n this article, I will tell you the 4 most famous ways to create an online store with the utmost professionalism. Whether you are the one who will do this by building the store yourself or you will rely on an intermediary party, there are 4 of the most famous ways to create any online store in the world.
I have a 99.9% chance that you will build your online store in one of these ways {I don’t know why this percentage but I always read it 🙂 }
These methods that I will tell you, you may have heard about them before or intend to rely on one of them. But in any case, it is undoubtedly the most popular, and my role in this article is to show you the advantages and disadvantages of each method and how to choose the method that best suits you ideally.
1. Reliance on open source software
This is one of the best methods that I like to use in building an online store, which is to rely on open source software, so you get an open source content management system and then install it and modify it to suit your site.
Open source means that you get the system to use on your site, without paying any money for it, while you have the authority to modify the system and customize it completely.
The idea of open source software is popular in general (the most famous of which are: Linux and Android).
The exact same concept is provided in content management systems for websites , so that you get an integrated system and you can modify it to suit your online store. The most famous of these systems for online stores are: WooCommerce and OpenCart.
This method has several great properties for you, which are as follows:
Advantages:
- Low cost for the tools you get
- Providing an easy-to-use control panel
- Providing some open source plugins and templates
- Possibility of development. You have the right to modify the code to create some advanced features later (but the basic features are sufficient for you in the beginning).
All you need to use these systems is web hosting (which usually starts at $4 per month), then you install the system on the hosting and your store is ready for use.
I explained this in detail during the video “Creating an Online Store 101.” I advise you to rely on it if you are interested in learning about this method of building a store based on WooCommerce :
This method is characterized by low cost and ease of use, and it may require some skills to deal with these systems, but the topic is simple and I explained it in detail in the previous video.
Although this method is effective, it is undoubtedly not without drawbacks
Defects:
- Need some skills
Despite the ease of these systems, and WordPress, for example (the most famous system), you will need to learn some technical skills to make some modifications in the control panel, use plugins, customize templates, and the like.
I say some basic skills, not advanced skills of programmers, and this is in the event that you make every modification yourself. I also try to simplify the use of WordPress in such explanations on our website and YouTube channel .
- Ensure the integrity of the source
Content management systems in general are like any software system that needs constant protection. You need to ensure the safety of the add-ons and tools that are used on the site, and also improve the level of protection on the site in general.
If you have the basic skills you can figure this out, otherwise you can hire a programmer to make this modification, and he will charge you money for this specific modification.
As I explained to you in the previous video, the process of building an online store through WooCommerce takes place in easy and simple steps. It may require you to learn some technical steps and you may need to seek the help of some programmers sometimes to do some specialized tasks on the site, but in the end this system is designed for non-specialists.
In this method the store is built as follows:
- Get hosting and a domain (you can rely on Bluehost )
- Installing WordPress and adding WooCommerce
- Choose the appropriate template
- Customize the appearance and settings of the site
- Add different products
- Add shipping methods, payment methods, and discount coupons
- Installing the necessary plugins
- Adding other required features to the store
- Review and general evaluation of the store
- Deploy the store to users
This is a summary of the first method of relying on open source software.
2. Relying on ready-made platforms
There are some ready-made platforms that provide you with all the tools necessary to design and manage your online store through the control panel easily, and the most famous of these platforms is Shopify , and there are other platforms such as BigCommerce , Magento , and squarespace , and they start with a subscription of about $20 per month in most cases, and there are Arab platforms such as Basket . Wa ExpandCard and others.
These platforms pay a monthly subscription in exchange for all the tools to build your store, track sales and performance reports, process payment systems, and other things.
As is the case with the Shopify control panel, in this way you can manage the store completely and easily
In return, the platform’s management is fully responsible for the technical details, including processing the software codes, improving the site’s responsiveness, solving problems with protection, security, and site speed, and all matters related to programming.
All you are responsible for in this process is the monthly subscription you pay to the platform.
Advantages :
- Ease of use and customization
Anyone can manage the entire store on their own without the need for programming experience or technical information. Rather, you can manage all technical matters from within a control panel that is easy to modify and customize, and the software responsibility (Back End) remains 100% with the service provider.
- No need to hire a special programmer
In the first method, you will need to hire some programmers to do some tasks sometimes, and in the third method, you will need to hire a programmer completely (I will talk about this method in the rest of the article).
On the contrary, here, when you rely on ready-made platforms, you do not need to use a programmer in most cases, and you can easily manage the store through the control panel.
- Provide many templates
You will find that the platform provides you with many templates and tools to diversify the options you have in customizing and managing your store.
