With the growth of technological, more people are choosing to start online businesses. Even though online business is still in its infancy, a few companies have already proven their worth as one of the best. If you’re looking for an e-commerce platform that will help you grow your business and allow you to sell your products or services on a global scale, then read on to find out which ecommerce platforms you should consider!
What is an eCommerce Platform?
An eCommerce platform is software that helps businesses sell products and services online. These platforms can be used to build an entire online store or to help with specific aspects of running an online business, such as branding, shipping, and customer management. There are various eCommerce platforms available, so choosing one that will fit your business and needs is important. Here are three popular eCommerce platforms: Shopify, Magento, and WordPress.
7 Best Ecommerce Platforms For Your Business
There are several great eCommerce platforms that you can use to run your online business. However, the best choice depends on several factors, including your budget and needs.
Here are some of the most popular eCommerce platforms:
1. Shopify
One of the most widely used eCommerce platforms worldwide is Shopify. It is a web application with numerous accessible templates that enable you to establish an online store quickly and easily. You can modify existing templates to suit your online retailer’s requirements better or create the visual style of your own business.
The website believes anybody can quickly develop a great internet store without prior technical or design knowledge.
You don’t need to be concerned about the transaction incompatibility issue in your business because Shopify also accepts a wide variety of credit cards. Additionally, you can rest easy knowing that Shopify complies with level 1 PCI standards and uses 256-bit SSL encryption to protect customer and shop data.
Shopify provides you the ability to control the operation and design of your online store by offering a complete CMS. The ability to manage your shop on Shopify’s mobile applications is yet another excellent feature. The platform is entirely responsive, allowing users to access it from a desktop or a mobile device and easily track, manage, and adjust their business from any location.
It’s a practical and effective method for business people who frequently need to work on the road. However, it’s not easy to stand out among the hundreds of other sellers on Shopify; thus, all successful businesses collaborate with product retouching services to entice customers with high-quality images.
Additionally, Shopify ecommerce has tools that may help you sell on social media, online marketplaces like Amazon, your website, retail locations, and more. Ergo, you should give Shopify a shot if you’re a storefront merchant looking to extend your business online.
Here are some statistics that you must know:
- About 80 percent of retailers are using third-party applications and about 25.8 million apps are being installed.
- Shopify has more than 100,000 merchants.
- The total sales of the platform are standing at around $200 billion currently.
- Email creates the top conversions for all the Shopify stores and stands at around 4.29 percent.
For companies of every size, Shopify provides five tiers. Shopify Lite costs $9 per month, Basic Shopify costs $29 per month, Regular Shopify costs $79 per month, Advanced Shopify costs $299 per month and Shopify Plus with custom pricing.
2. Amazon
The largest e-commerce site in the United States is now Amazon. Amazon is one of the most well-known online marketplaces, with 5 million marketplace vendors and 197 million U.S. customers visiting the site each month in 2017. The greatest candidates for it are medium-sized to large-sized retailers that want exposure to millions of customers and are prepared to deal with the eventual rush of traffic.
The tight requirements for product listings on the Amazon marketplace are one of its key appeals. Because Amazon standardizes product listings, customers will see the same things whether they view your items or an Amazon listing. This is advantageous since it elevates the status of your items to that of Amazon’s, increasing sales.
On Amazon, customers typically focus on pricing and features rather than the seller’s identity. Your items will be noticeable to customers as long as they are priced competitively. Regarding functionality, Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) and the integrated affiliate program are the two that merchants value the most.
Amazon will package and ship each item you sell via FBA. You won’t need to worry about keeping your inventory in storage or employing additional personnel to handle fulfillment. FBA furthermore implies that Amazon will handle your product returns.
Influencers in your niche who participate in the affiliate program receive a special URL pointing to their fictitious storefront. You receive additional exposure that you wouldn’t have otherwise earned and an increase in revenue each time they discuss your items with their audience.
