Grow your online business with Consultus Digital. We create eCommerce solutions that drive sales and customer loyalty.
The eCommerce revolution is here. Is your brand riding the wave?
To no one’s surprise, the steady rise of online shopping is attributed to 24/7 convenience—the #1 reason why customers shop online. In just a quick click or tap, today’s shoppers can easily add items to their cart and get their shopping delivered straight to their homes right when they need it. No longer confined to the usual brick-and-mortar retail hours, nor distance from store to home, eCommerce has increasingly become the preferred way to shop.
And it’s only growing stronger. By 2040, it’s estimated that 95% of all purchases will be through eCommerce. And yet, many brands in Toronto and across Canada still don’t have an eCommerce platform. This gap was highlighted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic when online retail became the default way to shop. And even with the return to some physical retail, eCommerce website development remains a vital part of every brand’s growth strategy in the next decade.
At Consultus Digital, we’ve made it our mission to make sure that you don’t miss out on the benefits of eCommerce. As Toronto’s top-performing eCommerce website development agency, we deliver a complete solution: a total transformation of your brick-and-mortar store into a fully functional, interactive, and high-converting eCommerce platform. See how we help you build your new online store.
The eCommerce website development process will usually be broken into several stages, with some variation between individual clients. The typical process includes steps such as:
Before any code is written for your website, significant planning will be to be undertaken. During this stage, a sitemap of your website will be developed, showing every page that will be created as well as how it fits into the overall navigation of your website. This stage also often involves developing wireframes, which are visual mockups of what the end product page will look like to a customer.
The next stage in eCommerce website development is the design phase. This is where your new website will begin to take shape, and you will be able to get an idea of what it will look like when it is finished. Website designers will create visual representations of what your website will look like, including navigation, user interface, and overall aesthetic. All visual assets are developed in this stage, including any new imagery, videos, banners, product photos, or logos.
Once the design has been finalized and agreed upon, it is time to develop the content that will populate your website. This is where we put into words exactly what it is you would like to communicate to your customers who visit your website. This will include product descriptions, calls to action, additional information, contact information, and more. This content will be optimized to increase conversions as well as to help your search engine optimization endeavours.
The development stage is where your website comes to life. eCommerce website development can involve building a site from the ground up using custom code, or it can involve a well-established eCommerce platform such as Shopify or WooCommerce of WordPress. During this stage, functionality will be fleshed out, and a workable website will take shape, with transaction processing and navigation being finalized.
Now that your website is designed, written, and coded, it is time for the all-important testing and review stage. During this time, every possible customer interaction with your website will be examined to find any bugs or unexpected outcomes. Once all apparent bugs have been identified and squashed, a final review will be conducted to ensure the finished product meets your expectations. Once approval is given, the site will launch, and your customers can start making purchases.
In the simplest terms, eCommerce website development is the process of creating a custom online shop to run your business out of.
An eCommerce website functions just like a physical shopping location, except that your customers can access it from wherever they are. They will be able to browse your products, compare different styles, build a shopping cart, and then pay for their purchases seamlessly. Essentially, building an eCommerce website is a transformation of the way you interact with customers and fulfill their shopping needs—wherever they’re located, whenever they shop.
A responsive, fast-loading, and fully functional eCommerce website is your brand’s primary driver in the digital economy. From a homepage that functions as your digital storefront and interactive product pages that let customers essentially test and try on your products, to seamless payment processing checkout, eCommerce web development lets you offer customers an irresistible, trustworthy, and convenient shopping experience like never before.
And while the potential of a good eCommerce website is limitless, a poorly developed one can seriously harm your relationship with your customers and prevent sales. When dealing with your revenue and your customers’ money, you only want the best. Trust Consultus Digital with your eCommerce website development and experience the difference of experience.
The importance of good eCommerce website development cannot be overstated in today’s fast-moving digital economy.
Customers expect a smooth, seamless shopping experience when they head online, and their tolerance for slow or poorly designed websites is extremely low. If the checkout process is complicated, vague, or broken in any way, customers will be turned off and likely leave your website without finishing the transaction.
When done right, an eCommerce website can seamlessly facilitate higher volumes of conversions and purchases. It’s the same memorable, positive experience you would provide in-store, but without the costs of brick-and-mortar upkeep, and to more customers than you could possibly attract than the radius of a physical location, at all hours of the day.
And since mobile is increasingly the way to shop, 73% of consumers will bounce out from a poorly designed mobile site to a better alternative. Similarly, if page loading times increase from 1 to 3 seconds, bounce rates on mobile sites also jump by 32%.
Let’s take a closer look at what these numbers mean, and see how eCommerce website development can grow your brand.
