Did you see the latest e-commerce forecast by Statista?
The e-commerce revenue in the US is forecast to grow a massive 53% between 2023-2027, hitting $1.4 trillion by 2027. That's 10 straight years of rising ecommerce sales!
Clearly, the numbers say it all. Now is the perfect time for you if you are thinking about launching or expanding your online store.
But to create a high-converting e-commerce website, you'll need developers with specialized skills.
No need to worry though.
The solution is simple - partner with experienced e-commerce developers. They have the expertise to build you an awesome customized online store for your business.
In this post, we'll explore why you should hire developers, what skills to look for, where to find them, and tips for hiring the best talent. Let's start with the benefits.
Why Hire Professional eCommerce Developers?
When attempting to build an eCommerce store without professional help, it gets risky. While you can use DIY site builders to make it easy to create basic stores, you may miss out on important features and functionality that will help your business grow.
So, if you want to develop a robust, functional, and optimized online shop, you need advanced technical skills. And Dedicated developers can help you with that.
By hiring expert eCommerce developers, you can get the expertise you need to build a successful eCommerce store, including many other benefits.
Here are the key reasons why hiring experienced eCommerce developers is recommended:
Expertise and Experience
Professional eCommerce developers have worked on a wide range of online stores. They have the expertise to choose the right Ecommerce platforms, tools, and integrations to create custom solutions tailored to your business needs. Their experience allows them to avoid pitfalls and implement best practices to set up your store for success.
Seasoned developers are familiar with the latest eCommerce trends. They can build stores primed for innovation and future growth. Their expertise can be invaluable for making strategic decisions during development and beyond launch.
Customized Solutions
As you know, every business is unique. The off-the-shelf eCommerce platforms can get you started, but eventually, you'll need custom features, integrations, and optimizations.
Professional developers can create solutions tailored for your products, customers, and business goals.
By handling complex customizations like personalized marketing features, subscription management, customized discounts, or promotions, developers allow you to stand out versus competitors. Custom solutions also provide flexibility to modify your online store as your business scales.
Focus on UX and SEO
Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon.com, once said, "If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful.”
Jeff Bezos understands the immense power of user experience. Providing an excellent user experience not only delights customers but also turns them into brand advocates who spread the word. Their recommendations hold much more weight than any marketing.
Developers are familiar with the technical elements that boost your eCommerce SEO and UX. They can optimize page speed, site architecture, product pages, metadata, URLs, and more to help customers find your store. Their designs appeal to your target audience while ensuring seamless navigation and checkout.
Conversions are the lifeblood of any online store. Skilled developers maximize their revenue potential through data-driven design and development decisions. Their solutions engage customers from product discovery to purchase and beyond.
Security and Data Protection
Online stores handle valuable customer data, including personal information and payment details. Developing and maintaining a secure, PCI-compliant online payment system requires advanced technical acumen.
eCommerce developers are familiar with the various security vulnerabilities. They stay updated on new threats and protections. Their expertise is vital for safeguarding your customers' data and your reputation.
Help You Stay Ahead of the Competition
With over 26 million eCommerce sites globally, competition is fierce. Customers' expectations for smooth, personalized shopping journeys are rising. It's crucial to keep up with the latest innovations and trends.
Professional developers monitor the competition and industry innovations. They can build future-ready stores with emerging features before others, helping you delight customers and stand out. Their expertise will enable you to keep pace and become an industry leader.
Seasoned eCommerce developers have the perfect blend of technical skills and real-world experience to build successful online stores tailored to each business's unique needs. Their expertise in critical areas like security, SEO, UX, and customization provides tremendous long-term value.
Key Skills and Expertise to Look for in eCommerce Developers
When hiring for your eCommerce project, what are the must-have skills and expertise to look for in developers?
Here are some of the top technical Skills of e-commerce developers to prioritize:
Strong Knowledge of Web Development Technologies
At their core, eCommerce sites are web applications. Developers need to know languages like HTML/CSS, JavaScript, and PHP to build the front and back end.
Top candidates will be fluent in core technologies like:
- Server-side languages: PHP, Python, Ruby on Rails
- JavaScript frameworks: React, Angular, Vue.js
- Databases: MySQL, MongoDB
- Web servers: Apache, Nginx
- Caching: Redis, Varnish
- Cloud platforms: AWS, Google Cloud, Azure
Don't leave any gaps in technical competencies.
Experience with Database Management Systems
Storing and managing huge product catalogs, order information, and other eCommerce data requires database expertise. Relational databases like MySQL are commonly used.
Developers should have hands-on experience managing large, complex databases. They should be able to optimize data storage and retrieval to enhance site performance. Bonus points if they have worked with the database system your online store will use.
Experience with Payment Gateways and E-commerce APIs
Securely processing payments is fundamental for any online business. Developers must have experience integrating leading payment gateways like Stripe or PayPal with eCommerce platforms.
They should also be adept at connecting platforms to related eCommerce APIs for taxes, shipping, inventory management, accounting, marketing, and more. API fluency allows seamless integration of critical business systems to create a unified customer experience.
Experience with Shipping Integration
For product businesses, integrating shipping carriers like UPS, FedEx, and USPS is essential for delivering orders to customers.
Developers should know how to connect carrier API or plugins to your eCommerce platform and configure rules for rates and delivery options.
Experience with SEO and UX Design
Developers don't just focus on back-end code. They should be fluent in front-end design best practices for SEO, mobile responsiveness, and UX.
Check out what Joel Anderson, Walmart CEO, has to say: You can’t just open a website and expect people to flood in. If you really want to succeed, you have to create traffic.
SEO plays a vital role when it comes to driving qualified traffic to your online store.
