How To Write Specifications As Part Of The Implementation Of An E-Commerce Site?

Specifications As Part Of The Implementation Of An E-Commerce Site : The implementation of an ecommerce site is a very structuring project for a company. The e-commerce site will become an extension of the company on the web, so it is essential to start off on the right foot, in this kind of project. This is why creating specifications for the creation of your ecommerce site is essential.

What Is A Specification And What Will It Be Used For?

The specifications are a synthetic document shared with all the project stakeholders (internal project team and the various service providers requested). It makes it possible to draw up an inventory, to put on paper the needs and objectives of the company.

It allows the project to be framed in terms of budget, functionalities, stakeholders and schedule, in order to ensure the completion and success of the project. Indeed, it is not uncommon for a project to create an ecommerce site not to succeed, due to a lack of preparation upstream. 

The ecommerce specifications are a real guide that will be sent to the various service providers you will request, in the context of a call for tenders in particular. It will allow you to quickly identify providers who will not be able to meet all your needs and make the right choice from the start.

The Main Chapters Of Your Ecommerce Specifications

1. Presentation of the company

This chapter may seem secondary but it is not, quite the contrary. It is in this part of your ecommerce specifications that you will present the characteristics of your company. Company name, seniority, history, number of establishments, the number of points of sale if you have any, the main activity, the activity or secondary activities, if your activity is new, will it be essentially via your ecommerce site? the turnover of your company, the values of the company, the number of employees, the positioning on the market, the products and services you sell, brands, ranges, product lines.

Keep in mind that these specifications will be read by providers who do not know you, so do not neglect any detail. These elements will help your service provider to immerse themselves in what characterizes your business.

2. Inventory of the existing

The implementation of specifications of an ecommerce site is sometimes an opportunity to review the showcase site if there is one. If this is the case, it is therefore necessary to make an inventory of the existing site in order to know if it is more relevant to redo it completely at the same time as the e-commerce site or if it is appropriate to keep the existing site, for SEO reasons for example. In this case, it will be important to specify it in the specifications.

3. Objectives of the e-commerce site

Your e-commerce site usually meets a need. Need means objective. It is therefore important to list the different objectives you are aiming for. This will allow stakeholders to fully understand the motivations for your project. Your goals can be quantitative and/or qualitative.

• Do you want to gain visibility on the internet to counter a competitor?
• Do you want to gain market share on a particular target?
• Do you want to attract the customer to your store?
• Would you like to provide a complementary service to an already existing clientele (loyalty)?
• Would you like to test a new range of products in the context of online sales?
• Is this project part of a larger project of the company? If so, describe it.
• Have you set yourself a revenue target? number of visits? number of sales made? number of new customers captured by this channel?

Even if we always have them in mind, listing the main objectives of an e-commerce project allows you to remember them and avoid scattering.

4. Typology of customers targeted by the e-commerce site

In order for your service provider to be able to offer you an adequate referencing and to understand the expectations of your customers, it is important to describe it well. Who are your customers? In particular, those you are targeting through this ecommerce site. Professionals, individuals, craftsmen, what are they looking for when they come to your site, what needs you need to meet, what are the particularities of your “target” customers? It is important to define the characteristics, expectations and motivations of your potential customers so that your future e-commerce site perfectly meets their needs.

5. Competitors on this channel

It is relevant to list your main competitors, this will allow your provider to understand who you are facing on the web. Who are your direct competitors, your indirect competitors, the links to their website, the main elements that differentiate them, their strengths, their weaknesses, etc .

6. Expression of needs

Now that you’ve outlined your business, needs, goals, customers, and competitors, you need to present your needs clearly. You can structure this chapter of your specifications as follows:

Conclusion

The ecommerce specifications are a great tool in the context of an e-commerce project, it does not need to be complex, on the contrary, it must be synthetic but at the same time identify all the information necessary for the smooth running of the project. The more complete it is, the more the project will be framed and will have chances to run smoothly, on time and according to the budget defined at the beginning.