With advanced technology these days, ecommerce has had many breakthroughs. One of the biggest came from Microsoft in the form of an open-source architecture called ASP.NET. It is open to any developer who wants to build a .NET ecommerce platform, and this has led to many of them grabbing the opportunity. Demand for ecommerce has been fueled by the implementation of 4G and 5G internet connectivity all over the world, which has increased online shopping.
According to the Grand View Research website, business-to-business (B2B) has dominated with a market share of over 61.3 percent in 2019. Out of these businesses, 95 percent of them have an online presence. The use of the .NET ecommerce platform by both B2B and B2C is growing, and it is expected to contribute to a projected revenue of USD 27.15 trillion by 2027.
Currently, many entrepreneurs are seeking the best ASP.NET ecommerce platforms to launch their businesses to enjoy a slice of the pie. Experts recommend taking time to do thorough research on which ecommerce platform is best. Reading this guide will be a game-changer in your decision-making.
Considerations When Buying a .NET Ecommerce Platform
Now that you have the option to choose a .NET ecommerce platform, you should check the qualities that qualify one to be among the best. The current boom can bombard you with a lot of information, but according to Matrid Technologies, it is crucial to consider important factors that will help you make the right decision. We will share the popular and most important considerations to make when buying such a platform.
Website and products page building
The biggest and most important step when launching a new web shop is building a selling platform. With a .NET ecommerce platform, you are required to build a products page and add all products you intend to sell.
But vendors should get a lot more with this capability: unique themes, templates, and other customizations. Most importantly, the marketplace should provide a great user experience.
Multivendor capability
Many vendors ignore this important feature, but they should take it seriously. An ASP.NET ecommerce marketplace that provides multivendor capabilities allows all hosted vendors to manage their product pages at any time from any place.
As soon as you subscribe and create an account, the platform gives you a products page or integrates your website, where you can edit the products’ details as you want such as changing the price of a product or adding or deleting products that are no longer in stock.
Multiple selling channels
A platform with multichannel selling capabilities increases the chances of making more revenue. It is up to the vendor to choose a platform that will work for them, for instance, Facebook, Instagram, Amazon, and any other. This means a vendor can directly influence the sales of their products.
Luckily, many .NET ecommerce platforms support multichannel selling capabilities, and this will be clear on the list of their solutions. You can also check if this capability works well from the reviews given by previous users. No wonder, a vendor should join the community platform first to get these insights.
Headless ecommerce solutions
Many .NET ecommerce platforms offer headless solutions. After all, the solution is trending because it benefits the vendors. So, what is it all about? This is a solution where the ecommerce platform takes responsibility for all back-end operations and leaves the vendor to focus on the products and customers.
It decouples the roles or separates them into two: front-end and back-end operations. This capability makes operations convenient and smooth.
Inventory management
Whether it is through integration or an internal solution, a reputable .NET ecommerce platform should provide a great inventory management solution. Vendors rely on inventory data to understand sales and customer trends to make decisions.
According to experts, there are many solutions, and your preferred ecommerce platform should have at least one. So, check well.
Secure payment solutions
How can a .NET ecommerce platform function without a payment solution? Definitely, it cannot. The big question here is whether or not it is secure enough to build a positive reputation.
Fortunately, many ASP.NET ecommerce platforms work with reputable financial institutions to provide customers with secure and reliable payment solutions.
One more thing to check before buying such a solution is the payment options. For B2Bs, it is good to have as many international payment solutions as possible.
Top Reasons to Use .NET Ecommerce Platforms
Vendors should not only know the features to check but also the reasons to use a .NET ecommerce platform to launch their businesses. There is a reason why these solutions are used by over 95 percent of B2B that has an online presence through an ecommerce website. These can also be considered the benefits of using the ASP.NET ecommerce platform compared to others.
- To enjoy easy onboarding – One of the challenges faced by new vendors is launching their businesses successfully. From the earlier insights, a .NET ecommerce platform has amazing features that enable vendors to build a products page and launch their webshop. Experts confirm that these platforms are best for launching a new product on the web.
