The time is here when brands are refocusing on their roadmap for 2023. Most of the festival days for all the regions have been celebrated. Now, agencies are back on the bench to chase the year. Being a merchant, this is the best time to focus on the core development of your e-commerce site and plan accordingly for the significant changes to your store. So the question arises: Are you looking for the best eCommerce development agencies to help bring your digital stores to life again? There are points that merchants and brands should focus on while picking up their development partners. This detailed guide will lead you to find the perfect development partner for your eCommerce store.

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How does this guide help you?

So, being a human, we always seek solutions that remove our headaches and leave us to manage the core functions we are designated to. Being a retail brand or an enterprise owner, what should be the core focus? To address the business that thrives the ROI, reduced cost, and development headaches. While in the everchanging e-commerce industry, it is hard to manage an in-house development team that helps you with new technology and has updated platform knowledge. So, most brand owners will look for solution partners for their commerce projects.  From picking the right technology to finding a team that understands your unique business needs and seamlessly integrates with your existing store, it can take time to know where to start. And that is where the e-commerce development agency fits in. The following steps will help you find the perfect development partner for your eCommerce store.

Filter Criteria

Listed are the points merchants should take care of while filtering the right agency for their eCommerce websites. From your need to signing the contract, understand each point carefully! Let's begin the journey in search of the best eCommerce development agencies. 

Identify Your Needs

Make a list of your requirements before looking for the best eCommerce development agencies. Your "Wishlist" will help you find the right agency to fulfill your needs. Needs such as what kind of e-commerce solution you are looking for? An e-commerce website development, an upgrade of your store platform, or any custom build? Even for scratch development, retailers should have a handy list on their commerce store, For instance, chosen e-commerce platform, Payment and delivery gateway integration, custom shopping carts, multi-language support, Reviews & ratings, and remember the design (theme). Knowing the details upfront will give you an idea of which agencies best fit you. 

Research Agencies

Start your research for the best eCommerce development agencies before committing to development. Ask for references from a professional e-commerce platform. The most trusted way is to ask agencies directly about their forte. Check their services and trust points to show their commitment to e-commerce development services. Don't be afraid to ask questions — after all, they will play a massive part in the success of your business!

Analyze Services and Get Estimates

Once you find the list of your choice with the top agencies, please take a closer look. Read their services and the solutions they have. Whether they provide e-commerce development services or have a varied list of services regarding web design and development? Check if they offer any business model that fits your needs. At this time, dedicated resources and fixed prices projects are working well in the market. A big part of this offering is understanding all the fees involved- does the agency charge for setup, hosting, or monthly maintenance? Knowing these details could help save time in the future when creating your commerce stores.

Schedule a Consultation

Never hesitate to schedule a call with them! Yes, it's essential to talk with them about your development perspective. This could lead you to define how professional, friendly, and cooperative they are. Profession with socialism is what makes the relationship last longer. It helps you with the feedback and solution understanding on how they can help you develop the project. Plus, knowing the answer from the agency on the concerns and questions on development it's easier to move forward confidently. Yes, you have chosen the right partner. 

Assess Contract Terms & Service Levels

So the next step is to ask them about their commercials. It is time for you to assess the contract terms and service levels. Ask questions and cautiously review the details of the offering and proposal. Ensure the scope you have given is clear to them, and the need is well comprehended. Check the project timeline and deliveries they have mentioned with the revies or "check-ins" between you and the agency.  So all is good by now, and you have chosen the right fit as your e-commerce development partner agency. 

What is the best time to invest in development?

We at Navigate Commerce come across this question a lot. Merchants are still determining when could be the right time to invest in eCommerce development. A simple and straight answer is no time fits best for every merchant and their online selling industry. After all, it depends on their demographics, picking season, festivity, sales season, and all.  Defining the right time for e-commerce development is at the beginning of the year! Most of the festivities end in December worldwide. So, merchants hold reports in hand, budgets are estimated, and contracts are ready to get signed off. Most importantly, merchants get to know the glitches during the last sale and get enough time for deployment and testing. 

Conclusion

Ample e-commerce agencies and independent developers are available to get your work done. As a merchant, you need to ask yourself how safe the investment is, what kind of skillset the developer agencies possess, and how supportive as a consultant they are. Following the five steps mentioned above, you can find the best e-commerce agency for your eCommerce store. On a side note, have an agency that helps you grow on a solution base as a consultant and focuses on customer-centric and sales-centric approaches.

At Navigate, we partner with brands, retailers, manufacturers, and e-commerce agencies globally to drive digital commerce and experience success by providing commerce transparency. With our expertise in B2B, B2C, Hyvä implementation, and ERP integrations following Magento and Shopify, we can offer your business an end-to-end solution to help you succeed in the digital world. If you'd like to learn more, reach out to our team today!