Finally, the Amazon marketplace offers it as a built-in tool, which might assist you in streamlining your advertising. The marketplace included a monthly charge of $39 plus extra transaction costs. You may share sponsored product advertisements, sponsored brand ads, and custom store pages to send people to an Amazon page where you can showcase more of your items, depending on your advertising objectives and the audience you want to attract.
Here are some statistics that you must know:
- In the Ecommerce market of the USA, Amazon holds about 45 percent share. It has more than 12 million items in its inventory.
- The current net revenue is standing at 469.89 billion dollars.
- There are more than 100 million members in the Amazon Prime. It spends more than 1,000 dollars per year.
- Amazon records $4,722 every second, about $283,000 every minute, and about $17 million every hour.
3. eBay
Since its first introduction in 1995, eBay has grown from a platform that primarily sold used products to one of the biggest online merchants in the world. Sellers that offer new and old goods and are willing to put their wares up for auction are most suited for this marketplace.
You may use eBay without having to apply. Create your first listing after creating an account. Many possibilities stand out because there are approximately 180 million monthly active users worldwide.
The best part about eBay is that, even if you’re just getting started and don’t yet have a website, the eBay Seller Hub is made to make it as easy as possible for you to manage your business. For instance, you may print your own mailing labels and run promotions on eBay.
You can even discover which of your items are the greatest sellers, which promos customers use the most, how long it takes to choose and ship things, and much more, thanks to your knowledge of product trends. Everything from books and gadgets to furniture, jewelry, and essential oils can be sold on eBay.
There are three different plans available. Although there is no monthly listing charge with the Standard plan, there is a fee when things sell. Extended feature access is available with the Plus plan, which costs $13.50/month. Advanced tools are available with the Premium plan.
Statistics to know:
- The revenue of eBay is expected to be around $12 billion and witnesses an increase of 5.1 percent every year.
- It has about 1.5 billion active listings currently in its site.
- There are more than 159 million of active users in its eBay site.
- More than 109 million of visitors visit the eBay site every month.
4. BigCommerce
Given its name, BigCommerce is an enterprise eCommerce system employed by big-known brands like Ben & Jerry’s. BigCommerce Essentials provides small businesses wishing to sell online with a comparably powerful platform for substantially less money.
BigCommerce Essentials is still targeted at companies making many sales in cash or units. In contrast to most other choices, it implies that you’re requested to set up automatic shipping and sales taxes as part of the onboarding process. Smaller companies that are just starting may do with these setups until they’re fully operational.
You won’t suddenly have to pay thousands of dollars in taxes if you only sell 10 T-shirts monthly. Similarly, you may set up your store to accept payments by bank transfer, check, or money order even though BigCommerce interacts with online payment processors like Stripe, PayPal, Braintree, and Amazon.
So that buyers don’t have to purchase from your store directly, it’s also quite easy to offer your items on other online marketplaces like eBay, Amazon, and Facebook. All you have to do is link the desired choice by going to Channel Manager in the sidebar. BigCommerce will instantly import any goods you have put up, and it will update any changes you make across all of your channels.
However, this emphasis on larger small enterprises is not without drawbacks. Even though BigCommerce comes with 12 free themes, the bulk can be found in the theme marketplace for between $150 and $300. They look fantastic, and the drag-and-drop site builder is robust enough to let you tweak themes any way you want, but you must be able to defend the expense.
Sales for the $29.95 per month Standard tier are regulated at $50,000 annually, while sales for the $79.95 Plus tier are capped at $180,000 annually. BigCommerce does not need to move that much merchandise to be your best option, but it doesn’t hurt either.
Things to know:
- It is expected that BigCommerce will grow up to $112.103 million.
- About 43 percent of shoppers are searching for products in BigCommerce through social media channels.
- 59% of shoppers across the United States love to shop clothes online.
You can link BigCommerce to the other applications in your tech stack with Zapier’s integration, which enables you to automate processes like transferring all of your consumers to your CRM.
5. Magento
Magento is trusted by well-known companies like Nike, Procter & Gamble, and Cisco. Magento is a good option if you have a developer or the money for one and want something truly flexible and powerful. You can undo the feature-rich online store you desire until you achieve it.
