April 24, 2019 at 14:00What team is needed to create a really good online store?
This material reflects the opinion of the author, not claiming a fundamental truth.
Before proceeding with the development of the store, we must understand how the customer’s product is sold and how information about it is presented in practice. How many requests are potential buyers making per day (demand)? How do buyers look for an item of interest? And much more. This is necessary to make a complete picture giving the development team an understanding of how to present the offer “with benefit” for the buyer.
That is, first of all, it is necessary to conduct a competent Analytics of the market situation. This is part of a person’s job as a “Marketer.”
He analyzes:
He has the knowledge and skills:
The marketer analyzes the market in two segments: global (global brands and market masters) and local (successful companies selling in a particular territory). Market segments and examples will be discussed in more detail in the next article. In the meantime, we will continue the conversation about what a good marketer pays attention to when analyzing the market / niche / product for creating an online store.
After conducting detailed analytics, the marketer creates a concept in which he answers many specific, specific questions, some of which we will give as an example.
Questions that the marketer answers when conducting analytics:
Example: the product is a cosmetic product: lipstick, raspberry color, contains environmentally friendly components, in the high price segment (elite) ...
Avatar example:
And this is only part of an example of one of the descriptions, one of the types of potential buyers, for one of the types of products.
What other questions does the marketer answer when analyzing the market?
This is only part of the questions. However, for a professional marketer, answers to these questions are already enough to create a “successful concept”, a well-functioning online store and a high-quality advertising strategy, the result of which you will measure by the level of growth of your income, compared to costs.
2 Design team - people who will turn the concept created by the marketer into a high-quality packaged visual offer, in order to maximize the interest of the site visitor in your product or service.
In the software market, there are various design tools suitable for creating prototypes and design layouts of the site. Some of the most recognized today, in my opinion: Sketch, Axure, Adobe XD, Figma, Webflow, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Muse, Adobe Illustrator. Each tool is designed for a specific case, although many duplicate each other's functionality.
A good designer always uses only a few tools, but knows and knows how to work in a whole range of design tools.
What stages of the work of the design team at the moment really needed in the work?
There are two roles in a design team that works to bring benefits to a client: Art director - managerial role and Designer - executive role.
Resource prototype development - creating a “resource diagram” following a concept defined by a marketer. A prototype is a certain scheme, better in a dynamic (changing) design, which demonstrates the location and operation of resource elements, menus, filters, stocks, etc. It’s good when the main information is immediately embedded in the prototype (texts, offer, example of product information ...)
Creating a design concept is an exact description: what colors to use in design, in what style to create a design, what instructions / rules to follow.
Development of graphic elements - icons, pictures, backgrounds, infographics, custom graphics, effects, etc.
Creation of technical specifications for coders and programmers on the development of effects and layout.
Development of the design layout - Rendering of the resource interface in graphic execution according to the previously created prototype, taking into account the design concept.
And so, we are figuring out that at least 2 people are needed to create a quality online store design.
Professionals developing in the field of web design should not only have a good command of design tools, but also be familiar with all possible styles, navigate in modern trends, be able to conduct “local” analytics on the subject of design quality and reasonably express their opinion, understand well the principles of “usability” and navigate in them. This is the minimum that makes the work of a web designer professional, and his professional.
3 Layout designers - produce designers' work in a format acceptable for placement on the Internet (html code).
Layout designers are a type of developers who use HTML layout tools (programming) to recreate the work of designers so that browsers perceive this information and can provide it to the site visitor.
These same people “pull”, that is, integrate layout (programmed code) into CMS (online store management system).
CMS is needed for convenient and easy management of an online store, quick creation of stocks, easy change of any elements, quick addition of new products, price setting, integration of payment systems, CRM and so on ...
4 Programmers - create the basis of the resource (backend), complex software functionality (filters, scripts, effects) and the visual basis (frontend).
Often, partly, the work of programmers is performed by layout designers, but this applies to the so-called simple online stores on open CMS, distributed on the market both for free and for free.
However, the concept of an online store is often associated with the concept of “highly loaded resource” or “high server load”. What does it mean?
This means that a resource (store) is visited every minute by a large number of users, bots, and other “connections”.
Thus, the concept of “Resource Load” is formed. In more detail about the load, the reasons for its formation and methods of its reduction will be described in subsequent materials.
An important factor in overcoming the load, among others, is the “load resistance” of the database and CMS. This is where we need Programmers.
People in this profession should be well versed in modern web technologies, the principles of web resources, know several programming languages, the principles of load formation, the concept of resource tampering, be able to think analytically, understand the modern means and methods of website protection and encryption, and a lot all interesting things that are difficult to understand and remember for a person who is little interested in this area of IT.
Powerful teams creating high-quality online stores usually have a staff of programmers.
Let's take a quick look at the roles that make up such a minimal team.
Team leader- development manager. Strategist, “Lieutenant” - formulates and sets tasks. checks their execution, uploads the result to the main server, monitors the work of the team.
