DeepIdea Lab’s Surya Sanchez on How To Choose The Best Platform For Ecommerce
In this interview series, we are talking to founders, CEOs, and ecommerce business leaders about how to choose the best platform for ecommerce. As a part of this series, we had the pleasure of interviewing Surya Sanchez.
What led you to this specific career path?
I have an intense love for technology and a desire to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in the technology field. Not to mention being passionate about helping and seeing businesses succeed. Because of this desire, I decided to create a career of my own as an IT Consultant focusing on growing other companies by showing them how to automate their system to maximize their business potential.
Being in the field of IT consultancy allows me to do everything I enjoy. I get to travel as I work, and I get to continuously learn about the fast-growing technology needs of people and businesses.
Can you share the most exciting story that has happened to you since you began at your company?
Certainly, one of the most thrilling experiences I've had since starting at my company was automating a major ecommerce store's sales and shipping processes. This was my first major client, and it required me to hire my first employee.
The results were outstanding, as we were able to save the business countless hours by automating tasks such as online sales, automatic invoice creation, label printing, and generating tracking numbers. It was incredibly exciting to see the positive impact our automation had on the business, and I am proud to have played a key role in this achievement.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now? How do you think that might help people?
Currently, we are working on a fascinating project to automate internal tasks for an eCommerce business. This involves creating alerts for employees to receive whenever items are returned to the vendor and assigning them to the appropriate repair tasks. It's been really exciting to collaborate with the business and come up with innovative ways to streamline its processes.
By automating repetitive tasks such as invoicing, tax collection, and sales pipeline management, we're able to save the business time and resources, allowing them to focus on other important areas of growth. Overall, we believe that our automation efforts will have a positive impact on the ecommerce business, improving its efficiency and ultimately benefiting its customers.
What are three traits about yourself that you feel helped fuel your success?
As a successful business leader, I believe that my resilience, strategic thinking, and excellent communication skills have been crucial in fueling my success. One of the key traits that have helped me is my ability to handle challenges and setbacks with determination and persistence.
For instance, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit and forced many businesses to pivot to online operations, I was able to quickly adapt my business and focus on ecommerce to continue serving my customers.
Another trait that has been essential to my success is my strategic thinking. I am always looking ahead and planning for the future, making informed decisions based on market trends and available resources. For example, I streamlined internal processes such as sales automation to reduce manual work, which improved efficiency and allowed my team to focus on other key areas of the business.
Finally, my excellent communication skills have been critical in building strong relationships with my employees, partners, and customers. I am able to effectively communicate my vision and goals to inspire and motivate my team to achieve our objectives. For instance, by rallying my employees around a common goal, I was able to increase productivity and drive overall success for the company. I view business as a team sport and understand the importance of effective communication in achieving our goals.
What was the original vision for your ecommerce business? What pain point(s) were you trying to solve for your customers?
While I don't have an ecommerce business myself, I consult with ecommerce businesses to help them automate their processes and improve their operations. Typically, the original vision for an ecommerce business is to provide customers with a convenient and accessible way to shop for products and services online.
The pain point that ecommerce businesses are trying to solve for their customers is the traditional limitations of brick-and-mortar retail, such as limited inventory, geographic restrictions, and inconvenient store hours. Ecommerce provides a way for customers to shop from anywhere at any time, with access to a wider range of products and competitive pricing.
By automating processes such as sales, invoicing, and shipping, ecommerce businesses are able to offer a seamless and efficient customer experience.
What ecommerce platform does your business use, and what key features were you looking for when you selected it? Was it your first choice, or did you switch from a previous one?
As a consultant in the ecommerce industry, I work with a variety of businesses to help them optimize their online platforms. While Shopify and BigCommerce are popular platforms, I believe that there is always room for improvement in the ever-expanding technological landscape. In my experience, the key to success in ecommerce is to have a well-automated platform that provides a seamless customer experience.
One platform that I recommend to clients is Make.com, which allows businesses to build and publish websites and mobile applications without requiring any coding experience. This no-code platform offers a variety of design templates, integrations with well-known tools and services, and a flexible interface that allows for easy customization and the addition of new features as necessary. The intuitive drag-and-drop interface makes it easy for clients to maintain and manage their websites, add integrations, and make adjustments to their platforms.