The community is a significant component of Magento. Many developers would work on your store in exchange for payment or answer some of your inquiries for free. Additionally, there is a marketplace where you can purchase extensions and themes to make your platform more functional.
You may be impressed by a few remarkable advantages of using Magento eCommerce.
Magento has flexible content management and complies with the principle of “what you see is what you get” in both the backend and the content management interface. This enables store owners to construct and customize features for their online stores.
Magento’s user interface and shopping cart designs are adaptable to smartphones, tablets, and other portable devices, making it mobile-friendly.
Online retailers have a greater chance of ranking well on search engines like Google, Bing, and others because of SEO effectiveness. Additionally, the technology enables a site to handle 80,000 orders per hour and up to 500,000 goods.
Magento also provides flexible third-party connectors, allowing your online businesses to interact more effectively with programs like MailChimp and Google Shopping. Additionally, you may limit internal access, personalize different security authorization levels, and guarantee the security of your website.
Since Magento is open-source, numerous users can share a variety of custom extensions. You may manage many eCommerce businesses with different languages and currencies with a single instance of Magento.
The commercial edition of Magento can cost up to $20,000 annually, while the basic version is free. That’s a lot, but it’s quicker and in the cloud; plus, it has extra features like automated trigger-based email campaigns and automatic cross- and upselling.
- About 12 percent of the online shopping sites are created in Magento.
- It empowers for around 1.2 percent of the internet sites.
Whichever option you choose, you’ll like the extensive range of options you may add. Discounts, recurring payments, the capacity to grind SEO, the opportunity to customize material for each user, subscriptions to membership services, a limitless supply of items, and more.
6. ZenCart
In addition to offering some premium services, Zen Cart is a free, open-source, PHP/MySQL-based e-commerce system. The developers, designers, and entrepreneurs that maintain Zen Cart have as their mission to offer a free e-commerce platform that can be deployed, created, and managed without an IT degree.
Good news: Zen Cart offers many customization options. To customize the front of your e-commerce business, you need a basic understanding of PHP code. A simple e-commerce store may be operated with Zen Cart’s capabilities right out of the box, but it also has hundreds of extensions that can help you grow your online business.
The main features of Zen Cart include an endless number of items and categories, the ability to offer downloaded products (such as PDFs or music), multiple product qualities, a large selection of delivery methods and carriers, and customization based on country.
Basic reporting features and marketing options are available. You should employ a designer to make your business appealing to customers because the Zen Cart default skin is horrible. Zen Cart also offers 200 free template packages updated frequently and forum help threads on its official website. You may also find a tonne of premium templates.
- The computer electronics and technology encounters about 4.63 percent in the ZenCart.
- The arts and entertainment have about 3.70 percent of popularity.
- The E-commerce and shopping section gets about 3.33 percent of popularity.
FirstData, Authorize.net, and Paypal are all compatible with Zen Cart. By installing specialized extensions, you may increase the number of payment gateways. Zen Cart takes money orders, cash, and COD. The technical assistance is available on the Zen Cart forum, Wiki, FAQs, User Guides, Facebook page, and YouTube channel. Premium assistance is also available.
Zen Cart is challenging to learn, has few SEO tools, and has poor mobile device compatibility. Additionally, updates have problems. Zen Cart is also cost-free, dependable, adaptable, and competitive with for-profit e-commerce systems.
7. PrestaShop
Another effective, cutting-edge, and open-source eCommerce solution is Prestashop, which offers all the capabilities required to create an online store and grow your business. Over 300,000 businesses worldwide now have access to eCommerce, thanks to Prestashop.
Both downloading and accessing the platform are free. You will only be concerned about the hosting, SSL certificate, and other related items.
Prestashop’s sleek and expert themes may be used to design your website. Your creativity and ideas are unrestricted while developing your own website. You may modify such themes to make your online presence unique to your tastes and preferences.
Additionally, various add-ons and modules are available to help your online business run better. You may obtain a report on current data and manage your items, orders, and client relationships. You can discover the best modules for your store on Prestashop Modules Marketplaces like PrestaHero.
