Discover the best E-commerce platforms to fuel business growth. Elevate your online presence with these top solutions for enhanced success.
Like many small business owners, are you also planning to sell your products or services online? That`s great! Because starting selling online is a fantastic way to multiply your customer reach and increase brand awareness. And everyone wants to double their profits after all.
However, just planning to sell won`t help. You will have to convert your idea into reality. For that, you will need an eCommerce platform - a software application that powers an online business to run their website, handle sales and manage operations.
Choosing one out of the long list of eCommerce platform providers can be a daunting task;it can take up a lot of time to find the right one.
If you are a small business that wants an easy-to-use platform to provide an excellent online store experience without hurting your pocket, then you are in the right place. Through our extensive research, we have come up with a list of the best eCommerce platforms for small and medium businesses.
Our research was based on the inputs provided by our online users who are looking to create a stunning online store. We asked them about what was important to them? What is the price they are willing to pay for an online storefront? What features do they want? We combined these data and came up with the below list.
1. Shopify - This is undoubtedly the most popular eCommerce solution in the market, with more than a million businesses. It is a great option for beginners and minor to medium size companies. Whatever you need to start an online store, viz. storefront design, content marketing, to content performance analytics, are readily available on the platform. An essential Shopify cost will be $29/mo. Verticals supported by Shopify are:
● Consumer Electronics
● Home Furnishing
● Fashion
● Food and Beverage
● Cosmetics
Some of the best features available with Shopify are unlimited product listings, real-time sales statistics, inventory tracking, AI/Customization, Custom domains, more than 70 themes/templates available. You can expect 24×7 chat support, an online help center, and community forums.
2. Squarespace is a SaaS company that provides website and eCommerce store building and hosting to customers. It is typically used and appreciated more by small business owners with general eCommerce requirements. However, this platform is unsuitable for businesses with advanced online retail needs. Verticals supported by Squarespace are:
● Cosmetics
● Art & Design
● Fashion
● Food and Beverage
● Gaming
For personal usage, one will have to pay $16 per month, and for business needs, you will have to pay $26/month.
With Squarespace, you will get eCommerce extensions like digital products, SEO tools, gift cards, product import/export, limited integration options, Upselling and cross-selling, personalized products.
3. Big Cartel - It is an eCommerce platform for artists, meaning this platform focuses on creators who want to sell artwork, jewelry, clothing, and photo prints. It is a great alternative for Etsy. This Saas builder is easy to use and straightforward. Verticals supported by Big Cartel are:
● Clothing
● Art & Design
● Photographers
The gold version of this platform is free. For Platinum, Diamond, and Titanium, you will have to spend $9.99/mo, $19.99/mo, and $29.99/mo, respectively. While Big Cartel provides minimum support options, their responses are quick. Big Cartel`s support is email support, social media support, recorded webinars, and online support.
Some of its site-building features are:
➔ Limited tax calculation
➔ Dashboard
➔ Online checkout
➔ Multiple selling channels
➔ SEO tools
➔ Plugins
➔ Inventory Management
4. BigCommerce - This is the right choice because it can handle huge stores that Shopify sometimes finds difficult to manage. BigCommerce also provides fantastic SEO performance. It gives a single-page checkout experience, which could boost your conversion. However, it lacks the one-click upsells that Shopify does amazingly.
With BigCommerce, you can expect high customizability and continuous top-notch customer support. Brands like Carolina Panthers, Di Bruno Bros, and Hincapie Sportswear use BigCommerce to sell their products online. Some of the verticals supported by BigCommerce are:
● Fashion
● Automotive
● Food & Beverage
● Manufacturing
The standard pricing for BigCommerce is ($29.95/mo) – $50,000 annual sales limit. They also provide BigCommerce Plus, Pro, and Enterprise accounts.
With BigCommerce, you can expect Email and phone support, Online Help Center, Community Forums, and 24-hour live chat. Some of the site-building features offered by Magento are reporting, multi-currency sales, ratings and reviews, gift cards, unlimited product listings, unlimited bandwidth and file storage, custom domains, integration with shipping, 12 free themes and 160+ paid themes, and POS software, etc.
5. Magento - It is one of the renowned open-source eCommerce platforms in the world. It is best for small or medium businesses. If you are looking for a reliable eCommerce platform for startups, Magento is the one. The platform is compelling and has a library of more than 5,000 extensions. However, it requires a longer development time and a larger budget than its competitors. It is also a smart choice for businesses because it can handle a more complex interface than Squarespace. Some popular eCommerce brands using Magento are Just for Men, Helly Hansen, HP Inc.
Some of the verticals supported by Magento are:
● Home Furnishing
● Sporting Goods
● Fashion
● Consumer Electronics
● Cosmetics
● Food & Beverages
With Magento, you can expect Online Help Center and Community Forums. Some of the site-building features offered by Magento are mobile-optimized shopping, catalog management, site search, global selling, instant purchase, integrated checkout, payment, and shipping.
Magento Commerce is an enterprise-level solution. The prices for Magento range between $15,000 to $50,000 annually.
To conclude,
There is no `single` best eCommerce platform available today. Every business is unique, and so are its needs and demands. Hence, depending on their requirement, budget and workforce, they can choose the online retail application that best suits them.
