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3 . Find a platform that supports deep customization You wouldn ’ t build a house on shaky foundations , and the same principle applies when you ’ re selecting an e-commerce platform to support your online sales : you need rock-solid online infrastructure that aligns exactly with the specific needs of your business . It ’ s hard to find that with off-the-shelf software , so it ’ s best to find a platform that supports deep customization and enables you to define exactly how you ’ ll present and package your offerings , and that gives you the means to evolve and expand your offering as new opportunities emerge .
Customization is especially important for equipment vendors , since many construction equipment deals are rentals , not outright purchases . That ’ s a complex proposition — while sales involve products and pricing , rentals also involve time periods , locations , accessories , and more . Many firms require painstaking manual processing for rental deals , but with a flexible enough platform it ’ s possible to build out true self-serve rental tools and deliver the slick , adaptable , and dependable online experience your customers crave .
Don ’ t get left behind For today ’ s construction businesses , opting out of digital selling simply isn ’ t an option . But sellers can ’ t afford to simply phone in their e-commerce strategy , or expect offthe-shelf solutions to automatically meet their own business needs , let alone those of their customers .
To build the resilient , responsive , and intuitive e-commerce tools that construction buyers increasingly expect , companies need to start by ensuring they ’ re building their operations on a flexible e-Commerce platform designed for the specific needs of construction industry buyers and sellers . The specifics will need to be tailored to your own business needs . If you ’ re selling both parts and equipment , for instance , you might begin by perfecting your sales automation processes for parts , since they ’ re fastermoving and easier to sell online – you can then move to deep customization to support heavy machinery rentals .
The reality is that building out an e-commerce presence is a construction project in its own right , and it needs to be approached in much the same way . Listening to your customers , getting the right framework in place early on , and ensuring that you ’ re building with the future in mind is essential to deliver the slick experiences and robust feature-sets that today ’ s buyers now demand . ■
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