Building an eCommerce store is the first step in establishing your online presence on the market. Smartly built stores will bring you high conversion rates, while poorly built ones won’t get any traffic at all.
If you want to create a unique Shopware store without any bumps in the road, check out these Shopware PWA development services.
Meanwhile, in this article, you will learn about the main advantages of Shopware for eCommerce business, how to build the project with Shopware, and why so many different businesses from various industries choose Shopware.
Advantages of Shopware eCommerce website
Many eCommerce business owners opt for Shopware due to its diverse advantages in the eCommerce platforms market. Without further ado, let’s get started.
Simple setup and management
It doesn’t require much to set up and manage a Shopware store. Even business owners without much technical background or expertise won’t have much trouble with this framework. Additionally, there is a wide range of third-party integrations that you can use to cover the lacking features or functionality.
Easy design and planning
Shopware allows you to create delicate and subtle designs that are easily adaptable and transmit business values. Additionally, you can create responsive websites, which is crucial in today’s world. Most Internet users access websites from their mobile devices, and you need your website to look flawless no matter whether it’s a phone or laptop.
With Shopware, it’s also quite easy to get used to the admin panel. You can quickly find the necessary fonts, colors, sizes, prices, shipping costs, etc. Many functions are also targeted toward mobile devices, such as contact keys, scrolling sliders, etc.
User-friendly search engine
Another major plus of Shopware is that the platform is SEO friendly. Search engine optimization is necessary for any eCommerce website since it affects your ranking on search engines and can significantly boost your traffic and conversion rates. Shopware has such features as making SEO-friendly URLs, changing meta descriptions and meta title tags, etc.
The list of SEO-friendly features is too long to mention here. Add an open-source ecosystem and regular updates and additions, and you get a perfect SEO-friendly platform for building your online presence.
Multiple marketing features
When it comes to marketing, it’s what’s gonna keep your website alive on the Internet medium. You will need to create new content on a regular basis and find ways to connect with customers. And Shopware has convenient features that will make it easier to arrange marketing strategies. For example, Digital Publishing features allow you to create banners that you can place on the website pages. Banners can address specific sales or discounts and include links to the needed pages.
You can also set up a loyalty program. This is a smart way to gain returning customers, especially if you are new to the business. Every time the customer makes a purchase, they receive points that later can be turned into discounts.
Which businesses choose Shopware?
Before choosing any technology, you need to determine the needs and requirements of your project. Only after that can you scan the possible options for specific features and functionality that matches your needs. If your company needs to have the following characteristics, Shopware will be a good choice:
- It’s a perfect alternative for business owners who have to execute their technology roadmap and the native roadmap.
- Self-hosted solution
- Full admin control and autonomy that allows for creating interactive products and connecting them
- Spot-on administrative and technical support
- Cost-effective license and support
In this way, Shopware is a perfect choice for a wide range of businesses. In particular:
- Small enterprises and startups. It includes a free plan that allows you to create a minimum-viable store.
- Medium-sized businesses, expanding and retail companies. With a subscription, you get access to all the features of the Shopware cloud-based version.
- Enterprises. You can get a self-hosted version of the platform with all the necessary features and have full control over your business from one environment.
Steps to start your eCommerce website
Now let’s move on to the main steps you need to take when starting your eCommerce website. Of course, it all depends on your project and its unique characteristics. Yet, there are several crucial steps that any eCommerce business owner undergoes when building their online presence.
Analyze the services or products you want to market
First things first, you need to analyze the current market and what it offers. Go to your competitors’ websites and explore them in terms of features and functionality, what kind of services they offer and how they engage with the clients. After you are done with the research, you’ll know how your future website has to look.
Choose a business plan
The next step is to choose the most appropriate business model. You can sell only through your website, marketplaces, or combine both methods. After you’ve chosen the business model, it’ll impact how you are going to build your eCommerce store.
Select a domain name
Selecting a domain name is a crucial step that should not be overlooked. It’s the first thing users see when stumbling upon your website, so it has to be relevant, easily recognizable, and unique. The domain cannot be just a random name; it has to represent your business and its core values. Think of that as the chance to catch your audience’s attention right away.
If you are on a strict budget, starting with a shared domain may be more profitable. Once you expand enough, you can change your domain to a specialized one.
Create Shopware eCommerce store
Now it’s time to create your own Shopware eCommerce store. Shopware has quite an automated process, so you don’t need to worry about coding too much. At the same time, it all depends on how much customization you want or need. Because the more customizing, the more technical knowledge you need.
If you want to have a unique online store that doesn’t resemble dozens of others on the market, consider working with Shopware developers. They’ll be able to create custom solutions and maintain the store in the future. While it may be a costly option, you’ll spend less time on the project building. And we all know that time is money in the business world.
Design Shopware eCommerce store
Some businesses underestimate the significance of design. With a suitable theme and design, you not only create an aesthetically pleasing picture but also build your brand’s online face. You need to choose the theme and design carefully because different themes have different features. If you are a clothing brand, you shouldn’t choose a theme that doesn’t allow creating many categories and product pages to showcase your products.
The theme and design have to work for you, not against you. They allow the creation of the look and feel of an offline store, so the customers could be more invested in the experience.
Work on additional payment gateways
With Shopware, you can integrate whatever payment method you want. It’s in your interest to provide multiple payment options, such as Amex, Visa, and Apple Pay. PayPal, and so on. Users from different countries will have different payment systems that are convenient for them. If you can’t provide a comfortable checkout experience, chances are you’ll end up without a client. It’s much easier to go to the competitor that offers the PayPal option rather than trying to figure out your payment method.
Choose a shipping company
Last but not least, you need to provide your customers with multiple shipping options, so they can get their orders quickly and conveniently regardless of location. In order to provide such an option, you need to find a solution that matches your requirements. The safe choice is the solution that offers delivery services and has pre-existing shipping prices.
Conclusion
And that’s it. Shopware has all the necessary features and functionality for creating a perfect eCommerce solution. The key is to know how to use those features and functionality. Surely, with such an abundance of functions, it may feel a little overwhelming. If you want to create an online store but don’t know where to start, you can look for a reliable Shopware development partner who will have enough skills and experience to give you the best advice.
