{"id":27805,"date":"2021-07-22T10:15:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T07:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/?p=27805"},"modified":"2024-12-25T15:38:56","modified_gmt":"2024-12-25T12:38:56","slug":"37-questions-you-should-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html","title":{"rendered":"37 Questions to Ask Yourself When Choosing an eCommerce Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Are you starting your online store from scratch or considering a new platform? Are you paying exorbitant fees to maintain, update, improve, or even build your business yourself? Are your margins even thinner because of unfair integrations and plug-ins that you have to put in place? Or worse: Are you expending fortunes re-building your current eCommerce website to fix what another company told you to do in the 1st place?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All scenarios feel extremely challenging, but when it comes to picking the right eCommerce software for your online business, you should be the one making the calls, not the platform.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We are here to show you where to look to easily work through the different kinks of running your eCommerce operations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To make this task less daunting, I\u2019ve grouped all the questions in seven categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"ol-numbers wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#you\">You<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#business\">Your business<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#humanfactor\">Potential human factors<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#solution\">eCommerce platforms<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#reality\">Kickoff and execution<\/a>&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#costs\">The costs associated to starting, jump-starting, migrating, and improving your current solution<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-choosing-an-ecommerce-platform.html#nowwhat\">Maintaining and growing \u2014 how to get the best of it<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Ready for a bit of brainstorming? Off we go.<\/p>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Tyler Henderson\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Tyler Henderson, X-Cart global account executive<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">It&#8217;s eCommerce; it&#8217;s not a solved problem, right? That&#8217;s the beauty and pain of where we&#8217;re at. eCommerce is a young industry that we&#8217;re still trying to figure out. There&#8217;s no one way to do anything best.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"gb-emph\">\n<h3>\n            \u201cKnowledge Without Action is Useless\u201d, Right?    <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Turn this list of random ideas into your personal to-do list by clicking below and printing the checklist out.<\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"gb-btns__wrapper\">\n                                    <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Checklist-37-questions.pdf\" class=\"btn btn--lg\" target=\"_blank\">Grab the checklist<\/a>                        <\/div>\n\n<\/div>\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"you\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            I. YOU    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Are you an owner, a visionary, or a leader? A developer looking for a customizable platform? CMO, CFO, or CTO? If you are reading this article, it means you are craving for change.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If there\u2019s one thing that we\u2019ve learnt, it is that no two stores are built exactly the same. Products, SKUs, brands, geographies, taxes, payments, whatever that is unique to you and your business needs \u2014 make sure you list them all and bear in mind every time you do your research. Then, master your numbers, margins, and goals.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What is it that keeps you from getting there?<\/p>\n\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"business\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            II. YOUR BUSINESS    <\/h2>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t300x300.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27720\/carolina-lorenzzetti-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Carolina Lorenzzetti, Sr Marketing Manager at X-Cart\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Carolina Lorenzzetti, Sr Marketing Manager, X-Cart<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">Know where you are. Envision where you want to be.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What are the biggest opportunities &amp; threats to your eCommerce business in the next 3 to 5 years? <\/strong>Disruptions in supply chains? Security threats? Speed breakdowns? Articulating your deepest fears should help you determine your values and priorities.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What are the <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/online-payment-processing-trends.html\"><strong>main eCommerce trends<\/strong><\/a><strong> that you want to follow? <\/strong>Ideally, all of them. But you have to prioritize. You are staying on top of all the latest news in eCommerce, aren\u2019t you? If not, it\u2019s time to get yourself involved in what\u2019s going on in your niche and in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reddit.com\/r\/X_Cart\/\">eCommerce in general<\/a>, as that\u2019s the only way to compete.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do you have a strategy for the next three, six, 12, 24 months? How do you see your business in a decade from now? <\/strong>To establish a robust online store that will grow as long as your business grows, you have to have at least a basic understanding of your goals for the next couple of months. Ideally, you should imagine how you see yourself 10 years from now.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Margo Makarova\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Margo Makarova, Senior Solution Advisor at X-Cart<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">Think about the future, what you would like your store to be in 10, 15, 20 years, and have this picture in mind while picking a solution.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What is unique about your business?<\/strong> How do you want to capitalize on that?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Is it a seasonal side-hustle or a solid business<\/strong> you would like to grow moving forward?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"humanfactor\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            III. HUMAN FACTOR: YOUR BUYER PERSONAS &amp; COMPETITORS    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While many still think that the only goal of any business is creating profits, it\u2019s not. No business, offline or online, can exist outside of society and must satisfy a specific need. Choosing an eCommerce platform, you should think about your existing customers and those looking to deprive you of them \u2014 your competitors. Yes, competitors, as the growth that can happen in competition is endless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What\u2019s your buyer\u2019s persona? <\/strong>What do your potential shoppers expect from you? From your shop? Your brand? What experience are they looking to receive?