How to choose the right eCommerce agency?

To hire the right eCommerce agency, you should align a few points to ensure the success of your project. Working with a dedicated partner, it’s important that you see eye to eye - both personally and professionally, to make the most out of the partnership and work unanimously towards your end goal. We have worked with many clients on a variety of projects, so have had enough insight to consider what the important elements to get right and clear at the start of any project are. 

1. Budget

There will always be an agency out there that can work within your budget; you may just need to do a little digging to find the right one. One thing to keep in mind is in the agency landscape you typically get what you pay for.  

When you are sourcing your options and having conversations with agencies, it helps to have a budget in mind. Don’t forget to think about just the production costs but also the post-production costs like maintenance or upgrades. Costs of a great eCommerce experience don’t end at the end of the project - they typically need ongoing maintenance and upkeep. 

2. Work

Looking at agencies’ previous work is one of the best ways to get a sense for what they can really do. Do they have similar projects to what you’re looking for? Does their style align with what you envision your website to be like?

A good agency should have a variety of cases pinpointing what they did, how they did it and also the goals they met. This is all important information to consider and compare to your own goals for a project and business. 

3. Experience with the platform

If you have a goal of working with a specific platform because that’s what your team is used to or what you know works best, ensure the agencies you’re looking at have experience and are familiar with that platform. If they aren’t familiar or use something different but you still want to work with them for other reasons, then consider why and do your research on what they’re recommending you use instead.

4. References from past projects.

In addition to asking for past work to evaluate, you’ll want to get a still-deeper sense of previous clients’ satisfaction. Look for reviews of their work, and ask for references. This will give you incredible insight into how the agency works and if they’ll be right for you.

5. Match your company’s personality.

Working with people you like is key, especially for digital projects because chances are you will be seeing a lot of them. Picking an eCommerce agency is as crucial as picking a partner, as with long term upkeep and ongoing communications, a good relationship will make each step of the process smoother and more effective, and increases the fun factor for each project. Wouldn’t you find it easier to work with people who are like-minded and have the same values as you do?

Get to know the company better by initiating casual talks, other than formal meetings. With that, you’ll find out which eCommerce agency you’ll comfortably and happily work with.