Choosing the Best Ecommerce Developers
There are hundreds of developers that claim to specialize in ecommerce. However, finding the ones that actually have the right experience and expertise requires a deeper examination. When compiling our table, we considered multiple aspects, from the services they offer and customer satisfaction to the team’s skillset and the technologies they’re proficient in. Here’s a detailed overview of the evaluation methodology supporting our rankings:
Website Visit & Testimonials
Our first stop is the company’s website. We take a look at the clients’ testimonials, which help us uncover what points the ecommerce web developers are strongest in. It should be noted that we don’t settle only for the testimonials found on a company’s website—we also analyze reviews from past clients and even employees on third-party sites and directories.
Furthermore, we scout each agency’s portfolio to establish its team’s experience and expertise. More specifically, we check how successfully they met their client’s goals and whether they were able to customize solutions according to the client’s preferences. Going a step further, we visit the websites they’ve created and test them to uncover the quality of their work.
The Primary Features of the Top Ecommerce Sites
Security Certificates
Security is one of the most important ecommerce features because its absence puts both the store owners and their customers at risk of payment fraud. Also, customers want to do business with brands they can trust with their information. So if we notice that the website doesn’t have an SSL certificate, it raises a red flag, and we leave it immediately—thus weeding out the ecommerce development company in question.
Mobile-Friendliness
Statistics on mcommerce show that sales made using a mobile device will account for more than half of all ecommerce sales by 2021. What’s more, Google already announced that sites without a mobile-friendly version will suffer SEO consequences. To ensure the agency has experience providing sleek, mobile-friendly sites, we test them on a mobile device.
A Clean, Sleek, & Intuitive Design
Sites with robust UX leave a better impression and provide a seamless shopping experience, helping customers feel comfortable shopping. With this in mind, each ecommerce website development company must deliver the following:
Straightforward and Well-Thought-Out Navigation
You want to make it easy for customers to find what they’re looking for, filter the results, or go back to the homepage regardless of the page they landed on. Also, the search bar needs to be easily accessible, and the menu labels should be descriptive.
Effective Product Presentation
The product pages shouldn’t be overloaded with information that overwhelms users because doing so could distract them from making a purchase. Companies specializing in ecommerce web design services should analyze the target audience and provide the essential information they require. This means describing the specific products or services while maintaining the right balance of data for a single screen. Additionally, product pages need to contain professional-looking, optimized images that entice users to buy.
CTAs That Trigger the Right Response
Without a powerful CTA, one can’t expect to convert customers. That’s why we take special note of the agency’s ability to create compelling CTAs that seamlessly lead the reader to complete the desired action.
A Fast & Smooth Checkout
Shopping cart abandonment statistics have shown that 34% of shoppers have abandoned carts because they were required to create an account to complete their checkout. So an ecommerce web development agency must be able to deliver a fast checkout process without any unnecessary glitches. Additionally, the company should provide a guest checkout option while also focusing on a mobile checkout UX.
Secure Payment Gateway Indicators
Storing credit card numbers in your database leaves you open to hackers. To stay on the safe side, the developer should ensure that your payment gateways are secure. Most of them use third-party processing systems like PayPal, Skrill, and Stripe.
An In-Depth Analysis of Ecommerce Development Services
After an initial appraisal of the services offered, we move on to a deeper analysis. We try to determine the agency’s industry focus and the size of the businesses they work with. Often, this info isn’t provided on the website, so we contact them directly. Then, we uncover the details associated with the relevant services.
Ecommerce Websites Based on the Participants’ Needs
Ecommerce involves two parties: a business and a consumer. Considering this, there are several types of ecommerce websites, all of which require a different marketing approach, as well as different technical and UX requirements. Few ecommerce development companies will deal with them all, which is why we make sure to uncover what areas they specialize in.
Here are the specifications of the most important ecommerce website types:
B2B commerce refers to the process of selling goods and services between businesses via an online sales portal. Generally, this involves wholesale distributors or manufacturers selling goods to retailers.
B2C describes transactions from a business to an individual consumer. Typically, it involves online retailers selling products directly to consumers.
C2C is a business model that involves commerce between customers. Essentially, this type of commerce connects people who are trading products or services.
C2B enables individuals to sell products or services to businesses and organizations. Usually, it involves a consumer placing requirements that a business then fulfills.