Although it is easy to rely on these platforms and you feel that they are the best and fastest option for designing your online store, there are some disadvantages that make you reconsider using these platforms.
Defects:
- High cost
You will find that you pay a fixed monthly subscription to own the online store (starting at $30 per month), in addition to bearing some costs in payment processes and some other commissions.
This means that in the first year you will pay more than $360 or approximately $950 (depending on your choice of plan), although store owners often do not make many sales in their first year.
- Not having all the features
Although these platforms compete in providing you with all the features in customizing the store interface and providing many tools, you remain limited to the features that the platform provides, and you cannot obtain a feature that the platform does not provide for you.
For example, there are some features that these platforms actually lack, such as integration between your store and some email service providers (or autorsponders).
- You do not have the code
In fact, I consider this matter extremely important to me, which is having the site’s code, so that I can modify it and develop it later to suit all my needs.
These platforms do not allow you to make any modifications to the site code (Back End), as well as the possibility of extracting the code and owning it later. But it allows you to make modifications to the interface only (Front End).
You build your store across these platforms through the following steps:
- Determine the platform that best suits you
- Determine the purchasing plan you will rely on
- Get a domain name for your store
- Get a template for store design
- Customize the appearance of the site through the control panel
- Add products, payment and shipping methods
- Deploy the store to users
These steps are done through the easy-to-use control panel, relying on drag and drop, and complete customization without the need for any technical experience.
Therefore, this is a summary of the second method, in which you sign up with a specific company that provides you with all the requirements to build your site and provides you with ready-made tools, and you use them to design your site as if you were designing it in the Paint program without writing any programming code.
3- Programming from scratch
This method is the most expensive method and you pay a lot of money, usually starting at $2,000 and paying up to approximately $20,000 or $30,000 depending on the features and capabilities required for the store and the developer’s experience.
The reason for the high cost is that the programmer builds every detail in the store from scratch, writing the code from beginning to end, and so that you know how complicated the matter is, here is a picture of the code for the home page of the Amazon website.
As you can see, the code that is shown to us is more than 3,500 lines, in addition to the rest of the features and other codes that are not shown to users!
Of course, there are some ready-made codes that the programmer uses to create certain functions, and you will not build a building the size of Amazon in the beginning, but I give you an idea of the amount of effort in programming the store from scratch instead of relying on ready-made scripts (as I explained in the first method).
You can work in this way through one of the independent programmers (Freelancers), whether this programmer is an independent person working for himself or working with a team, but the idea is that you ask him to develop the store with the appearance and characteristics required of it and then you charge him for this work. (Instead of hiring a full-time employee)
You can also rely on a software company for this method, but the cost will be much higher than relying on a Freelancer.
Advantages
- Customize the store
You completely customize the code, features, links, security, and everything. The programmer is 100% responsible for everything on the site, ensuring that there are no problems and that the store is fully customized to suit your needs, unlike when you obtain a ready-made template and modify it.
Exactly like a person who goes to a professional tailor and has his clothes tailored exactly as he wants, instead of buying ready-made clothes from a factory.
- The site can be developed in the future
You are the one who prepared the code from scratch and you have a vision for the next step in developing the store’s features and improving it continuously. You yourself have laid the foundation of the store and all the features available in it, and you can improve each of the details in the best possible way.
Of course, these advantages are in the case of dealing with a professional programmer or a professional team, but if you deal with a novice programmer, the results will be disastrous!
Defects
- High budget
As I told you, the programmer does each task from scratch, and therefore it is expensive and requires a lot of money from you compared to any other method of building your store.
- You need a professional team
It is necessary to ensure the professionalism of every member of the team to ensure that the store operates without problems, and to quickly solve the problem if it occurs, because this team works in an integrated manner, and any defect in any of the team’s tasks in terms of quality or delivery time will negatively affect the entire project. .
- You need constant follow-up
You must have programming skill in managing software projects or seek the help of a professional project manager in order to supervise the implementation of the entire site programming.
Exactly like an engineer who is constructing a new house, there must be a professional project manager who supervises the concrete pour, construction of the foundation and reinforcement, construction of walls, architectural implementation, and other matters. There must be professional supervision of the work team for the work to come out in its best form.
This is a summary of the third method of relying on a programming team that builds the store from scratch.
You can hire a programmer to build an online store through the following steps:
- Search for a professional programmer through your network or freelance platforms
- Interview the programmer and learn about his previous work and level of experience
- You submit a preliminary form that includes your requirements to the store to obtain a quote for the work
- The programmer begins implementing what is required within an agreed-upon timetable
- After completing the project, you will get a trial version (Beta).
- The code and the site are fully tested to ensure that it is free of any programming problems (bugs).
