Building an eCommerce Website? You May Have These Questions

How can I build my eCommerce website?

There are several options for you to create your online store:

Option 1: Select a CMS platform like WordPress, OpenCart, Shopify, etc., learn them, and start building your online shop. In this option, you will have to put the time to learn the CMS.

Option 2: Hire a professional website developer to create your eCommerce store if you don’t have the time and skills to build it yourself.

Option 3: Subscribe to a CMS platform like Shopify where you can pay a monthly fee and get support/guidance from them to build a website yourself.

For most business owners, option 2 works well.

How much time does it take to build an eCommerce website?

The time to create an eCommerce website depends on the features that you need for your store. It may take between 3 weeks to 2 months to build a professional eCommerce store. Experienced eCommerce developers will take less than one month to create a basic eCommerce store. However, if you have some advanced requirements, it may take 2 months or more for a web developer to build your site. Consult a website developer to discuss your project and get an exact timeline.

How much do web developers charge to create an eCommerce store?

There are no standard charges in Singapore that all web developers follow. Some web developers in Singapore or web design companies may charge you $8000 or more to create an eCommerce store, while other web developers may charge you as low as $2000 to build a professional online shop.

Recommended post: How much is the eCommerce website cost in Singapore

Which platform/CMS is recommended to build a startup online shop?

There are many CMS/frameworks/platforms available to create an eCommerce website. Based on your unique requirements and preferences, if any, you can choose an appropriate platform to build your eCommerce website. Most Singapore web designers & developers choose and recommend WordPress or Shopify for their clients.

Recommended post: 6 Reasons for you to choose WordPress/WooCommerce for your eCommerce website development

How will I host my eCommerce store?

Hosting an eCommerce website doesn’t require any special requirements. A shared web hosting plan should be good to host a basic eCommerce website. If you are wondering about the charges to host your online shop on a shared web server, it will cost you as low as $10 per month.

Do I need to build a separate mobile website for my online store?

Fortunately, there is no need to build a separate website for mobiles. A responsive website can cater to all kinds of devices such as mobiles, tablets, etc. including desktops. Most Singapore web developers and web design companies create only responsive websites.

What’s the difference between a domain name and web hosting?

A domain name is the address of your website/eCommerce store for eg. https://bhupeshkalra.com is my domain name. It’s a unique name that you can choose for your online shop. Web hosting is virtual storage (usually on a server) that can be used to store website data (files, folders, databases, etc.) and professional emails. To launch a professional eCommerce store, you will need both a domain name and website hosting.

Recommended post: 5 Tips to choose a domain name for your website

Is eCommerce website investment really worth it?

eCommerce businesses have been growing rapidly over the last 2 decades and still show no signs of slowing down. If you have an idea to sell a product or products, if you know about your product niche, and if you are willing to start a new online venture, you have all the reasons to invest your time & money in your eCommerce website development.

How will I add products to my online shop?

CMSs like WordPress make it super easy to manage products on a website. Even a layman who doesn’t know much about coding or programming can easily manage products on their eCommerce websites.

How can I receive online payments from my online shop?

To receive online payments from your online store, you or your eCommerce developer in Singapore will need to integrate a payment gateway into your website. After integrating the payment gateway, your potential buyers can use their credit/debit cards to make payments against their orders.

What payment gateways are commonly used for eCommerce websites in Singapore?

There are several payment gateways/methods that most web developers use in Singapore. Below are some of them:

• PayPal
• Stripe
• GrabPay
• PayNow

When is the right time to build an eCommerce website?

Below are some of the situations when you must start building a website:

• You have an idea about a product or products that people can buy.
• You can make some profit from each sale.
• You have a little investment to make.
• You want to start a new venture that needs low investment to build.
• You want to join the booming eCommerce industry.
• You want an additional source of income.
• You already have a physical shop and you want to grow your sale.
• You are not happy with the number of walk-in customers in your physical shop.

How will users come to know about my website?

There are many ways to promote your online store. Most of these methods are inexpensive and still effective to get new sales & customers. Below, I have mentioned some of the tested and proven marketing & advertising methods to grow eCommerce sales:

• SEO (search engine optimization)
• Google Ads
• Facebook Ads
• SMO (social media optimization)
• Email marketing