Building an e-commerce website is a must if a business is to establish a solid online presence. With the internet and social media becoming essential to consumers’ and businesses’ lives, making your brand and products available online is an excellent way to expand your reach to a global audience. Companies are constantly looking for ways to improve their e-commerce websites, and it’s your responsibility to ensure that your business isn’t left behind.

If you haven’t thought about building an e-commerce website, now is as good a time as ever to start. There are two ways to approach this: use a website builder or build one through custom coding.

Why Build an E-commerce Website?

Building an e-commerce website provides your customers with an avenue where they can purchase your products online. This provides an additional revenue stream for your business, and with global e-commerce retail sales exceeding the $5 trillion mark in 2021, e-commerce promises to be a lucrative channel in the years to come. The rise of social media and mobile commerce also contributes to the exponential growth of e-commerce. In the same year, $3.56 trillion in retail e-commerce sales were done via mobile.

Below are a few reasons why you should consider building your e-commerce website.

It enhances the user experience. When your users enjoy the shopping experience on your e-commerce website, they will be more likely to purchase and return for more. Ensuring your website is built and structured well will lead to easy navigation, a smooth customer journey, and delighted customers.
It puts your best foot forward. Your website is typically the first interaction a customer will have with your brand. A well-developed e-commerce website will give a good first impression and entice visitors to become loyal customers.
It helps your SEO strategy. Effective SEO campaigns are largely dependent on web development. More than keywords and readability, an optimized e-commerce website should load fast, have an intuitive interface, and avoid friction as much as possible to provide a smooth user experience.

Using Website Builders for E-commerce Website Development

Ease of use and convenience are the main draws of e-commerce website builders. Organizations looking to create a website on the fly, with minimum effort and cost. A user-friendly interface and the availability of several website-building platforms allow individuals with little to no coding experience to create their e-commerce websites. Below are a few benefits and limitations of using a website builder.

Benefits of Website Builders

Ease of use: Website builders often come with drag-and-drop functionality, making it simple for anyone to customize the layout and design of their website.
Cost-effectiveness: Using a website builder is generally more affordable compared to hiring a professional web developer. Many website builders offer affordable monthly or yearly subscription plans.
Quick setup: Website builders often provide pre-designed templates and ready-to-use themes, enabling users to launch their online store quickly.

Limitations of Website Builders

Limited customization: Although website builders offer a range of templates and themes, customization options may be limited. Users may have to adhere to the pre-set layouts and designs, which can restrict creativity and uniqueness.
Limited scalability: As your e-commerce business grows, you may require more advanced functionalities and features. Website builders may not always offer the scalability needed to accommodate these changes.
Dependency on platform: When using a website builder, you are tied to their platform. If the platform goes down or changes its policies, it could affect your online store.

Custom Coding for E-commerce Website Development

If you want to build an e-commerce website that’s your own, your best option is to work with developers. They can employ a variety of programming languages, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, to create specific page elements and functionality you require. As with any approach, custom coding comes with its own set of advantages and challenges.

Advantages of Custom Coding

Complete control and flexibility: Custom coding allows you to have full control over the design, functionality, and features of your e-commerce website. You can build it exactly the way you envision, without any restrictions.
Scalability: With custom coding, your website can grow seamlessly as your business expands. You can add new features and functionalities tailored to your specific requirements.
Enhanced security: Custom coding enables you to build robust security measures for your e-commerce website, thereby protecting sensitive customer data.

Challenges of Custom Coding

Technical expertise required: Custom coding requires coding skills or hiring a professional web developer, which can be costly and time-consuming.
Higher initial investment: Developing a custom-coded website can be more expensive at the onset in terms of both time and money compared to using a website builder.
Maintenance and updates: Custom-coded websites require regular updates and maintenance to ensure optimal performance and security.

E-commerce Website Custom Coding Options

There are many options available today when it comes to hiring website developers to create an e-commerce website. If you know your business needs and do your due diligence before jumping into website development, you can make the process as smooth and cost-effective as possible.

Below are the main options you should consider when hiring or outsourcing your website developers.

Dedicated Software Development Team

Building a dedicated team means supplementing your internal team with outsourced talent that will help speed up and optimize your web development process. Outsourcing the required web developers helps cut costs while giving you access to a pool of world-class talent from around the globe. This is especially helpful when the required talent is scarce in your current location or locale. By building a website development dedicated team, you get the skills and expertise you need to meet project requirements. Because they work closely with your existing internal team, they are managed directly by your organization.

Managed Services Model

In this model, you hire an outsourcing company to build and manage your team for you. Your outsourced team reports to a project manager or internal team leader. They have a limited scope of work that’s dependent on what you assign to them; this is typically limited to specific tasks or skill sets that you don’t intend to heavily invest in. A managed services team works independently for the most part and doesn’t directly collaborate with your internal teams.

Project-based Web Developers

Compared to the other models, this is the most hands-off approach wherein you completely delegate the website development project to an outsourcing company. Your working arrangement with the outsourcing company begins with a discussion of project details, requirements, and frequency of progress updates. Because of the nature of this arrangement, the project manager is provided by the outsourcing company and is the one responsible for the project-based team’s day-to-day workflow. The project manager also ensures that deliverables are on time and up to spec.

Website Builders vs. Custom Coding

When deciding between website builders and custom coding for e-commerce website development, several factors need to be considered:

Cost: Website builders are generally more cost-effective upfront, offering affordable subscription plans. On the other hand, custom coding requires a higher initial investment but can be more cost-effective in the long run due to its scalability.
User-friendliness: Website builders are designed to be user-friendly and do not require coding skills. Custom coding, however, requires technical expertise or hiring a professional developer.
Flexibility and customization: Website builders provide limited customization options, whereas custom coding offers complete flexibility and customization. Custom coding is the better option if you require a unique and tailored website.

Personalized E-commerce Website Development

In conclusion, choosing between a website builder and custom coding for e-commerce development depends on your business needs and budget. Website builders offer convenience and a quick setup, while custom coding provides complete control and scalability. Consider your goals, resources, and long-term plans to make an informed decision and create an e-commerce website that expresses your brand voice.

Technology Matters

E-commerce Website Development: Using Website Builders vs. Custom Coding