How To Build an eCommerce Platform To Differentiate You From Competitors

The way of doing business, as well as consumer behavior, has changed dramatically in recent times. The online space has replaced the usual physical stores and other places of sale, offering endless opportunities for businesses and customers. Based on Stackla Report, 67% of consumers have increased their purchases online since 2020, and more than 90% of them are willing to continue this experience in the future. This leads to the emergence of more and more new brands and eCommerce sites, providing an incredible amount of chances for their customers. Researchers declare the existence of up to 26 million eCommerce websites globally. 

The number is impressive, isn’t it? But you shouldn’t despair and give up your dream of becoming a successful eCommerce business. The Powercode team not only knows how to make your ecommerce business profitable and prosperous on the market but also successfully puts it into practice. We have already shared our insights on how to build an E-commerce project in 14 days, and now based on long-term experience, we have identified those aspects, the implementation of which will absolutely distinguish you from your competitors and attract more consumers.

Be yourself and don’t copy anyone

It is crucial always to be yourself. Even if it seems to you that cool companies have gathered around you and you crave to be like them, resist the temptation! No matter how incredible they are, you need to be noticed. Therefore, before developing your platform, clearly list your unique qualities and make them a part of your corporate culture. By relying on them, you can create a unique appeal that no competitor can match.

The main question you must ask yourselves is, Why should people go to my website and buy there rather than choose my competitors? You will identify your benefits and highlight them throughout the platform by answering this question. Be sure to indicate these features on the main page, allocating them in a small block, and write them in detail on a separate page, About Us. We advise you to focus on who you are, what you appreciate, and your main business and personal values ​​. Independently of this, design a section about the history of your creation, not just specifying dry dates and numbers but making them part of your overall image. Let the picture come to life, and allow the consumer to become a part of your team, who supports your principles and shares your beliefs. Insert real live photos of your team members, thereby increasing your credibility.

Demonstrate your expertise 

Clients should see you as a professional, an expert in your field who knows all the intricacies of the area and is skilled at using them correctly to achieve their goals. Even if you are a newcomer, you have what to tell. People are accustomed to trusting those who know more and show professionalism in what they do. Besides selling goods, demonstrate your everyday life and other activities that you do during your business day by incorporating a blog or portfolio page, where you can share news, promotion campaigns and events, and provide more detailed information on your particular product or service. 

Show that in addition to being a responsible and reliable seller, you are also a highly qualified specialist who does not rest on your laurels but constantly researches the niche and the market as a whole. High-quality content should replace common phrases and water. Moreover, from our rich experience of developing various eCommerce products, one of which Foodex24 was regarded as the best online supermarket by the Ukrainian People Award and became a winner at the nomination “Goods delivery – 2020”, we urge you to consider implementing user-generated content (UGC) into your strategy as it has been proven that materials shared by people whom your current and potential customer trust are more powerful and effective. Thus, include customer reviews in different forms, including audio and video podcasts, UGC, and infographics on your platform. Share and promote them through diverse marketing activities like giveaways. 

Tell Your Brand Story Through Appealing UI Design 

Just like a person without their history and background, a business is just a faceless something without a properly told brand story. A compelling brand story actively promotes your company, appealing to customers by highlighting your beliefs and how you can ease their pains. It is a means to passionately express your identity and how you see your target audience, establishing a strong emotional connection for brand loyalty. While providing their services, our UI/UX design experts emphasize the significance and high priority of design storytelling, the main goal of which is to establish an emotional connection between your visual representation and your users. When the audience begins to have certain feelings “traveling around” your platform, when you awaken their imagination, then people will remember you faster. They will want to come back and do their manipulations again.

You can start with careful design of your logo and the way your company name is written. For example, it could be a “hand-drawn” or vintage-styled logo that reflects your specific traits. Be sure to think of a bright and memorable motto and highlight it with design elements on the main page. Think about characters that enhance a brand’s identity and give it life. They can concisely represent concepts, color schemes, and typography. Authenticity is also important. Choose your individual style and keep to it; give preference to designers who have their style and can bring their particle to your product, giving it distinct characteristics.

Focus on Customer Service

A customer needs your attention and care. As we have already written, users of your ecommerce website must be a part of one large community and feel your support at every step of their journey. The best way to do this is through numerous and varied customer services. Do not stay away! A real-time chat box where a person can get a prompt and qualified answer to the question will significantly improve the level of customer trust and loyalty. For example, when developing a message system for Glendeal, a trading platform for agricultural commodities connecting niche sellers and buyers, we ensured the automatic generation of all chat messages that appear in real-time using WebSockets.

Your mobile users will appreciate in-app support and attention to their needs. We are also sure that the implementation of social media and links to your resources, as well as unique photos and descriptions of goods and services, positively affects your brand promotion. Become the invisible guide of your customers by providing consistent customer service.

Provide Great User Experience

You must carefully analyze and address the complete client journey through your resource. At each location where customers interact with your product, emphasize your original distinguishing features, and ensure you deliver a seamless end-to-end customer experience across all channels. We are speaking not only about mapping your navigation system so that customers quickly and effortlessly move to those sections and items that interest them and even further, thanks to a properly built process. 

Consider all the nuances and even more. As an experienced ecommerce websites development company, we pay attention to all UX elements, including smart filtering, favorites and product comparison functionality, predictive search, and others. To easily search by certain criteria and get to necessary requests, we typically design a filtering system and search by the keywords. For example, when we were working on an E-commerce solution for an online gun shop, Yashkina, we had to consider the specificity of their specialization, arms, and related products trade, as well as a great number of indirect or additional items like tourism or hunting equipment, optics, clothes, etc. To clearly categorize allowed and prohibited items, mark them on the website and separate them in the cart, inform users about the legal requirements, and exclude online purchase and delivery options for some goods, we added extra attributes of products managed through the inventory management CRM and Admin panel.

Focus on Mobile-first design 

Given the data that almost 80% of smartphone users have made a purchase online using their mobile device in the second half of 2022 and 30% of them reported that they expect to shop more through mobile devices in the coming year, optimization of the mobile performance of your online store is out of the question. Ecommerce mobile design should include and be regularly checked regarding such key features as dynamic loading, third-party integration, and operation of a mobile cart. UX designers must prioritize the most valuable content when using mobile-first design and enhancing mobile app for ecommerce. They create site navigation and user interfaces that respond best to finger taps. The layout and content of the website should also be modified for viewing on smaller screens. 

Mobile-First Ecommerce Sites make you look at familiar things in a different way. Prioritizing content is necessary because there is limited space available for other components. You have to examine the significance and effectiveness of any feature of the solution. It would be best if you understand your customer’s demands and desires to do it. Thus, such an approach has considerable advantages for your business, including boosting SEO, an additional competitive edge, and increasing economic benefits. 

The Final Insight

Although the eCommerce market is becoming increasingly competitive, you have even more options to set yourself apart from your opponents. Suppose your goal is to become a successful eCommerce business. In that case, you should approach this issue carefully and work through each step, paying particular attention to the crucial eCommerce website components aimed at simplifying the transaction process for your target audiences, such as CTA, checkout, privacy, and integrated payment options. Our team suggests continually assessing a company’s strong and weak points if you want it to be undefeated. By building an intuitive online store with a smooth checkout on any device, you can retain your current clients and attract new ones. Our experts are prepared to consult you on any issues and develop a high-quality, competitive digital solution. Don’t hesitate and contact us!