By the end of this blog section, you will have a clear understanding of choosing the best platform for your e-commerce platform as per your requirements.

Before we start discussing more in detail about Shopify and WooCommerce, its best to understand web development languages in general. We have about 10+ popular web development languages that can be used for website development, such as PHP, Python, Java, JavaScript, Ruby, C#, C, Perl,.Net, etc. listed are a few of the popular languages used for development.

Further, to simplify the web development process, it can be classified into two categories: frontend and backend development. Frontend is the user panel that we see as a user, wherein we will have options to browse the website pages, categories, viewing product details, adding to cart checkout, creating your account, adding shipping details, making purchases, etc.

Whereas the backend console is development where you can update your products, update stocks, add new products and categories, set shipping integrations, set notifications, change website banners, create users to manage the website, etc. So every website will have a backend and a frontend, which work hand in hand for the customer experience.

Now based on your area of service (domestic/international), number of products you are going to sell, do we need mobile applications in the future, do we need a marketplace, integrations of payment gateway providers, integration logistics providers, multilingual and multicountry support, integrations of websites with off-line stores, and more such functionality.

Now let’s consider 3 different scenarios as a user, considering that we will learn how we can choose one:

• Case 1: Looking forward to setup a store for 20-30 products for their local store, planning to launch with 7-10 days
• Case 2 :-Having one offline store and would like to start an online channel locally and within the country, planning the launch of E Commerce within 30-40 days.
• Case 3: Looking to start a marketplace with multi-currency options (AED, UED, and INR).Products will be shipped from Dubai for the global market. Sellers should have options to add their products, which must go through the approval process. Every seller must have options to create their account. Mobile seller app and user app are required. An advanced reporting functionality is required to review daily sales, quarterly sales, refund data, best-performing sellers, country-wise sales reports, category-wise sales reports, best-performing SKUs, etc., planning the launch of e-commerce within 4-6 months.

As we could find that the requirements and needs are different for the above users, so based on needs one has to choose the platform, steps are detailed below:

In the case of option 1: We could clearly see that users would like to set up a simple Ecom system to sell their 30 products in the local market with the basic functionality. Here in this case we can go with any CMS-based platform, which can be Shopify, WordPress, WooCommerce, Opencart, Prestashop, etc. Now we should know what CMS is. CMS is a ready-to-use backend that is already developed and ready to use open source platforms. So for a normal Ecom setup with products up to 300-500 or even more, we can go with any of the above-mentioned platforms on a SaaS model or by self-hosting services. And for the front end, you may go with custom or ready-to-use templates from the marketplace

In the case of option 2: As per the requirement, we could see that the user has a time frame of about 40 days for development and they need the store for one country with an integrated offline store for stock management, logistics integrators, and payment gateways. In this case we will have to go with the common language that supports their offline CRM and website to communicate with stocks, so first we have to find out the CRM software technology, and we will have to choose something that is common to sink between CRM and e-commerce. In such cases, we can opt for PHP,.Net, or Java, understanding the base language of CRM. And for the front end, you may go with a custom design using CSS & Javascript.

In the case of option 3: As per the overview of the requirement, we could see that the user needs advanced reporting, a mobile app, marketplace functionality, and more. Understanding the requirement, we could see that we have a common language that can support App, reports and advanced
features of Ecom. For such advanced technology, we need a common language-supporting app and advanced reporting and automations. We could go with Javascript, Python, Node.js, Vue.js,.Net, etc. JavaScript frameworks are powerful tools that simplify and streamline the process of building web applications by providing pre-built structures, components, and features.

Key takeaways on how to plan the best for an e-commerce platform:

• Draft your requirements
• Sharethe requirements with web developers or freelancers to get the quotations
• Review the company profile or evaluate the work of freelancers.
• Draft the SRS (software requirement sheet)
• Draft the project timeline
•  Discuss on payment terms
• Sign the agreement and kickstart the product.

Further, if you require a free consultation on the freelance web design and freelance development services, drop a message on WhatsApp @ +971 566618534, and I will be happy to assist you with.