One of the most important first steps of building an online store is choosing the ecommerce platform that caters to your business needs. In this blog, we will compare the most popular ecommerce platforms in the Middle East which are ecomz, Shopgo, Salla, Zid, Expand Cart and Shopify.
What is an ecommerce platform?
An ecommerce platform is a software tool that allows merchants to manage their website from A to Z including operations, marketing and sales.
Ecommerce platforms like ecomz offer the essential features needed to run a business, while also integrating with common business tools — allowing businesses to centralize their operations and run their business seamlessly.
Why use an ecommerce platform?
- Lower cost
- Brand awareness
- More acquisitions
- Sell worldwide
- Flexibility
- Scalability
- Shopper analytics
- Cost effective
What to look for in an ecommerce platform?
When choosing a platform, there are many things to take into consideration, not just the solution’s store builder capabilities, creating a beautiful and functional online store isn’t enough to have a successful ecommerce presence. It is indeed the first step in the process but one of the biggest challenges is the ability to sell and grow online. Generating traffic to the store, driving customer engagement, increasing conversions and boosting retention are essential to drive revenue. Not all platforms are created equal, having a multi-currency website won’t only drive conversions but is key to creating customer satisfaction. For instance, some platforms only support multi-currencies during product viewing/browsing but don't support currency conversions at checkout. For example, if your customer is buying from France and is based in KSA, he will see the products in Euros, but at checkout he will pay in Saudi Riyal. This could disappoint the customer and would result in cart
The following ecommerce platform comparison will help you assess the key criteria and make an honest assessment of which solution best suits the needs of your business. You can access it here.
At the end, your commitment to customer experience, your market strategy, your operational efficiency and the people you have on your team is what makes your business successful. One of the crucial decisions that would drive success to your business is the ecommerce platform you’re going to use for your online business.
Now you can finally choose the right ecommerce platform for your store which is one of the first steps of building it! To help you kick off your business journey, you can check our comprehensive guide covering the 10 steps to create an online store.
About
Ecomz is an award-winning ecommerce platform driven by a passionate team of experts and innovators in the world of ecommerce and backed by institutional investors such as the World Bank and leading VCs in the region. It is powered by advanced store-builder capabilities, aesthetical CX-focused themes, a comprehensive suite of AI and machine learning-powered tools, in addition to innovative multichannel integrations. It provides its clients with unparalleled local support and guidance focusing on a professional, transparent and growth-driven approach.
Ecomz operates in more than 55 countries, serving more than 7,000 merchants helping them generate over $50M in sales. Named 2018 Top 5 B2B website by Seamless Conference, 2017 Top 10 Business by ArabNet, Ecomz has also been recognized by Google, Disrupt San Francisco (TechCrunch) and MIT Silicon Valley Program for its achievements and has been awarded by the 2018 Touch Innovation Program (TIP) and BLC Bank’s 2018 Brilliant Lebanese Award (BLA).
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