5 Tips for Selecting an Ecommerce Management Software for Vape Shops

If you’re planning on moving your vape shop business online or starting an eCommerce vape shop, you’ll need to have eCommerce management software for vape shops. But from all the ecommerce software tools online, how do you know which one to pick? In the following blog, we go over five tips we believe will help you decide on your eCommerce management software. But let’s start at the beginning. What exactly is eCommerce management software?

Table of Contents

1. What Is Ecommerce Management Software?
2. The Two Types of Ecommerce Platforms
3. Criteria for Best Ecommerce Platform?
4. Three Mistakes to Avoid
5. Conclusion

What is Ecommerce Management Software?

Ecommerce management software or an e-commerce platform is an all-in-one solution that allows you to handle your website, sales, inventory, marketing, and operations. In essence, your whole online vape shop in one place.

While you can indeed make a website and manage the other aspects of your business separately, ultimately, your enterprise will suffer. Sooner or later, you’ll need to bring together all areas of your business in a single hub to serve better your customers, who expect all the kinks ironed out from the minute they buy the product to the minute they receive it.

The Two Types of Ecommerce Platforms

Essentially there are two types of e-commerce platforms or eCommerce management software for vape shops available to you. The first one is open source platforms, and the other is SaaS eCommerce platforms.

Open source platforms are free to use and have an open-source code, which means you can change the code to your liking. However, you must hire an IT person to install, implement, migrate, host, and generally run the site. Some of the most popular eCommerce open-source platforms include OpenCart, WooCommerce, Zen Cart, and Magento.

SaaS (or software as a service) platforms aren’t free to use, but they make everything a breeze by allowing users to drag and drop and generally have very friendly back-ends. The downside is that you can’t change the code and must use the templates the platform offers. The big three SaaS eCommerce platforms are Shopify, Big Commerce, and Volusion.

Criteria for Best Ecommerce Platform?

So you might ask yourself, which ecommerce platform should I choose? There are a few criteria or tips which you should use when you have to compare ecommerce solutions. Although there are many ways to go about this, here are what we believe are the five most important things you should consider when deciding how to choose the best ecommerce platform:

• Pricing and affordability
• Security must be a priority
• The platform must be SEO and mobile-friendly
• Must allow for integrations
• Must qualify for specific Vape Shop integrations

Pricing and Affordability

Many factors can affect the pricing of an e-commerce platform. In fact, not only are their costs associated with the creation of your eCommerce site, but there are also other costs associated with the page. Which is why it is hard to pinpoint the most affordable ecommerce platform.

Depending on which platform you settle for, one of the first overlooked costs is maintenance costs. If you decide to go with an open-source platform, you'll need to hire somebody to run the website and ensure everything is up to date and running smoothly. Since it is open-source, even adding a new plugin or integration can drastically change its look.

Another cost is the updates done to the platform. There are constant updates that need to be downloaded and implemented with your site, at least for open-source platforms. Again this can change how your website looks or even how it functions. So again, you need a dedicated IT person to help whenever the platform is updated.

On the other hand, if you go with a SaaS platform, there is a monthly fee for everything. The price makes sure you get the latest version and maintains the back-end of your site, so you don't have to worry about hiring an IT person.

Security Must Be a Priority

Second, on the list (but should be first) is security. You want to make sure that your vape shop or eCommerce platform is secure. You will be acquiring hundreds of credit card numbers, so you want to make sure your website is safe from hackers.

While open-source code platforms are free, they are also more prone to cyber-attacks since the code is available to almost anyone, and you’re left on your own when it comes to fixing the problem. SaaS platforms are the clear winners when it comes to security. Often, a dedicated cybersecurity team in these companies and code and infrastructure can’t be accessed by just anyone.

Must be SEO and Mobile Friendly

Another factor for selecting an eCommerce management software for vape shops is that it must be SEO and mobile-friendly. These two are huge because, as you will see in this section, SEO helps market your website, and mobile caters to your audience. 

SEO Friendly

SEO is huge for vape shops due to strict FDA regulations on the channels to advertise your vape store (with Google Ads, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter completely prohibiting it). SEO is often the one weapon you have to promote your business. For your platform to be SEO friendly, look for the ability to the following:

• The platform must allow you to create a blog
• The platform must allow you to create unique URLs
• The platform must let for customers to leave reviews
• The platform must allow for SEO optimization (will enable you to add metatags, keywords, and alt text to images, to name a few).

