For many entrepreneurs, starting their own e-business is a great opportunity for a relatively simple way to generate profit. After all, today e-shopping is something completely commonplace. Users buy online not only hard-to-find items that are not necessarily readily available in hypermarkets, but also order clothing, food, gardening products, furniture, paintings, etc. The financial threshold does not have to be particularly high either. You can start with a few hundred zlotys to publish a fully functional e-shop online. However, will investing small funds in a cheap online store translate into satisfactory sales results? However, maybe it is better to assume a larger budget, which will be allocated to more effective solutions that will be better suited to the industry, users, and promotional potential?
One of the most important decisions to be made before opening an online store is choosing the right e-commerce platform. There are dozens of solutions to check, which differ more or less from each other. Some have a larger range of functions, others have greater marketing potential, and others will not require a lot of service from the person running the store. There is no universal solution, even though open platforms can be adapted to almost any need. From a business point of view, it is desirable to ask yourself what type of platform will be optimal for your e-shop. There are many decision-making factors.
The very differentiation on the e-commerce market in terms of available solutions and sales platforms is justified. The needs are different and the described platforms must satisfy this diversity. Note that the sheer size of this or that online store determines the use of various solutions. The division that functions between platforms boils down to platforms operating on the so-called open source and SaaS (Software as a Service) platforms, i.e. subscription solutions.
Open systems are very flexible in terms of their creation. They perfectly find themselves in working with diverse e-commerce environments. The premise of these types of platforms is that, as the name suggests, it is open source, easily accessible and free. Of course, they can be "enriched" with paid functions necessary for the development of e-commerce. It is also worth noting that the "freeness" of open platforms may be apparent. Platforms such as PrestaShop, Magento or WooCommerce provide source code and ... that's it. You have to be able to handle it, know how to implement it, how to equip it with functions, how to connect it to payment, logistics, discount systems, etc. Finally, such a basic version has a specific, basic design, the use of which is related to the fact that our the e-shop will not stand out, it will not have an individual style. So it's bad for the image. In order to "get it all", you should know at least the basics of programming, HTML or CSS languages, know what is an absolute "must have" for a positive reception of an online store by users. If we are not familiar with these issues, we will need to hire a specialist or an agency that will do everything efficiently and professionally.
Stores operating in the subscription model are delivered as software in the cloud. By paying for the subscription, we get the entire ready infrastructure, as well as servers that maintain the e-shop.
On the one hand, the great advantage of "Saas" stores is that you can start selling immediately. However, on the minus side, there are limitations that the store owner will have to face when developing it. Although payments, shipments, and basic solutions are available, implementing something non-standard is often impossible. Small shops will not feel it, but medium-sized ones will meet the wall at some point and will not be able to develop. Subscription platforms do not allow you to run with ingenuity beyond standard online stores.
The answer can't be anything other than "it depends". From what? among others whether we want to quickly start with e-sales by publishing a well-configured, functional online store. If this is a priority, then the choice must fall on subscription platforms.
However, if we want the online store to stand out with its design, functionality going beyond standard solutions, facilitating marketing campaigns, or enabling full integration with the systems of suppliers cooperating with the store, the only right decision seems to be the choice of an open source platform.
Referring to the issue of the cost of an open source solution, the price spread can be quite large. And it doesn't necessarily mean that something will work better or worse. Some e-shops do not require the implementation of certain functions, while in others it will be necessary to use something completely individual. So let's see what the differences are, what will be appropriate for a particular online store.
For people who want to start an exciting adventure with online sales, solutions that will help avoid the tedious "digging" in the codes come to the rescue. You can successfully use the online store configurator , which will guide you through all stages of setting up a sales platform. The extensive tool is simple and allows you to independently create a modern, visually refined and fully functional e-shop. Then we do not burden ourselves with monthly subscription costs. Configuration is extremely simple and intuitive with full control over the project. An online store can be quickly adapted not only to individual requirements, but also, which is very important, to market realities.
We can also be calm about hosting, which is guaranteed at the start, as well as SSL certification, which is extremely sensitive to the store's security, and domain registration. A very important issue in terms of starting online sales is that we do not have to use programming tools when setting up a store. The whole process is highly automated and allows you to open a store even in an hour.
One of the biggest advantages, apart from the instant configuration, is the relatively low entry threshold in the form of a one-time fee, which can be as low as PLN 1,000. In this amount, we get full access to files, source code, database, which allows us to freely introduce modifications that will develop the store at any time. The advantage is also that there are no limits on the number of products or orders.
The store developed on an open source platform in a fully individual version will be armed with everything that the economic version has, but it will gain on several levels. First of all, the entire design will be individually developed. We also get access to programmers who, if necessary, will be responsible for the migration of the e-shop or various types of integrations with external partners. The entire project will be supervised by a project manager who will be responsible for the efficient process of creating a professional online store . When it comes to the valuation, we can use a detailed tool that, after completing all the information, will give us the cost to be expected in the entire implementation. When deciding, for example, on dedicated graphics, we must take into account the cost of at least several thousand zlotys. By adding various types of functions, a blog, or e.g. reporting the need to develop a logo, the costs will increase.
There are many possibilities leading to effective online sales, and it is the specific needs of an online store that should determine what we choose. Let us remember, however, that boxed platforms (SaaS) will limit the development of the store at some stage. There is much more potential in open source platforms, but higher initial costs should be taken into account.