budget. When we are familiar with it, we can realistically evaluate “must have” vs “wish to have”, individual solutions vs Magento modules, short term goals vs long term goals and so on. After we do our homeworks and analyze all details we are able to provide you with a final and best offer that meets your needs.
Time
Deadlines for project implementation are critical. They always have a huge impact on project implementation and that impact is not always good. Keeping in mind that not everything always goes according to plan it would be perfect to have some “space”. It’s better to have some time for consideration and planning, especially with larger, more complex projects. We have to think through that sometimes our clients reconsider, are slow to give an answer or to decide something. Any kind of change during project realization will have an impact to the duration.
It’s challenging to refrain from mentioning an infamous scheme with three attributes: good, cheap and fast. You may choose only 2 of them. Choose wisely!
Example of a Fast, Good, Cheap model
What's next
After all of the mentioned information is gathered we can assuredly tell you about project implementation, give you few numbers and provide you with information about next step.
I hope now you have a better understanding what information is needed before addressing internet solutions company for webshop creation. In this manner, you will save some time and start project in a best way possible!
If you are interested in working with us take a look at our portfolio and contact us! We would be happy to work together delivering innovative internet solutions for your business.
Interested? Let's discuss your project
Call us or write us an email and we will arrange a meeting, during which we will discuss your project and our ideas for you.