Have you decided to bring your brand online? Is it better to use an off-the-shelf eCommerce platform, or choose custom ecommerce development?
Well, it has no direct answer as it depends on specific goals and requirements. Some businesses can get high profits with off-the-shelf solutions. On the other hand, success comes with the custom shopping solution for some enterprises.
In this blog post, we will talk about more on this topic to make the decision-making process streamlined for you!
Off The Shelf Vs. Custom Ecommerce Solution
What is Custom Ecommerce Development?
Custom ecommerce development refers to the process of building personalized ecommerce websites with tailor-made versions of software. A team of professionals helps to develop customized ecommerce websites by making unique code out of the existing codes.
This tailor-made ecommerce website meets the specific business goal of online brands and drives targeted traffic faster
How Can Custom Ecommerce Development Help Your Business?
Tailor-Made User Experience Suits Your Target Customers
A custom ecommerce store comes with the best UX and UI for its target customers. As a result, customers get a top-notch shopping experience from it and become highly satisfied.
Meet Business Specific Needs Perfectly
A custom ecommerce solution builds an ecommerce store from scratch. This practice creates an opportunity to adjust the ecommerce functionalities as per specific needs and fit the requirements perfectly.
Scalability and Flexibility Enhance Ecommerce Performance
A custom ecommerce shop makes the ecommerce capability of the store scalable and flexible. As we know, no business is static. Especially, if you consider the digital landscape- it is ever-evolving.
These features of custom development ensure an ecommerce website can handle increased traffic, products, and transactions. It also helps you to adapt to change faster than your competitors.
Better SEO Performance
A customized ecommerce website has better website design and more User-friendly ness. Hence, it performs better on search engine result pages (SERP). This feature can significantly increase your website visibility and drive targeted web traffic organically.
It is needless to say, it leaves a positive impact on the commerce sales picture.
Create a Recognizable Brand Identity
A bespoke ecommerce services website has a tailor-made layout, design, features, typography, visuals, content, and functionalities. As a result, the website can reflect the brand’s personality, values, and story. It helps target users to differentiate a custom website from an off-the-shelf ecommerce design easily.
Enhanced Website security and improved website Credibility
A bespoke ecommerce development makes a website end-to-end encrypted with the best security features. It implements robust security measures in an e-commerce site and eliminates the potential threats of Cyber hacking or data theft.
Customized Integration
A custom ecommerce development makes the integration process streamlined and customized. It integrates the most relevant tools only to the existing site and enhances the ecommerce capabilities. It also saves costs in the long run by eliminating irrelevant add-ons.
What Are The Major Drawbacks of Custom Ecommerce Development?
High Development Cost
The custom ecommerce development cost can be a little bit more expensive than pre-built ecommerce platforms.
Here, the affordable ecommerce website development option is like a savior. It brings the best possible design at an affordable cost without compromising on quality.
Longer Development Time
Developing a bespoke ecommerce website is a time-consuming process as the degree of complexity is high. The testing and quality assurance process also takes time and makes the ‘go live’ process delayed.
Maintenance and Support
A custom website needs ongoing support of technical support and maintenance services. Continuous bug fixing and technological maintenance are required to upkeep its optimal performance.
What is Off The Shelf Ecommerce?
Off-the-shelf ecommerce is a prebuilt and ready-to-use ecommerce platform. It comes with previously tested predefined features, templates, and functionalities. One can simply purchase and create an ecommerce shop instantly without waiting for quality assurance.
This off-the-shelf ecommerce site is not at all unique because these are already in use by several users.
How Can Off the Shelf Ecommerce Help Your Business?
Cost Efficiency
Off-the-shelf ecommerce solutions are generally more budget-friendly than custom development. It happens because it is already in use. So, the users do not have to build it from scratch. Multiple users bear its development cost.
Rapid Deployment
Most businesses use eCommerce development solutions due to their ease of implementation. It helps brands set up their store and run quickly. If you want to rapidly enter into a market to enjoy the benefits of a first mover, this can be a game changer for you.
Established Ecosystem
Off-the-shelf ecommerce platforms bring an established ecosystem. It includes robust security patches, regular updates, streamlined payment gateways, various marketing tools, shipping options, and third-party apps.
What Are The Major Drawbacks Of Off The Shelf Ecommerce Development?
Limited Customization Options
As mentioned earlier, an off-the-shelf ecommerce site has limited customization options. It can hinder the branding process. It also restricts the ecommerce business growth because 71 % of consumers expect personalization nowadays.
Limited Scalability and Growth Potential
Off-the-shelf websites have pre pre-built layouts, designs, and functionalities. It does not cater to any niche-specific needs, since its design focuses on a diverse array of areas. As a result, it restricts the growth potential making the design rigid.
Lack of Competitive Differentiation
The ecommerce market experiences stiff competition among closely competitive brands. When a brand cannot offer customers unique value to its customers, the chances of its success get thinner.
It is needless to say, an off-the-shelf website can’t create a unique brand identity for businesses. Consequently, the brand gets lost in this overcrowded market.
Less Control Updates and Bug Fixes
With an off-the-shelf ecommerce, businesses can’t get complete ownership of the site. It makes them completely dependent on the service providers of the platforms.
On the other hand, if you get a custom ecommerce website with an ecommerce development company, it gives you complete ownership of the site.
Core Differences Between Custom Ecommerce Development and Off The Shelf
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Performance and Scalability
Custom Ecommerce
Personalized features with great scalability provide the best performance in all aspects.
Off Shelf Ecommerce
It sometimes exceeds or offers limited potentiality, hence this instant ecommerce site is not scalable or performance-oriented.
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Uniqueness
Custom ecommerce
It caters to specific needs in all aspects be it its application, payment gateway, integration, or appearance.
Off the shelf ecommerce
Limited templates, limited designs, plugins, and restricted features lead to low uniqueness and a lack of website branding.
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Security
Custom ecommerce
Custom-made ecommerce gives full protection against data hacks and cybercrimes.
Off the Shelf Ecommerce
All these platforms are like open source platform hence the possible threats of cyber-attacks exists. Take advice on ecommerce consulting services to enhance your protections with customized security features.
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Responsiveness
Custom Ecommerce
These ecommerce are intuitive and responsive on targeted devices like mobile tabs, laptops, etc.
Off the shelf Ecommerce
It does not offer a high-quality mobile experience because it runs mostly on shared server hosting.
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Cost-effectiveness
Custom Ecommerce
Its initial outlay may seem a little bit higher, but it pays off and is high in the long run.
Off the Shelf
It comes comparatively cheaper and is extremely cost-effective for organizations with small budgets.
How To Choose The Right Option for Ecommerce Development?
To choose the right option for e-commerce development, here are some quick tips for business owners:
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Conduct Market Research
Don’t kick start the website building process, at first conduct thorough research on the industry, and target market.
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Consider The Competitors and Market Leaders
Make sure to take up competitive research on your competitors. It will reveal a lot of information on market trends and customer preferences. It also helps to outperform competitors.
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Know Your Target Audience Need
Take up a thorough understanding of your customer’s needs, preferences, education, demography, and other attributes. It will make you able to create a design solely for your targeted audience.
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Consider Your Budget
The budget is one of the prime factors in choosing the right ecommerce website developer option.
Are You Ready to Thrive in Ecommerce? The TechClouds Team is Here to Assist!
The TechClouds is one of the reliable ecommerce development experts. Here we help small and mid-sized ecommerce brands excel in their targeted niche!