The first tool you need to set up an ecommerce is a CMS and there are quite a few to choose from, so don't rush into making your decision. 

With the content manager you choose you will build your online store . It will be the cornerstone of your business and, among other things, the number of products that you can include in the catalog or the ease with which customers make the purchase depend on it. 

For the CMS to work in your favor in the development of your business, make sure that it meets this list of ten requirements that we have drawn up with the help of Shopify, a monthly payment SaaS that allows its users to have an updated tool constantly, without investing in maintenance and adding new features through service plugins available in its app store as the business grows.

1. Simple and fast commissioning 

Be practical and opt for a CMS that allows anyone, with or without technical knowledge, to get started quickly. This does not mean choosing a system with fewer features than others or that the result will be less professional, but rather that it has a fast learning curve . In this way, you will be able to launch your store and start billing in a very simple way in a few days, without having to touch the code, without having to resort to a specialized developer or without hiring an agency to launch and manage your project. .

2. That allows you to focus on the business  

The list of tasks and pending procedures to do before creating an online store is usually endless. If the system allows you to remove any, welcome. 

Evaluate, for example, if it includes domain registration and unlimited web hosting . Thus, you avoid spending time comparing different providers, analyzing whether they are compatible with the scope of your project, configuring it or keeping an eye on annual renewals. A CMS with built-in hosting will allow you to focus on growing your business from the start.

It is also important that you provide the free SSL certificate to encrypt the content of your online store using the https protocol . With this, the ecommerce will show the well-known closed lock icon, just to the left of the url , instead of warning visitors that the connection is not secure. Having the padlock conveys confidence to your customers.

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3. Scalable

The customer experience depends on the CMS during the purchase and to be able to add functionalities as the business grows. That is why it is important to choose a platform that does not limit this growth capacity, but rather allows you to incorporate applications into ecommerce according to your needs. 

In this repository of apps , there is no shortage of plugins to manage inventory or the preparation and delivery of orders, nor those that measure success and help optimize operations. The goal is to make your online store increasingly competitive.

4. A reliable system specialized in 'ecommerce '

As simple as it may be to set up an online store , doubts always arise. Therefore, note as something positive that the CMS is specialized in eommerce ; also that it has a resource center in post format , tutorials, guides, podcast , videos... where you can expand the information on the operation of the platform. If, in addition, it offers tips for online entrepreneurship , such as content on marketing or business management, even better.

Another thing, do you have a large community willing to cooperate ? An active forum in which sellers ask and answer questions is a good sign. Even better when it also offers 24-hour technical support . Thanks to this service you will always find a customer service person willing to lend you a hand 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, 7 days a week. That peace of mind is priceless!

5. Personalized and professional design

Your online store must 'breathe' the image of your brand. For this, it is important that you choose a CMS with a collection of templates that is complete enough to find the basis of the design you are looking for. 

It should also be easy to customize, without the need for programming knowledge . For example, you may need specific services to obtain a more professional image in specific aspects, such as resorting to a freelance logo design service at the beginning of the strategy to create a solid and professional brand image. However, the simplicity of the CMS allows you to modify your ecommerce in detail without constantly depending on a professional in the field for everything. This way you can modify colors and fonts so that your store is unique and does not look like a copy of another.

6. Good charging speed

No matter how beautiful the design of your ecommerce is and no matter how good products you sell, if nobody sees them they are useless. In this sense, the loading speed of a website is crucial. A few seconds longer than the potential customer is able to wait and they will abandon you for the competition. 

Keep in mind that the more customers and products you have, as they consume bandwidth, the slower everything in your store will go. Many platforms limit the available bandwidth and charge for exceeding it. Shopify, on the other hand, includes unlimited bandwidth with all of its plans. This means that you are not charged based on how many visits your online store receives or how many files or photos you upload.

7. An online store that adapts to mobile phones

It's been a while since the mobile won the battle over the computer when searching, seeing, reading and buying online . 92.1% of users already access the Internet through this device, compared to 77.5% who prefer a laptop. 

The figures are not deceiving, so hire a CMS that facilitates responsive design both in the available templates and in the administration panel. 

Mobile-friendly online stores are easier to navigate and take less time to load, which lowers your bounce rate. Taking care of the user experience on all devices translates into a positive perception of your brand.

8. With unlimited product catalog

If the pillar of your online store is the items you sell, facilitating catalog management should be one of the most important premises of an e-commerce platform. Therefore, give a positive point to the CMS that do not put limitations on the number of uploaded products, whatever the price plan you decide on. The process of creating your product sheets should also be simple.

And it never hurts that it allows you to optimize your categories and articles through a dashboard in which you can edit elements that improve SEO on page such as: Title , meta description , url , headers, put the high attribute to the images of your products… If it helps to position in Google, another positive point!

9. Simple purchase process

The purchase process is the set of stages that a customer must go through to place an order in an online store . The fewer steps you have to take, the more chances you have to complete the checkout instead of abandoning the cart.

It is appropriate that the process is limited to four stages: cart, information, shipping and payment. Check that it is so in the CMS you want for your ecommerce ; also that the process is intuitive, with a simple, secure payment gateway that inspires confidence.

10. Integration with other platforms

The last point that Shopify points out in the list of 'essentials' that your ecommerce CMS should have is its ability to integrate with other platforms, so that you can connect your online store with marketplaces (Amazon, eBay...), dropshipping providers and your social media profiles. 

With this, the possibilities of being able to open new sales channels increase considerably and in a simple way, with the added advantage of having everything connected to each other.