Mobile Friendly

According to Statista, almost 54% of all global traffic searches come from mobile devices. That means that nearly half of your audience will be coming from mobile. This is why you must cater to them. Even if they are only browsing your site, they are likely looking for the products to buy them on their desktop computers later.

One of the most important things you can do to make your website mobile-friendly is to use responsive design. This means that the website design will adjust according to how big or little the screen is, moving elements in harmony without breaking the layout. And of course, by using responsive design, you’ll be able to create mobile, desktop, and tablet versions.

Must Allow For Integrations

Whatever platform you choose, make sure it has plugins and integrations that will aid your business. Some of the integrations that an eCommerce platform for vape shops should have include:

• Multiple payment gateways: Although you might only use one depending on your platform, it’s essential to have more than one integration, especially in the international vape industry, and must accommodate several credit cards and payment options.
• Email marketing integration: You want to make sure that you can integrate email marketing software into your platform since email is still one of the most effective ways to market your vape shop, again, because, with the FDA regulations, you can not advertise on Facebook, Google Ads, Twitter, or Instagram, email marketing and SEO will account for a large part of your advertising plan.
• Inventory management system integration: A system that predicts recurring orders (like vape juices) and manages the inventory. Knowing which items are out of stock is an essential integration to have for your vape shop eCommerce website.
• Customer service management integration: A customer service experience is dictated by the management integration you use. Make sure to pick one that allows for chatbots, queue management, live chat, and statistics on response times.

Must Allow For Specific Vape Shop Integrations

While above, we went over some of the essential integrations your eCommerce platform should have. In this section, we go over the must-have plugins or integrations you need to run a vape shop e-commerce business. Some of the vape shop integrations you need to run your vape shop include:

1. An Age Verification Integration: Vape goods in the United States and almost anywhere in the world can only be sold to 21 years old or older. An age verification plugin can use background information to ensure the buyer is the correct age to buy vape goods.
2. A Tax Management System Integration: There are numerous taxes on vape goods depending on the state where you reside. Having a tax management integration that allows you to control each item's tax rate in your inventory depending on where it is being shipped is extremely important for an online vape shop.
3. A Shipping Restriction Integration: Some states have banned vaping outright. Others only allow for menthol flavors to be sold. With a good shipping restrictions integration, you can set up where you can and can't ship your vaping goods.

Mistakes to Avoid

Now that you know five of the most important factors to consider when choosing an eCommerce platform, we also wanted to tell you about the three beginner mistakes to avoid when selecting eCommerce management software for vape shops. These mistakes are: not setting objectives, choosing a platform with too many features, and choosing a platform with no scalability.

Not Setting Objectives

Setting objectives should be your number one priority when choosing an eCommerce platform for vape shops. Think of them as a compass. With no objectives, you would be lost at sea. Some example objectives include:

• Launching your eCommerce website in less than four months
• Sell more than $10,000 in merchandise in the first quarter
• Collect more than 1,000 emails in the first two months

Choosing a Platform With Too Many Features

Choosing a platform with too many features will probably mean you’re paying a steeper price for something you’re not getting full advantage of. In the long run, this means you’ll be spending more money on a service you’re not using. 

While you might not have this problem with open source eCommerce platforms (which must provide all the features from the get-go), you’ll encounter this on SaaS eCommerce platforms that come in different pricing plans. Each plan will have additional features, so make sure you choose one that only has the must-have features to run your vape shop.

Choosing a Platform With No Scalability

Depending on how quickly your eCommerce vape shop website grows, you’ll need to be able to adapt to change soon. This is where SaaS platforms are great because you can upgrade to the next plan, while with open source platforms, you might need to download, update or change settings in the forum in order to be able to meet the new growth of your company.

Conclusion

There are many ways to go about selecting eCommerce management software for your vape shop, but we believe the tips previously discussed will set you in the right direction. Although there are many things that we have left out, remember, more importantly than anything, picking an eCommerce platform for your vape shop should be a slow process that considers all the needs and objectives you have in mind for your vape business. Don’t rush into picking a platform since changing the platform down the road could prove costly.