Did you know ecommerce sales are expected to reach $7.4 trillion by the year 2025? The reason behind the massive success of ecommerce industry could be convenience in a post-covid world. From high-end clothing items to everyday grocery supplies, everything is just a click away. More so, the discount offers, free and quick delivery, customer-friendly return policy, and a seamless checkout process have also made online shopping a hassle-free experience for customers. So as a retailer, you need to build an online presence to thrive in the ecommerce industry.
But establishing yourself as a credible and reliable retailer online is a time consuming process. But to ace it, you can think about utilizing cloud technology to keep your ecommerce website up and running round the clock. This post discusses how best cloud hosting can contribute to the success of your ecommerce business.
Cloud Hosting Over Other Hosting Options
You might be wondering why you should opt for cloud hosting instead of weighing other hosting plans, such as dedicated server hosting, shared hosting, or VPS. It is because cloud hosting ensures access to essential data 24/7. It stores your data across several virtual servers, making it easier for you to access it whenever you want. Remember that cloud hosting solutions are often tackled by service providers. These vendors use different data centers located at diverse locations globally, to store your data. In comparison to traditional hosting, cloud hosting is often given preferences due to its considerable benefits, such as scalability, accessibility and so on.
While traditional options aren’t entirely bad, you’ll eventually look for ways to upgrade once your ecommerce website starts to grow and requires more resources. Cloud hosting, on the other hand, enables you to scale up and down according to your requirements whenever you need. Which is why it’s considered a better option to host an ecommerce website. But there’re more benefits of cloud hosting for your ecommerce business venture over a cheap dedicated server.
Let’s explore them!
1) Reliability
What makes cloud hosting reliable is its ability to prevent hassles, such as purchasing software or hardware. When you don’t buy hardware yourself, hardware problems such as power surges, processing issues, or hard drive failure won’t become your headache either. Moreover, cloud-based solutions often include backups in the plan, and some service providers even include advanced backup options, including file syncing features and physical disc copies to their cloud hosting plans. All these perks make your data safe and accessible, which is exactly what ecommerce website owners need.
2) Uptime & Traffic
Your website’s uptime is solely based on the physical server environment of the hosting type you’re using. And chances are your website will go offline if a problem occurs on the server. The case might be different with CDN, as it helps lower a website’s downtime. High uptime is another reason why you should opt for cloud hosting for your ecommerce site. Since under cloud hosting, your website uses resources from several servers, it’ll be transferred to another server when one server goes offline or faces a technical problem. More importantly, since cloud hosting enables you to scale server resources, it’ll keep your site running even during sudden surges in traffic.
3) Website Speed
According to recent stats, consumers expect ecommerce sites to load in under three seconds. This means that if your site takes longer to load, customers will simply move on to an online store that loads quickly. As an ecommerce store owner, it’s incredibly important for you to focus on improving your website’s loading time. Cloud hosting offers a robust cloud platform, which is beneficial for an ecommerce website, in terms of speed with an unmatched on-site infrastructure. With cloud hosting, your website can turn into a reliable online store that drives sales and takes your business two steps ahead.
4) Scalability
Ecommerce industry is evolving, so you need to invest in a system that helps your online business venture grow. With cloud hosting, you can take steps that accelerate your business and contribute to its growth. Put simply, cloud-based hosting allows you to scale up or down according to your business requirements. For example, cloud hosting allows you to make the most of holiday season by scaling up the resources you need to accommodate higher volumes of traffic. It’s the kind of flexibility your business needs to stay ahead of the competition in the industry.
5) Data Security
Whether you run a small-scale arts and crafts online store or have a full-fledge ecommerce site that delivers orders across the globe; security remains a major concern for every online business owner. Ecommerce sites especially garner the attention of hackers due to financial transactions. But worry not as many cloud-based hosting providers have started to implement innovative strategies to keep confidential information safe and secure. From biometric screening to encryption to network layers, they ensure your data remains protected from hackers. However, it’s on you to double-check the security measures your host takes to ensure maximum data security.
6) Maintenance
With cloud hosting, you shouldn’t stress over maintenance, as your host will be responsible for managing hardware as well as software. When you get ready-made solutions for various operations, it’ll save you time that you can spend on value-oriented business activities. Cloud hosting takes hardware and software related burden off your shoulders, allowing your IT support team to focus on creating and implementing IT related strategies. These perks also alleviate you from having to deal with updates and compatibility problems, giving you enough room to run your business in a stress-free environment.
Wrap Up
With several benefits, cloud-based hosting is sure to contribute in your ecommerce business success. From lightning speed to top tier security, it offers essential features that determine the success of an online store. However, when investing in a cloud hosting plan, get enough information about the service and ensure the vendor follows latest technology to provide unmatched performance and keep your ecommerce website data secure.
