In the present world, e-commerce businesses are one of the leading business methods worldwide.
As Shopify mentioned in 2023, the global e-commerce market was around $6.3 trillion, and by the end of 2024, retail E-Commerce sales are expected to increase to $6.9 trillion.
With the help of e-commerce businesses, many small businesses get the chance to grow and provide their products and services to customers.
Similarly, in London, the demand for e-commerce businesses is also increasing, and all small to big companies are trying to enter the E-Commerce field for business development.
But to provide the service of e-commerce businesses, the business owner must build a proper e-commerce website design in London. For that, the business owner needs to understand the importance of E-Commerce Website Development in London.
Besides that, many other practical and valuable pieces of information will help you in web development for e-commerce businesses.
Popular Platforms for E-Commerce
Here’s a detailed comparison table of platforms that you can use to build your first e-commerce website.
WordPress
- Suitable for Small to large businesses
- It can be used for building e-commerce websites, and any other website people want. Good for both desktop and mobile access.
Advantages
- User-friendly system
- High-level website customisation is available
- SEO-friendly software by default
- Fast processing
Disadvantages
- Too frequent updates
- Dependency on plugins
Shopify
- Suitable for Small to medium businesses
- Mainly a good option for e-commerce businesses.
Advantages
- Fewer steps to follow
- A good option for drop shipping businesses
- Easy payment method options
- SEO friendly
Disadvantages
- Don’t have the resources to build a large website
- Customization problem
- Expensive themes
Magento
- Suitable for Small to medium-sized businesses
- Good for any sort of website. Good for both desktop and mobile access.
Advantages
- Endless customisation options
- Mobile friendly
- High-level SEO capabilities
- Global community
Disadvantages
- Have to pay for the hosting separately
- Hard to customise
Full Stack
- Suitable for web development of small to large businesses
- The developers and web designers can create a website for any purpose. It can be made for e-commerce and online services, and the limit is endless.
Advantages
- Fulfill all the employer’s demands
- Understand and create the website based on UX
- Huge potential for customization
- User-friendly for all devices
Disadvantages
- Required proper skills to build a website
- Time-consuming
- Expensive
Characteristics of a Good E-Commerce Site
Importance of mobile-friendly design for e-commerce websites
Nowadays, to have a profitable e-commerce business in this competitive market, having a mobile-friendly format for the e-commerce website is very important.
People don’t just use shopping websites from their laptops or PCs as mobiles have become part of people’s daily lives. As a result, the usage of e-commerce business websites mostly happens through mobile.
By having a mobile-friendly e-commerce website, it’s easier to target a wider audience, which will help in improving the brand reputation. It will also give the customers a hassle-free and good shopping experience.
According to Statista “In late 2023, smartphones accounted for nearly 80 per cent of all retail website visits worldwide, and in turn, also generated the majority of online orders compared to desktops and tablets.”
Enhancing user experience (UX) for increased customer satisfaction
It’s essential to have a UX-designed website to increase traffic and audience satisfaction. While making a website, the owner should know that the website should have all the elements that the customers require.
The developers should design the website to be effortlessly functional, with all the options clear, fast loading, responsive design, and many other things.
This way, when the customers come to the website and look for the services the products your company serves they will get the gist and details of the services or products instantly. It will keep the customers engaged and satisfied.
Also, for the e-commerce website, having space for feedback and reviews makes the website even more trustworthy for the customers and gives the owner a chance to improve the errors.
Best practices for mobile optimization and responsive design
Well, just making a mobile-friendly e-commerce website isn’t enough. If you want to have a successful E-Commerce business, your mobile-friendly website must be well-optimized.
When the customer is looking for a product, if the website takes too long to load the shopping page, it will be disappointing.
So, to avoid any dissatisfaction and losing customers, the developers must build a mobile-optimised and responsive eCommerce website design that will allow the customer to get instant results even with a slow network connection.
Impact of UX on conversion rates and customer retention
A website’s UX design and construction are crucial in conversion rate and customer retention.
When a website is thoroughly built, keeping all the essential elements and customers’ preferences, it creates a positive impression of the website.
Easy to use and responsive mobile-friendly design will keep the customers engaged and convert, leading to trust and credibility.
And that’s not it, after getting the customers’ attention, it’s essential to hold on to them. So, after the customers are comfortable using that website on the phone, the developers must maintain consistency in UX.