- The required modifications are sent to the programmer and the detected problems are solved
- The location is received back from the programmer
- The site is launched to users after ensuring that it is free of all problems
- The site’s performance is monitored over a short period (1-3 months).
- Follow-up is carried out continuously during his work period
4. Selling through social media platforms
Some people believe that they do not need to create an online store or website in the beginning, and they can suffice with social media accounts (Facebook and Instagram), so that they display the products for the customer to see directly and then communicate with him through private messages or WhatsApp to purchase the product.
There are many people who rely on this method because it is free and easy and helps you reach millions of users on that platform, and also the ease of use and purchase for the customer, as you do not need to register a new account or obtain an activation code and move between several pages to complete the purchase.
But the customer sees the product and then buys directly from you. In return, you, as a store owner, get rid of the burdens and costs of building an online store and following up on many of its programming details.
Is this really the case, such that you can engage in a new experience in e-commerce by selling through social media platforms and dispensing with creating an online store?
The short answer: No!
I will give you a quick example, which is any online store that comes to your mind now. Has it started to limit itself to social accounts? Or did he start by creating a small online store and then develop and improve it?
Whatever store comes to your mind now, it started selling through its own website, not through social media platforms.
Regardless of whether the store is small or large, or its nationality, they begin by selling primarily through online stores, and then Facebook and Instagram come as a secondary traffic source.
There are many reasons why you necessarily need to build your own online store (through the three methods that we mentioned previously), and these reasons are as follows:
- You own the asset you are investing in
The idea of owning the website files, databases, and code makes you feel like you own an already existing business, unlike the fact that your capital is only social accounts, which you do not own in the end.
After one, two, or three years have passed, this store will be subject to Facebook according to the terms of use of the platform, which has the right to make any amendments it deems appropriate.
- Possibility of closing quickly
Imagine that the project in which you invest a huge amount of advertising, effort and time may close soon? The idea is certainly disturbing.
Even if you do not violate the terms of use of the platform, Facebook, for example, has the right to close any page, and it may make updates to the platform that harm your account, as happened with Facebook updates that significantly reduced reach, and there are some platforms where changes occur, as happened in Yahoo groups. And G+
There may even have been an information breakthrough in the technologies used. If you quickly go back to the chat rooms on Yahoo Messenger, Paltalk, and forums, then the emergence of Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube, and more recently, the emergence of Snapchat, TikTok, and artificial intelligence platforms. With all these technical fluctuations, there is rapid development, change and new platforms.
But websites do not disappear in this way, but rather they are constantly developed (read about the history of Amazon, for example, and web hosting companies).
- Fully customizable
Unlike social media platforms that dictate publishing conditions with limited features for specifically displaying product images and videos, you can fully customize your site.
Whether in the way of displaying products, designing the site, or processing purchases and payments, and using promotional methods and some other features, such as registering a mailing list, sending notifications, showing pop-up windows, the ability to retarget, and other marketing features that you will only be able to obtain through your online store.
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that may interest you: Improving the SEO of your online store in 11 practical steps
- Possibility of repurchase
It is expected that the customer will return to browsing your site by writing the full name of your site, then look at the latest offers you have on the home page, and begin browsing the appropriate categories that display the products to him in an attractive design.
Unlike social media accounts, it is unlikely that the customer will type the name of your store in the search box on Instagram, for example (which he may have forgotten), and then try to browse the products, which he finds stacked side by side, and it is difficult for him to view the products if he reads more than 50 posts, for example!
- Seriousness of the client
Through my experiences and the experiences of some friends that I have observed, the possibility of a customer who makes a purchase through the website being serious about the purchase is more serious than a customer who makes a purchase through an Instagram account.
Perhaps the reason for this is that the customer made the decision to purchase through Facebook in a hasty manner, but when he browses the website, learns more about the product, takes the purchasing steps, and confirms by phone, he is really serious about purchasing and wants to buy this product.
Incorrect purchases will definitely cost you a lot in packaging and shipping! It is important to ensure that the customer is serious about purchasing.
Therefore , I am not against using social media platforms, but I do not advise you to limit yourself to them without investing in your online store.
Conclusion
These are the four most popular methods for building online stores. I tried to give you a brief overview of each method so that you know how suitable it is for you, and I wanted to explain to you the advantages and disadvantages of each method so that your choice will be made with awareness and understanding of this technical world.
If you ask me with a clear question which method is most suitable for me in the beginning, I will tell you the first method + the fourth method based on the data I mentioned to you.
I hope you have benefited from this article and I will wait for your response in the comments by sharing your experience with us in building your online store 🙂
