An ecommerce website is only as good as its content, shopping cart and how easy its content management system is to use.
A content management system is a common name for any software that allows you to handle, create and publish content on the web. This is commonly built into web system and often appears as an interface that users can manipulate and use to write blog posts, upload pictures and more.
For many ecommerce sites, CMS software allows them to easily handle their inventory, view stock and update as they go. It is erroneous to think that a great content management system automatically means that your website will be successful. In fact, it should serve to enhance what is already there.
Flexibility
CMS software takes time to implement, test and use. You definitely will not get it right the first time, since there are many factors to consider.
Your web development team will be responsible for installing, testing and tweaking the system to your needs and a good CMS platform allows them to do so by giving flexible options and programming leeway. Many platforms are easy to use once they have been integrated into the current website and your current system, but this stage is not simply attained by inserting the program.
Flexibility will also play a key role later on. Your ecommerce website is not static -- it will evolve as your products, customers, affiliates and your marketing plans evolve. A good content management system should be able to evolve with you, not leave you stranded.
The question to ask yourself at this point is: will it be able to handle your future plans for the website, such an animation or resizing images?
Ease of Use
A good system allows you (the user) to learn it quickly, if the user invests enough time. Be wary of developers that say learning CMS is "like reading a book." Different systems have different requirements -- which also depend a lot of what existing products you have or your existing knowledge of CMS software. Once you dive in your content system, you should be able to figure out what it does within a few minutes and get the hang of it once you have been using it for a few days or within a week.
If you find yourself having to train employees to use your system, even those with high aptitudes for software or programming, then your system needs an upgrade or an overhaul.
Serviceable Bandwidth
By maintenance, we mean that the CMS program can ignore common errors and continue working with the need for minimal maintenance. This means that making mistakes do not cause the system to crash. This is a valid consideration, especially if you have one or more employees accessing the system at the same time. Some CMS platforms are made for a limited number of users, which you may not be able to increase if your business expands.
Cost. Cheaper is not necessarily better, but one factor that determines whether or not your CMS platform is great is value for money. For example, free open-source CMS platforms are a entrepreneur's dream, but you sacrifice reliability, which can be an issue for a piece of software developed by an independent developer.
Known issues may not be solved quickly and you may end up losing customers because of it. Custom CMS platforms on the other hand, can be extremely expensive at the beginning but can reduce the need for maintenance and be easier to adapt later on. Cost is a necessary factor in defining your ecommerce system because maintaining a system that is too expensive for your profit margin will hurt, instead of help, your business.
Usability
Finally, a good content management system is a solution for an ecommerce website with a huge inventory or a need to maintain assets separately.
Meaning, your website actually needs the content management system as it expands means that it is usable. Your web developer can help you develop the CMS your website actually needs or tell you straight out that you do not actually need one, at least for now. Remember, a CMS platform is there to help you manage your inventory or your products, not the other way around.
