In the digital age, small and big retail businesses are expanding out of their physical stores and starting online operations. They know that this is a significant move, as more and more customers are using their smartphones and computers to purchase goods. With this in, businesses are relying on an easy way to set-up their online operations: use an e-commerce platform.
This choice helps a lot of business owners, as one does not have to develop a website from the ground up. The platform already has functions and features that can be easily customized. If you are already using one, you might have already experienced the benefits. But what if the platform does not suit you anymore? Thankfully, some signs will tell you that it does not work to your advantage. And spotting these signs may mean that you need to change a new one.
Slow Loading Speed
One of the foundations of good user experience is the loading speed of the website. Always keep in mind or assume that customers are impatient. When they find that your website takes time to load or finish a transaction, they will surely abandon their carts. Some sites are slow because there are many images, flash content, and ads. The coding of the website may also be unclear, and it may have insufficient hosting.
Issues with Integration
Your e-commerce platform does not just depend on its built-in mechanisms and features. Remember, your customers have different needs and requirements, and you may need to integrate third-party apps to accommodate them adequately. For one, if you can’t easily integrate a new payment gateway that many of your target customers are using, you may want to consider finding a platform that allows you to do so. Data integration is also essential for proper data management, which is essential for decision-making. If yours is compromised, you have to go for another one.
Hard to Maintain and Fix
Bugs happen, that’s a fact. And they can affect the features of the website and its usability. But if bugs happen more often than you’d like, then there’s a problem with your platform. Your developer team might be spending a lot of time dealing with the bugs, and that’s not good for your operations. If the support team of the platform cannot accommodate you correctly, that easily tells you to leave it and find a new one.
Your Business is Expanding
There might be no problems with your platform, but you have noticed that your business is never the same. It’s getting bigger, and soon you will find yourself investing in new tools, such as claims analytics. When your website has gone big, it may not suit the features of the platform that is initially built for small businesses. Consider finding a new one that will allow for smoother operations.
Go find a new one
When these signs are all checked, it’s high time to find a new one. And just like in other things, always come up with various options, shortlist at least three, do a comparative analysis, and pick the one that’s best for your business.
