Let’s explore some really good e-commerce platforms for small businesses.
Online selling is a gigantic industry and niche. When running an online store it is important to partner with e-commerce platforms. This is essential for your business growth if you want to scale beyond the local market.
Even if you are already selling online you must assess your current position. Did you choose the right e-commerce platform?
If you are now opening an online store, you need to find the best e-commerce platforms. You don’t want to build your site around a platform that will not be able to scale with your business.
List of E-Commerce Platforms
01. Shopify: Online Store Platform
The best online e-commerce platform.
Shopify is a powerful e-commerce platform and a top-rated online store for small businesses. It allows anyone from entrepreneurs to online retailers to create their online store.
Shopify has been around since 2006 and has amassed a huge following. It is very attractive to small businesses because it’s an easy way to create an online store. You can either sell from the app or use Shopify as a tool to integrate with other apps and services. Such as WordPress sites or social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
However, it does have some downsides that you should know about before you begin. Ecommerce platforms like Shopify are not open source. This means that you don’t have access to the code for customization purposes. There’s not as much control over your design.
The flipside to these downsides is that if you have no idea how to design a website, Shopify is your match. Test out the Shopify e-commerce platform that lets anyone create an online store.
02. WooCommerce: Online Store on WordPress
The tool to start an online store on WordPress.
There are several e-commerce platforms for WordPress. WooCommerce is a free open-source eCommerce platform. It helps persons to start an online selling business and work from home.
WooCommerce is a plugin for the WordPress platform and is ideal to start an online store.
This online store platform started as an open-source project in 2011. Years later has since become the most popular free e-commerce solution available.
It is continuously updated by its core team. But also has thousands of active contributors around the world. WooCommerce powers over 3 million online stores across the globe. This makes it one of the most popular eCommerce solutions in the world.
Good e-commerce platforms for startups have tools for easy site setup. WooCommerce offers an extensive plugin ecosystem. Users can customize their eCommerce store’s appearance and functionality. Above all WooCommerce doesn’t require any coding knowledge to use it. This makes it easy for beginners to start their own online store.
03. BigCommerce: Online E-Commerce Software
A powerful enterprise e-commerce management service.
BigCommerce is one of the leading and largest e-commerce platforms in the world. They have over 200,000 active stores and have raised millions in capital.
One major selling point of BigCommerce is its easy-to-use interface. They also offer a variety of tools to help you manage your store. Such as automatic order fulfillment, live customer service chat, personalized product recommendations, etc.
BigCommerce is a leading online store builder that e-commerce sellers love. It can help you launch, operate, and grow your online retail business.
With it, you can easily create an online store with all the features you need to sell your product. It also has all the tools necessary for marketing your brand and growing your customer base.
The platform offers different packages and e-commerce tools. With features such as hosting, disk space for storage of files, mobile optimization, and reporting and analytics.
04. Ecwid: E-Commerce Solution
Start selling online for free.
Ecwid is an online store platform that provides e-commerce solutions. It has a whole suite of tools and services that can help you create your online store. As well as manage it and grow your business online.
Ecwid offers everything from a free drag-and-drop website builder. To a full-service e-commerce solution with hundreds of out-of-the-box features. Besides, integrations with all the major payment systems.
Understandably Ecwid growth is continuous. It is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms for entrepreneurs. Also, it favors those with an established brand or those looking to start an online store.
Ecwid offers customer support, SEO optimization, email marketing integration. Plus, global payments across more than 200 countries worldwide on any device.
05. Square: Online Store Platform
Intuitive e-commerce software.
Another great e-commerce platform is Square.
Square’s e-commerce solutions help small businesses start and grow. Square offers professional tools to make running your business fast, easy, and secure.
This e-Commerce platform could be the backbone of any online store. If you are looking for a platform that will allow you to be in control of your content. One that would give you the freedom to launch and run your online store. Find a solution with Square online store software.
You can manage your inventory and operations in one convenient place. Connect with prospects and turn them into customers. Grow your sales and gain a return on your investment.
Square is simple, easy to use, and won’t disappoint.
06. PrestaShop: Online Store Builder
Build an online store now.
Create and develop your business with PrestaShop. PrestaShop is an open-source e-commerce platform. You can create, design, and customize your own website to sell your products.
PrestaShop has gained popularity with many small businesses. Patrons around the world rely on PrestaShop for their e-commerce business. It is an affordable alternative to other expensive e-commerce platforms.
