The 80/20 Guide to Finding the Perfect Ecommerce Platform

s0/20 Guide to HOW TO FIND the perfect ECOMMERCE PLATFORM The vast majority of ecommerce platform reviews have it wrong: they start with the platform in mind instead of the entrepreneur in mind. At Ecommerce Rules, we put the entrepreneur first. We've analyzed the 9 types of entreprencurs and recommended the perfect ecommerce platform for each one - lets get started. The Retail Entrepreneur looking to start a fashion retail company Characteristics Aims to create a new brand Seeks an easy-to-implement platform that is expandable as well Lacks exposure: current customers are friends and family Features wanted: discounts, free shipping, and other promos Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Storenvy Storenvy has created a powerful niche in its fashion-oriented community. While many platforms such as Shopify allow you to create a beautiful storefront, only Storenvy is FREE and has a highly trafficked marketplace that will buy your products from day one. This is HUGE! It's the difference between selling products from day 1 vs. struggling to drive traffic and customers to your store. STORENVY FEATURES API EASY SET UP HIGHLY TARGETED DEEP SOCIAL USE YOUR OWN FREE EASY API FOR ADVANCED CUSTOMIZATION NO DEVELOPER CUSTOMIZATON MARKETPLACE INTEGRATIONS DOMAIN REQUIRED The Fashion Blogger looking to sell clothing from their closet Characteristics Wants a cost-free platform Easy to set up: no online selling experience required Looking to sell to a fashion-oriented marketplace Has a fashion blog with an audience that is ready to purchase Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Poshmark As a fashion blogger, you need a solution that will take care of EVERYTHING for you: credit card processing, item listing, customer marketplace, and shipping. All you should focus on is your fashion blog and taking pictures of your clothing. Well, this is exactly what Posh Mark does! POSHMARK Sure Ebay allows you to list your items and Storenvy has a big marketplace as well, but Posh Mark excels in its simplicity and its super highly targeted marketplace. FEATURES 24 EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER HIGHLY TARGETED MARKETPLACE FREE DEEP SOCIAL IPHONE SHIPPING IS TAKEN INTEGRATIONS FRIENDLY CARE OF REQUIRED The Corporate 9-5'er looking to start a side business Characteristics +) Has a stable income Has money saved up to invest in a company Seeks long-term growth as opposed to short term gain Open to selling whatever will generate profits Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Shopify Shopify is an easy-to-setup yet robust platform that is in the same league as Volusion and Big Commerce. What makes Shopify stand out from its competitors is its great customer service and extensive marketplace for apps, which allow you to infinitely expand features for your store. As a corporate 9-5'er, you have a stable income and your nights and weekends to work on your side project. This means you have the time and resources to learn about SEO, social media marketing, and conversion optimization for ecommerce stores to gradually improve your store on a continuous basis. FEATURES API MANY THEMES TO EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER REQUIRED USE YOUR OWN API FOR VAST APP STORE TO EASY CUSTOMIZATON BLOGGING CHOOSE FROM ADVANCED CUSTOMIZATION DOMAIN ADD ON FEATURES PLATFORM INCLUDED CMS EASY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING ROBUST CMS TO TRACK 24/7 CUSTOMER AND MARKET TO SUPPORT CUSTOMERS The Lifestyle Designer looking to build a drop-shipping company Characteristics Aims to build a lifestyle business Needs a platform that is easy to set up. customizable, yet doesn't require a developer Wants to minimize hours worked Needs a solution that links order processing. inventory, and shipment Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Shopify + eCommHub Although drop-shipping has many benefits: no inventory, sell someone else's product, someone else handles shipping and fulfillments, it does come with it's fair share of challenges: order prcessing, inventory management, product fulfillment, and customer service. When building a lifestyle business, it's important that you adhere to the following principles: Stay lean Keep costs low Automate EVERYTHING 2. eComm Hub While Shopify is a great platform for any entrepreneur, it doesn't quite have the order routing features that are needed by default, which is why it's so great that Shopify has an extensive app store. eCommHub is a Shopify app that simplifies the customer fulfillment process when working with multiple drop-shipping companies. URES API MANY THEMES TO CHOOSE FROM USE YOUR OWN DOMAIN EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER BLOGGING PLATFORM API FOR VAST APP STORE TO ADD ON FEATURES EASY ADVANCED CUSTOMIZATON REQUIRED CUSTOMIZATION INCLUDED CMS SIMPLIFIES ROBUST CASET T CMS TO TRACK 24/7 CUSTOMER AND MARKET TO CUSTOMERS OPERATIONS. MANAGEMENT EASY INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING SUPPORT BETWEEN RETAILER AND DROP SHIPPER The Artist / Designer looking to sell do-it-yourself items online Characteristics Wants a platform that is cost free Easy to set up: no development experience required Looking to sell to a marketplace that wants do-it-yourself/one-of-a-kind products Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Etsy Etsy is to do-it-yourself products as Storenvy is to fashion/cute products. Not only is Etsy free to use and easy to set up, it boasts the leading marketplace for users that want one-of-a-kind, do-it-yourself products. Etsy You may be asking. "Why don't I just use Storenvy to sell my one-of-a-kind products?" Well it's true, you absolutely could, but to maximize your exposure and target the right audience, Etsy is definitely the place to go. Etsy is the home for arts and crafts, vintage clothing, and handcrafted jewelry. FEATURES EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER FREE HIGHLY TARGETED MARKETPLACE REQUIRED The Internet Entrepreneur looking to build the next Fab.com Characteristics Aims to raise funding Is an engineer or has an engineer on the founding team Needs a robust system that is infinitely expandable Looking to create an innovative shopping experience for an untapped market Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Magento An Internet entrepreneur is not looking to build a lifestyle business; rather, you're looking to build the next breakthrough store, such as Fab.com. An Internet entrepreneur aims to raise funding and has an engineer on the founding team. This is why Magento is the perfect platform to build your store. Magento Magento is infinitely expandable, allowing you to create innovative customer experiences that revolutionize the online shopping process. The goal is not to do what others have done; rather, it's to innovate and create a new way to shop online. Open Source eCommerce FEATURES SUPER INNOVATION FRIENDLY create unique features no other latform has CUSTOMIZABLE The Stay-At-Home Mom looking to generate some more income Characteristics Has time to sell items online but doesn't have the online marketing expertise + Needs a super simple platform Looking for a huge marketplace that is ready to buy No up front costs Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Ebay Moms understand how swap meets or garage sales work, so they'll understand how Ebay works. Furthermore, moms are usually looking to make some quick cash on the side (short term gain) as opposed to building a business selling products (long term gain). For this reason, Ebay is the best platform to sell your kid's old stuff: video games, music equipment, toys, stuffed animals, sporting goods, and even school supplies. ebay FEATURES ESTABLISHED MARKETPLACE THAT WILL BUY ANYTHING FREE EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER REQUIRED The Innovater looking to test their product Characteristics A Aims to build a brand new, revolutionary product Doesn't have the capital to complete the product and begin manufacturing A Needs to easily test to see if people will buy the product Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Kickstarter Kickstarter is an innovators dream come true. The Lean Startup Philosophy teaches us to sell before the product is finished. The goal is to find out if people will buy the product and receive feedback as fast as possible. Kickstarter takes the Lean Startup Philosophy one step further and provides a platform where an innovator can raise funding, sell the product, and get press - all before the product is complete and ready to ship. FEATURES 2$ 2$ FREE ELL PRODUCT EASY SET UP NO DEVELOPER DEEP SOCIAL INTEGRATIONS HIGHLY TARGETED PRESS RAISE MARKETPLACE OPPORTUNITIES BEFORE REQUIRED COMPLETION The Unemployed in desperate need of money Characteristics Needs money now Not looking to build a long-term business Does not understand online marketing Recommended Ecommerce Platform: Craigslist craigslist If you're in desperate need of money, then Craigslist is the best place to sell the stuff you own that you don't want anymore: sell your old bike, your old TV, or your old furniture. It's great because the people shopping from you are local and can pay you in cash and in person. FEATURES LOCAL MARKETPLACE IN CASH NOW ECOMMEROE O RULES Infograph created and designed by Jun Loayza and Gina Meredith [email protected] http://ecommercerules.com/ (415) 658-5118