ZippyScore: Understanding How We Score Ecommerce Software

For 2011 we decided to make major improvements to our ecommerce software scoring system (AKA ZippyScore), which included expanding the number of factors we analyze from 7 to 10 and adding in weighted averages. In prior years we chose to weight each grading factor equally, but after receiving feedback from hundreds of ecommerce merchants, we decided to give more clout to certain factors which matter most to those looking for a new ecommerce software solution to power their online store.

Our team of ecommerce experts scored each software solution on the ten factors below, based on a 1-5 scale, then we averaged them out to obtain the overall score for each factor. This allowed us to sum up the scores for each solution so we could determine their final ZippyScore for our list of the top ecommerce software solutions of 2011. Below are additional details about each of the 10 factors, so you can learn more about what goes into the ZippyScore.

Overall Value (15%)

Merchants are very concerned with how much their ecommerce software solution costs, and what they get for the money. In the case of licensed solutions, merchants pay a one-time fee for the software, then need to setup their own hosting account, and often pay for customer service if they need help. Additionally licensed solutions do not typically provide free updates to their software, so merchants are stuck with the version they buy, unless they want to pay more to upgrade. We take these factors into consideration when determining the value of a licensed shopping cart.

When looking at hosted ecommerce solutions, we look at what the merchants gets in terms of features and service, which can sometimes vary by package. Some hosted ecommerce software solutions limit the features they provide on their entry level packages, whereas some providers give merchants the same set of features in all packages. Another thing we look at is what kind of bandwidth and storage limits there are for each hosted package, as well as the bandwidth or storage overage costs, and if there are transaction fees. We also look at what hours they provide customer service, if they offer a live chat for merchants to get help, and what type of community and help resources they provide merchants. All of this combined allows us to decide what the overall value score is for each ecommerce software solution.

Customer Service (15%)

Most of the merchants coming to ZippyCart are looking for hosted ecommerce software solutions, and value customer service very highly, as they want to be confident that they can get the proper help they need if a problem or question comes up. In scoring customer service we look at a variety of data points, including feedback from merchants who are currently using a solution or recently switched their ecommerce software. We also do our own version of "secret shopping," where our ecommerce experts interact with the shopping cart companies, and ask various questions or present dilemmas to see how the customer service team addresses them. This helps to get a more well rounded perspective of how knowledgeable the customer service teams are, so that we can do a better job of scoring them. Some of the other factors that we look at include the hours which customer service is provided, types of customer service offered (phone, email, live chat, forum, etc), and how the ecommerce software companies address merchant questions and concerns via Twitter and Facebook. Merchants are becoming more comfortable about asking questions over Twitter or on a Facebook fan page, and some of the companies do a better job at utilizing these channels. All of these factors are taken into consideration, so we can determine the final score for each ecommerce software solution.

Level of Customization (15%)

Some merchants are happy with a very basic online store, and do not have the time or technical skills to make advanced customizations. However the level of customization is a top concern for many merchants, as they want to have a lot of flexibility in their ecommerce solution, and want to be able to do more sophisticated things. In scoring "Level of Customization" we look at a number of factors, including things like the scalability of an ecommerce solution, remote carting tools, design interface (is it WYSIWYG, drag and drop, etc) and whether merchants have access to the source code so further modifications can be made. Specifically merchants want to know if they can access the HTML and CSS, customize URLs, modify features, and manipulate the design of their online store. Some ecommerce solutions have limited options for templates, and do not give the merchant many options to further tweak their template, which is not good, as merchants want to ensure that their online store is customized to meet their needs.