- To promote business scalability – The biggest reason for using a .NET ecommerce platform, and not any other, is to actualize the potential scalability of your business. Microsoft has provided enough resources for developers to equip their ecommerce platforms with scalability resources. If you are looking forward to growing your business with a cloud-based ecommerce solution, then the ASP.NET ecommerce platform is the best for you. However, it is worth confirming all the provided features to ensure they will grow your business upward.
- To enjoy an industry-standard marketplace – Microsoft has assured developers that their architecture will provide an industry-standard marketplace. Vendors have a reason to smile about this because most .NET ecommerce platforms are basically very competitive. But if you are keen enough, you will notice that some platforms are more equipped and prepared for business than others. No wonder, it is essential to work with an expert to understand every concept in a better way.
- To get the best user experience – BO Technologies has written that one of the main reasons to use an ASP.NET platform is for shoppers to enjoy a great user experience. These marketplaces have smooth websites that load easily, make it possible to navigate through search and filter buttons, and personalize customers’ shopping through cookies.
- To enjoy marketing and SEO tools – Most vendors want to influence the sales in their businesses. One of the options they have is to use marketing and SEO tools provided by the platform. If you understand how important it is to increase the online presence of your B2B or B2C, then you will prefer to use a reputable ASP.NET ecommerce platform. All of them have these solutions.
- To enjoy integration with other tools – Business tools are always evolving. There will always be one more that you need to perform better. Luckily, a .NET ecommerce platform comes with numerous Office 365 tools and apps that are integrated for your use. Although they are paid tools, they are very useful to vendors, who can adopt them at any time. Some even provide users with many other integrations from other reliable sources such as Azure services and CRMs.
- To get affordable ecommerce solutions – Although it costs money to develop an ecommerce solution, Microsoft helps the developers to cut the costs by providing an open-source framework. Generally, this benefit trickles down to vendors. One of the reasons why .NET ecommerce platforms are popular today is their affordability. As a vendor, you can also compare the prices of the solutions from different developers.
Challenges of Implementing a .NET Ecommerce Platform
Is it all a bed of roses? Even though some .NET ecommerce platforms enjoy a very high market share according to the Statista website, these platforms are faced with similar challenges that vendors should know to be ready. While using an ecommerce software solution or platform with ASP.NET architecture, expect the following challenges.
- Payment and data security challenges – Hackers are not limited to any particular opportunity. They hack anything that is online and attempt to steal money. Most ASP.NET platforms are constantly looking for better solutions to encrypt all data to avoid any form of hacking. Although most of them have so far managed to maintain high levels of payment and data security, an attack may go through at any time.
- Resource challenges – Another challenge vendors have when trying to launch a business with a .NET ecommerce platform is the lack of enough or the right resources. Although these platforms have many tools, apps, and solutions, a vendor might not get the exact resources that they are looking to use to launch their business how they want. This can be solved by consulting an expert for help using the available resources to launch a successful business.
- Financial constraints challenge – When buying a .NET ecommerce platform, vendors are required to choose a budget that suits their needs. Solution developers limit resources in cheaper packages and offer all solutions in premium packages. This might not be convenient for an online business entrepreneur. However, comparing the packages from different sellers might help you identify a suitable package. It can also be advantageous to work with solution providers who offer customizable services.
- Update challenges – Lastly, there can be the challenge of getting updates from the platform seller. If updates do not offer resources with a competitive advantage, security enhancements, and other benefits, the vendors might get shortchanged. Fortunately, the best ecommerce platform options provide updates and integrations with amazing ecommerce solutions.
Conclusion
Using a .NET ecommerce platform to launch and manage an online business has many benefits. Whether you are completely new in the ecommerce sector or trying to look for a better solution for your ecommerce B2B or B2C, the insights discussed in this article will benefit you.
It is a comprehensive guide covering important considerations when selecting an ecommerce platform to help you choose the best, reasons to choose such a platform, and the challenges expected, as well as their solutions.