Posted On: 18 Jan, 2022. 4 minread
In a flourishing era of no-code tools, setting up an online store has never been this easier for someone with little to no understanding of web development. Popular tools like Zopping, WooCommerce, Shopify, Squarespace, Dukaan, etc are giving business owners a wide range of options to choose from. However, there are a few things to keep in mind when choosing your online store builder as the cost of switching can be steep once you settle with one tool.
Even though tools like Shopify claim to be an online store builder, one runs into quick trouble as any tiny bit of customization will require the help of programmers. If you are someone who doesn't want to hire web developers and want to do it on your own, then you should consider tools that offer you drag-and-drop functionality to quickly navigate and customize your website. The tasks could be as simple as listing your products, adding banners, setting up loyalty programs, integrating payment gateways and delivery partners, you should be able to do all these on your own using simple drag-drop functionalities.
Lot of online store builders out there in the market have limited customization options. This means your store is most probably going to look like every other store on the internet. You should choose tools that will actually help you customize and match the way your business truly runs. You might want to restrict your delivery areas, charge different customers differently, promote a specific brand, create a unique product listing page or offer buying suggestions. This is where a one-size-fits-all online builder can disappoint you. Your online store builder should match with the way your business runs and not the other way around.
Gone are the days when customers preferred to pay with cash. The flourishing space of digital payments ranging from netbanking, credit/ debit cards, UPI, eWallets, Buy-Now-Pay-Later (BNPL) options offer customers a lot of choices to pay for their goods or services. To stay on top of the change you should look for online store builders that offer simple plug-and-play payment gateway integrations.
One of the trends in the eCommerce space that we are increasingly seeing is that customers are making purchases through their smartphones or tablets. Hence it is important to not only have an eCommerce website but also a mobile-friendly website and a mobile app! At Zopping, we not only offer to our customers a mobile-friendly online store but also free Android and iOS mobile apps which the store owners can immediately host on their PlayStore or App Store accounts. This means, our customers in a matter of a few clicks can get their online store running on both web and mobile apps.
While choosing an online builder it is not sufficient to look at upfront set up cost alone but you should also have a rough estimate of the operating expenses that you would incur. Lots of online store builders in the market charge customers a certain percentage of commission on the amount of sales conducted through their online store. These commissions can range anywhere between 2-5%. This can quickly eat into your profits. There are also several add-on charges that get levied, including, owning a custom domain, plugins charges, mobile app generation charges, etc. At Zopping, we have taken a completely different approach towards charging our customers. There are no add-on charges. We charge a variable amount every month and the variable charges depend on the sales you make through your online store. If you had a bad month, you don’t need to pay us anything. In good months, we charge a very reasonable price. This way you don’t need to incur fixed costs but keep your online store running always - just the way you intend it to be.
