Ecommerce Store Development: Building an Ecommerce Store Ready to Convert
Ecommerce store development is something that is easy to do but building a store that will maintain conversions to sales is an entirely different matter!
Having a beautiful store with a great product page does not always equal sales if:
* The checkout is complicated
* Payment experiences are disconnected
* Shipping rules are unclear
* Analytics don't show products or ads are converting
That is why FNA Marketing Solution approaches ecommerce store development as the entire buying experience and not simply as a collection of product pages, with a goal to build a well-structured ecommerce experience that is:
* Structured for the customer
* Measurable for the business
* Ready to grow
When Traffic Isn't Converting
Ecommerce website visitors into purchases doesn't necessarily mean the potential customers aren't there.
Google, Facebook, Instagram, and paid traffic sources may be sending visitors to a store where they see your products and yet leave without making a purchase.
The problem can be:
* The product page or checkout experience is not optimized
* Analytics are not tracking transactions
* Shopping or checkout pages are not working correctly
* Payments, shipping, analytics, and marketing tools are not integrated to work as a single system
These issues are the reason why FNA Marketing Solution has developed its online store construction process to begin with experience optimization for customers, not simply the creation of a new store.
Ecommerce Platform Considerations
Platform selection is one of the first decisions that needs to be made.
FNA Marketing Solution considers Shopify, Woo Commerce, and other platform options according to the scope of the business rather than using those tools by default in all cases.
Factors that influence platform selection include but are not limited to:
* Product type and number
* Current systems and marketing tools
* Expected order volume and traffic levels
* Integrations or APIs needed
* Shipping preferences
* Payment gateway preferences
* Growth considerations
Some smaller stores are better suited to one platform while larger stores will be better off on another.
Ultimately the goal is to choose a platform that supports the business's existing setup while leaving room to scale without creating technical complications.
Ecommerce Store Development Needs
An Ecommerce store has many components that need to be in place.
The store needs a logical organization so that customers can find products. Product pages need to contain a clear structure and compelling imagery. Checkout needs to be simple.
Behind the scenes there needs to be payment integration, shipping rules, order notifications, and analytics tracking.
FNA Marketing Solution plans all of these building blocks together so that each piece works with the others and the end result is a store that the business can run and analyze after launch.
Payments and Shipping Should Work Hand-in-Hand
Customers need to see clear costs for the items they want to purchase, while the business needs to get the correct fee for the order and be able to deliver it.
Part of the pre-launch ecommerce store design and setup involves making sure the:
* Online shop supports the business's shipping policies
* Different locations may have different shipping rates
* Different order sizes and values may have different rates
* Payments support the most common or profitable payment methods
Keeping payments and shipping combined means less checkout surprise and less abandoned shopping carts.
Analytics Show How Revenue Is Generated
Visitors to an online store are only part of the picture for understanding revenue.
A business needs to know what products shoppers are clicking on, which ones they're buying, and where the orders are coming from. Shopping is supported with conversion tracking for ads and campaigns in addition to how shopping is tracked.
FNA Marketing Solution configures GA4 and conversion events and verifies that the Meta Pixel or Google tag fires properly on key actions to help businesses get a clearer picture of online sales.
Getting the Store Ready for Meta Ad Campaigns
Paid ads are a powerful way to drive online store traffic but cannot fix a poor shopping experience.
Prior to running Meta ads, the store should meet a set of minimum requirements including load speed, checkout transparency, and ad conversion tracking.
* Store pages should load and display quickly in a mobile format
* Products should contain pricing, clear add-to-cart options, and appealing visuals
* Checkout should be straightforward without hidden costs
* Purchase events should be tracked through Ad Manager
FNA Marketing Solution includes Meta Ads readiness and tracking setup as part of its store development process.
Mobile Compatibility and Checkout
The business needs to be assured that the store performs well on mobile devices as well as desktop computers.
This includes getting load speed down, optimizing product images and names, and ensuring checkout processes can support the mobile shopper while maintaining a quick flow.
A customer's journey may begin with an advertisement or Facebook post and they may go directly to a product page on their phone, so mobile performance is critical.