It offers unlimited possibilities for customization. This can be quite useful when you want control to build your online store. With PrestaShop, you can customize everything. Customize from the way product pages look to the colors of the theme. You work on your website design and start selling online.
The unlimited possibilities also come with a steep learning curve for beginners. This means that they will have a hard time getting started without any help. If needed, get guidance from PrestaShop experts or tutorials on YouTube or blogs.
07. OpenCart: Online Store Cart
The best free and open-source eCommerce platform.
OpenCart is an e-commerce platform that lets businesses create their own online store.
The OpenCart project helps you to build a simple online store platform. It has features considered as an easy-to-use e-commerce solution for its online store.
So, that is the idea that still grounds and fuels the OpenCart project. OpenCart is easy to install and has a wide range of features. It helps entrepreneurs succeed in the digital era. Plus, it’s free to use for small business owners, with no monthly fees or license fees.
Additionally, you can install OpenCart on any hosting provider or cloud service. The sky is the limit when developing your online store and using the Opencart platform.
08. Magento: E-Commerce Service
Have an irresistible eCommerce experience.
Magento is an open-source, e-commerce platform developed for online stores.
Ecommerce platforms like Magento have a complete solution that includes all the necessary functionalities. Having ideal features for building and running an online store. Magento offers its users applications to handle their inventory, payments, shipping and logistics, customer support, and much more.
The system provides works well. Even with large traffic or when there is high concurrence on the platform.
Magento’s e-commerce solutions offer the solutions for entrepreneurs with a product to sell. It has functionalities that allow you to create your own website and create an online store.
Adobe Commerce runs the Magento e-commerce software. Online sellers enjoy features provided by Adobe Commerce to run quality online stores. Such as online store page builder, user experience solutions, store fulfillment, and more.
09. Squarespace: Online Store Solution
An easy e-commerce solution.
Squarespace is an online store platform that helps businesses build their own website. It offers a range of templates to help designers create a unique website. Along with providing all the necessary backend tools to maintain it.
Squarespace offers a wide range of features for small business owners and larger enterprises.
With its prebuilt features, Squarespace provides e-commerce solutions for its customers. Users can use Squarespace’s various kinds of templates to create a unique website.
They offer tools and features that help designers create an online store. There are also tools available for maintaining the website after creation. As well as features to help users better manage their online presence.
You can use Squarespace e-commerce solutions for just about any type of business. Such as online stores for electronics, fashion, food, and drink, etc.
10. Wix: E-Commerce Software
Launch an online e-commerce store.
Wix is an online store and e-commerce solution for you.
Wix is a website builder and e-commerce platform that can help you start and maintain an online store. It comes with a wide range of features and tools that will help you to run your online store.
Wix is a self-proclaimed leading eCommerce platform. Users get the resources to sell online with an expert web-based store. As well as features to scale their e-commerce store with industry-standard functionalities.
Wix offers functionalities such as personalization, blog functionality, and e-commerce solutions. As well as marketing automation, social media integration and more.
If your business model is drop-shipping, Wix will support that. As well as various payment gateways such as PayPal and Stripe. Wix also provides you with store analytics features. You can review traffic reports, product selling rates, and gain business insight.
Closing: How E-commerce is Helpful to Business Success?
Having an online store provides many opportunities for businesses. They can grow their customer pool and see exponential financial growth.
In this world of business, there are thousands of products and services available. In order to make a purchase, people used to travel from one place to another searching for the best product. Even if, they don’t have time to go buy a product or service that they want. For example, if somebody wanted a nice watch, they had to go to a shopping mall or a jewelry store.
But that is not the case anymore. E-commerce platforms make shopping as easy as a click of a button. If someone is in a hurry and doesn’t have time to go and buy the said watch, they can buy a watch online.
Most big retailers and small business websites have e-commerce built-in. This makes shopping easier. With good online store marketing, entrepreneurs are reaping the benefits of selling online.
Here are some examples of e-commerce platforms.
- Shopify – The best online e-commerce platform.
- WooCommerce – The tool to start an online store on WordPress.
- BigCommerce – A powerful enterprise e-commerce management service.
- Ecwid – Start selling online for free.
- Square – Intuitive e-commerce software.
- PrestaShop – Build an online store now.
- OpenCart – The best free and open-source eCommerce platform.
- Magento – Have an irresistible eCommerce experience.
- Squarespace – An easy e-commerce solution.
- Wix – Launch an online e-commerce store.
All the best to your business endeavors. Whether you decide to set up your online store on Shopify or any other e-commerce platform.
