A Successful Ecommerce Website Is More Than an Online Catalogue
Launching products online has never been easier.
Building a successful ecommerce business is different.
An effective ecommerce platform needs to attract customers, help them find the right products, remove uncertainty, make purchasing simple and connect with the systems required to fulfil those orders efficiently.
That requires much more than choosing an attractive website template.
Successful ecommerce development brings together customer experience, technology, content, operations and digital marketing.
Start With the Customer Journey
Make Buying Easy
Every ecommerce decision should consider what the customer is trying to accomplish.
A typical journey may involve:
- Discovering the brand
- Finding a product
- Comparing options
- Checking specifications
- Reviewing delivery information
- Adding products to the basket
- Making payment
- Receiving confirmation
- Tracking delivery
- Purchasing again
Friction at any stage can reduce conversion.
Good ecommerce development therefore begins by making those journeys as straightforward as possible.
Shopify or WooCommerce?
Choose the Platform Around the Business
There is no universal “best” ecommerce platform.
Two widely used options are Shopify and WooCommerce.
Shopify
Shopify provides a hosted ecommerce environment that can be particularly attractive to businesses wanting straightforward management, extensive app availability and a platform designed specifically around ecommerce.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce extends WordPress with ecommerce functionality and can be appropriate where businesses require greater flexibility around content, customisation or existing WordPress infrastructure.
The decision should consider:
- Product catalogue.
- Business model.
- Integrations
- Internal resources.
- Content requirements.
- Scalability.
- International requirements.
- Subscriptions.
- B2B functionality.
- Custom development needs.
Technology should follow the commercial requirement.
Product Pages Need to Sell
Give Customers Enough Information to Decide
Product pages are among the most commercially important areas of an ecommerce website.
Weak product information forces customers to make assumptions.
Strong pages answer likely questions.
Depending on the product, information may include:
- Product Benefits
- Detailed Description
- Technical Specifications
- Dimensions
- Materials or Ingredients
- Sizes
- Colours
- Variations
- Delivery Information
- Returns Information
- Customer Reviews
- FAQs
- Product Videos
- Related Products
- Complementary Products
This information also creates useful context for traditional and AI-driven search.
Increase Average Order Value Intelligently
Make Recommendations Useful
Upselling and cross-selling can increase ecommerce revenue, but recommendations need to make sense.
Examples include:
Complementary Products
Products that naturally work together.
Bundles
Multiple products packaged around a particular requirement.
Upgrades
Higher-value alternatives where there is a genuine benefit.
Subscriptions
Recurring purchasing for suitable products.
Threshold Incentives
Benefits such as delivery incentives based on basket value.
The customer should feel helped, not pressured.
Mobile Ecommerce Is Essential
Design for the Smaller Screen First
Customers frequently discover, research and purchase products using mobile devices.
A desktop website that simply shrinks onto a phone is not enough.
Review:
- Navigation.
- Product filtering.
- Search.
- Image galleries.
- Variant selection.
- Button sizes.
- Basket management.
- Checkout.
- Payment options.
- Page speed.
Important actions should remain simple even on a small screen.
Ecommerce Integrations Matter
The Store Is Only One Part of the Operation
As an ecommerce business grows, the website increasingly needs to communicate with other platforms.
Common integrations include:
- CRM
- Inventory Management
- Accounting
- ERP
- Warehouse Systems
- Fulfilment
- Courier Platforms
- Email Marketing
- Marketing Automation
- Loyalty Platforms
- Subscription Systems
- Analytics
Connecting these platforms can significantly reduce duplicated administration.
Use Automation to Support Growth
Reduce Repetitive Tasks
Ecommerce generates large numbers of repeatable events.
That makes it particularly suitable for automation.
Examples include:
- Abandoned Basket Emails
- Order Confirmations
- Dispatch Notifications
- Review Requests
- Back-in-Stock Alerts
- Customer Segmentation
- Loyalty Communications
- Subscription Reminders
- Post-Purchase Journeys
- Re-engagement Campaigns
Automation allows the business to deliver consistent communication without manually processing every interaction.
Build SEO and GEO Into the Store
Product Discovery Starts Before the Customer Arrives
Ecommerce search optimisation should begin during development.
Consider:
- Category architecture.
- Product URLs.
- Metadata.
- Product descriptions.
- Internal linking.
- Structured data.
- Product schema.
- Review information.
- Images.
- FAQs.
- Site performance.
- Helpful editorial content.
A technically strong store with poor product content will still struggle to communicate relevance effectively.
Measure What Matters
Ecommerce Should Be Driven by Data
Useful performance indicators can include:
- Conversion Rate
- Average Order Value
- Revenue
- Basket Abandonment
- Customer Acquisition Cost
- Repeat Purchase Rate
- Product Performance
- Traffic Source
- Return on Advertising Spend
- Customer Lifetime Value
Do not optimise individual metrics without considering their effect on the wider business.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an ecommerce website cost?
Cost varies significantly according to design, catalogue size, functionality, integrations and platform requirements. A clearly defined project scope is required before meaningful pricing can be established.
Is Shopify better than WooCommerce?
Neither is universally better. Shopify and WooCommerce serve different requirements, and the correct choice depends on the business model and technical needs.
Can an existing ecommerce website be redesigned?
Yes. An existing store can often be redesigned while retaining products and relevant underlying information.
Can products be migrated from another platform?
In many cases, yes. Products, categories and other data can often be migrated depending on the source and destination platforms.
Can ecommerce stores integrate with CRM?
Yes. Connecting ecommerce and CRM platforms can create stronger visibility across customer purchases, marketing and service activity.
Does ecommerce need SEO?
Yes. Search optimisation can help relevant products and categories become more discoverable and should ideally be considered during website development.
Planning an Ecommerce Project?
Build for Conversion and Growth From the Beginning
Cube Digital Media develops ecommerce platforms around customer experience, operational requirements and commercial growth.
From Shopify and WooCommerce to integrations, automation and digital marketing, we help businesses create ecommerce infrastructure designed to scale.