Updated on May 21st, 2024

Need to Know

  • eCommerce infrastructure is a key driver of customer satisfaction and sales that is often overlooked
  • An effective eCommerce infrastructure encompasses essential tools like platforms, payment gateways, and relationship management software, impacting user interactions and conversion rates
  • To build a better eCommerce infrastructure, prioritize scalability, security, and robust data analytics to continue to meet evolving customer needs and ensure seamless operations

According to a survey conducted by PwC, 73% of consumers say that a brand’s customer experience is a key factor in their purchase decisions, and 43% would pay more for greater convenience.

Your eCommerce infrastructure may not be the first thing that comes to mind when considering the experience you’re providing to your customers, but starting with the right foundation is essential for driving the positive user interactions that lead to sales and loyalty.

What does an eCommerce infrastructure include?

An eCommerce infrastructure encompasses the services and tools necessary for an eCommerce business to operate.

This includes your:

  • eCommerce platform
  • Payment gateway
  • Customer relationship management software
  • Inventory management tools
  • Site security measures

How does your eCommerce infrastructure impact customer experiences?

You may have an excellent product that solves a real problem or desire for your target audience — but if your eCommerce site is slow or difficult to use, their chances of making it to checkout will decrease. In fact, a site that loads in one second has a conversion rate 2.5 times higher than one that takes five seconds to load.

For eCommerce businesses, infrastructure challenges tend to become particularly evident during peak sales periods and when expanding to international markets. These obstacles tend to revolve around site functionality and order fulfillment, so it’s a good idea to identify how your infrastructure could be improved before these crucial times.

An effective eCommerce infrastructure should align with your business model. Whether you’re operating in a D2C, B2C, B2B, or hybrid capacity, your infrastructure should cater to your unique business needs while prioritizing the information and experience your customers are looking for.

For example, our client TDot Performance is Canada’s largest source of automotive performance parts and accessories. With over 600,000 product SKUs, their site speed and functionality were being impacted during periods of high traffic, which soared to more than 20,000 user sessions per day during peak seasons.

The combination of high traffic and thousands of products were not in proportion with their site infrastructure, impacting page load times and user experiences.

Our Northern experts collaborated with the TDot team to make the most of their Adobe platform, leveraging its flexibility to ensure their site remains functioning at its best through a variety of database, application, and theme-based optimizations.

How can I build a better eCommerce infrastructure?

If you’d like to update your existing infrastructure to work better for you and your customers, here are some things to consider:

Make platform scalability and adaptability a priority. Assess how your platform can accommodate business growth. A superior eCommerce platform should be able to manage traffic surges, integrate with diverse applications and systems, and scale as required.

Don’t forget about mobile. With eCommerce purchases made on mobile projected to total around $710 billion by 2025, mobile responsiveness (ie. a site’s ability to adapt to every type of mobile device) is a vital part of an infrastructure that delivers results.

Keep security top-of-mind. A key component of customer satisfaction is based on trust in your brand, so ensuring that all customer data and financial transactions are protected is crucial when making infrastructure decisions.

Ensure you have robust data analytics and monitoring capabilities in place. As customer satisfaction is an ongoing journey for retailers, having access to usage data can help you create strategies that deliver better customer experiences.

For example, you can use customer data to inform a Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) strategy that will increase the chances of site visitors taking actions like adding items to their cart or subscribing to your newsletter.

Work with a partner that understands your eCommerce business. Building an eCommerce infrastructure is a complex process that can consume time and money. Working with experts who understand the industry and customer expectations can help you get it right the first time and set you up for future success. You can contact our team here.

Want to learn more about how to optimize your eCommerce site to drive sales and loyalty? Download our eBook to discover the most successful strategies we’ve used for our eCommerce clients.