Ecommerce Websites Based on the Type of Platform
The ecommerce platform represents the software that runs the website. Ecommerce developers have skillsets that vary depending on what platform they use. Each platform has different features, as well as a different infrastructure and procedures to set them up. In the sections below, we elaborate more on each of them:
SaaS
Saas, or software as a service, refers to software that’s available for the end user, typically via a web browser interface. It’s a type of cloud computing program hosted by a third-party provider. Essentially, it offers a ready-made solution that just needs to be set up with your business info and products. This also includes website and store management. Shopify and Volusion are some of the best-known SaaS ecommerce platforms. They come with their own backend, which developers then extend depending on the clients’ requirements.
The ecommerce developers on our list dealing in this kind of service are verified for their skills with the following:
Custom theme development
Custom app development
Existing online store migration from and to the SaaS
What This Means for You
You get a fully functional website sooner.
The design process can often be skipped.
The SaaS provider completely handles the server hosting and maintenance.
Your only access to the store is a web-based backend.
Customization can be limited.
Along with the cost of the development company, you’ll have ongoing monthly and/or annual expenses for the software itself. This increases if you decide to scale your online business.
There’s often an additional fee for each transaction made on your store.
PaaS
PaaS, or platform as a service, is an advanced cloud computing option good for handling complex aspects for even the largest ecommerce companies. On it, customers can develop, run, and manage apps without the complexity of building and maintaining the infrastructure. Users can therefore also install apps and data sets without this hindrance. Magento, XCart, PrestaShop, ZenCart, and OpenCart are some of the best PaaS ecommerce options.
The companies on our list that deal with this kind of service are verified for the following:
Custom theme and overall front-end development
Custom module and plugin development
Existing online store migration from and to the platform in question
Hosting and maintenance
What This Means for You
You get bigger flexibility in customization than what SaaS provides.
You’re responsible for maintaining all the aspects of your software, like security patches, software updates, and hosting services.
You can avoid your online store’s transaction fees.
Ecommerce website developers might offer pricing models ranging from completely free or up to $15,000 a year all the way to pay-per-use or fixed fees.
Open-Source Platforms
An open-source platform makes its program code available, allowing developers to modify, improve, or re-engineer it. The best examples of an open-source platform are WooCommerce, paGO, and VirtueMart from Joomla, Drupal, CS-Cart, and JugoShop. These often come with a backend that can be fully customized.
The ecommerce developers on our list dealing with this kind of service are verified for the following:
Frontend, backend, and/or full-stack coding capabilities
Existing online store migration from and to the platform in question
Hosting, security, and maintenance
What This Means for You
There are endless customization options and a great potential for scalability.
You get complete control over your online store.
There are no additional expenses, except for hosting and development.
Custom Developed
Custom-developed platforms make it possible to build online stores from scratch, top to bottom. The best ecommerce developers offering this will be experienced in the Phalcon, Symfony, CodeIgniter, and Zend frameworks. They need to be able to code anything for the storefront as well as all of the backend functionalities, not to mention a custom CMS.
What This Means for You
You have full control over your online store.
It’s the most expensive option of all.
You get unlimited custom ecommerce development and scalability opportunities.
It takes a very long time to develop a fully customized site.
Additional Services
Our research has shown that some companies offer extra services, so we analyzed those too. While it isn’t mandatory, the companies that provide them get a boost in our rankings.
Design
Although design can be handled by a dedicated web design company, some of the entries on this list are also dedicated ecommerce website design companies. Since design is one of the most essential aspects of building an online store on PaaS or open-source platforms, having it done by a team who can bring it to life is always a better choice. If we determine that the agency offers design services, it undergoes scrutiny based on the evaluation criteria we employed for web design companies and UX design companies.
Content
A good content strategy should give users all the product information they need in a concise manner that’s relatable. Usually, ecommerce web design companies provide lorem ipsum content that then needs to be filled in. However, there are some that provide custom content. When it’s the latter, we try to verify whether they have a dedicated team of writers and editors who follow the best practices in content strategy. Most importantly, they need to be able to support your specific business goals.
Search Engine Optimization
When opening a brick-and-mortar store, you won’t just fill it up with products on the shelves and wait for the customers to pop in—you need to let potential customers know where and how to find you. The same applies to online stores. Think of SEO as having your store in the right location so customers can easily reach you when they’re looking to shop. Ecommerce web developer providers can offer a basic on-site SEO setup or full-blown packages. Either way, they must adhere to the principles we established in our methodology for SEO companies.
Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is all about promoting a product online with the end goal of satisfying your target customer’s needs and influencing them to take action. The power of digital marketing is undeniable—you could reach millions of potential customers within just a few hours. Some ecommerce companies also offer in-house digital marketing packages, in which case they need to tick all the boxes in the evaluation criteria we developed for digital marketing companies, PPC companies, and SMM companies, respectively.