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Are there any all-in-one guides (like <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/best-ecommerce-website-builder.html\"><strong>this one<\/strong><\/a><strong>!) that can give you valuable insights on the best platforms to go for?<\/strong> Thoroughly study what is already here for you: whitepapers, list posts, anything that touches upon the matter in any way will be fitting here.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Are there any experts in your niche <\/strong>that could consult you on choosing the right solution for your eCommerce brand? Listening to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/video-marketing\/podcasting.html\">podcasts<\/a> could also be a good option.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What about other sellers? Is there anyone who is already walking your shoes on the path to eCommerce success?<\/strong> While there is no fast track to success in eCommerce, there should be at least one person who has already done what you are only planning to.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What are your competitors like? <\/strong>What features do they have that you also want to adopt?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"solution\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            IV. THE SOLUTION    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Analyze your shoppers journey from the very beginning to the very end and think of the features that your customers may have already requested. Are there any extra features that your shoppers may need?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Fantasize, ideate, and never stop asking yourself whether you can do things better. This should help you choose the solution that meets your exact business needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Do you actually need an online store?<\/strong> Weird question, right? Anyway, if you have a small niche business and only a couple of items to sell, it\u2019s wise to consider social media sites, such as Instagram, Facebook&#8230; TikTok maybe, why not? If it\u2019s not your case, just skip this question and move on to the next one.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Have you considered replatforming? What are the drivers for moving your store to a new eCommerce platform? <\/strong>These may be excessive fees for subscription-based services, inability to customize or add new features, poor customer experience, just to name a few. The issues you have with your current eCommerce software could serve as the basis of your requirements for your next platform.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What kind of shopping cart do you need for your online store?<\/strong> There\u2019s a huge variety of shopping platforms (the experts from eCommerce Platforms counted <a href=\"https:\/\/ecommerce-platforms.com\/articles\/shopping-carts-software-ecommerce-platforms\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">as many as 120<\/a>, but I bet there are more of them). Free or paid, hosted or downloadable, open-source or SaaS, simple or feature-rich. Are you considering digital currencies?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here at X-Cart, we have customers from all over the globe, including Europe, North America, and Asia.&nbsp;<br><\/p>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27620\/margo-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Margo Makarova\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Margo Makarova, Senior Solution Advisor at X-Cart<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">In most cases, it can be a small shop. It can be a brick-and-mortar store that needs to start an online business, or it can be an existing eCommerce website that wants to expand and implement some new features and new technologies.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What features and capabilities do you want your next eCommerce platform to have? <\/strong>Grab a pen and put together the list of features you won\u2019t get without. Literally.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What payment providers do you need to integrate your store with?<\/strong> I would recommend our native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-payments.com\/\">X-Payments<\/a> solution that serves as a connector between X-Cart and 120+ most popular payment gateways, but that would probably be unfair. Please take a look at the list of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/payment-processing-companies.html\">most popular payment gateways<\/a> and choose the one that fits best based on your shoppers\u2019 preferences.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What shipping carriers are best for your audience?<\/strong> USPS, FedEx, Shipping Easy, ShipBob \u2014 the list is unending. Your choice should be based on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/are-you-using-the-best-shipping-carrier-for-your-ecommerce-business.html\">the size of your business<\/a>, the location of your users, and other factors. If the major part of your subscribers lives in Australia, a good choice would be DHL eCommerce or GEPS Light Packet for small packages (obviously not Australia Post). For Canada, it would be Canada Post, UPS, or FedEx.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Is your country\u2019s tax system mind-blowingly complex?<\/strong> Do you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/ecommerce-sales-tax-x-cart.html\">need help<\/a> automating it? The sales tax system is not a kids\u2019 play, especially if your eCommerce business is registered in the US. You should find out what options your shopping cart offers in terms of taxes \u2014 whether it offers help automating it or allows you to configure them manually.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How are you going to market your store?<\/strong> That\u2019s a good question to ask yourself when choosing the shopping cart. While there are multiple ways to market your store using third-party services, having built-in options may be more beneficial when it comes to usability, price, etc.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How many products do you have? How large is your product catalog?<\/strong> Do you prefer importing them one by one or in bulk?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Are there any extra features uniquely specific to your business niche? <\/strong>For example, if you are planning to sell car parts, apparel, or groceries online, you\u2019ll definitely need a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/ecommerce-search-engine.html\">search tool<\/a> to filter all those items.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Danny Shaw, CEO at Astris Inc.