Do your customers prefer the convenience of shopping online? Are you worried about missing those who can’t make it to your store hours? An eCommerce website is the key to reaching.. more customers and capturing more purchasing intent. Whether they’re on desktop or their smartphone, shopping very early in the day or way past closing, or they’re across the country, you can now reach more customers without limits.
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Among the rising costs of doing business that brick-and-mortar retailers have had to deal with is their store lease. Malls and street level stores are prime commercial real estate, often.. requiring a significant investment at a time of declining in-store retail. Meanwhile, eCommerce website development enables a low-barrier entry into online retail, since costs like hosting and website maintenance are much lower. Plus, with customers welcome to shop online 24/7, it’s easy to recoup costs and generate revenue.
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With eCommerce website development, not only will you have the freedom to run your business from anywhere, but you can also rapidly grow your brand’s footprint. More than.. doing business across Canada, you can imagine a world without borders—where customers can reach you from anywhere, so you can build a globally competitive brand.
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Similarly, Google is extremely focused on serving its users the fastest and most reliable eCommerce websites. The search engine giant places heavy emphasis on good.. user interface and experience and will rank websites with faster load times than those that drag their feet. Investing in a high-quality eCommerce website development agency ensures that the site you end up with will serve you well for years to come. Proper SEO, user interface design, and functionality are worth their weight in gold when it comes to eCommerce.
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With eCommerce, everyone wins. Both brands like yours and the customers you aim to reach can enjoy the benefits of a fast start-up, steady growth, and utmost shopping convenience.
eCommerce website development is the key to remaining competitive in the digital economy, a massive shift observed during the pandemic. And beyond the global slowdown, online retail continues to push the envelope when it comes to the future of shopping and a seamless customer experience. Simply, eCommerce is where growth is—and brands that haven’t gone digital are certainly missing out.
See how convenience for customers translates to conversions, sales, and long-term customer value. Discover a new way to run your store, now fully online, and more interactive, immersive, and hassle-free than ever, made possible only by eCommerce web development.
Consultus Digital is proud to be considered one of the best eCommerce website development agencies in the GTA. We specialize in completely customized websites that serve the unique needs of each client. Our in-house designers, content writers, and web developers work together to create unique eCommerce websites that will help drive sales every day. We achieve these incredible results for our clients using our Consultus Method.
Our process begins with finding out everything there is to know about your business, your customers, your target audience, and what you would like your new eCommerce website to do. We know exactly… which questions to ask to tease out the crucial details that will come to bear when we design your website to drive maximum conversions for your unique brand.
SEE MOREOur team of leading web designers will begin creating a completely custom design that fits your brand aesthetic and the website’s functionality. We collaborate closely with every client to ensure that every element of …the design is exactly how they would like, from the colour scheme and page layout to the button shape and shopping icons. At Consultus Digital, we don’t rest until we have your design just right.
SEE MOREOnce you are pleased with the design, the Consultus Digital writers will get to work creating and optimizing your website content. The written text on your website needs to convey important information about the… product and provide the customers with a feeling that this is the product for them. The content will be optimized to rank well in Google search page results so that customers can find your products when they are looking for them.
SEE MOREYour eCommerce website will then be built according to your exact specifications using custom coding. Some websites require unique functionality or design elements that cannot be simply plugged in from a generic …platform. Our in-house eCommerce web developers will create custom code that enables the features to make your website stand out from the crowd.
Consultus Digital makes client satisfaction our top priority, which has made us one of the most trusted eCommerce website development agencies in Toronto. Our commitment to excellence ensures that every website we develop meets the highest standards. As a Shopify partner with years of experience, we can create customer experiences that truly impress. Contact us today and take your business to new heights.
Do you have the time, resources, and in-house expertise to develop an eCommerce website? If you’re doing business in a competitive market like Toronto or across Canada, will you risk a subpar site, downtimes, and bugs that turn visitors away more often than converting them to valuable customers?
An eCommerce website development agency is the answer to your problems—and fast. With the digital economy growing at full-speed, you’ll need a fully functional, customer-ready eCommerce website that successfully transforms your brand into a trusted online retailer. Here’s how:
Seamless user experience: A web interface that’s A/B tested and optimized to address common pain points in eCommerce websites and ensure a successful customer journey from first click to browsing products and checkout.
Immersive display: With an agency, you can count on a custom designed site in line with your brand and matches your products, combined with immersive, high-resolution visual content that communicates quality that customers can trust.
Responsive and fast-loading: With customers increasingly shopping on mobile, you’ll want an eCommerce experience that’s consistent across screen sizes and devices, without bugs and delays. Plus, you’ll want customers to get this experience in just seconds, with the fastest loading times.
Site security: Let customers shop worry-free, thanks to a secure checkout process, a a valid SSL certificate and HTTPS protocol, a comprehensive data privacy policy, anti-spam detection, and other security features.