An In-Depth Analysis of the Required Skills and Technologies
The team’s ability to perform specific tasks, code, and understand multiple programming languages is just as important as the services they offer. So if you’re looking for an accomplished ecommerce company, here are the aspects we consider during our in-depth analysis of the skills and technologies it should offer:
Programming Languages, Frameworks, and Technologies
Being proficient in certain programming languages, as well as the relevant frameworks and technologies, is paramount, especially for developers dealing with PaaS and open source. On a company-level, they need to be able to deliver top ecommerce solutions and have full-stack capabilities, from making a design live all the way to database connectivity.
Frontend Development
This is what your end-user sees. It’s what entices them to give your site a chance. Therefore, UI/UX designers work to make the website look great, load fast, and increase responsiveness.
Languages
HTML provides the building blocks to all sites, making it possible to format the appearance of images, text, page layouts, and so on. Experience in this is a no brainer for any professional ecommerce developer.
CSS is a markup language used to create an appealing ecommerce site. This style sheet language controls the look and feel of the content written in HTML. The main benefit of CSS is faster page loads and improved performance.
JavaScript is an essential programming language with dynamic capabilities, and it’s supported by virtually all web browsers. Usually, it’s used for more interactive elements like drop-down menus and contact forms.
JQuery is a feature-rich JavaScript library that serves for HTML document traversal and manipulation, animation, event handling, and more.
Frameworks
The best ecommerce developers use a variety of frameworks—like Bootstrap, Angular, React, or Vue—to make the task of building an online store easier while enhancing the site’s usability and functionality.
CSS Preprocessor
A CSS processor is a program that makes it possible to generate CSS from its own unique syntax. Preprocessors serve to extend the default capabilities of CSS, making it easy to automate repetitive tasks, reduce the number of errors, ensure backward compatibility, and create reusable code snippets. Sass, Stylus, and LESS are the most popular CSS preprocessors, all with great advanced features unique to their own ecosystem.
Testing Frameworks
Testing frameworks are sets of guidelines regarding coding standards, object repositories, test-data handling methods, and more, all used to create and design test cases. Each testing framework comprises a combination of tools and practices designed to help QA professionals enhance their testing during the ecommerce development process. The most popular frameworks for JavaScript are Jasmine, Jest, and Mocha.
Git Version Control
Version control is a special system that records changes to a document. Its process involves distinguishing a series of draft documents that lead to the final version. Git is an open-source version control system that can efficiently handle both small and large projects with multiple branches.
Browser Developer Tools
Browser developer tools are beneficial as they audit the HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, pointing out which assets the page has requested and how long they took to load.
Web Performance Automation Tools
Many of the best ecommerce developers use web load testing tools like Grunt and Gulp. These tools create a repeatable workflow that ensures the app performs even in maximum traffic conditions.
Backend Development
Languages
Java is a multipurpose programming language mainly used for enterprise-level sites. Stable and secure, Java is used by some of the largest companies for building backend web system or desktop apps.
PHP provides robust CMS opportunities, and it’s especially good for ecommerce store development. Additionally, it has well-organized documentation, intuitive syntax, and logic. Its official resource provides ready-made PHP solutions to simplify the coding process.
Ruby on Rails represents flexible and dynamic scripting languages used for building clean and high-quality apps with HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files.
Python has a simpler syntax than other backend languages, and it includes a variety of modules and packages, ensuring great flexibility.
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Frameworks
.NET is developed by Microsoft and includes a large class library and reliable code, which makes it a popular choice for businesses.
Django is a high-level framework written in Python. It’s open source and best known for encouraging clean and rapid development.
Express is used to build web apps in Node. It provides a suite of robust features for creating multi-page or single page web apps.
An ecommerce development company may also be familiar with other notable frameworks like Rails, Laravel, Spring, and Zend.
Database Management
Relational Database Management System
An RDBMS is a subset of database management systems designed specifically for relational databases. These store data in a structured format, thereby relating values within tables. These tables can also be related to other tables, which allows users to run queries across different tables. MySQL is the best-known RDBMS.
NoSQL Database Management System
NoSQL stands for “Not Only SQL” and provides an alternative to traditional databases, accommodating a wide range of data models, including columnar and graphs, key-value, and document formats. The best example of a NoSQL DBMS is MongoDB.
Security Technologies
When it comes to ecommerce web development services, security is extremely important. There are a number of technologies that the best sites follow. These include the following:
SSL for website traffic encryption
