E-commerce website development: your online shop, from order to delivery

Our web agency creates this type of website, often referred to as an online shop (or e-commerce site, or retail website), as it enables visitors to order, pay for and have products or services delivered. These websites are distinct from showcase sites, which are designed solely to present a company and its products and services.

Our online shop was struggling; we had bugs that our former provider hadn’t fixed. The teams at AmaZili took charge, and within two months our turnover had doubled. Thank you for this fantastic success! Florence Delbrayelle, Managing Director, Hall du Tissu online shop

Given the traffic generated by our online beer shop, we needed robust and secure hosting; the AmaZili team advised us on our choice and manage our servers with professionalism and understanding. Elyan Molle, Associate Director of the Beer Route website

The features of online shops

E-commerce, click-and-collect and drop-shipping websites offer at least two key features:

• The ability for the customer to place an order, and for the online retailer to track that order.
• The ability to pay for this order directly online.

To enable these commercial functions, the online shop therefore incorporates specific pages, processes and widgets:

• Product detail pages featuring a button to add an item to the basket;
• A shopping basket feature, which allows the user to save their items before purchase.
• An order process (or funnel) which, where possible, consists of a single page, and sometimes a series of pages that take the user from the shopping basket to the order summary, including, for example, the calculation of delivery charges and the entry of the delivery address;
• An order summary;
• A secure payment page (usually a customised version of your bank’s payment plugin).

In some cases, payments by cheque or bank transfer are processed offline.

Modern e-commerce sites offer many other features to make online trading more efficient for the e-merchant:

• Product stock management;
• Dispatch management;
• In-store collection (click and collect);
• Management tools;
• Drop-shipping management.

Which tool should you choose to set up your e-commerce website?

There are numerous platforms available, some of which are free, to help you get started in online retail, such as Wix or Shopify, which are sometimes promoted by banks as part of packages at varying price points.
You can turn to these platforms if you don’t have a solid business plan and just want to test the waters, but you should be aware that without a very large Google Ads budget, your chances of making sales will be extremely limited.

A solid e-commerce project will steer clear of these platforms in favour of a more professional solution.
If you have a WordPress site, you can try integrating a WooCommerce plugin.
However, our advice would be to opt for specialised CMS platforms designed for online sales, such as Magento or PrestaShop, for which you’ll find documentation by clicking on the links.
These professional tools allow you to create all types of online shops, for all types of products, with advanced marketing and customer management features for both private individuals and businesses.

AmaZili supports you in your online sales journey

Whether you’re a retailer of horse beauty products, a beer retailer, a fabric retailer or a contemporary artist, a traditional retailer or a dropshipping start-up, AmaZili supports you every step of the way.
From creating your e-commerce site to optimising its search engine ranking, from customer re-engagement campaigns via email to online advertising (Google Ads, Microsoft Advertising) and social media communication strategies, AmaZili is by your side to help you maximise your sales and get a return on your investment as quickly as possible.

Support for digitalisation

Public funding is available to support the digital transformation of businesses. In Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, the Region’s ‘Atouts Numériques’ scheme offers retailers and craftspeople an assessment and support for their digital projects; the public service France Num lists the funding available in each region.

Farmers developing processing or direct-to-consumer sales can receive support from the Region and the EU (EAFRD): your Chamber of Agriculture will advise you whether your project is eligible.

We can help you prepare your application — including the project description, a detailed quote and technical documentation — which you then submit yourself.

How can you finance your website?

As partners for your communications and marketing services, we offer a range of financing solutions to support your business growth.
To this end, we have established partnerships with various financial institutions to provide you with options for loans, finance leases or payment in instalments.