People say that there are no job descriptions in a startup. Unfortunately, this ambiguity leads to the most common mistake founders make, i.e. trying to do everything on their own.
It is quite understandable that you want things to be perfect, down to the smallest detail. And when it comes to your e-commerce website, this perfectionism becomes necessary. But there are different ways of achieving it, depending on your needs.
A good example of this is a Magento based e-commerce platform. Magento offers both Open Source and enterprise versions. You can further get them developed by Magento developers that may be in-house or freelancer, individual or agency.
What works best for one company may not work for the other. Therefore, you must be clear about your requirements to take an informed decision. Consider the following key factors before you hire a Magento developer:
Degree of Customization:
A web-store can be simple and minimalistic or feature rich with multiple pages. This will depend on your catalog, industry and the kind of user experience you wish to provide. This may be dependent on your target market and several other factors.
The extent to which the site is customizable will determine the kind of skill set you need. However, we recommend that you opt for Magento development services as they are better suited to create a seamless user experience
Complexity:
Like customization, the complexity of the site will affect your choice of developer. A firm with a rich portfolio will be able to balance the site’s functionality and usability without making a compromise on either.
This is necessary as the site should be easy to navigate for an average customer while providing all the filters and plugins that a user might need.
More complexity also means that development needs more time. You can reduce this by having a dedicated team of developers. You can use the resources provided by a consultancy firm to achieve your development goals.
Budget:
The budget as a factor differs from the other factors on this list in the sense that it has a limiting effect on your web-store. Depending on your financial projections and available funds, you can come up with an average amount that you are willing to invest in the development of your e-commerce platform.
But more importantly, you must give due importance to your long-term goals and whether your choice will work out for you in the long run.
Imagine your website without the financial constraints and then determine how you can achieve that with the available funds.
Scope:
You can look at the above-mentioned exercise as an analysis of the scope of your business. It is crucial that your website meets your business needs.
After sorting this out, you will need support and updates to ensure smooth operation. While freelancers only take the responsibility up to the time of delivery, a development firm will assist you over time as its interest lies in maintaining long-term relationships.
This is even more important when you’re looking to scale your operations. You will need constant assistance from the developer. The entity that created the web-store is best suited for upgrading it as and when required.
You need a site that matches your ambitions as a businessman. It is as they say, “a man’s reach should exceed his grasp.”
Size:
The size of your operation will also affect your preferences for development as it will require integrations with other tools such as ERPs. It will also decide whether you opt for the open source or the enterprise version of the software.
These integrations need experts from different domains to work together, which is only possible when you’re working with a firm having a diverse portfolio.
If you work with a firm from the beginning, you’ll have the flexibility to use their services as the size of your operation increases. Freelancers may not be able to assist you beyond a certain point and this may come to hinder your progress.
Conclusion:
Knowledge of the above-mentioned factors will give you important insights into the execution of your e-commerce store. Based on that, you can determine the kind of Magento development services you need to hire.
Before you hire Magento developers, you may get in touch with them and discuss the relevant factors. This will give you a fair idea about the developer while bringing clarity to your analysis.
There’s an old saying that goes, “measure twice, cut once”. The same is true for Magento store development. Before you began, you must be thorough with all the details that go into your website. Your site is your store and you must treat it that way.