Best Practices to Adopt when Hiring Front-End Web Developers for eCommerce Project

Suffice it to say that front-end e-commerce developers are in great demand these days. This is backed up by eloquent research, provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics: demand for web developers is expected to increase by 13% by the year 2028. This fact transparently reflects that front-end developers are going to be worth their weight in gold in the future. Especially if we are speaking about e-commerce front-end developers. The number of online platforms is growing exponentially, as well as the number of e-commerce development companies. The more options you have, the more complicated is the process of hiring the right front-end e-commerce developers for your business.

This is explained by the fact that establishing a profitable e-commerce platform isn’t a breeze. Any website needs undivided attention, not only during the process of development but even after the launch. Continuous updates, positive user experience (UX), bug fixing, and maintenance — that’s where skillful and experienced e-commerce developers step in the game. To make the process of hiring front-end e-commerce developers easier for you, we’ve listed down the specific abilities and skills that should be on your checklist while hiring front-end e-commerce developers.

#1 Technical Skills

There are a number of skills without which front-end development is pretty much impossible. They are:

HTML

HTML is the most essential aptitude that a front-end developer should master because it is the standard language for developing Web pages and it depicts the structure of a Web page in which it should appear on a website.

CSS

CSS is a styling language of a webpage that allows the engineer to separate the styling information and the actual content of a webpage, due to which you can change the page style without disturbing the other code of the webpage.

Javascript

JavaScript (JS) makes your website more dynamic and interactive as well as allowing the website to play the videos, animations, reload pages, etc.

Frameworks and Libraries

Frameworks are prewritten code modules for common website elements like login and search interfaces. The frameworks speed up the process of development, as you don’t need to start everything from scratch. Instead, you can focus on the key logic of your project. Examples of popular frameworks front-end developers should have knowledge of include Angular, React, Vue.js, Ember.js, etc. Libraries, a mixture of plugins and extensions, are beneficial for including premade elements in your website.

#2 UX/UI Designing and Testing Skills

UI/UX

UI/UX design is the first impression of a company that you give to the customers. The greater the customer experience with your website, the higher is the chance of the success of your services and product. Your front-end e-commerce developers should be up-to-date with the demand and latest trends to be able to choose the best designing technique that suits your brand.

GIT/Version Control System

The version control system gives the developers an opportunity to track all the changes made in the code over time. So they can return to a previous state/version in case the change does not behave as they expected, instead of cancelling every change and fixing the error manually. One of the most used Version control systems popular among the front-end developers is Git. So, it’s quite essential for a developer to have knowledge of it.

Testing

To find all the bugs and increase the performance of the website, a front-end developer should be able to write the test cases for the front end of the website as well as test the website for its design, seamless functionality, and performance.

Wireframing

Together with the coding and testing, the front-end developer should also be able to prepare a wireframe for the whole project. A wireframe is the outline of the project, which includes such details as the content, design, and functionality that it should deliver. Its goal is to make a list of challenges in the initial phases, according to which the developer can take appropriate action and work on a realistic goal.

#3 Non-Technical Skills

For the successful implementation of the project, when hiring front-end e-commerce developers, take into account the following non-technical skills. They are:

Communication

It’s important not only for the team members during the development process but also for the discussion of all the project requirements. It is not only about grammar or fluent English, it is more about understanding what your client is asking for so that you can match their expectations.

Teamwork

The project development process is all about teamwork, so coordination and cooperation within the team are essential.

Critical thinking

A front-end e-commerce developer should have problem-solving skills and know how to address complicated issues.

Continuous Skill Upgrade

To deliver a quality product, an engineer should stay updated with the trends, tools, and development practices. That means, a front-end e-commerce developer should have an urge for constant skills upgrade and performance improvement. They should be ready to visit technical meet-ups and be excited about all the skills and knowledge that their senior colleagues or experienced professionals are ready to pass out to them.

As we’ve touched upon the major skills a perfect e-commerce front-end developer should possess, it’s time we examined the tips on hiring front-end e-commerce developers.

#1 Determine Your E-commerce Project’s Requirements.

Before hiring front-end e-commerce developers, you should clearly identify your project’s requirements. You can do this by deciding on your goal, choosing key features for your platform, fixing your budget.

#2 Check out your team’s experience.

Before hiring front-end e-commerce developers, ask about their experience. Launching an e-commerce website is not a piece of cake. It’s a much more complicated task than developing a simple website.

Find out if their developers have already provided features that are specific to e-commerce. For example, are they familiar with the process of integrating a payment service with a website? Can they implement e-commerce product videos into your platform? Do they have experience working with headless-commerce approaches, microservices, etc.? Make sure you’ve asked them all the relevant questions.

#3 Thoroughly Examine all the Portfolios and References.

Contacting the company’s clients may come in handy, as it helps set expectations regarding your e-commerce website. You can also get insights into whether your potential team is professional enough.

A portfolio examination can let you see whether your expectations fit your developer’s design patterns.

#4 Learn What Approach Developers Follow.

Knowing the work strategy of your potential team is a crucial element of successful cooperation. This helps you have realistic goals, set clear deadlines and workflows.

Find out what methodology your potential partner uses. Is it Agile or Waterfall methodology? And which approach suits your project most? Discuss this question with the project manager before hiring front-end e-commerce developers.

#5 Decide on the Pricing Model.

When hiring front-end e-commerce developers, make sure you know all the petty details of contract pricing. There are many billing models, and choosing the most well-suited one will ultimately depend on your project’s size and complexity. We advise it to discuss pricing plans with the project manager as there are plenty of nuances to consider.

#6 Determine Communication Channels.

Transparent communication is crucial for successful web development. Agree on how you will be able to keep in touch with the developers and determine the major channels to talk through. It’s smart to use up-to-date apps and technologies, like Slack, Zoom, Skype, Jira, Trello, etc. You can use whatever is convenient for you, just make sure you are in constant control of the project and aware of the steps your developers are taking at the moment. Don’t forget that the key factor for successful communication is a good command of English and a similar mentality. So, make sure you don’t forget about that when hiring front-end e-commerce developers.

#7 Decide on whether to outsource or go for in-house development.

It’s up to you to decide whether outsourcing or in-house development will better suit your business requirements. We’re not going to sugarcoat this for you, as outsourcing has its challenges alongside its advantages. That’s why you should make up your mind whether face-to-face communication is of utmost importance for you (in case you are working from the office right now). Or perhaps, you are looking to scale up your team and get access to a larger talent pool. Then, outsourcing may be a perfect option for you. Once again, the ball is in your court now, so think about what can be more profitable for your business.

#8 Agree on Maintenance.

You’ve launched your e-commerce platform, but the work doesn’t stop here. It needs further support and maintenance. Make sure your team is ready to provide maintenance services. As new updates appear all the time, it’s crucial to avoid all the bugs and make the work of your platform as efficient as possible.

Let’s wrap it all up! As it’s been said, the demand for experienced and professional front-end e-commerce developers is growing every day. But the fact that the number of e-commerce development companies is growing along the way doesn’t help here. The reason for this is that it’s complicated to choose the only right front-end development team amid the ocean of choices. Hopefully, our list of the most crucial front-end e-commerce developers’ skills and abilities as well as the major steps on hiring front-end e-commerce developers can help you on this complicated path.