In today's digital environment, the greatest E-Commerce platforms provide a route to selling things. These tools not only provide you with the technology you need to create a good website, but they also enable you to sell and promote your products, manage transactions, and increase sales. "Which platform should I use? ", is the question for any would-be entrepreneur looking at E-Commerce solutions. They all claim to be the best, after all.
Of course, there isn't a one-size-fits-all solution to that problem. The best platform for you is determined by several factors. Some E-Commerce platforms are ideal for small enterprises and freelancers, while others appear to function best when selling services rather than actual goods. Whatever your E-Commerce store's goals are, you'll find a platform that meets them in the following list.
Let's get started!
E-Commerce Platforms: What to Look for?
Since there are so many E-Commerce platforms available, you'll find a wide range of features and capabilities designed to set each one apart. We tried to keep things simple in our reviews of the finest E-Commerce platforms, focusing on the types of tools that produce the best results for businesses of all sizes. If you're just getting started with your platform research, here are some things to think about:
Promotion: The majority of E-Commerce platforms include marketing and promotion options. It's also a good idea to look at SEO functionality, because the higher you rank in the search engines, the more likely you are to attract new clients and raise brand awareness.
Accessibility: An E-Commerce platform should be simple to use so that you can take advantage of all of its features. Some platforms are easier to work with than others.
Application use: When looking for your ideal E-Commerce platform, this is perhaps the most critical factor to consider. Basic sales capabilities, such as a checkout page, numerous payment choices, and the ability to offer a variety of products, such as services or physical items, are a must-have.
Cost: While the cost of an E-Commerce software solution should not be the only factor to examine, it will influence your decision. Make sure you locate a pricing structure that fits your budget.
Layout: Layout refers to the various ways in which you can personalize and enhance your store to express your brand. To get you started, the greatest tools frequently come with a variety of themes and layouts to select from.
Which E-Commerce platforms are the best?
You can start thinking about your possibilities now that you know the essentials of what to look for in an ideal E-Commerce platform. For the sake of this ranking, we've taken into account all of the aforementioned characteristics, as well as some other "extras" that we believe add to the platform's attractiveness.
Shopify
It's difficult to go wrong with Shopify if you're searching for a flexible E-Commerce platform that can adapt to your needs. Shopify makes it quick and easy to sell whatever you want, and it's known all around the world for its straightforward and effective selling experience. Dropshipping and social media sales platforms are among the options available.
Accessibility is one of the qualities that makes Shopify more appealing to today's business owners. It's fairly simple to get your store up and running, and there are many options for customizing the look of your site. As your business grows, you can also visit the Shopify app store to add more features to your store.
If you want to develop a full store, the basic package starts at roughly $29 per month. You can utilize the "Lite" service to add a payment button to your website or social media if you merely want to add store functionality to an existing website.
If you operate a brick-and-mortar store, Shopify offers Shopify POS, which supports a variety of payment processing solutions. As your business grows, you'll be able to access even more powerful features. Shopify, on the other hand, has several drawbacks, such as the inability to modify URL structure.
3DCart (Shift4Shop)
Over the years, 3DCart, also known as Shift4Shop, has revolutionized its position in the E-Commerce sector, servicing thousands of businesses all over the world. The Shift4Shop experience is designed to be as simple as possible, allowing store owners to get up and running quickly so they can benefit and grow their business. Unlimited storage, access to a POS, and multi-channel marketing are just a few of the practical elements to consider.
Shift4Shop has a little higher learning curve than some of the other E-Commerce builders on this list, but it also has a few unique capabilities, such as content marketing and SEO tools, that you won't find anywhere else. When it comes to handling consumer transactions, you'll have a variety of payment providers to select from. The templates are solid and well-designed, but some of them are a touch out of date.
Shift4Shop's price is determined by the number of sales you handle each month. The cheapest package costs roughly $19 per month and supports up to $50,000 in sales per year. Although you will miss out on sophisticated features such as abandoned cart saving, the value is fairly decent here.
If you're searching for something you can get your hands dirty with in terms of editing, Shift4Shop is a good option. Customizations in CSS and HTML are available.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a robust sales platform that is an excellent alternative for anyone just getting started with E-Commerce. BigCommerce's ability to offer exceptional scalability is one of its best features. You can start small and grow your E-Commerce business over time, or you can add an E-Commerce store to your existing brick-and-mortar retail strategy.
BigCommerce has a beautiful array of themes to pick from, including both buyer-centric and complex alternatives. There are also many multichannel interfaces built into the functionality, so you don't have to limit yourself to selling on one platform. BigCommerce boasts the most built-in features of any E-Commerce platform, so you won't have to spend as much time adding them as you might think.
Pricing begins at roughly $29.95 per month and includes features such as checkout codes, unlimited bandwidth, and gift cards. If you want to use sophisticated features like abandoned cart recovery and SSL certification, you'll have to upgrade. A 15-day free trial is also available to get you started.
BigCommerce provides you with a large range of options right away, so you can start growing your store and making money as soon as possible. It's also useful for business reporting and analysis.
WooCommerce
For businesses wishing to add E-Commerce capabilities to an existing WordPress website, WooCommerce is the most obvious solution. WooCommerce isn't a stand-alone site builder, but it does integrate with the WordPress platform, making it incredibly user-friendly. If you already know how to use WordPress, you should have no trouble using WooCommerce.
WooCommerce will function with a wide range of add-ons and integrations because it is part of the WordPress ecosystem. Email marketing, social media selling, one-click upsells, and even shipping calculations are all available. If you're not comfortable with coding, you may need some assistance from an expert to get everything set up.
WooCommerce is one of the most cost-effective E-Commerce platforms available, as the application is completely free to use. If you wish to extend your store, you may need to pay for a few extensions, but that's it. You'll have to pay for the hosting and management of your WordPress website as well.
To scale WooCommerce as your business grows, you'll need more development knowledge. The more you wish to accomplish, the more assistance you'll probably require. On the plus side, most people find that once they understand how to utilize WooCommerce, it's a breeze to manage.
As you can see, when it comes to E-Commerce, today's business owners have a vast range of possibilities. What you need most from your program will determine which solution is best for you. Most small enterprises will not require a lot of technical features or the ability to sell in different locations around the world.
Remember that if you have the opportunity to test the technology for free with an initial demo or trial, you should take advantage of it to get a feeling of what you prefer.
Good luck in your search for the top E-Commerce systems.
