How to Develop eCommerce, Initial Analyses

Designing an eCommerce, first steps  

In an increasingly hectic world, online sales have become an indispensable reality for both the end consumer and businesses. Users are increasingly using more and more means to make purchases, giving rise to what is known as multichannel, a system that allows most sales channels to be linked, both digital and analogue, thus expanding the user experience. Having an eCommerce today therefore represents a springboard into the virtual world that allows you to reach your target audience in a widespread and decisive manner. 

Setting up an eCommerce is no small matter. There are several elements to take into account if you want to develop a project that actually works. 

In this article, we show you what the preliminary steps are to start with the construction of an eCommerce according to the WE RAD mindset. Starting with the RAD strategy model, a strategy created for and with the customer, which creates a participative project where each party makes its contribution. 

A working process that brings satisfying results and gives the opportunity to optimise internal processes, develop and promote eCommerce. 

The RAD Strategy Model is a system we also use internally. Before starting any new project, we stop, think, put our heads together and draw up a strategy that is functional and productive. Knowing where we are going in advance allows us to adjust our aim and respond promptly. 

Let us now see more precisely what this article is about:

- Reflections and project analysis: what questions to ask yourself before developing an eCommerce?

- Market and context study. 

- Competitor analysis, how your industry competitors work.

- Business plan, putting everything on the table.

- The new WE RAD approach.

Focus on the idea

The first step to start with is definitely the idea. Put down on paper the eCommerce site you want to realise, understand what the most important features, pillars and predominant characteristics of the site to come are. 

You need to highlight the identity on which the entire project is based, identifying the Unique Value Proposition, UVP, of your brand. Then start by asking yourself the right questions, such as: 

- Who offers a similar product to yours and what differentiates you from them?

- What does your target audience search for? 

- How can you meet the demands of your target audience? 

- Why should your customers buy your products/services from your eCommerce and not from others? 

Based on the answers you extrapolate from this internal analysis, you will be able to define a strategy and identify a clear identity, which, combined with effective storytelling, will enable you to lay the foundations for a valuable brand identity. 

The market study  

And here we land on the second step. We then get to the heart of the project by carefully studying the market in which the brand is placed. This step is essential to give an idea of how attractive the product or service may be to online users. 

Identify typical customers, Buyer Personas and how their Buyer's Journey, i.e. their purchasing process, develops. 

Outlining these two pivotal elements gives you clarity on the target audience, understanding the type of communication to be used, and creating a tailor-made UX.

Competitor analysis 

In order to learn how to get around on the web, it is important to take a look at how others in the same industry are doing. We are not talking about copying, but simply observing. Understanding how competitors work in the world of online sales can give you interesting insights into how to create the eCommerce site in question.  

So focus on competitors for analysis: 

- Business plan

- Pricing policy

- UX of the eCommerce site

- Warehouse

- Delivery and ancillary costs

- Consumer reviews and feedback

- Brand awareness 

Business plan 

Every brand must have its own business plan, i.e. a strategic and comprehensive plan useful for the company to verify the feasibility of a given product or service, the target audience and to make decisions in terms of expenses and profits. 

The business plan for an eCommerce site must mirror your brand, so it needs to be carefully crafted, paying attention to every element. 

It is good to divide the business plan into macro-areas:

- The project's Value Proposition

- Context analysis (market and competition)

- The existing potential

- The marketing plan

- The necessary resources (budget estimate)

- The team

Don't panic!

Seeing all the things that need to be done before you even start shaping your eCommerce can make you lose heart. It's good to get into the mindset that an eCommerce website, done right, will not only increase your sales, but will give you a way to drive more traffic, convert users into customers, and give your brand much more visibility. 

The new WE RAD approach 

We firmly believe that there is a need to move towards a new way of doing eCommerce. A capillary and precise system that allows all the steps to be put in order, in a clear and simple way. 

With this in mind, at WE RAD we asked ourselves how we could streamline all these steps, providing tools to facilitate the definition of a strategy and optimise internal workflows. We therefore came up with a tool which, together with the RAD Strategy Model, enables the development of more intuitive online sales platforms. We are talking about RAD Commerce, a CMS for eCommerce management for both B2B and B2C. 

To find out more about this, we asked Matteo Chiti, Co-founder of WE RAD, to give us a few more details about this tool. 

"RAD Commerce is the eCommerce solution made with the head, although in reality, the head does not have it. In fact, RAD Commerce is a headless, open source, omnichannel eCommerce design and management tool. We have designed it to be intuitive and simple, guaranteeing high performance with ease of use. 

RAD Commerce has an integrated CMS that gives the possibility to customise the online shop in its entirety, which is why it represents one of the cornerstones of our approach, namely that of collaboration with the customer". 

In conclusion you will have understood that setting up an eCommerce is not child's play, there are several elements to take into account and it is important to follow a previously outlined path. Our approach will allow you to have everything under control and always have the tools you need to move to the next level of the project, so all you have to do is contact us.