To draw in more people, it’s simple to generate content for your websites, such as blogs, and distribute it on social media. The platform removes all geographical restrictions from your website by enabling you to showcase your business in many languages and currencies. Any type of consumer and nation may become a part of your product distribution network.
- It is the 8th popular site in the Open-Source category section.
- It is also the 6th popular site in the Open-Source category section.
- It is ranked at the 12th position at the top 1 million websites in the Open-Source category.
More than 5,000 free and paid modules, themes, and other services are available in their Add-ons Marketplace. This includes PrestaShop-made add-ons, such as wishlists, newsletter sign-up forms, and SEO tools.
To determine how much you’ll need to spend, check their marketplace for the special characteristics you want. For instance, the Amazon Marketplace add-on costs $229.99 if you wish to sell on Amazon. These add-ons only cost one time and assist a predetermined number of months.
For simple connections like PayPal checkout, Mailchimp email marketing, Google Ads, review add-ons, etc., they now provide 33 free add-ons. PrestaShop is a wonderful alternative to look into if you’re a developer who wants complete control over creating a customized, distinctive eCommerce store.
The Cultural Importance of Online Business
In the digital age, entrepreneurs have several options for launching an online business. There’s a lot to choose from in eCommerce and social media platforms. But which is the best option for your business? Here are five reasons why using an eCommerce platform is a cultural imperative for any entrepreneur:
- A strong eCommerce platform gives businesses a consistent presence online. This can help attract customers and build trust with potential partners. Establishing yourself as a credible player in today’s competitive market is key.
- An eCommerce platform helps entrepreneurs scale their businesses quickly. With built-in inventory management and marketing tools, entrepreneurs can easily add new products and services to their offerings. This allows them to grow their businesses without investing heavily in initial infrastructure rapidly.
- An eCommerce platform makes it easy for entrepreneurs to connect with customers and suppliers. This way, businesses can get products and services at the right price and meet customer needs promptly.
- By using an eCommerce platform, businesses can automate many of the tasks associated with running an online business. This can free up time for founders to focus on their core competencies and boost productivity overall.
- The ability to work with a trusted and reliable eCommerce platform gives businesses control over their online presence. They can decide how to present information, what to sell, and how much to charge for goods and services.
- Key advantages of eCommerce platforms include the ability for businesses to launch and scale online easily operations.
- The ability of entrepreneurs to connect with customers directly makes it easier for them to sell and promote their products or services effectively.
- A modern eCommerce platform gives any business a powerful toolkit to grow rapidly without maintaining complex infrastructure.
Negotiating Terms
When negotiating terms with your eCommerce platform provider, there are several things to keep in mind.
First, understand that any contract you sign should be customized to fit your business needs. Do not be afraid to ask for changes or alterations; after all, you want a platform that will help you grow and succeed, not one that is restrictive or burdensome.
Second, always be transparent and honest with your provider about your needs. Make sure they know any special requirements or restrictions you may have. This way, both parties can benefit from a smooth and productive relationship.
Finally, never hesitate to ask for help if something isn’t working as expected or if you need assistance understanding the terms of the contract. Your provider wants you to be happy with their product, so they will do everything possible to help make that happen.
Conclusion
When it comes to eCommerce platforms, there are a lot of great ones available. However, which one is the best for your business? That’s a question that can be hard to answer because it depends on many different factors. Here are the factors:
- Scalability – The platform should be able to handle growth as your business expands.
- Ease of Use – The platform should be easy to use so that you don’t have to spend hours learning how to use it.
- Customer Service and Support – The platform should have good customer service and support so you can easily get help.
- Payment Options – The platform should offer multiple payment options so that you can easily accept payments from your customers.
- Marketing Tools – The platform should offer marketing tools such as email marketing, social media campaigns, or advertising solutions.
- Pricing Models – The platform should offer different pricing models to find the right fit for your business.
After reviewing these factors, I think Shopify is the best eCommerce platform for businesses of all sizes. It has everything you need and more, making it perfect for businesses.