\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Danny Shaw, CEO at Astris Inc.<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">With apparel, you&#8217;re taking one style that could have 50 to 60 variations or even more. With the automotive industry, you&#8217;ll have a spark plug, and that spark plug could have tens or even hundreds of variations, depending on the fitment of that item. The third is grocery. So with groceries, you could have one product that has multiple flavors.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Are you going to manufacture your products yourself or dropship them directly to your consumers? <\/strong>If you go for dropshipping, then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/dropshipping\/auto-parts-distributors.html\">finding the best supplier for your business<\/a> is critical as it may affect the amount of money you have to invest.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Will you need a multi-vendor feature to facilitate multiple vendors <\/strong>to sell on a single storefront simultaneously? With X-Cart\u2019s native <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/select-product\">multi-vendor functionality<\/a>, creating a shopping platform is an easy task.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>What expectations do you have when it comes to user experience?<\/strong> You should clearly understand the way your users feel on checkout and decide whether you are going to build a one-step or multi-step checkout, accordion-style or guest checkout. What design features do you deem fit? Splash banners? Discount code tools? What about search? If you have a bunch of products with all sorts of variants and attributes, your customers won\u2019t go away without a filtering tool.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"reality\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            V. MAKING IT A REALITY    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Thinking about implementation and maintenance of your shopping cart may seem like a waste of time at this stage, but it\u2019s not. Your choice should be based on the resources you have now and the resources your potential platform provider may offer.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Take some time to ponder on that and hit the ground running.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What level of customization are you looking for?<\/strong> If you are looking for a boilerplate set-it-and-forget-it kind of eCommerce template for your online shop, then Shopify would be a good option. However, examples seem to indicate that most online businesses are looking to develop their stores and add some unique custom functionality on top of what they already have. You need a shopping cart that gives you choice and control over your entire environment.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27719\/mike-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Mike Hogan, the VP of Sales at Seller Labs\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Mike Hogan, VP of Sales at Seller Labs &amp; X-Cart<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">Shopify doesn&#8217;t fit everyone. If you want to stand out, if you want to differentiate, you don&#8217;t want to be on a Shopify platform because that&#8217;s what everyone else is doing.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27619\/tyler-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Tyler Henderson\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Tyler Henderson, X-Cart Global account executive<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">We [X-Cart] want to give you the ability to slightly modify and slightly change what you need without having to reinvent the wheel every time.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>How tech-savvy is your technical team? <\/strong>Is there any? You will need at least a couple of developers \u2014 both front-end &amp; back-end \u2014 to code your store as and when needed.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Do you want to be hands-on or hands-off when it comes to managing the eCommerce site? <\/strong>Taking responsibility for the business strategy and lines of action sounds pretty natural, but are you ready to take up the reins of the technical side of things? Choosing an eCommerce provider for your online business, you have to determine whether you have enough time and knowledge to handle all the business processes yourself.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.webp 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.webp 1x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.jpg 1x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/27816\/scott-cooper.jpg 1x\" alt=\"Scott Cooper\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Scott Cooper, a senior account executive with X-Cart<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">Over time, the customer&#8217;s going to have to make changes on that platform, so the development team is going to be there as a resource to make those ongoing changes.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"costs\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            VI. THE COSTS    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Nobody likes to talk about money. But, if you\u2019ve procrastinated looking at the costs of your platform, it\u2019s time to stop, take a deep breath, and calculate the TCO for each potential eCommerce platform. It will help you stay on budget and minimize any surprises further down the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>What\u2019s your budget?<\/strong> How much money are you ready to invest in eCommerce platform implementation? All platforms have a different pricing policy, so it\u2019s critical to plan your budget way ahead.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How much are you willing to pay monthly for subscription-based services? <\/strong>Platforms like Volusion, WooCommerce, and other subscription-based shopping carts place the onus on you to pay regularly, which also means that if you have no income, you no longer have your shopping cart, as well as your listings, settings, and so on. Platforms that are available at a one-off payment won\u2019t shackle you to a lifetime of paying.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Thinking about features, functions and integrations; how much of any given platform is out-of-the-box versus customization? <\/strong>Keep it in mind that cheaper solutions or the ones that are free of cost (such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/migrate-from\/woocommerce\">WooCommerce<\/a>) may become more expensive with every new plug-in added.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How much do you pay for technical appointments? Developments? Reports? <\/strong>The average cost of these appointments may vary from a few hundred dollars to a couple of hundreds of thousands, depending on the eCommerce provider you go for. If running a prosperous business is among your goals for the next year, you should have some money set aside for technical development.