HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT TECHNOLOGY PARTNER FOR YOUR E-COMMERCE STORE
Do you have an e-commerce store? Are you struggling with technology while making your business enter into the digital world? Did you answer’ yes’ to any of these questions, but not sure about how to get in? If yes, read on.
In the midst of a swiftly evolving e-commerce landscape, knowing what and which is the right technology partner for business success is crucial. One of the hardest obstacles is to choose the right technology partner for your business. With the right technology partner, technology is likely to emerge as a plus point in the whole picture. This is because there are certain things which are better to have expert opinions on.
We know how daunting the whole process of choosing the right technology partner for an e-commerce Store can be. Hence, if you are on a hunt for a technology partner and have no clue about where and how to start, then you just landed in the right place!
To give a head start to your journey over digital boundaries, we’ve put together some major tips and things to consider while selecting the right technology partner for your e-commerce store. Make sure you do check these before you reach any conclusion.
Top Tips To Choose The Best Technology Partner For Your Online Store
1. EXPERIENCE
Looking for an experienced partner is quite an obvious solution to check before you move further with anyone. But while you see the experience, have you ever actually wondered what exactly you have to see for?
If not, then the first thing you should look forward to is to check the portfolio and past projects of the prospective technology partner. As per the multifarious reality of e-commerce, it is always better to go with someone who has worked across multiple domains.
You might even like to go ahead with partners who are less experienced. However, in that case, be prepared to get plenty of pleasant or nasty surprises down the line. You may get jumbled up in the e-commerce puzzle.
Additionally, you must also consider the prospective partner’s experience with respect to your specific requirements. The considerations may arise in the form of questions like, “Do they have both global and local e-commerce experience?” or “Are they experienced in catering to specific digital goals you have?
Take our words, “the list of questions never ends!” In order to put an end to this long list, conduct thorough research. If you have someone in your mind as a prospective partner, have an in-depth study about them. Remember, Research is the key!
Key factors to look while you have an in-depth study would be:
- Customer Reviews/Testimonials
- Demonstrable shreds of evidence.
- Recommendations
- Studies
- Services
- FAQs, these help a lot to answer the major part of the list of questions you have.
This research would help you to know which prospective partner can turn your e-commerce vision into reality.
2. INTEGRATION
Two words: Effectiveness and Efficiency.
You must have heard about these terms in almost every business class you ever attended. Well, the point here is that where there is desired effectiveness and efficiency, the integration runs smoothly.
While making a choice, you should be sure about the services provided by the technology partners for effectiveness and efficiencies in order to optimize the customer experience. You may find different integration services such as marketplace integration, webstore integration, solutions for distributor dropship, shipping and carriers integration, solutions for FFL API integrations, and others.
The most crucial solutions by a technology partner would be the integration with back-office ERPs, POSs, PIMs, search, CRMs, Payment gateways, loyalty programs, personalization, etc. These are some major and basic integrations a technology partner should offer in order to fulfill the desired results.
Hence, the key here is to opt for a technology partner who has skills as well as expertise in integration. The seamless integration system is one major factor in e-commerce image upgrades. After all, it’s all about the impression consumers get about your business! In the end, the power to make or break your business lies in their hands only.
3. RELIABILITY AND SUPPORT
The reliability and support option might not be the juiciest area, but it is indeed crucial. Any kind of downtime in today’s digital world has large scale repercussions at the bottom line. Prospective customers might never return to you if they can’t make a purchase or are not able to have proper access to your products.
Another factor is online security. With ever-growing cases of online fraud, data breaches, theft of intellectual property, weak security infrastructure, etc. have major chances to ruin the company’s reputation for nothing.
Hence, while choosing the technology partner, make sure that technology partners have resources and a dedicated team in order to keep a check on security.An ideal partner should be able to adapt to every sort of technology upgrade and keep the data safe and run the business smoothly.
4. OMNICHANNEL
You never know when a prospective customer decides to shop, from where and how. But to live up to the consumer expectations, you need your business to be existing on every possible platform where customers might approach. For a smooth-running business, it is important to be available on every channel making transitions seamless. Covering everything from websites to apps, to customer service to delivery tracking, a technology partner should be able to meet all the requirements your business might have. Thus, going for a technology partner who’s fully aware of omnichannel strategies is the need of the hour!
5. CREDENTIALS & ACCOLADES
Keeping everything aside, the success that a prospective partner has delivered to its clients is indeed a thing to look at. But a little more dig won’t harm your decision. Checking credentials would be like a pit stop before you win the race.
Check whether the prospective partner is on top of the technology providers and their competitors. You might also check the rank or position in the market out of the best list.
Another factor would be accolades. Awards might not be a deciding factor, but award-winning partners would give a little push to the partner’s credentials.
Hence, be it innovation and implementation techniques or partner’s capabilities, considering credentials might help you make a more informed decision.
6. PRICE
The ‘price’ also plays as one of the most important factors. In the majority of cases, the deciding factor is the budget. You also might have a fixed budget for technology partners. While making the decision with respect to price, there are certain things you should keep in mind.
Different technology partners would have different e-commerce solutions that vary in schedules, structures, methods, etc. Some technology partners might have fixed packages containing certain services, while some will provide you with a flexible quote. It completely depends upon the kind of services you are looking for.
Another point you should keep in mind is that cheap is not always the best option. There can be some players in the market who might quote you less but will deliver low quality work. As a result, you’ll end up paying more eventually.
Conclusion
Embarking on the journey to the digital world is a huge initiative for every business. It is always better to analyze all the possible factors and conduct deep research to get long-term benefits, transparency, and valuable place in the e-commerce marketplace. Hence, before choosing the right technology partner, make a step towards knowledge without any warning!