Search and filtering: Make it even more convenient for customers to shop with powerful search and filtering capabilities. From a reliable, user-oriented keyword strategy to intuitive category displays, your eCommerce site should let customers find exactly what they need, when they need it.
eCommerce marketing strategy: Get the full-service experience from an agency that delivers everything you need to run your online store—from web development in Toronto to highlighting social proof such as authentic reviews, product SEO and ads, and email marketing campaigns.
With the steady rise of online shopping and realities brought on by the global pandemic, it’s impossible—and a mistake—to ignore the value of an eCommerce website. So, yes—there’s no question that your business needs an eCommerce website. An eCommerce website development agency in Toronto can get you started.
From new brands and emerging trendsetters, to long trusted names making the shift to digital, eCommerce web development unlocks new possibilities in terms of revenue and customer relationships. Here’s every reason why your brand needs an eCommerce site and how this tailored approach to website development equips you with a unique digital storefront:
eCommerce websites are not your typical sites—they’re built with much more advanced functionality that supports a seamless shopping experience. This means they’re an investment in the future of your business. But this doesn’t also mean that they’re unaffordable for small businesses.
So, let’s talk numbers. On average, an eCommerce website with 100 products can cost about $5,000 to develop, and $15,000 a year to maintain. For sites with up to 1000 products, development costs can clock at $55,000.
But before you fret over these costs, keep in mind that these are averages: every brand is unique and every eCommerce site is different. This is why it’s important to pay attention to the factors that influence the cost of eCommerce website development in Toronto:
Infrastructure: Are you building your eCommerce website on an established platform? These offer out-of-box features that a developer can customize to your brand and online retail needs. Shopify, for example, offers a user-friendly eCommerce web development experience, which is perfect for brands just starting out in this space. But more than the platform, keep in mind the features you want for displaying products, suggesting related items, the checkout and shipping process—essentially, the cost is in the details.
Domain and hosting: You’ll need a domain name for your eCommerce site, as well as an annual hosting plan to keep it running. Your eCommerce platform provider may offer a hosting package as part of your subscription, so you won’t need to manage these multiple components separately.
SSL certificate: Often the $20—$70 range annually, a valid SSL certificate provides network security. It helps keep customers safe as they’re browsing and shopping, and secures transactions when they purchase. Plus, with site security now also an SEO ranking indicator, it’s a must to keep your eCommerce site safe.
Payment processing: Since you’re accepting payments on your eCommerce site, be mindful of processing costs from gateways such as PayPal and Stripe, as well as any bank fees.
Theme: For maximum impact, you’ll want a site that’s designed in line with your brand identity. This strengthens brand recall and fosters trust, especially among customers who first saw your brand on social media platforms and reviews.
Plugins and extensions: In addition to the core infrastructure, you will need plugins and extensions that let you offer a real online shopping experience. Features such as virtual try-ons may be available through these plugins, so keep in mind the experience that you want to provide customers.
Inventory management: Your eCommerce website should connect to an inventory management system so orders are received and shipped, and customers are aware whether an item is in-stock, selling fast, or out-of-stock. A major consideration here is the size of your site based on the number of products sold on your eCommerce site.
Advertising: And finally, eCommerce website development alone won’t be enough to draw customers in and inspire loyalty. You’ll need ongoing email marketing and product marketing through SEO, and Google and social media ads to capture customer interest at the start of their shopping journey.
eCommerce web development isn’t just about building a standard website where customers can browse your products and services—it’s the complete shopping experience. And to offer this, you’ll need the right partner for the job.
A professional, expert-led, and results-driven eCommerce website development agency delivers on all your eCommerce setup, marketing, and growth needs. With the rapid growth of online retail and an increasingly competitive market, it pays to work with an agency that understands your needs and sets you up for success.
Find the right eCommerce website development agency in Toronto that meets your needs:
Every brand has unique online retail needs, and your web development agency should know that. Choose an agency that can fulfill your vision with a robust eCommerce strategy that meets your goals. Ask them about their specific roadmap for your eCommerce website development project and how their methods meet industry standards.
Has the agency specifically delivered eCommerce websites in the past? It’s one thing to have web development experience; it’s another to have verifiable experience in working with eCommerce sites. Ask to see previous projects they worked on across display environments, and measurable results delivered in terms of traffic, conversion, and sales.
Is the agency simply an eCommerce website development agency, or do they offer a full-service experience? To ensure continued success, you’ll want not only a bespoke eCommerce website, but omni-channel campaigns that actively pursue customers across search, email, and social media, and culminate in optimized conversion pathways.
Has the agency made a name for itself? Ask the agency if they’ve been recognized or reviewed for their work in eCommerce website development. As well, ask about their expertise and partnerships with eCommerce platforms to make sure that they’re up for the job.