And most importantly for a mobile-friendly eCommerce business website, constant improvements based on the feedback and reviews will ensure customer satisfaction and retention.
Hosting Considerations
Importance of reliable hosting for e-commerce websites
When creating an e-commerce website design in London, the hosting is crucial for the website’s scalability. Based only on requirements and budget, the customers can decide which hosting platform they require.
A trustworthy hosting platform will provide a proper infrastructure with high-performance servers, and not only that, it will have an appropriate system of security to protect from any cyber threats.
Besides these primary services, there are other important things a hosting platform can provide, but that depends on the e-commerce website category.
Types of Hosting Options
| Types of Hosting | Its high-level service is perfect for medium and large-sized businesses, e-commerce websites, etc. |
|---|---|
| Shared | Its high-level service is perfect for medium and large-size businesses, e-commerce websites, etc. |
| VPS | This platform is better for medium-sized websites, E-Commerce stores, growing businesses, etc |
| Dedicated | Its high-level service is perfect for medium and large-sized businesses, e-commerce websites, etc. |
Factors to consider when selecting a hosting provider
While using a hosting platform for the e-commerce website, a few essential elements are necessary for the best website structure. So, the hosting site has to be,
- Reliable and has service-level agreements
- Can handle and provide scalability
- Has security features to keep the data safe from a cyber attack
- Has an automatic backup system
- Fast processing speed
- Easy to use
- Customer support
etc.
Recommended hosting providers for local businesses in London
For small businesses, it’s better to look for small hosting services in London. This way, it’s affordable and similar to handle, so the business owners can go for hosting providers like,
- CB Web Design
- Hostinger
- Blue Host
- RunHost
- HostGator
- GoDaddy
- Webling
etc.
Security measures and SSL certificates for a secure e-commerce environment
Having security measures and an SSL certificate is a required element to have a successful E-Commerce business website in London.
The hosting service must be trustworthy and have an effective security system to keep the owner’s and the customer’s information safe.
For a secure E-Commerce environment, the Secure socket layer or SSL certificate will encrypt the data transmitted between the website server and the user’s browser.
This way, the sensitive information will stay safe.
Besides that, there are many other elements like HTTPS, 2FA, WAF, etc. Details are severely crucial for a safe
Preparation Before Building
Critical decisions before starting the development process
1. Defining the target audience
Understanding and marketing the business based on the target audience is essential for e-commerce. If the website is for kids’ products like clothing, toys, etc., then the website’s theme has to be made that way.
Before creating the website, the business owner must understand the market, the preferences and behaviour of the target audience, the value the product can provide in the target audience’s lives, and the item’s price range.
Based on all this research, the customer can build an effective e-commerce website.
2. Setting clear business goals
The owner must understand the business model after understanding the target audience and creating a successful business model.
So, based on the business type, there can be three types of standard e-commerce website designs,
- Business-to-customer (B2C) businesses like Alibaba and Netflix provide products or services directly to customers.
- Business-to-business (B2B) is when a business sells its products or services to others like Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook, etc.
- Customer-to-customer (C2C) Here, customers can sell their products or services to other customers on a platform like eBay.
So, based on your business model, you can easily choose a platform where you want to sell your product or service.
If it’s something small, you can simply use websites like Amazon, Shopify, etc., to market and promote your products.
But for big businesses to create an independent strategy, you can create your website with the help of developers.
Also, in some cases, the website owners create their own website but simultaneously use the services of other websites as well.
For example, if you have a clothing business, you can sell your products through your company and the Amazon website.
Budget considerations for e-commerce website development
The most crucial part of establishing an e-commerce website in London is finance.
Just by planning, a person can’t build a high-quality professional website for expert guidance is required, and for that, having a proper financial budget is very important.
While creating a website, whether it’s Shopify, WordPress, or a whole stack-developed website for the platform, the owner has to pay for the hosting or developing service. Then, for customization, theme, security, promotion, maintenance, etc..
There are separate payments that the e-commerce website owner has to pay. So, a successful E-Commerce business in London is impossible without a proper financial understanding.
Exploring delivery and payment options
Now, if the owner uses platforms like Amazon, eBay, etc., they have their delivery methods and payment systems, which the business owner can utilize.