Building a Store for a New Business
Every new online store development project begins by going through the product catalogue, expected selling method, and any existing tools and accounts.
Based on that scope, FNA Marketing Solution determines the best platform, the store navigation structure, and what integrations are needed.
Development begins with this scope approval to build the store without beginning work on its design without a clear understanding of what is needed.
Fixing an Existing Ecommerce Store
Not every eCommerce business requires a new online store. Some have one already but it isn't converting enough, isn't tracking correctly, or is slow to load on the front end.
Rather than completely rebuilding, some stores may benefit from an audit of their platform setup, shopping cart, checkout flow, and tracking gaps.
Prioritized fixes then can prevent unnecessary time and effort on issues that aren't changing the bottom line.
Optimize, Migrate or Rebuild?
An existing store might have one of three situations.
Optimize
Optimisation is likely if the current platform is viable for the business but there are conversion issues or technical problems with the store.
This might be some of:
* Slow page loading
* Difficult checkout
* Missing trust symbols
* Tracking issues
* Poor mobile experience
It may be easier and more cost effective to optimise the current platform if issues are fixable.
Migrate
Migration is probably appropriate if the platform has become too limiting for the store's requirements.
A store might have outgrown the functionality or downloaded a complexity of workarounds and integrations.
Migration needs planning because product data, order history, URLs, and SEO value may need to be ported across.
Rebuild
Rebuild is likely when the store architecture has become the limiting factor.
This is common in stores where the products are grown with insufficient planning and the development code base becomes an obstacle. Rebuilds can be more costly but remove the structural constraints in store architecture that limit future growth.
The process of the FNA Marketing Solution store build
On building an e-commerce store, the process follows a defined sequence:
To start with, the size, scope, and scope are discussed in a small scoping session, covering the product catalog, payments, shipping, and current technology.
A scope specification is generated based on the platform, page structures and integrations, then taken to the client for review on a free call with a senior consultant.
Development then proceeds with the foundation, navigation, product page and checkout development, followed by integrations, including:
* Payment gateways
* Shipping providers
* Analytics
* Tracking
The client can review the website in a stage environment while the store is being developed.
A pre-launch step tests: completing checkout, mobile rendering, page speed, and cart/checkout completion tracking.
And a post-launch review window with troubleshooting time is provided.
Starting With a Plan not just a quote
An e-commerce project can vary in scope from a small focused store to a large catalog with multiple integrations.
FNA Marketing Solution begins with a planning process before final scope, cost, and timeline are determined.
A three-minute assessment powered by AI is run, resulting in an initial structured plan, which is then refined over a free call with a senior manager.
The scope, time, and cost are not finalized until the planning team has reviewed the store requirements with the client.
This allows the customer to understand the scope of the project better before the design and build stage begins.
What an FNA Marketing Solution Configures
An e-commerce project can involve more than uploading a product list.
Depending on the project scope and size, FNA Marketing Solution can work on:
* Platform choice
* Store architecture
* Collections and product pages
* Navigation
* Checkout experience
* Payment interfaces
* Shipping rules
* Shipping partner integration
* Order receipt email
* Tracking email
* Google analytics 4
* Purchase conversion events
* Meta Pixel
* Google Tag Manager
* Mobile experience
* Conversion elements on product pages
* Redirect mapping for migration
The aim is to deliver a store that is ready to send traffic to and to collect traffic data, not just a store that still needs to be fixed following the project.
Don't Send Traffic Before the Store is Ready to Accept It
One of the most expensive mistakes an ecommerce store can make is to ramp up advertising without fixing the store.
Ramp up traffic to an online store is expensive and will never be the solution to a poor checkout experience.
Ramp up traffic will never resolve missing purchase tracking.
Ramp up traffic does not replace poor conversion rates on product pages.
The prudent plan is to ensure the store converts well and tracks properly before scaling your advertising budget.
Once the store is able to accept orders, accurately track purchase data, supply a good mobile experience and send the right tracking messages, advertising spend can be increased with clarity on the return on investment.