Backend developer - a programmer who creates the server side of the product that the user does not see. This is the “ordinary" result of the work of which is an online store engine that works without failures.
Frontend developer is the second “fighter of the invisible front” whose result, part of which is visible to the user and visitor of the site, is its interface.
5 Copywriters - those who create content, write it from scratch or redo already created earlier.
Copywriters in their work obey the rule of “uniqueness of content”. Creating content from scratch or remaking already created content, they try to make it as unlike analogues as possible. This is necessary both for website promotion and for “imparting quality to the brand”.
6 Content managers - specialists filling the web resource with content.
These specialists fill the site with goods, information created by copywriters and marketers, apply graphics and images that designers previously made.
7 Project manager - a manager who, owning the whole picture of the project “as a whole”, manages the entire development team, all processes and interacts with the client.
One of the most important roles. By the fact that with quality management, deadlines are observed and a good product is obtained. The person in this role is often a professional at Agile and modern project management methods.
Its main task: to make the project on time and of maximum quality.
Its result: on time a finished, working product, in which there are no errors and shortcomings.
Now we understand who is needed to create a high-quality and stable online store:
1. Marketer - a person who will accurately answer the question of how best to sell your product
Before proceeding with the development of the store, we must understand how the customer’s product is sold and how information about it is presented in practice. How many requests are potential buyers making per day (demand)? How do buyers look for an item of interest? And much more. This is necessary to make a complete picture giving the development team an understanding of how to present the offer “with benefit” for the buyer.
That is, first of all, it is necessary to conduct a competent Analytics of the market situation. This is part of a person’s job as a “Marketer.”
He analyzes:
- niche
- demand,
- competitors' offers
- purchasing principles
- reasons for failure
- stocks
- competitors sites and stores,
- promotion tools
- principles and strategies for promoting competitors,
- what are the advantages of your product in comparison with competitors,
- and many other factors and indicators.
He has the knowledge and skills:
- about a specific type of product,
- about a particular niche
- about why goods from one manufacturer are bought better and from another worse,
- about how to sell goods in a given niche using an online resource,
- how to analyze the market correctly, what data should be paid attention to, how to “read statistics” correctly,
- about the usability of the store and how to measure its level,
- what causes the visitor’s interest in the product,
- what are the “indirect” methods to arouse interest in the product,
- aren't you tired yet?
The marketer analyzes the market in two segments: global (global brands and market masters) and local (successful companies selling in a particular territory). Market segments and examples will be discussed in more detail in the next article. In the meantime, we will continue the conversation about what a good marketer pays attention to when analyzing the market / niche / product for creating an online store.
After conducting detailed analytics, the marketer creates a concept in which he answers many specific, specific questions, some of which we will give as an example.
Questions that the marketer answers when conducting analytics:
- An accurate description of all types of customer avatars - who is the customer?
Example: the product is a cosmetic product: lipstick, raspberry color, contains environmentally friendly components, in the high price segment (elite) ...
Avatar example:
- Girls and women, from 18 years old, from wealthy families, with an average income of (figure) rubles / month;
- Working in ....... (listing) positions;
- In companies with the number of employees from (figure);
- Which work place is nearby (we list territorial signs);
- Whose territory of residence (we list the territorial characteristics),
- personal income from (figure) rubles / month;
- The principle of obtaining funds which: work, providing relatives, providing a husband (housewife);
- Additionally, it is possible and desirable: having your own business / profession of a cosmetologist;
- Features: a clear desire for personal care and an understanding of the importance of environmentally friendly products in the field of cosmetics;
- Perhaps a vivid positioning of such an opinion on social networks.
And this is only part of an example of one of the descriptions, one of the types of potential buyers, for one of the types of products.
What other questions does the marketer answer when analyzing the market?
- How many people are interested in a product per day?
- How many people buy a product per day?
- How are competitors progressing?
- What factors of “success” of competitors can be identified and analyzed?
- Which advertising channels give competitors greater effectiveness?
- What non-standard methods of promotion do your competitors use for their online stores / products?
- What usability concepts do successful competitors use?
- Which concepts work best, for whom, for what reasons?
- How do successful competitors provide product information?
- What advertising investments can successful competitors make?
- What exactly gives successful competitors more advantages over the others in terms of advertising / design of an online store / presenting information / methods of “capturing attention and interest” of a visitor?
- What methods of “capturing the attention and interest” of the visitor are most effective at each stage of the user's travels on the site?
- What stages of user travel on a site do successful competitors have? Examples of stages: a first look, visiting the section ..., visiting the product page, interest in information about the delivery, interest in company information, searching for the product, adding to the basket, registration process, payment ...)
- What type and style of design do the most successful competitors use?
- What design techniques are used by successful competitors?
- What effective methods of “convenience” of the user do successful competitors use?
- What filters and how do successful competitors provide a visitor?
- (Important) On which technologies do online competitors create online stores?
