How to Choose the Right Ecommerce Platform for Your Brand

Every day, we all make choices. Some of them are as mundane as what to eat for lunch. Others can have a profound impact on our future success. Choosing the right ecommerce platform for your business is imperative if you want to grow your customer base and compete in an increasingly aggressive marketplace. But, with so many options, it can be hard to make that all-important ‘right decision’.

Finding an ecommerce platform that has been developed with your business model in mind, is crucial. Entrepreneur Tony Robbins made an important point when he said:

"Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach."

This brief guide will help you determine which ecommerce platform is best for you.

B2B or B2C ecommerce platform?

This may sound like a straightforward question, but the answer can be complex. As Dani Attard, commercial director of Comgem, points out:

“B2B businesses should not sleepwalk into a B2C ecommerce solution. Buying relationships are much more complex in B2B and a standard ecommerce platform is unlikely to offer the features needed to compete in this rapidly expanding market.

“The B2B sector is fluid and, therefore, businesses need to ensure they invest in a platform that offers flexibility. They also need to consider efficiencies that will improve their market position and give them the edge over competitors. That is why we always advise B2B enterprises to work with website developers who specialise in B2B ecommerce platforms.”

Understanding your ecommerce needs

An ecommerce platform should offer you more than a route to sales. It should have the ability to increase your online visibility and grow sales with tools that will improve the user experience and reduce your overheads. In the B2B market, you need to consider supplier integration, automation and personalised marketing. To optimise sales, you also need to embrace product variations and customisation. If you go with a platform that limits you in any of these areas, you will miss opportunities and risk falling behind your competitors.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• What can I offer that my competitors don’t?
• How can my business reach more people without increasing costs?
• What features does my ecommerce platform lack that are holding it back?
• Does my pricing reflect real-time data?
• Is there a more efficient way to link my ecommerce website to suppliers and distributors?

Choose a specialist ecommerce platform for B2B

At Comgem, we are market-leading specialists when it comes to B2B ecommerce platforms. In fact, our Gemsuite B2B ecommerce solution has won awards for its innovation and ability to make products more visible. We believe in offering flexible, cloud-based solutions that will deliver outstanding results not just today but also tomorrow.

If your B2B business needs an ecommerce platform that is tailored to your needs, talk to us. We work with manufacturers, distributors, workwear providers, office supplies specialists, IT re-sellers and retailers.

Find out more about Gemsuite here and download our free buyer’s guide.