Look for expertise in technical SEO strategies like site speed optimization, URL structures, page markup, metadata, etc. Also, ensure they have design skills to translate your brand identity into an engaging, conversion-focused user experience.
Good Communication and Problem-Solving Skills
Beyond technical capabilities, choosing developers with strong communication skills and analytical thinking ensures a smooth project. Clear communication minimizes misalignment. Analytical problem-solvers can address issues that arise efficiently.
Diverse technical skills and business knowledge are required to tackle the many complex tasks in eCommerce development. Make sure to assess both the specific platforms, integrations, and technologies you need expertise in as well as core competencies like communication.
Where to Find Top eCommerce Developers
Once you know the skills and expertise your eCommerce project requires, where can you find developers who fit the bill?
Here are good places to look:
Online Marketplaces
Popular freelance marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer, and Guru allow browsing and hiring dedicated developers worldwide based on skills, experience, reviews, and hourly rates.
You can post your project requirements and vet and interview candidates. Look for developers who specialize in eCommerce and have robust portfolios. Check reviews to verify capabilities and communication.
Marketplaces provide access to large talent pools, especially for one-time projects. But you'll need to screen candidates more extensively. Also, time zone differences could slow collaboration.
Offshore Development Companies
Hiring offshore developers is becoming more and more popular these days. You can consider hiring an overseas development with teams of eCommerce experts located in countries like India, Eastern Europe, the Philippines, and Latin America. These places have strong pools of affordable English-speaking developers.
Be sure to thoroughly research the company's credentials, client reviews, communication abilities, and expertise before proceeding. Check that they have satisfied US and European clients, especially in your industry.
The cost savings of offshoring can be substantial. But you need to vet carefully to find a qualified partner you can work effectively with across time zones.
Freelancing Platforms
Dedicated freelance platforms like Toptal focus on stringent screening and specializations. Developers boast impressive resumes from top companies and technical skills.
Rates are higher, but so is talent quality. Strong English fluency and availability during business hours are ensured. These platforms are best for short or long-term projects needing senior-level expertise.
eCommerce Development Agencies
Specialist eCommerce development firms house experienced teams familiar with every aspect of building, optimizing, and managing online stores.
Full-service e-commerce development agencies employ teams of expert developers. Agencies provide end-to-end strategy, design, development, and launch services. Their expertise across technical and business domains can be invaluable, especially for complex, enterprise-level projects.
However, agencies tend to be more expensive. Be sure to still carefully vet development capabilities and project management practices.
Word-of-Mouth
References from business owners who have successfully built online stores are invaluable for finding capable developers. Developers with proven track records will be recommended.
Leverage your network and online communities to find referrals. You can also research eCommerce sites to admire and outreach to their owners. Connecting with founders who have already been through the process can provide trustworthy developer options.
Tap into your network and industry communities to find reputable eCommerce developers with demonstrated success engineering online stores similar to yours.
Tips for Hiring eCommerce Developers
Once you've found promising eCommerce developer candidates, how do you select the right resource?
Follow these tips to hire e-commerce developers to make the process smooth and successful:
Review Portfolios and Past Work Thoroughly
The top priority is evaluating real-world examples of a developer's work. Past eCommerce stores they have built are ideal. Browse sites completely, testing user journeys and features.
But also consider non-live project samples. Many developers contribute to projects under NDAs and can only share code samples or anonymized information. Don't dismiss strong candidates too quickly based on portfolio limitations.
Assess portfolios for relevant platforms, technologies, integrations, and complexity. Look for great UX and designs. Does their work match your vision and requirements?
Conduct Technical Interviews
Most developer hiring relies heavily on technical interviews. Test skills with coding challenges in languages required for the role. Ask about approaches to challenges your business faces like customization needs or scalability.
Technical interviews should be conducted by your IT team or a capable technical recruiter. They can better assess the developer’s expertise and communication abilities. The interviewer should also share feedback on collaboration comfort.
Thoroughly Check References
Speaking to past clients provides invaluable insights. Ask for two or more references, and take time to have detailed conversations.
Key questions to ask:
- How was their overall experience?
- How was the developer's communication style?
- Did they deliver on time and within budget?
- What challenges came up, and how were they addressed?
- Would they recommend the developer for your specific project?
References should reinforce the capabilities and work styles you identified during interviews and portfolio reviews. Take serious note of any major discrepancies in feedback.
Understand and Align on the Development Process
Ask extensively about how developers prefer to work. Do they follow agile practices like sprints, daily standups, product demos, etc?
Make sure development workflows align. Disagreements on process workflows are a recipe for execution issues. Discuss your business software process maturity as well. Defining project management expectations upfront is crucial.
Verify eCommerce Business Knowledge
Yes, you primarily need technical specialists. But some business acumen is invaluable. Walk through your specific business model, products, and target customers.
Assess if developers understand your niche and ask good questions. Some interest and even experience in your industry indicate they can build solutions tailored to your needs versus generic stores.
Ensure a Shared Vision and Communication Fit
Technical skills can be evaluated relatively objectively through testing. But cultural alignment matters too for long-term partnerships. Look for eager collaborators who understand your goals and communication styles mesh.
With a complex project, some personality mismatches are expected. Still, significant differences in work philosophies or behavior are red flags. Truly aligned teams will produce better outcomes.
Vetting both technical qualifications and communication/collaboration comfort ensures you assemble the best-fitting eCommerce development team for your needs and work culture.
Conclusion
Building a custom eCommerce store with advanced features and integrations requires experienced developers with specialized expertise across technical and business domains. Taking time to carefully assess skills, experience, work quality and communication fit will help you hire the right talent.
With a professional eCommerce development partner, you can finally turn your unique business idea into a fully functional, optimized online store.
