2020 has been a wild ride for e-commerce, hundreds of millions of people are already shopping online, and there’s an increasing rate in e–commerce adoption. The online retail industry is highly competitive. If you want to build an online store, it’s essential to know which is the right e–commerce platform for your business.
What Is the Best E–commerce Platform?
- Shopify – best for getting up and running quickly
- Lazada – platform with a large user base
- Shopee – best for beginners to start at low cost
- Wix – the best all-around e-commerce platform
- BigCommerce – best for large volume sellers
- Squarespace – best for high–quality templates
- Square – best for selling in person and online
- Magento – flexible platform that gives you complete freedom
- WooCommerce – best for business with existing WordPress site
- Volusion – excellent analytics features
If you’re finding the right platform to launch your online store, here’s the low-down on the 3 leading e–commerce platforms – Shopify, Lazada and Shopee.
1. Shopify: End-To-End Solution for Business Owners
Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms that allow entrepreneurs and small-to-medium size businesses to build their brand’s e-commerce store fast. If you want an e-commerce store that you can fully manage from backend: from storefront design to content marketing to performance analytics, we recommend Shopify.
These are the main pros and cons that we think you can expect to encounter if you choose Shopify:
Pros:
- Impressive sales features
- Supports multi-channel selling
- Easy to customize themes and layouts
- Quick and easy setup
Cons:
- Transaction Fees
- Can be costly for those starting a new online store
- Doesn’t support international currency without third party apps
2. Lazada: Southeast Asian Giant
Lazada is the e-commerce leader in Southeast Asia with 137 million monthly visitors. Lazada is owned by Alibaba. That means you will be competing with cheaper Chinese products. However, if your brand offers unique and exclusive products, it’s a good place to start due to its large user base.
The following are some takeaways with things to keep in mind when choosing Lazada:
Pros:
- Easy in-house shipping assistance
- Large user-base
Cons:
- Higher levels of competition with Chinese products
- More costly marketplace fees and accompanying payments with each sale
3. Shopee: A Force to Be Reckoned With
Shopee has a smaller market compared to Lazada, but the main attraction for sellers of Shopee is that it is commission–free, unlike Lazada where you have to pay commission and payment fee per order. Shopee is the go-to platform if you want to start selling online at a low cost and make big money. Here’s what we think are the most important things to remember:
Pros:
- Commission-free selling
- Free shipping
Cons:
- A smaller market as opposed to that of Lazada’s
- No direct communication with the buyer, apart from comments and reviews
Now you may have figured out which is the best platform for your business, here’s what you need to make your online store a success.
Grow Your Online Store with Digital Marketing Strategies
If you’re looking for an e-commerce agency that provides A-to-Z support from start to profit, you’re in the right place. IH Digital offers online store setup, creative executions and marketing services under one roof.
1. Setup Online Store
To start selling online, the first thing you need to do is to set up an e-commerce store. You can either list your products on Lazada and Shopee or establish your own Shopify website.
Each platform has different requirements for setting up a business, so it’s always a good idea to speak to an e-commerce agency like Digital 38 to get professional advice and online store set up.
2. Enhance Product Listing
Your success on online e-commerce platform depends on your use of imagery to drive attention and traffic to your product pages. It means you need high-resolution photos, including close-up images and multiple angles that give the viewer enough visual information to make up for an inability to touch the product.
If you are competing with another company to sell the same product, providing a higher quality photo can make your version of the product more appealing, it entices viewers to make a purchase.
Our content team is familiar with product shooting and creating visual content in different formats. The amount, type, and quality of images we use for e-commerce can not only help to support your ongoing visual design efforts but also increase your seller authority by enhancing the perceived value of products. Contact us if you need help in creating visual content.
Examples of IH Digital’s product photography
3. Improve Product Ranking with Keywords
Aside from producing appealing product photos, it’s also important to have well-written copy. While the image is what gets people to stop, the copy is what convinces them to click through to your page and make a purchase.
Before getting clicks, you must improve the product listing ranking in search results so that your product can be found easily. To rank high in search results, you must research keywords that people are using to search for your product. To convert them into paying customers, you must have a certain level of copywriting skills to write concise, engaging copy that clearly defines the product you’re selling and encourages purchases.
If you’re having a hard time researching keyword or writing product descriptions that convert, let us help.
4. Increase Store Exposure with Social Media Marketing
Once you’ve set up an online store, you then need to think about how you’re going to get people to visit your store. Nobody will discover your online store unless you take the initiative to tell your audience. That’s why online marketing activities is crucial.
You can do regular postings, advertising or social media campaign to build awareness and brand trust. In Facebook and Instagram, you can take your social media posts a step further by creating shoppable posts that include a link directing consumers to your product page.
Instagram shoppable post of Augustinus Bader SG
Social media ads of Kao Men’s Biore #ExtraPowerRefresh Campaign
GIF post of Kao Liese Dimensional Color Campaign
Managing your e-commerce company’s digital marketing strategy takes a lot of time to learn and perfect. When you have other essential duties to handle, dedicating the right amount of effort to e–commerce marketing may not be possible.
And here lies the benefit of hiring a digital marketing agency. We can professionally develop various forms of content, implement and analyse your e-commerce marketing strategy.
Ready to Start Your E-Commerce Business?
Regardless of what platform you choose to sell on, your online store’s success largely depends on a proper digital marketing strategy. If you want to drive traffic and sales for your online business, that’s what we can help.
Starting an online business is not a simple task. It requires a lot of hard work, so let us help you simplify that. Contact us to schedule a consultation with our e-commerce marketing experts.
Explore More Social E-Commerce Article:
- Ecommerce Marketing: Use Instagram To Promote Your Shopify Store
- Facebook Shops: The Driving Force Of Social Commerce
- E-Commerce: The Benefits of A LazMall Store
- Digital Marketing: 5 E-Commerce Best Practices You Need to Know
About IH Digital
IH Digital is an Asia-focused digital marketing agency providing Consultancy, Strategy, Content, Social Media, Media Buy, Web Development, SEM and SEO.
Our team consists of account managers, content and social experts, media buyers and planners, web developers and search experts who are highly experienced in simplifying the complex process of planning and executing marketing campaigns across various channels in multiple languages.
IH Digital is a member of Digital 38 Group.
