10 Best Ecommerce Platforms for Small Businesses
Long gone are the days when opening a store required a brick-and-mortar location. With the speed of change and this new digital age, more and more companies are leveraging the power of the Internet to reach out to existing and new customers.
Although this time, they do not need a physical location to open a store, they still need a home base for their business. In this case, it is an eCommerce platform.
Ecommerce platforms allow business owners to position themselves in the digital workplace and cater to the needs of their customers.
Creating an online business opens up a world of opportunities for smaller and bigger business owners to earn a fortune and reach their stars in the digital sky. To achieve that, it is very important to choose the right eCommerce platform for your business.
And in the oversaturated market, it is very hard to find the right eCommerce platform that will perfectly suit your business needs.
For instance, if you are planning to create something really creative for your eCommerce store, you might want to focus on open-source platform builders with a user-friendly backend that allows you to experiment with different functionalities like abandoned cart, inventory management, and a variety of different web hosting. However, if you are a newbie, you may want to choose a hosted solution.
But we’ve got some great news. To help you choose the one that meets your requirements, we have done extensive research and outlined the best eCommerce platforms you need to consider.
Let’s dive right in!
Squarespace
Squarespace is a great eCommerce platform for any company which likes to have a lot of creative control. It has a number of really exciting features, such as integration with social media channels.
On top of this, there are several inspiring and modern templates you can choose from. Another great thing is that you can access SLL security as well as a free domain if you choose any kind of annual plan.
Advantages:
- A free domain with annual plans
- Budget-friendly plans
- Great social media integration
- A great solution for anyone who is looking for 24/76 support
- A wide range of templates you can choose from
Shopify
If you haven’t heard of Shopify, you must have been living under a rock. If you are planning to give your business a boost and get serious about selling, you should definitely opt for Shopify.
Shopify provides you with all the tools you need to build an online store that will help you reach the stars on your digital sky in no time. This platform is completely designed to help you build your online store from zero. This is one of the reasons why it has many advanced tools as well.
One of the best things Shopify offers is that it comes with built-in drop-shipping tools. On top of this, it also lets you sync your inventories so you can manage all of your sales from one place much more easily.
Finally, Shopify has multichannel selling options, including integration with Amazon, Instagram, Facebook, and eBay.
Advantages:
- Best sales features on the market
- Brilliant inventory
- Built-in drop-shipping tools
- Multichannel sling options
BigCommerce
Another great eCommerce platform in today’s market where new technologies are taking over the world that should definitely be on your list of priorities is BigCommerce.
With a huge set of tools to help you build a website, this platform is a great opportunity for all businesses to find their place in the ever-increasing market and shine.
BigCommerce allows you to easily branch out and sell your products using other mediums, and you can also build storefronts on sites like eBay or Amazon.
On top of this, it offers 24/7 customer support and you can also consult them if you need any help when building your site.
Furthermore, BigCommerce will help you manage your payments more easily as well as create and monitor your site more efficiently.
Advantages:
- A wide range of tools
- Sell products using other mediums
- 24/7 customer support
Magento
Magento is definitely one of the most popular eCommerce platforms on the market.
The most disruptive companies in the world of retail use Magento to increase the number of their customers and bring customer experience to a higher level.
Another important thing to know here is that Magento supports other sales channels like Amazon. You can download a free version, but you will have to pay if you want premium features or your own hosting solutions.
However, keep in mind that if you want to create something unique with Magento, you will need a group of developers, and today, you can find a community of developers who can help you develop a perfect website that will represent your brand in the best possible light.
And also, there is always a good custom website design agency that can solve these development problems.
Advantages:
- A large community you can work with
- Excellent platform for global sites
- Versatile marketplace for Magento
- Flexibility to customize your platform
- Ability to have complete customization control
XCart
Regardless of whether you are looking for a custom website build or out-of-the-box template, X-Cart is the perfect eCommerce platform that can help you create a digital presence and position yourself on the market.
