What is an e-Commerce website, and what are the stages and benefits of e-Commerce? How can you own an e-Commerce website? As KREABAZ Digital Advertising Agency, how can we support e-Commerce investors? You can find the answers to these and many similar questions in this article and in our e-Commerce Website Design services.
What is e-Commerce?
After 1995, with the growing internet technologies, the structure and dynamics of traditional commerce started to change. In the last 10 years, online commerce, or e-Commerce, which has gained great momentum in Turkey, has become necessary for small, medium and large-sized businesses to take part in the world of e-Commerce.
e-Commerce, or online commerce, can be defined as the realization of all the steps of target market research, marketing, order taking, sales, payment and delivery via e-commerce websites or mobile applications that serve on the internet.
e-Commerce Models
e-Commerce Models can basically be grouped under 4 groups listed as B2B (Business to Business), B2C (Business to Customer), C2C (Customer to Customer) and B2E (Business to Employer).
- B2B (Business to Business): B2B can be explained as the e-Commerce method from company to company. B2B e-Commerce systems are generally used for bulk purchases, and the stages of shopping between two companies are covered here. This type of e-Commerce methods can also be used as closed systems specific to the dealers of companies with a dealer network.
- B2C (Business to Customer): B2C e-Commerce method can be defined as company-to-customer as in retail sales in traditional commerce. Although total sales here are usually in high volumes, the target group is consisting of individuals. Almost all e-commerce sites are examples of such systems.
- C2C (Customer to Customer) : In the C2C e-Commerce model, there is supply and demand between consumers. This e-Commerce model is relatively new compared to other models. The most suitable examples for C2C e-Commerce models are “Marketplace” websites such as GittiGidiyor, All Here, N11, and Trendyol. In these systems, users do not have their own e-Commerce sites, and they open an e-Shop on the marketplace websites, examples of which we have given above, and place their product and service offerings.
- B2E (Business to Employer): The B2E e-Commerce model is e-commerce between the relevant company and its employees. In this model, various discounts, campaigns or products are offered by the company for its employees. Although this type of e-commerce systems is not very common in Turkey, they are used by some large-scale companies.
How to Build an e-Commerce Website?
Establishing an e-Commerce Website is not as easy and fast as it is mentioned. First of all, this should be noted. There are many alternatives and different processes and experiences for companies or people who will start this process. In this context, professional e-Commerce services that you can get by working with KREABAZ Digital Advertising Agency are listed as follows:
- Creating Brand and Corporate Identity: Why do we include brand and corporate identity as a creation in building an e-commerce site? This step is actually the basis of the next steps to be taken. Whether you trade traditionally or online, it does not matter. Having a strong and understandable brand is one of the basic elements that will support the longevity of an e-Commerce website. A strong slogan and logo that describes the product or service you sell will increase the value and quality of the product or service you want to trade in the eyes of your customers. Regardless of the goals, the right corporate identity is an indispensable element as in any business.
- Determining the Domain Name: The domain name is the signature of the brand owned in the internet ecosystem. Domain is just like the ID number that identifies you in the internet world. Just as the ID number is unique to you, domain names are unique to your brand in the world of internet. Choosing a domain name is a step that should be taken very seriously, as it directly qualifies the service you provide, the product categories you offer and the audience you are targeting. As an example, to choice a word like “window” in the domain name of a company that sells shoes, which does not describe the products offered, would harms the brand and company in many technical and non-technical aspects. At this stage, it is very important to carry out serious analysis and research.
- e-Commerce Website Design: You have decided to own an e-Commerce website and do online commerce. Your products, your brand, your domain name are ready. However, you have not decided what kind of design language your website will have. First of all, please note that this step is very important for you. While doing this, you will face with dozens of different criteria including the following:
- Should my e-commerce website be a full page or a different size?
- Which colours should I use on my e-Commerce website?
- Should I use a slider when creating the homepage?
- Which categories should I include on the home page of my e-Commerce site?
- What should be the button sizes on my e-Commerce website?
- What should be the menu structure on my website?
- Should the pages on my e-Commerce site contain texts?
- What should be the quality and dimensions of the images I use on my website?
- How should I create product detail pages on my e-Commerce website?
You need to find answers to many similar questions. What is important at this stage is the determination of UX and UI, that is, user experiences and user interface options. It is recommended to proceed with professional support by performing various perception and user tests for the items mentioned above. We would not want you to lose customers because of a font or image that seems to be pleasant at the first glance.
- e-Commerce Website Software: The most important step that needs to be carefully determined, in addition to creating the brand identity, choosing the domain name, UX and UI processes, is the software language you will use for your related e-Commerce website. Here, we come across many different examples such as special software, ready-made packages, and open source systems. Although each system has its own advantages and disadvantages, two items guide you when choosing: Goals and budget. There is no problem in choosing a system according to the size of your goals and the strength of your budget. However, changing the choice on the go may cause you to allocate a higher budget in the subsequent processes. Our suggestion is to make original designs within open source codes. By opting for open source code infrastructures, you can have a regularly updated, flexible and secure e-Commerce website while optimizing the budget that special software would require. Our motto here is to move forward on the basis of “No Need to Rediscover America”. As KREABAZ Digital Advertising Agency, we provide original, secure and fast systems by using Woocommerce and Magento systems in the most optimal way.