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Was this tool originally created to be an online eCommerce platform? <\/strong>If it\u2019s not (again, like WooCommerce), get ready to pay up. Also, the more customizations you do, the more you pay.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>How much do you pay per transaction? <\/strong>Can your business afford slicing your margin even further?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<a class=\"anchor\" id=\"nowwhat\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/a><h2>\n            VII. IT IS ON. NOW WHAT?    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist darkblue gb-list__check gb-list__check--blue wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Will the store still cope with higher traffic when your business grows? <\/strong>In other words, will your tool be able to grow with you?<strong> <\/strong>Think about your next BFCM sale \u2014 you should be all-armed for the potential surge of traffic that may come your way.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Is your store stable and secure enough to handle any malware attacks? <\/strong>Though clinging to worse-case scenarios deprives you of the energy that could be used on constructive thinking, you have to think ahead and tilt toward the shopping software that has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/ecommerce-fraud.html\">fraud prevention tools<\/a> built in.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Will you be able to easily add new features as your business grows?<\/strong> Configurability is what makes an eCommerce platform a Lego set that allows for building an online store, pulling it down, and re-building it once again.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Are you planning to expand your business globally?<\/strong> If so, you need a platform with multi-currency and multi-language support to let you sell locally. (Remember to ask if those integrations are out-of-the-box and how much it will cost you!)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Are you prepared for the unexpected?<\/strong> Anticipating negative outcomes only brings negative consequences closer. That\u2019s the fact. Still, building a safety net won\u2019t hurt. It\u2019s nice to have a business continuity plan to be able to recover your operations quickly if a crisis does happen.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<h2>\n            To Sum Up    <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>You can jumpstart your research by reading the reviews and commentary of the different eCommerce platforms and all sorts of comparison charts. It\u2019s a good start and it feels like an easy way to come up with the decision, but the fact is the software is not something that is built into the mold \u2014 they change all the time, and, clearly enough, all those guides (even the ones we have for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/x-cart-vs-magento\">Magento<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/shopify-alternatives-for-automotive-ecommerce.html\">Shopify<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/blog\/bigcommerce-alternatives.html\">BigCommerce<\/a>) are dated cause it\u2019s just inevitable \u2014 the new features are added daily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another way to look into the best shopping platform for your business is to meet and talk to several eCommerce entrepreneurs in your niche. However, even those businesses could be completely different and have different sets of needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But, at the end of the day, it\u2019s important to be honest to what your needs really are and find the solution that fits those. So<strong> <\/strong>the best solution would be listening to your inner compass \u2014 you are the one who is responsible for what is going on in your business, after all.<\/p>\n\n\n<link  rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"\/wp-content\/themes\/miniflat\/build\/css\/elements\/post\/quote.css?var=1742284057\" \/><blockquote class=\"gb-quote gb-quote--photo\">\n            <div class=\"gb-quote__photo p-blog__image-shadow\">\n                <picture><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(max-width: 599px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.webp 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.webp 2x\" type=\"image\/webp\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><source  srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.jpg 2x\" type=\"image\/jpg\" media=\"(min-width: 600px)\" \/><img decoding=\"async\"  width=\"300\" height=\"300\" src=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t200x200.jpg 1x, https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/img\/29112\/danny-shaw-t300x300.jpg 2x\" alt=\"Danny Shaw, CEO at Astris Inc.\" class=\"gb-quote__img\" loading=\"lazy\" \/><\/picture>                            <footer class=\"gb-quote__name\">\n                    <cite>Danny Shaw, CEO at Astris Inc.<\/cite>\n                <\/footer>\n                    <\/div>\n        <div class=\"gb-quote__content\">\n                <p  class=\"gb-quote__text\">I would say, be honest with your needs and make a decision based on what your business really needs and not what the industry is telling you so much, because that can be quite confusing because you know, several eCommerce entrepreneurs meet and talk with each other and those businesses could be completely different and have different sets of needs.<\/p>            <\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n<div class=\"gb-emph\">\n<h3>\n            Are you ready to make a change and take that first step?    <\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Click here to schedule a meeting with one of our experts.<\/p>\n\n\n    <div class=\"gb-btns__wrapper\">\n                                    <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.x-cart.com\/software-pricing.html\" class=\"btn btn--lg\" target=\"_blank\">Schedule a call<\/a>                        <\/div>\n\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Are you starting your online store from scratch or considering a new platform? Are you paying exorbitant fees to maintain, update, improve, or even build your business yourself? Are your margins even thinner because of unfair integrations and plug-ins that you have to put in place? Or worse: Are you expending fortunes re-building your current [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":29327,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11734],"tags":[7023,11631,11629],"class_list":["post-27805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-platform","tag-development","tag-enterprise","tag-flexibility"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v19.2.1 (Yoast SEO v19.6.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>37 Questions To Ask Yourself When Choosing an eCommerce Platform | X-Cart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"when it comes to picking the right eCommerce software for your online business, you should be the one making the calls, not the platform.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, 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