How do I find the right e-commerce agency for my online store?

Online retail is becoming increasingly popular, especially during the pandemic. For customers, it is a quick and easy way to compare services and products from different brands without having to leave the house. You can visit a store regardless of the time or day. An online store allows its owners to be operational 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and at the same time increase sales and therefore income, and in order to remain competitive, online businesses, including online stores, are constantly improving their online presence.

Those who have been on the market for a long time should also keep pace and adapt their store to new requirements. If the store looks outdated, if its functions do not meet customer needs or even make the purchasing process more difficult, you should quickly think about a suitable e-commerce solution.

Perhaps the best way to completely “fix” the online store is to relaunch it, or even create a new webshop. 

You decide on a store relaunch or the creation of a new online store in the following cases:

• Problems were found during the usability analysis of the website. Sometimes usability cannot be optimized using the old store system.
• The design is outdated. It has to be very well thought out, adapted to the product and the industry the business is aimed at.
• The store is not responsive.
• The web store needs new functions that are impossible with the old store system.
• There is no CMS.
• There are too many extensions or modules that slow down store performance.
• Search engine optimization is technically limited.

Risks when changing service providers

If it is no longer possible or desirable to work with your previous agency, you can find a new developer. However, people often have various fears when switching service providers. The biggest of these is the fear of making the wrong decision. The new service provider has a lot of responsibility for the company, receives a lot of confidential information, sometimes also access to customer data, access data to internal company systems and other data. The new company should be very trustworthy! 

Furthermore, the managing directors are afraid of not receiving high-quality work. Every provider promises excellent service, but do the professionals have the experience needed to ensure the right quality result? This fear is linked to the fact that if the work is done badly, no one will want to rework it. Or it will cost an enormous amount of money.

A not uncommon situation is that the work is not done on time. A reliable company that values customer trust will deliver the work on time, as promised. The delays are avoided or, if it comes to the crunch, made known in advance.
Reliability means that the service provider is available and does not disappear. This applies above all to remote companies and freelancers. Freelancers in particular are associated with more risks. 

Another fear is that the online store agency will not provide subsequent support. Support and further development are a must for long-term projects and therefore great importance should be attached to finding the right partner.

Many clients are also afraid of misinformation and lies. It is not always clear whether the advice is really professional and whether the additional products or services offered are actually necessary. There is also the fear of receiving untrue information or that significant details will be glossed over. Last but not least is the fear of paying too much. People often despair as to whether the service is really worth the price. No one wants to be taken in. 

If you are looking for a new full service e-commerce agency, e.g. If you are looking for a new Shopware agency, for example, you need to take into account the fact that there are risks of finding an unreliable agency, or an agency with employees who are weak in e-commerce (or who do not know enough about your field of activity).

Many companies work with foreign e-commerce agencies, e.g. from Ukraine. As a rule, such service providers offer lower hourly rates with high quality at the same time. However, there are often doubts as to whether the results will be as expected and whether communication will run smoothly, i.e. without any misunderstandings. To dispel such concerns, it is worth looking at the company's references, asking their previous or current clients if necessary and actually getting in touch with the company representatives. As a rule, the managers have an excellent command of German and there are no communication barriers.

Typical mistakes when choosing an e-commerce agency

Don't be a victim of eye candy

If there's one thing most agencies can do (regardless of the quality of their work), it's come up with eye-catching presentations and a well-crafted sales pitch. In addition to presentations with futuristic animations and colorful designs, it is important that you pay attention to the content. A good way to differentiate one fake agency from the other is the amount of slang they use. Are there too many terms that you don't understand? Maybe they are trying to impress you.You have to pay attention whether it is to offer you good content and realistic solutions or to impress you with a nice design in the presentation.

The price should be realistic

Cheap is expensive ... this sentence has never been so true.an experienced service provider takes your wishes and requirements into account, programs a web store, creates functioning designs, develops and integrates certain solutions with the highest quality, supports your project in the long term, ensures proper SEO optimization to add value to your brand and increase your sales. And of course this costs money. And a "cheap" agency can cost you a fortune due to poorly provided services. 

The first is not always the best

Online store consulting from service providers that are ranked number one on Google is not always the best solution. Although this company has worked wonders to reach the top of the search engine results, it does not guarantee that it is the best e-commerce agency, has the best Shopware developers, can create the best OXID eShop or will ensure a high ranking for your online store.

True deadlines

Sometimes the agency promises to provide services faster than its competitors. This is often done with the aim of winning the customer at all costs. However, keep a clear mind and do not trust unrealistic deadlines. As a rule, the promised deadlines are extended, the work takes longer and costs more as a result. It is therefore advisable to heed advice from companies that clearly state which deadlines are acceptable and which are not.

What factors should be taken into account when selecting an agency?

Qualifications and experience

You can view the client reviews and/or testimonials published on the web agency's website. In fact, reading online reviews and references can give you clues about the agency's collaboration with its clients. The projects implemented by the agency in the field of online stores and eCommerce solutions are the best sign of qualifications. If you have already decided on a particular store software, be it modified eCommerce, Shopware, OXID eShop or another, the references will certainly help you when choosing an agency, as you can compare completed projects with your expectations. Some agencies specify what exactly was 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 demonstrate its seriousness and expertise. 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 loading speed
• Website Design
• Availability of references, certificates and customer reviews
• Visibility of offers and price transparency

Complete team

The creation of an online store requires different skills and qualifications. A project requires specialists such as programmers (frontend and backend developers), designers and project managers. Each member fulfills a specific role that is essential for the smooth running of your project.

Values and positioningg

Tatsächlich there are a large number of web agencies. Most of them do a great job. However, this does not mean that their corporate cultures are the same. It is therefore not only necessary to choose the right professional, but also the right partner.

Also take their positioning into account:

• What can the agency achieve on a technical level?
• What is his area of expertise?
• Who has she already worked with?

Costs

Please also inform yourself about the conditions of sale:

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

A good agency will always be transparent about these issues.

KennerSoft, who are we?

Kenner Soft is a real expert in web development and integration as well as a good technical SAP consultant with many years of experience.we support our customers in the realization of many web projects: Online stores, web services, B2B portals and marketplaces. We use the following technologies in project development: Shopware, OXID, Magento, EspoCRM, KennerPIM and others. Why is it worth choosing our agency? Our agency is located in Germany and quality is very important to us. All legal matters are determined in accordance with European legislation. This means that the customer is 100% protected and we take care of the qualitative implementation of your projects with the highest standards of performance, design and user-friendliness. We create an outstanding online store for you and with you, we also take care of digital marketing and are happy to advise you. Our references tell you more about us.