Online trading is becoming increasingly popular, especially in times of pandemics. It's a quick and easy way for customers to compare services and products from different brands without leaving home. Customer can visit a store regardless of the time or a day. An online shop enables its owners to be functional 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and at the same time increase sales and thus income.

In order to remain competitive, online companies, including online shops, are constantly improving their Internet presence. Those who have been on the market for a long time should also keep up and adapt the shop to new requirements. If the shop looks outdated, if its functions do not meet customer needs or even complicate the purchasing process, a solution should be considered quickly. Perhaps the best way to completely “repair” the online shop is to relaunch the online shop, or even to create a new web shop. 

Owners usually decide to relaunch the shop or create a new online shop in the following cases:

• The shop has problems with usability. Sometimes the usability cannot be optimized with the help of the old shop system. 
• The design is out of date. It has to be very well thought through, tailored to the product and industry that the business is aimed at.
• The shop is not responsive. 
• The web shop needs new functions that are impossible with the old shop system.
• There is no CMS.
• There are too many extensions or modules that slow down shop performance. 
• Search engine optimization is technically restricted.

Risks when changing service providers

If working with the previous agency is no longer possible or desired, it might be necessary to search for a new service provider. However, one often has different fears when changing service providers. The greatest of these is the fear of wrong decisions. The new service provider bears a lot of responsibility for the company, receives a lot of confidential and sensitive information, sometimes also access to customer data, access to internal company systems and other information. The new company should be very trustworthy! 

Furthermore, the managing directors are afraid of poor quality. Every provider promises excellent service, but do the specialists have the necessary experience to ensure the right high-quality result? This fear is linked to the fact that if the work is done badly, no one will want to revise it. Or it will cost a lot of money.

A not uncommon situation is that the services are not provided on time. A reliable company, which values ​​customer trust, delivers results on time, according to the agreement. The delays are avoided or, in the worst case, communicate delays clearly and in advance.
The reliability means that the service provider is always available, reachable and does not disappear. This mainly affects the companies that are located in distant countries and freelancers. Freelancers, in particular, are associated with higher risks. 

Another fear is that the agency will not guarantee subsequent support. Support and further development are a must for long-term projects and that is why decision makers should attach great importance to finding the right reliable partner. 

The fear of misinformation and lies also occupies the minds of many clients. Business owner don't always know exactly whether the advice is really technical, professional, and whether the additional products or additional services are indeed needed. There is also the fear of receiving untrue information or that significant details will be concealed. Last but not least, there is a fear of overpaying. Often is hard to judge whether the service is really worth the price. Nobody wants to get caught up in it. 

If you are looking for a new e-commerce agency, for example a Shopware agency, it is important to take into account the fact that there are risks of falling for an unreliable agency or an agency with employees who are weak in the area of ​​e-commerce (or who are not sufficiently familiar with your area of ​​activity). 

Many companies work with foreign e-commerce agencies, e.g. from Ukraine. As a rule, such service providers offer cheaper in their hourly rates, while offering high quality at the same time. However, many owners have doubts whether the results will be as expected, whether communication is running smoothly, i.e. without any misunderstandings and surprises. To remove such concerns, it is worth looking at company references, checking with their previous or current customers if necessary, and actually getting in touch with company representatives. As a rule, the managers have excellent knowledge of English and there are no communication hurdles. 

Common Mistakes finding Ecommerce Agency

Too good to be true.  

There's one thing most agencies can do (regardless of the quality of their work), is eye-catching presentations and a well-crafted sales pitch. In addition to the presentations with futuristic animations and colorful designs, it is important that you pay attention to the presentation content. A great way to distinguish one fake agency from another is by the amount of slang they use. Are there too many terms that you don't understand? Maybe they want to impress you.

It is also important to pay attention to whether this presentation is about good content and realistic solutions offering or simply impressing listener with a beautiful design.

The price should be realistic.

Cheap is expensive ... this sentence has never been so true.

An experienced agency takes your wishes and requirements into account, creates working designs, develops and integrates certain solutions of the highest quality, supports your project in the long term, ensures correct SEO optimization in order to add value to your brand and increase your sales. And of course - that costs money. 

And a "cheap" agency can at the end cost you a fortune for poorly rendered services. 

The first is not always the best

Getting to an agency that is number one in Google results is not always the best solution. Although this company has worked wonders to reach the top of search engine, it does not guarantee that it is the best ecommerce agency, has the best shopware developers, can create the best OXID eShop or such a high ranking for your online shop will ensure.

Reasonable Deadlines

Sometimes the agency promises to deliver the service faster than its competitors. This is often done with the aim of winning over the customer at all costs. But keep your mind clear and don't trust unrealistic deadlines. As a rule, the promised deadlines are extended, the work takes more time and accordingly costs more. It is therefore advisable to heed advice from companies that clearly state which deadlines are acceptable and which are not.

Which factors have to be considered when choosing an agency?

Qualifications and experience testimonials

Most of the Agencies publish customer reviews and testimonials on their web page. In fact, reading online reviews and testimonials can provide good clues as to how the agency works with their clients. The projects implemented by the agency in the area of ​​online shops and eCommerce solutions are the best sign of qualifications. If you have already decided on a certain shop software, be it modified eCommerce, Shopware, OXID eShop or another, the references will definitely help with the agency selection, as you can compare finished projects with your expectations. Some agencies go in details and describe what exactly has been done (e.g. Shopware support, development or optimization).

After all, an e-commerce agency has to take care of its own website in order to show its seriousness and competencies. This requires a careful design and an optimized website in terms of:

• Quality of the presentation 
• Good navigation
• Quality of the published content
• Responsive website
• Page load speed
• Website design
• Presence of references, certificates and customer reviews
• Visibility of offers and price transparency

Complete team

The creation of an online shop requires different skills and qualifications. Specialists such as programmers (front-end and back-end developers), designers, project managers are required for a project. Each member has a specific role that is essential for the project to run smoothly.

Values ​​and Positioning

Actually, there are a multitude of Web agencies. Most of them do a great job. However, that doesn't mean your company cultures are the same. It is therefore not only necessary to choose the right professional, but also the right partner.

Also consider your positioning:

• What can the agency achieve on a technical level?
• What is the area of ​​expertise?
• Who have it worked with before?

Costs

Find out more about the conditions of sale:

• Are there any hidden costs?
• Do I have to pay everything in advance?
• How is maintenance carried out?
• What are the guarantees and how does it work?

A good agency will always be transparent on these issues.

KennerSoft, who are we?

KennerSoft is an expert in web development and integration. We support our customers in realizing many web projects: online shops, web services, B2B portals and marketplaces. We use the following technologies for project development: Shopware, OXID, Magento, EspoCRM, KennerPIM and others. 

Why is it worth choosing our agency?

Our agency is located in Germany and the quality is very valuable to us. All legal matters are determined accordingly in accordance with European legislation. This means that the customer is 100% protected.

We take care of the qualitative implementation of your projects with the highest demands on performance, design and user-friendliness. We create the excellent online shop for you and with you, we also take care of digital marketing and are happy to advise you. Our references say more about us.