Choosing the Right Ecommerce Business Consultant

An ecommerce consultant is an independent professional who can provide first-hand advice and practical insight surrounding ecommerce. Most ecommerce consultants offer business consulting services on everything from marketing plan and conversion optimization to basic user experience and usability. The fact is that ecommerce has been growing dramatically over the past decade, and much more is yet to come in the area of ecommerce website development. As a result, there is a massive demand for ecommerce consultants who are skilled in a wide range of functional areas and technical skills. In order to capitalize on the rapidly improving ecommerce industry, it pays to do some research on your specific ecommerce needs before hiring a consultant. Below are some of the more important tips to get you started:

It is important to conduct a thorough analysis of your ecommerce needs. There are many different ways to analyze ecommerce needs, and it pays to choose the consultant based on their level of expertise and client testimonials. For instance, it is important to ask for client testimonials from clients who have used the ecommerce consultant’s services. This is because ecommerce projects go by quickly, so it pays to get real client testimonials from real clients in order to get a feel for how the ecommerce consultant will generally perform. If the consultant cannot provide you with client testimonials, move on to another ecommerce consultant. Getting recommendations from your clients is key when choosing an ecommerce consultant.

While it is important to ask about client testimonials, it is equally important to ask for actual bids on ecommerce projects. Bids are important because this is where you will be able to find out what ecommerce consultants charge for their services and whether or not the proposed project is feasible. Make sure the bids are detailed and include a full description of the project. Be sure to request a bid from multiple ecommerce consultants to ensure you’re getting an accurate price quote. This is an excellent way to compare the prices of a number of different ecommerce consultants and will also allow you to compare the level of expertise among the consultants.

Another important aspect of choosing the right ecommerce consultant for your online business is to determine if they offer any B2B services. B2B services often come in handy in that they provide the consultant with a number of resources to help them with the management of your online business. Many ecommerce consultants offer web design, ecommerce software and web hosting, which allow them to build a solid client base in conjunction with building their reputation. This is also an excellent way to hire the expertise of an ecommerce consultant without having to pay a large salary, since most ecommerce consultants are already employed by larger companies. If your company already has a webmaster, there are a number of small and mid-sized companies that are willing to hire the service of ecommerce consultants to help them maintain their clientele.

One of the best tools available to an ecommerce consultant would be a website with custom design. The ability to design the website of your business with the assistance of a consultant gives you the ability to completely customize the site, making it one of a kind. You can use colors and logos that reflect your personality or can employ a more professional design that will help your business stand out from the competition. Custom designs also allow you to integrate many of the other tools available to your business into your website, such as shopping carts, payment processors, catalogs and more. A customized website is likely to result in a higher conversion rate, so look for a consultant who offers this type of service.

When interviewing potential ecommerce business consultants, ask them how much training and experience they have in online marketing. Most ecommerce consultants will have a number of successful campaigns under their belt, but it’s also crucial that you get to know how much experience they have in working with small businesses. Small businesses are usually at a greater risk of making a fatal mistake if hired incorrectly, so knowing how the consultant would handle your project will go a long way to ensuring that you get the results you want. Remember that any consultant worth their salt will have excellent communication skills. Your campaign needs to reach its full potential before the project is turned over to another hand, and having excellent communication skills ensures that you don’t spend money unnecessarily. Find out what these consultants have to offer by asking for references and speaking to them personally, and choose the one that has the right mix of expertise, communication style and experience level to make your ecommerce campaign a success.