When selecting an ecommerce platform, it's important to consider a range of factors such as ease of use, integrations with key tools and services, security, and scalability. As a consultant, I work closely with my clients to identify their specific needs and goals and recommend platforms that meet those requirements. In some cases, clients may switch from a previous platform to a new one if they find that it better meets their needs or offers additional features and functionality.
Ultimately, the goal is to select an ecommerce platform that provides a seamless and efficient customer experience while also being easy for the business to manage and maintain.
When should an ecommerce business consider switching platforms? Which factors should drive a decision to make a change or upgrade?
An ecommerce business should consider switching platforms when its current platform is no longer meeting its business needs or when they need to take advantage of the latest technologies and features.
Some factors that should drive a decision to switch or upgrade include:
- Limited scalability: If the current platform can't handle increased traffic or sales, it's time to consider a platform that can.
- Poor customer experience: If customers have difficulty navigating the site, finding products, or making purchases, it's time to consider a platform with a better user experience.
- Limited customization: If the current platform doesn't offer the ability to customize the site to meet the unique needs of the business, it's time to consider a more flexible platform.
- Lack of integration: If the current platform doesn't integrate well with other systems, such as accounting software or payment gateways, it's time to consider a platform with better integration capabilities.
- Poor security: If the current platform doesn't provide adequate security for customer data, it's time to consider a platform with better security features.
- High costs: If the current platform is costing too much in terms of monthly fees or transaction fees, it's time to consider a more cost-effective platform.
Ultimately, the decision to switch ecommerce platforms should be driven by the business's specific needs and goals and should be made after careful consideration of all available options.
Given the number of ecommerce platform options available, what are your top five questions you need to ask to choose the best platform for ecommerce?
Choosing the right ecommerce platform is crucial for any business, as it can make or break the success of your online store. Here are the top 5 questions that businesses need to ask themselves when selecting an ecommerce platform:
- What are your business needs and goals?
Every business has its unique needs and goals, and the ecommerce platform you choose should align with them. For example, if you are a small business with a limited budget, you may want to go for an open-source platform like WooCommerce, while a large enterprise with more complex needs might require a platform like Magento.
- What is your budget?
Your budget is another essential factor to consider when choosing an ecommerce platform. The platform you choose should fit your budget, and you should account for both the upfront costs and the ongoing costs. For example, if you're looking for a more affordable option, you might consider Shopify or WooCommerce.
- How user-friendly is the platform?
Your ecommerce platform should be user-friendly for both you and your customers. It should be easy to use and navigate, with a user-friendly interface. For example, platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce offer a drag-and-drop interface, which makes it easy to create and manage your store.
- What integrations and features does the platform offer?
Integrations and features are critical when selecting an ecommerce platform, as they can help you automate processes, improve customer experience, and increase sales. For example, Shopify and BigCommerce have a vast number of integrations available, and they also offer features like abandoned cart recovery and social media integrations.
- How secure is the platform?
The security of your ecommerce platform is critical for the protection of your customer's data and your business. You should look for a platform that offers secure payment gateways, SSL certificates, and other security features. For example, Shopify and BigCommerce both offer secure payment gateways and SSL certificates.
In conclusion, choosing the right ecommerce platform requires careful consideration of your business's unique needs and goals, budget, user-friendliness, integrations and features, and security.
By asking the right questions and conducting thorough research, you can make an informed decision that will set your business up for success.
Is there a specific feature or functionality you haven’t found in any platform that you would love to have? What is it, and why?
While there may be some specific features or functionality that we haven't found in any platform, we believe that we can still achieve our goals by leveraging the power of APIs and webhooks. With these tools, we can connect different platforms and automate tasks to create a custom solution that meets our needs. By doing so, we can extend the possibilities of any platform and create a unique ecommerce experience for our customers.
That being said, we do keep an eye on the latest developments in the industry and constantly evaluate new platforms and tools to see if they can enhance our current setup. If we find a feature that is not currently available, we explore if it can be added via API or webhook integration or if it is a critical need that requires a platform switch.
If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most people, what would that be?
The smart entrepreneur movement, where we help each other to have a fulfilling life with a business supporting it.
How can our readers further follow your work online?
- https://www.deepidealab.com
- https://www.linkedin.com/company/deepidealab
- https://www.linkedin.com/in/suryasanchez
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