Besides helping you increase sales with custom-based website design, it also offers 24/7 support and helps you reach new markets with outstanding digital advertising. It is an ideal solution for businesses of all types, from small businesses to multi-vendors.
Wix Ecommerce
Wix eCommerce is a great choice if you are looking to have a small product selection. This platform is a great choice if you are a business with less than 50 products trying to build a website that will help you position yourself more easily on the market.
One of its great features is a drag and drop theme, which allows you to easily remove or add new features which allow you to quickly and easily customize your storefront.
Advantages:
- Drag and drop theme
- Simple and easy-to-use
- Easy to create a customized storefront
Weebly
This very easy-to-use eCommerce platform is very friendly for beginners, so it won’t waste much of your time. On top of this, it is pretty affordable for most businesses.
One of the main reasons why we included this eCommerce platform on the list is because it has many amazing features, especially in its password-protected pages on blogging pages. It is an ideal platform for businesses that sell only a few products.
Plus, ever since Weebly was taken over by Square, its sales features have significantly improved. Another great thing about this platform is that it can be tailored to the specific needs and requirements of a particular business.
For instance, it has a mobile app and automatic tax calculator, which enables you to manage your business on the go. It is a great value for money and its cheapest plan starts at $6 per month.
If you are not sure which platform to choose for your business, you can always reach out to an online marketing agency to help you pick the right one for your business.
Advantages:
- Brilliant additional features
- Affordable features
- Ideal for small businesses that sell only a few products
- Can be tailored to the business needs
Volusion
Volusion is a great eCommerce very popular on today’s market and ideal for businesses who are looking for opportunities to grow. In essence, Volusion provides you with everything you need to grow in the ever-increasing market.
For instance, one of its best features is the ability to offer in-depth data reports and all the important features you need to track the performance of your website.
Overall, Volusion is the best platform for businesses that want to explore creative ways to scale in the future. It offers a number of very useful features, including SEO features which will help you attract more visitors to your website.
This solution is also affordable for most businesses, the prices start at $29 per month, and if you pay for your subscription annually, you can save up to 10 percent.
Advantages:
- In-depth reporting tools
- Access to SEO tools
- Great features including shipping and automatic tax calculating
- Various payment princesses including PayPal and Stripe
Selz
Selz is definitely one of the most affordable eCommerce platforms, with enough features to help you build websites that will help you stand out from the rest of the market. It offers 24/7 support and allows you to choose the theme that will perfectly suit your needs and easily implement it on your site.
Plus, it is very easy to use this platform as it is super user-friendly and there are a number of customization options businesses can use to achieve the best results.
So, if you are looking for an eCommerce platform that is both affordable and that offers many amazing features, Selz is the tool you are looking for.
Advantages:
- Affordable
- 24/7 customer support
- Easy-to-use
- Customizable to meet businesses’ needs
WooCommerce
If you want to run an eCommerce site and affiliate site under one roof, WooCommerce is the answer. It works perfectly with WordPress allowing you to create a website that will allow you to run a fully functional eCommerce store.
On top of this, there are many additional extensions for social media, email marketing, shipping, payment gateways and 1-click selling.
Takeaways
In the over-saturated market, it can be really hard to find the right eCommerce platform, and choosing the one that will perfectly suit your needs requires a lot of research, trial, and error.
Hopefully, we have helped you get a clear picture of what kind of eCommerce platforms exist on the market and which one suits your business needs best.
For example, if you are looking for a platform that will provide you with a fair amount of control, you should opt for Volusion. On the other hand, if you are looking for a solution that will bring you a number of functionalities, you should definitely go for Shopify.
So, what kind of platform will you choose?
Posted by Ellie Northcott
Ellie Northcott is a long-time marketer, currently working as a freelancer in Miami, Florida.
Editor at Find digital agency. She is also a passionate writer and loves to explore new, innovative and digital news.
In her spare time, she is an eco-activist.
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