Your digital storefront is just the beginning of a long and successful track record in online retail. To succeed in the digital economy, your eCommerce website needs the complete package: a full suite of digital marketing services that ensure a seamless shopping experience, promote brand recall, and strengthen conversion funnels.
And the best part? With Consultus Digital as your eCommerce website development agency, you won’t have to look any further to get a full-service eCommerce strategy. Discover what’s in your eCommerce website development toolbox, handpicked and tested to ensure maximum impact on online retail:
Shopping is a visual experience, so make your eCommerce website stand out with product images and videos that customers won’t be able to look away from. Build your eCommerce website with powerful visual content that lets customers experience your products before they buy.
To attract customers, your eCommerce website and its conversion funnels need to appear at the top of search and every feed. Reach customers on every channel and create pathways to purchase with Google Ads, Facebook and Instagram Ads, TikTok ads, and YouTube Ads. Boost brand recall with ads linked to the hottest products that customers are interested in.
Build trust in your brand’s eCommerce shopping experience with the help of the most powerful voices in your industry. From product tutorials to reviews, day-in-the-life videos, and other sponsored content, tap into the undeniable pull of influencers-turned-brand ambassadors.
Audit, test, and continuously improve conversion pathways on your eCommerce website. With ongoing development, see what banners, buttons, calls-to-action, and offers customers best respond to, and implement these to boost your site’s conversion rate and revenue.
Encourage email newsletter sign-ups through exclusive discounts, uncover abandoned carts and send follow-up emails, and send out promotions straight to your customers’ inboxes. Reward them for their trust and loyalty through email campaigns that they’ll definitely open and click on.
Consultus Digital is proud to be one of the drivers of the eCommerce revolution in Toronto and across Canada. As a premiere eCommerce website development agency, we have a proven track record in delivering bespoke eCommerce websites, custom-crafted for brands across the hottest retail sectors. Whether you’re just building your brand or you’ve got an existing name and transforming it to thrive in the digital economy, we deliver a turn-key eCommerce website development service.
Consultus Digital is honoured to be named a Shopify Partner. We have been recognized as an expert in eCommerce website development and successfully applied this expertise to getting brands like yours started on Shopify’s platform. It’s an honour we work hard to maintain as eCommerce web development trends evolve and our methods adapt.
At Consuluts, we’ve never believed in a one-size-fits-all approach. We value the uniqueness of your brand, and we make it our priority to let it shine. Our portfolio of successfully delivered eCommerce websites will show the results of our client-first, custom-crafted approach to scoping, design, and continued growth.
eCommerce web development in Toronto requires a careful eye, design thinking, and the tools to bring your vision to life. Consultus Digital provides these, thanks to both an impressive, highly powerful tech stack, and back-end and front-end development expertise. With Consultus as your eCommerce web development agency, you can count on a seamless technical setup with the design skills to match.
At Consultus Digital, we aim to adapt as quickly as eCommerce trends evolve—and that’s very fast. You can count on your dedicated account manager to be transparent with you at all times, whether it’s for the latest update on your site’s analytics or new features that need to be implemented. Backed by years of insight into the digital economy, we’ll constantly support your eCommerce strategy with emerging best practices for meeting customer demands.
There’s a reason Consultus Digital is considered the best digital marketing agency in Toronto.
Laura Harvey, CEO
“I began using Consultus in January of 2022 after being with a competitor for many years. The team at Consultus has helped us to increase revenues over the last number of months and has brought new engaging ideas to increase our exposure within our market. They are a great team who do amazing SEO, Google ads and CRO. Highly recommend.”
Melissa Graham, Manager
“Such a great team to work with! Created an amazing new website for us along with managing all our paid digital ads each month.”
Stanislav Kojokin
“My firm- KASE Insurance Inc. partnered with Consultus Digital two years ago. At that time we had no online strategy. Michael and his team have helped us rebuild our website and created an SEO strategy that has provided us with 150% ROI! Consultus Digital has an amazing customer service team and they truly care about their clients and deliver on their promises. I strongly recommend Michael and the Consultus Digital team to all my friends and clients”
Helen Stergiou, Partner
“The team at Consultus Digital won our business due to their thorough assessment and realignment of our digital sales and marketing strategy. Within only a few weeks of partnering with them, we increased our inbound leads significantly by reconfiguring the user experience of our website”
Tricia Oldfield, Vice President of Sales & Marketing
As the VP of both Sales and Marketing for one of Canada’s largest electronic recycling companies, I wear many hats. I rely on the team at Consultus Digital to act as my outsourced, internal marketing team. Over the past 3 years, they’ve provided our company everything from website development to social media management. I would highly recommend the team at Consultus Digital to any business looking for a partner in navigating the complex world of digital.
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