- Hosting or Server Preference: Remember that this stage is directly related to the software language on which the e-Commerce website will be built. Not every software language works in every operating system, and not every operating system functions in every hosting, or their efficiency will be reduced. There are dozens of different server-based software languages available. However, there are different server configurations and operating systems. In this context, it is very important that the software infrastructure used is built on systems that will ensure the most optimal operation and will not interrupt the functioning of the e-Commerce website. Here again, professional support and effective process management come into play. With KREABAZ, you can turn these processes into experiences to be lived at the highest level.
- Payment Methods: Payment methods are one of the backbones of e-Commerce systems. “Payment at the Door”, “Payment by Credit Card”, and “Payment by Bank Transfer-EFT” are mainly preferred in online shopping processes. The important thing here is that your e-Commerce website offers all these 3 payment methods with other possible alternatives. You need to offer different alternatives to your customers, especially in the “Payment by Credit Card” and “Payment by Bank Transfer-EFT” methods. For example, being unable to accept payments with the credit card A by use of the virtual POS C, or to require customers to send payment to a bank B account since you do not have an account at bank A will not be favoured much for your customers. In this context, our recommendation is to have an e-Commerce website ready for every payment scenario.
- Cargo and Accounting Processes: If you have reached this stage, it means that you have properly completed the above steps. The main goal here is to complete the cargo and accounting steps, which are the continuation of the purchasing processes in an automated manner and in a way that meets the requirements of the e-commerce website. What does this mean? Commitment to automation is building a workflow where human control and requirement is minimal or absent. Here, after the product is purchased, the stages of shipping the product, issuing the invoice and delivering it to the customer are automated through certain integrations. Just think! The product was sold, the invoice was issued automatically with the integration of the accounting program and an e-mail was sent to the customer. The cargo information of the product ready for delivery was also conveyed to the customer after the relevant cargo company created the relevant records. All you have to do is pack the product. In this way, you can save both time and money and use them for the necessary marketing processes.
- Customer Satisfaction and Communication: Although this stage is not directly related to KREABAZ services, while developing the e-Commerce website, you need to develop infrastructures that will enable e-Commerce customers to communicate with the website owner in the fastest and most effective way. Offering e-mail addresses, e-Form modules, Whatsapp buttons, online customer support units and so on the relevant e-Commerce website are among the opportunities offered by KREABAZ.
Secure e-Commerce Systems
The most important factor to be considered while developing an e-Commerce website is security. There are many different processes and steps when taking security measures for related systems. However, it should be noted that this is not a short-term work. While taking security measures, there are basic things to do, such as using an SSL certificate and activating 3D payment methods. However, you should also regularly and continuously update your software infrastructure against new methods of attack. Outdated software language and database versions cause security gaps on the e-Commerce site. When deciding the platform on which e-Commerce website will be built on, it is very important that you pay attention to both the systematic power of the software language used and the updateability of these software languages, and the technical competence of the team you receive services from. As KREABAZ Digital Advertising Agency, we not only regularly audit the infrastructures we use, but also put them through various security tests, aiming for our customers to have a secure e-Commerce experience.
e-Commerce Systems and Legal Processes
Electronic Commerce Law is a concept within the Information Technologies Law. With the e-Commerce Law and the Regulation on Distance Contracts, which were put into effect in 2014, various legal arrangements were made in Turkey.
With the newly developing e-Commerce systems, the legal regulation requirements in this area are increasing. The steps between the customer and the seller, including the protection of personal information, the right of withdrawal, product return processes, and safe shopping are guaranteed by the law. In this way, mutual rights are protected in e-commerce relations.
With the implementation of the law, various responsibilities came into effect for both buyers and sellers. The main goal here is to protect the rights and responsibilities of both parties within the framework of legal regulations.
We carry out these legal requirements in consultation with legal consultants who are experts in the field or we can establish constant communication with the experts you will appoint for this task.
Benefits of e-Commerce
While doing e-commerce, the goal of every business is to generate revenue. If these processes are carried out with continuity and confidence while generating turnover, the scope and volume of the benefits to be obtained through e-Commerce websites will be greater. The following benefits can be definitely obtained by carrying out every necessary step with professional support.
- Having a 24/7 open store,
- Having a store with lower budgets compared to traditional trade,
- Presenting thousands of different products to your customers,
- Having the opportunity to use dozens of Search Engine Optimisation Services,
- Having the opportunity to sell to someone anywhere in the world,
- Being able to present your products or services to a wide group,
- Having the opportunity to reach your existing customers again by using various digital marketing techniques,
- Saving time and budget,
- Providing more comprehensive information to your target group about your products by presenting various content such as videos, photos or texts,
- Receiving continuous and regular feedback to improve your products or services,
- Being able to market with lower budgets compared to traditional marketing,
- Creating brand awareness faster,
- Promoting your products or services on different platforms by integrating with market places.
With KREABAZ Digital Advertising Agency, you can manage all the processes of establishing an e-Commerce website professionally using the available digital and traditional marketing methods. All you have to do is contact us.
