Did somebody say coupon codes?
Ecommerce
Today, there are more options than ever for building an online store.
Ecommerce essentially hinges on a few key decisions: shopping cart technology, payment processing, and shipping. In addition to your online store, your website should highlight your company, your values, and why your products are worth purchasing. Simplehack can get you up and running.
Ecommerce service providers:
These companies are the most popular, have the most features, the most integrations, and the most literature and support. They're also a little more expensive, and WooCommerce and BigCommerce can require more resources to maintain.
What you can expect
Ecommerce websites have solidified into a few major types of technology: shopping carts, payment processors, shipping, and online marketplaces.
- Shopping Carts - You can use shopping cart software to build your website, you can embed shopping-cart like widgets directly onto your website, or you can have a hybrid of both using what is called "Headless Commerce". All have advantages and disadvantages. Squarespace, Shopify, Wix, etc. all offer some form of ecommerce with their websites, and are mostly "ready to go out of the box", but can require technical know-how to modify/customize/track your site and performance.
- Payment Processing - Accept credit cards, Apply Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Venmo, eChecks, Shop Pay. You have options to integrate directly with payment providers like Stripe and Square, or to use a service like "Shop" by Shopify that allows multiple payment options and express pay. Or, BYOB. Bring your own bank. Many business banks offer some service for accepting credit cards. These are not always available as an ecommerce option, but if your bank provides it you may get a better rate.
- Shipping and Logistics - How much to ship from where you are, or where your product is, to wherever the customer lives? You can integrate with UPS, FedEX, USPS, DHL, or offer flat fee prices that should cover shipping to domestic buyers. Products get lost, stolen from porches, or smashed by unforgiving conveyor belts. You'll want to be prepared for these eventualities. Most shipping providers can offer some form of insurance for certain types of loss.
- Online Marketplaces - Amazon is the major player in this space. In addition to selling your product on a personal website, you can list and sell directly on Amazon. Services like Shopify can integrate with Amazon to help you with inventory and fulfillment. Other companies also offer online marketplaces, including Target, Walmart, Macy's, eBay, and Etsy. Etsy deserves a special mention. If you have boutique items you might consider looking at Etsy as yet another storefront for your business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you fix my website?
Yes, maybe? The answer is "it depends". It depends on what you have, and what is wrong with it. If you're talking about broken links, bad images or spelling errors, broken layouts, social media issues then the answer is yes, as long as we have access to it. If there is a database issue, or broken integration with a service that no longer exists then the answer is maybe. With access to your services we can diagnose the situation. Once we understand the issue we can make a proposal to fix it.
Do you design websites?
Yes. We provide designs for websites and web-based applications. We can go completely custom, we can use templates, or we can take a hybrid approach and customize a template. If you see a template you like then we can build it. We will work closely with you to understand your constraints and goals, and go from there.
How long does it take?
This can vary wildly. For simple sites with a couple of pages you're looking at a few days turn around from when the project starts. Some of this time is merely waiting for network propagation, testing, validating metrics and data, and iteration on designs as you provide feedback. For more sophisticated projects, such as ecommerce or customized sites it can take a few weeks to a few months before the site is at 100%.
How do I get started?
You can start by contacting us. It would be helpful if you collected your thoughts into a document that we could review together. Ideally the doc would include your goals, your constraints, and any designs or ideas you have. We can help you with the rest. Call, email, or fill out the form on the contact page.
When can you get started?
We can meet as soon as you're ready. Our projects generally happen as a series of milestones (Onboarding, Review, Proposal, Contract, Design, Development, Testing, Go Live). It's OK to spend less time on some milestones, but generally we will go through each for every project. Once terms are agreed upon we will schedule the work. Our projects are starting and ending, and depending on work in progress it could be a week or two before we can begin on yours. We can discuss your urgency in our first meeting.
How much does it cost?
This is the big question. Ultimately, it depends. At the end of the day price comes down to how much time we spend on it, and how much value you get from it. Do you want to retain our services for future updates? If we can save you time, or make you money, then the cost is justified. Simplehack was founded on the idea that we can save time and money for our local community by helping them make better decisions about technology. If price is a constraint then we can work with you to find a solution that meets your budget. Often this means using cookie-cutter templates and 3rd party services without customizations. Frequently this is the best (and fastest) choice for many small businesses.
I already use a service (GoDaddy, Wix, Shopify, etc), does that work?
Yes, likely we can work with your existing providers. We may recommend certain service providers, mostly based on cost, reliability, and reputation, but it's not always necessary to use our recommendations. We love learning about new ways to do things, so if you have a provider that you prefer then we will work with them. We can also help you migrate to a new provider if it makes sense.
What is SEO?
SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is the process of improving your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results. There is an entire SEO industry -- Google is one of the largest companies in the world and it's built on SEO. Serving the right content at the right time is Google's bread and butter. Having a solid SEO strategy can help you get more traffic. SEO is a moving target, and requires monitoring and tuning. Over time the ranking of your site can improve, or decline based solely on competition or how companies like Google change their ranking algorithms. If you have competitors spending money on SEO (targeted advertising, social ads) then you may need to consider it as well.
Can I sell things on my website?
As long as it's legal the answer is most likely, yes. We can help you set up a store, and integrate with payment providers. We can also help you with the logistics of shipping and inventory management. If needed, we can recommend a handful of partners and services providers who will guide you with the legal/tax/financial aspects of the company. Setting up a new store is very exciting, and we can help you get it up and running quickly.
How we help
Simplehack Services
We have ~20 years experience designing and building software for the Web. Here is an overview of what Simplehack offers. Please, reach out if you're looking for something that isn't on this list.
- Technical consulting
- Looking for a way forward on a technical problem or idea? Have a question about your website, or the software you use or want to use?
- Software development
- Need something custom inside of your existing application or website? Have data that needs to be accessible?
- Website and search optimization (SEO)
- Website broken, or not working as expected? Concerned your website isn't optimized for search or appears incorrectly in search?
- Web design and application design
- Looking for a new website, or a refreshed design of an existing site? Need something added to your site? We can help.
- Review expenses
- Review existing tech expenses and make recommendations on how to consolidate and save.
- Helping with Goals / Marketing
- Set goals, and come up with an action plan to measure and achieve them.
- Instructional / Coaching
- Private tutoring for individuals / and small teams.
- Short-term contracting
- We hop on your team to help with short-term projects