Ease of Use (15%)

Not all merchants are tech geniuses, so when they go to find the right ecommerce solution, it is important for them to know how easy it is to use. Not only for them, but their customers as well, who will need to be able to smoothly navigate through their online store, and have a quick and painless check out from their shopping cart. Once merchants are able to get their online store set up, they want to know how easy it is to manage things day-to-day, which is a critical component that we factor into the ease of use score. Merchants do not want to spend months mastering a new ecommerce solution so they can manage it properly, as they need to focus on their orders coming in and marketing efforts to bring in additional customers. Customers expect a clean look and be easy to use storefront when shopping online, as they have no problem abandoning a site if it does not look professional or has a weird user experience. Another thing that merchants want to know about is how easy it is to grow their business if it becomes successful, which means that they need to know how hard it is to create additional online stores or if there are limits on how large of an online store the ecommerce software solution can accommodate. All of these factors help to determine what the ease of use score is for each of the ecommerce software solutions on ZippyCart.

SEO (10%)

Almost all merchants are concerned about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) when it comes to their online store, as it can help to generate free traffic to their site, and increase revenues without spending money on advertising. Each ecommerce software solution is unique in terms of what they allow you to do with SEO, and how they allow you to do it. In scoring SEO for each ecommerce solution, we look at a number of factors like the ability to set up your own 301 redirect links, access to optimize the page title and META data for each page, generation of SEO friendly links. Additionally we look at other factors like being able to add custom alt text for product images, and the level of access a merchant has to all the HTML and CSS that make up their online store. We take all of these factors into account to create the SEO score for each ecommerce software solution, and even leverage SEO experts to ensure that we score the most optimized carts the highest in this category.

Range of Tools Available (10%)

This factor might sound a bit self explanatory, but in scoring the range of tools available we do our best to compare the entire feature set from all of the ecommerce software solutions we review on ZippyCart. Therefore this scoring factor touches on many different parts of an ecommerce solution, hitting areas like merchandising, marketing, social media, reporting, 3rd party integration, and more. All of these factors are taken into consideration when scoring the range of tools available with each ecommerce software solution, so we can then come up with their all up ZippyScore.

Mobile Commerce (5%)

Some people speculated that 2010 would be a break through year for mobile commerce (mcommerce), and while the niche was hot, it looks like 2011 will be an even bigger year. During 2010 mobile commerce features started to appear on many of the top ecommerce software solutions, with some companies only providing a mobile optimized storefront, while others provided apps allowing their merchants to manage an online store on the go. In scoring mobile commerce we look at these factors, including how easy it is to use the online stores as a customer shopping from their mobile phone. All of these things combined allow us to come up with the mobile commerce score for each ecommerce solution.

Social Media / Social Commerce Integration (5%)

Social media is slowly becoming more important to merchants, and ecommerce software solutions are starting to recognize this desire. Over the course of 2010 a number of ecommerce solutions added in features including the option for merchants showcase their Facebook and Twitter profiles, the ability to open an online store at your Facebook fan page, and social sharing functionality so customers could post products to their Facebook or Twitter accounts. Not many ecommerce solutions offer more advanced social commerce tools, but in 2011 it is expected that additional features will be added to meet merchant demands. We take all of these things into account when we go to score each ecommerce software solution on their social media / social commerce integration.

Reporting (5%)

Merchants spend a lot of time managing their online stores in hopes of ensuring that their customers have a great experience, but the more successful ecommerce merchants leverage their reporting tools as well, to improve the performance of their online store. Not all ecommerce solutions offer the same reporting tools, as some do a better job at providing merchants with more actionable reports that they can use to modify areas of their online store to increase sales and improve conversion rates. We looked at the entire reporting offering from each ecommerce software solution, so we can determine the quality and quantity of the reports that they provide their merchants. Taking all of these items into account, allows our ecommerce experts to provide each ecommerce solution with a reporting score.

Free Trial (5%)

When it comes to free trials and how we score ecommerce software solutions, the methodology is quite simple. Those ecommerce solutions which provide a free trial with no credit card required, score the highest marks. Then we look at those solutions with a free trial that requires a credit card, who score a bit lower. We then see which solutions will let you test drive their software for less than $5 or provide only a free demo. Those solutions receive a lower score than the previously mentioned options. Finally we look at which ecommerce software solutions have no free trial or demo, which score the lowest marks. Regardless if a merchant is opening up their first online store, or switching from another ecommerce solution, they want to access a free trial without using their credit card, so they can determine whose software best meets their needs.