Choosing an Online Store Platform: Why Should You Try It Before You Buy?

More consumers are shopping online, either through their home or work computer or through their mobile device.
Their motivation to prefer digital channels is clear: more selection, more convenience, lower prices, free and expedited shipping options, attractive sales, deals and promotions and much more.

In the past, creating an ecommerce site required hiring a developer and building everything from scratch, in a lengthy, complicated and expensive process.
Conversely, today’s online store platforms are modern one-stop solutions, which do not require in-depth technical knowledge or programming skills to use them.
These tools let you build your own shopping website more affordably, relatively quickly and even without using the services of a web design company.

Ecommerce store software companies provide online business owners with the technologies that help them create, maintain and market a high-quality commercial site that can meet their customers’ expectations and needs.

There are many competing platform options on the market, and every company offers its unique mix of technological features, functionalities, capabilities and transaction fee structure coupled with its own set of pros and cons.

However, mom and pop shops, small businesses, startups, entrepreneurs and large retailers all have very different needs in terms of technical considerations, the number of items the system needs to support, scalability, customizability, and budget.

Basic features like professional templates, shopping cart, payment processing options, SSL encryption, SEO tools, mobile commerce support, and reporting tools are very common among many providers.
Advanced capabilities like support for physical and digital goods, shipping and tax calculators, multi-language options or unlimited API calls are also available with some companies.

So how can you determine which web-based shopping cart software is ideal for your digital retailing needs?
Since there are so many alternative options available, the best thing you can do is try some out for yourself and obtain an independent insight on which SaaS product deserves your hard-earned money.

The no-obligation testing period gives you the chance to review all components of a given online sales platform in a hands-on way, which gives you a real feel for how it works.
It also helps you to form an independent opinion about the service, discover its strengths and weaknesses, and reach a research-based conclusion, whether a long-term paid subscription is worth it or not.

How to Make the Most of an Ecommerce Website Builder Trial Period?

An initial trial period allows you to try out a commercial ecommerce store platform for free before committing to a monthly or annual subscription and without spending a penny.

It’s a great way to verify that the service provider you consider delivers on everything you’re looking for before actually putting money down.
Research, reviews, and customer recommendations are extremely useful, but it’s not the same as actually taking a platform for a test drive.

Unlike a demo version or a freemium, free trial accounts come with significantly fewer limitations or restrictions, and in some cases, none at all.
In such cases, users get complete access to the entire cloud-based system for a certain period and enjoy the same benefits and privileges of a paid subscriber.

This time window enables you to fully explore the service’s features, evaluate its ease of use, assess its value for money, and experience the provider’s customer service and support departments.
You get all of this paying nothing and with no obligation to join the service as a paying customer.

After starting your free trial, set up a demo shop and experiment with the system’s features.
Learn the visual editor’s interface and functions and try out a few basic tasks, like adding new products, editing existing ones, managing content, running a sale, issuing a coupon code, etc.
Also, test the page loading speeds and see if the software delivers on its promise and truly allows you to create a professional-grade shopping site with no coding experience.

Ask yourself: do you like using this service? Does the system have a simple and intuitive UI? Can you easily manage all the website’s components? Do you get good customization options? Does the system provide a positive shopping experience for consumers?

If you’re happy with what you saw and experienced, then purchase a paid plan.
However, if the service did not meet your expectations or needs, simply cancel the trial and look for better online store software alternatives.

Frequently Asked Questions

Trying out and comparing a number of potential hosted ecommerce platform options is a vital step before choosing a company and selecting a relevant plan.
Here’s a list of common questions (and answers) that often come up during this process.

• Why Should You Sign Up? Benefits of Using Free Trials before Choosing Any Paid Service
  
• “Credit Card Required”: Why Do Some Free Trial Offers Require Users to Enter-In Their Credit Card Information?
  
• Risk-Free Offer Models: What’s the Difference Between Free Trials, Freemium and Money-Back Guarantee?
  
• Common Free Trial Scams: How Do They Work and What Can You Do To Avoid Them?
  
• Tips: How Do You Cancel a Free Trial You Signed Up For?