As a product of the digital age and an everyday necessity for consumers, ecommerce hasn’t had time to stand still. And the pace of progress over the last few years has been pretty crazy. Customer expectations are always evolving, especially with AI now looking as though it’ll define how we find and buy products moving forwards.
To benefit as much as possible, businesses require websites that can adapt and modernise as quickly as their ambitions grow. So, for brands who invest in ecommerce website development services, it’s no longer about choosing the best platform. Instead, it’s more about building online stores that are always ready for what’s next, whatever that may be.
Beyond the platform debate
For several years conversations around ecommerce tend to centre on comparison; which platform is better, Shopify or WooCommerce? Both are decent and clearly very popular platforms, each offering unique advantages for businesses of different sizes, objectives, and technical requirements.
All business owners are different, even those in similar circumstances, so choice is never a bad thing. The base-level difference between the two platforms is control or convenience. Shopify is fully-hosted, and much like a use out-of-the-box solution. WooCommerce, however, is an open-source free plugin for WordPress that allows businesses to own and customise their online store’s infrastructure and code.
- Shopify takes up 26.2% of the ecommerce platform market share, with between 4.8 – 6.5 million active global stores.
- WooCommerce accounts for 20-33% of the market (depending on methodology), with more than 4.5 million active stores.
- Together, Shopify and WooCommerce power over half of the ecommerce websites on the internet.
But, like we said in the intro, the real question is becoming less and less about which platform, but more about the quality and functionality of the website that sits upon it.
A modern ecommerce site should integrate easily with CRMS, payment systems, stock management tools, and all of the rest of it. We’d list all of the considerations of an ecommerce store owner, but we doubt you have the time. They also need to adapt and evolve without the need for expensive, in-depth rebuilds every couple of years.
AI is becoming part of the toolkit
Artificial intelligence has swiftly moved from novelty to necessity. For some people, too quickly, but we’ll save the dystopian ramblings for another day. Headlines tend to focus on AI-generated content, chatbots, or fake videos online (so many cat videos). But there’s real opportunity amid the novelty of AI, such as how it can be used to improve customer experience and ecommerce website management. If you want to learn more, we wrote a blog about Shopify integrating AI.
Think about it! Business owners can use AI for more intelligent searches and personalised product recs, or even automated customer support if they require it. AI-powered tools help retailers everyday as they provide high-quality, relevant shopping experiences while reducing the lift for owners/employees.
At Studio Illicit, we don’t view AI as a replacement for thoughtful design and intelligent development. Where would be the fun in that? Instead, we treat it as another helpful tool in our kit that can be integrated if it actually adds value. We carefully integrate AI tools to improve client workflows without compromising the personality we love from brands.
People-first design
Despite all of the advances in AI and automation in general, it’s clear that people prioritise buying from websites they can trust. AI is widely used for many purposes, but people aren’t ready to trust it just yet, especially with their money. People can, or think they can, spot the signs of AI-use, which makes designing websites with people in mind more important than ever.
All of the classic features of a top quality website are still essential and relevant. You know, clear navigation, bespoke designs, and fast-loading pages. They all continue to influence a person’s buying decision, and they will continue to do so long after today’s tech trends are old news.
Building for what’s next
No one knows what the future of ecommerce holds, but it’s unlikely to be one defined by Shopify or WooCommerce, or whatever platform comes next. It’ll be shaped by what it’s always shaped by, businesses that are willing to adapt and grow with the times.
That’s why ecommerce website development services need to focus on much more than launching an online store. It goes way beyond that. These services should help you create a store that’s not only fantastic, it’s scalable alongside ever-changing customer expectations and new technologies.
If you’d like to learn more about how Studio Illicit creates intuitive, sleek ecommerce sites that help businesses adapt with the times, we’d love to hear from you. Our ecommerce website development services help our customers enjoy the benefits of a website designed for today, tomorrow, and beyond.