But for websites made from scratch as delivery options, the owner should provide standard shipping, express delivery, and same-day delivery. Depending on the budget, the customer can choose their preferred payment system.
And if the business owner can afford the free delivery option, then it’s a good thing as well.
As per payment options, as it’s an E-Commerce business website, it must have all the possible payment methods, like debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, bank transfer, etc.
It will allow the customer to pay for the product or service using their preferred payment method and have a satisfying experience.
Choosing the Right Developer
List of 5 reputable e-commerce site developers in London
| Developers in London | Charge | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| DevsData Tech Talent | £40 to £50 per hour | 5 out of 5 |
| Caveni Digital Solutions | £100 per hour | 4.9 out of 5 |
| Fourmeta | £45 to £90 per hour | 4.9 out of 5 |
| Triare | £40 to £50 per hour | 4.9 out of 5 |
| Dotsquares | £20 to £30 per hour |
Criteria for selecting a developer
There are so many talented web developers available in London.
Unfortunately, not everyone’s web design skill is as efficient as others so as a return it’s important to check a few criteria before consulting a web developer.
- Experience: The expert developers must have experience in building websites, must have knowledge of different projects and work experience in e-commerce websites.
- Portfolio: as a business owner while hiring a web developer you should look into the portfolio its designs, UX strategies and execution then technical skills, ability to meet clients’ requirements, overall quality etc.
- Review: by looking into the expert developers’ work performance and review through LinkedIn Google Business or most notably from previous clients and employers, it would be easier to understand the web developers’ skills, reputation and professionalism which is very important.
Tips for negotiating and finalizing a contract
Sometimes, the expert developers ask for high charges for the e-commerce website building in London.
In such cases, it’s essential to know how to negotiate and finalize the contract,t so,
- Give the web developer plenty of time to work on the e-commerce website
- Have clarity of the project information from the start
- Must discuss the project pricing, payment terms, schedules, etc
- Must go through all the legal and data protection requirements.
- There is clear and constant communication between the business owner and the web developer.
Etc;
DIY Options for Local Business Owners
User-friendly platforms for business owners to build their websites
As a business owner, if you want to start a local or small E-Commerce business, then there is no need to go for extensive and expensive hosting platforms or any developers.
Plenty of DIY approaches are available where, as an owner, you can create a user-friendly platform with minimal technical expertise.
So for that, you can go for,
- WordPress: for small to large businesses, WordPress is an excellent website service available. The user can easily customize it, and its SEO features help a lot in improving customer reviews.
- Shopify: to create an E-Commerce business in Shopify, no coding skills are required. There are available templates from which the business owner can choose the theme and its built-in features are also very helpful.
- Wix: to create an e-commerce website on your own, Wix is another trustworthy company. From here the business owner can customise the website template the way they want also as it is user-friendly that’s why there are plenty of customisation options available.
Pros and cons of DIY website development
For creating an e-commerce website using DIY methods, there are some consequences that the customer should know.
Pros:
- Easy to create a website
- Fast deployment and service
- Easy to use
- No special skills or coding required
Cons:
- Low security
- Suitable for small businesses
- Low limit of customisation
- Dependency on a third-party platform
etc.
Recommendation for online courses or resources for business owners interested in building their site
Plenty of online courses are available for learning about E-Commerce businesses and establishing them.
Based on the customer’s requirement and demand they will find online and offline courses or resources to gain knowledge about an E-commerce website design company.
But still for guidance the business owner can go for LinkedIn, Udemy YouTube or other certified and trustworthy courses in London.
If you ask me what online course you would suggest to cover the 360degree of E-Commerce site building I would suggest you enroll in the “E-Commerce Website: Shopify, Dropshipping, Amazon and more” on Udemy, at the time I’m writing this article.
It has crossed more than 80k enrolment with having 4.5 rating by 806 students.
Landing a Website only would not work for your business, your next target should include learning SEO so you can reach to your customers.
Conclusion
In London, for small to big businesses, it’s essential to have an e-commerce website to succeed in business competition.
Even though making an e-former website may look simple, it requires many elements. Not only that, for a business, establishing a commerce website is a big decision. So if you are from London it’s good to know about the then e-commerce website design company.
This way whether you are from London or any other place of the UK you will understand what type of e-commerce service you will require for your business. And what elements are highly essential for that e-commerce website.