This is only part of the questions. However, for a professional marketer, answers to these questions are already enough to create a “successful concept”, a well-functioning online store and a high-quality advertising strategy, the result of which you will measure by the level of growth of your income, compared to costs.
Design team
2 Design team - people who will turn the concept created by the marketer into a high-quality packaged visual offer, in order to maximize the interest of the site visitor in your product or service.
In the software market, there are various design tools suitable for creating prototypes and design layouts of the site. Some of the most recognized today, in my opinion: Sketch, Axure, Adobe XD, Figma, Webflow, Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Muse, Adobe Illustrator. Each tool is designed for a specific case, although many duplicate each other's functionality.
A good designer always uses only a few tools, but knows and knows how to work in a whole range of design tools.
What stages of the work of the design team at the moment really needed in the work?
There are two roles in a design team that works to bring benefits to a client: Art director - managerial role and Designer - executive role.
Art Director
Resource prototype development - creating a “resource diagram” following a concept defined by a marketer. A prototype is a certain scheme, better in a dynamic (changing) design, which demonstrates the location and operation of resource elements, menus, filters, stocks, etc. It’s good when the main information is immediately embedded in the prototype (texts, offer, example of product information ...)
Creating a design concept is an exact description: what colors to use in design, in what style to create a design, what instructions / rules to follow.
Designer
Development of graphic elements - icons, pictures, backgrounds, infographics, custom graphics, effects, etc.
Creation of technical specifications for coders and programmers on the development of effects and layout.
Development of the design layout - Rendering of the resource interface in graphic execution according to the previously created prototype, taking into account the design concept.
And so, we are figuring out that at least 2 people are needed to create a quality online store design.
Professionals developing in the field of web design should not only have a good command of design tools, but also be familiar with all possible styles, navigate in modern trends, be able to conduct “local” analytics on the subject of design quality and reasonably express their opinion, understand well the principles of “usability” and navigate in them. This is the minimum that makes the work of a web designer professional, and his professional.
Layout designers
3 Layout designers - produce designers' work in a format acceptable for placement on the Internet (html code).
Layout designers are a type of developers who use HTML layout tools (programming) to recreate the work of designers so that browsers perceive this information and can provide it to the site visitor.
These same people “pull”, that is, integrate layout (programmed code) into CMS (online store management system).
CMS is needed for convenient and easy management of an online store, quick creation of stocks, easy change of any elements, quick addition of new products, price setting, integration of payment systems, CRM and so on ...
Programmers
4 Programmers - create the basis of the resource (backend), complex software functionality (filters, scripts, effects) and the visual basis (frontend).
Often, partly, the work of programmers is performed by layout designers, but this applies to the so-called simple online stores on open CMS, distributed on the market both for free and for free.
However, the concept of an online store is often associated with the concept of “highly loaded resource” or “high server load”. What does it mean?
This means that a resource (store) is visited every minute by a large number of users, bots, and other “connections”.
Thus, the concept of “Resource Load” is formed. In more detail about the load, the reasons for its formation and methods of its reduction will be described in subsequent materials.
An important factor in overcoming the load, among others, is the “load resistance” of the database and CMS. This is where we need Programmers.
People in this profession should be well versed in modern web technologies, the principles of web resources, know several programming languages, the principles of load formation, the concept of resource tampering, be able to think analytically, understand the modern means and methods of website protection and encryption, and a lot all interesting things that are difficult to understand and remember for a person who is little interested in this area of IT.
Powerful teams creating high-quality online stores usually have a staff of programmers.
Let's take a quick look at the roles that make up such a minimal team.
Team leader- development manager. Strategist, “Lieutenant” - formulates and sets tasks. checks their execution, uploads the result to the main server, monitors the work of the team.
Backend developer - a programmer who creates the server side of the product that the user does not see. This is the “ordinary" result of the work of which is an online store engine that works without failures.
Frontend developer is the second “fighter of the invisible front” whose result, part of which is visible to the user and visitor of the site, is its interface.
5 Copywriters - those who create content, write it from scratch or redo already created earlier.
Copywriters in their work obey the rule of “uniqueness of content”. Creating content from scratch or remaking already created content, they try to make it as unlike analogues as possible. This is necessary both for website promotion and for “imparting quality to the brand”.
6 Content managers - specialists filling the web resource with content.
These specialists fill the site with goods, information created by copywriters and marketers, apply graphics and images that designers previously made.
7 Project manager - a manager who, owning the whole picture of the project “as a whole”, manages the entire development team, all processes and interacts with the client.
One of the most important roles. By the fact that with quality management, deadlines are observed and a good product is obtained. The person in this role is often a professional at Agile and modern project management methods.
Its main task: to make the project on time and of maximum quality.
Its result: on time a finished, working product, in which there are no errors and shortcomings.
Now we understand who is needed to create a high-quality and stable online store:
- Marketer
- Art Director
- Designer
- Typesetter
- Team leader
- Backend developer
- Frontend developer
- Copywriter
- Content manager
- Project Manager