Opening an online store is exciting, but the first hurdle can be daunting: choosing the right eCommerce platform. Don’t worry; we’re here to guide you through the best options! We’ll explore popular platforms like Shopify, WooCommerce, and Wix and equip you with key factors to consider for your perfect match.
What to Look for When Choosing an eCommerce Platform?
Here are some essential things to consider:
Platform Price: The cost of the platform is a significant consideration. You need to evaluate the initial subscription cost and any additional fees or transaction charges. Compare the pricing plans of different platforms to find one that offers the features you need within your budget.
Available Themes: The visual appearance of your online store is essential for attracting customers and representing your brand effectively. Look for an eCommerce platform that offers a variety of professionally designed themes or templates that you can customize to match your brand identity.
Payment Options: Consider the payment methods supported by the platform. Ensure that it offers a variety of payment gateways to accommodate your customers’ preferences, including credit/debit cards, digital wallets, and alternative payment methods like PayPal or Apple Pay.
Technical Support: Reliable technical support is crucial, especially if you encounter any issues with your online store. Look for a platform that provides responsive customer support through various channels such as live chat, email, or phone. Check reviews or testimonials to gauge the quality of support each platform offers.
Features:
- Assess the features offered by each eCommerce platform and determine which ones are essential for your business.
- Look for features such as inventory management, order processing, shipping options, marketing tools, and integration with third-party apps or services.
- Choose a platform that offers the functionalities you need to run your online store efficiently.
Security: Protecting your customers’ sensitive information is paramount for building trust and credibility. Ensure the eCommerce platform prioritizes security measures such as SSL encryption, PCI compliance, and regular security updates. Verify that the platform implements robust fraud prevention measures to safeguard against online threats.
In addition to these factors, it’s essential to conduct thorough research and compare different eCommerce platforms before deciding.
Take advantage of free trials offered by platforms to test their features and usability firsthand. By carefully considering these factors and conducting due diligence, you can select the right eCommerce platform that aligns with your business goals and requirements.
Top 6 eCommerce Platforms
Wix: Best for eCommerce Site Customization
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $16
- Free Trial Period Length: 14-day money-back guarantee
- General Online Credit Card Rates: 2.9% plus $0.30
Wix is like a virtual workshop where you can build your dream online store without knowing any fancy coding tricks. It’s perfect for people who want their store to look exactly how they imagine it, down to the smallest detail. Let’s say you’re starting a small business selling handmade jewelry. With over 800 templates, you can choose different templates and then tweak them to fit your style perfectly. You can change colors, fonts, layouts, and more, all with a simple drag-and-drop interface.
With Wix’s Business plan, you can upload longer videos than other platforms like Squarespace. So you can add your crafting process video to more pages, giving your customers a deeper look into your brand.
Wix doesn’t just stop at selling physical products. Let’s say you’re a fitness instructor offering online classes. With Wix’s Core plan, you can use features like Wix Bookings to schedule appointments and manage clients seamlessly. It allows your customers to quickly sign up for your classes, pay online, and even chat with you live if they have questions.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind. While Wix has a built-in tax calculator and 24/7 customer support, some more advanced features, like automated tax calculations, are only available in the Enterprise plan. Additionally, if you already have a website and want to upgrade it using Wix, that’s impossible. Overall, Wix is a fantastic choice for anyone who wants complete control over their online store’s look and functionality.
Shift4Shop: Best for Businesses Processing $500 or More Monthly
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $0*
- Free Trial Period Length: None
- General Online Credit Card Rates: No transaction fees; you can use your preferred provider
Formerly known as 3dcart, Shift4Shop is an eCommerce solution for businesses that process $500 or more monthly transactions. It’s designed to handle high volumes of sales with its robust features and flexible pricing. With Shift4Shop, you could pay $0 for your monthly eCommerce platform fee if you process over $500 monthly through your store.
It seamlessly accepts various payment methods like credit cards and digital wallets, ensuring secure transactions with PCI-compliant security and advanced fraud protection. Your site includes SSL security, and you get a free domain name registration and renewal each year.
Shift4Shop provides essential features for managing your business, such as real-time shipping, inventory control, and customer relationship management tools. You can create unlimited product variants, categories, and images, making it easier to showcase your products effectively.
Other features include advanced reporting, tax rate calculation, and integrations with QuickBooks for seamless accounting. Plus, you can enhance your customers’ shopping experience with features like product reviews, upselling, and cross-selling.
While Shift4Shop offers an extensive feature set, its wide range of options may overwhelm beginners or those seeking a quick setup. Additionally, it needs certain functionalities, such as booking and scheduling tools, which competitors like Wix offer. Furthermore, while Shift4Shop’s pricing structure is advantageous for high-volume retailers, it may be more expensive for businesses with lower transaction volumes than alternative solutions like Weebly.
Shopify: Best for Individuals Looking to Scale
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $39
- Free Trial Period Length: 3 days
- General Online Credit Card Rates: 2.9% plus $0.30
Shopify is a comprehensive eCommerce platform that offers more than just online store functionality. It includes features like a content management system (CMS), inventory editor, order tracking, and customer relationship management (CRM) tools. While Shopify Basic may support fewer collaborators than other platforms, it excels in automating various online retail and marketing tasks, making it an ideal choice for solopreneurs.
With Shopify Basic, solo business owners can easily communicate with customers before or after orders, automate customer review requests, and manage low-stock item reordering. Additionally, Shopify provides built-in tools for tax liability and fraud monitoring, which is especially beneficial for individuals working their businesses independently.
Compared to some competitors, Shopify’s transaction fees are lower, with the subscription lowering the rate from 2.9% to 2.6%. This reduction can result in significant savings, especially for retailers with $10,000 monthly sales. Furthermore, Shopify offers additional benefits like high-quality fraud detection and tax liability tracking, further reducing risks for eCommerce merchants.
However, it must be noted that Shopify doesn’t offer a free plan, and its three-day free trial is shorter than that of some competitors. Moreover, Shopify’s fees for American Express transactions may be higher than those of other platforms like Weebly, Wix, or Squarespace. Lastly, Shopify is primarily designed for creating new online stores and may need to be more suitable for adding eCommerce functions to existing websites.
Weebly: Best for Quick Setup and Ease of Use
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $0
- Free Trial Period Length: Free plan available
- General Online Credit Card Rates: Not specified; can use Square or PayPal
Weebly by Square is a user-friendly website builder and eCommerce platform for beginners. Its Performance package offers unlimited storage and products, with a speedy checkout option for customers.
Its ease of use makes it the top choice for quick setup. The installation and design process is straightforward and intuitive. The Performance subscription includes valuable features like inventory management, digital goods support, and a shipping calculator.
Compared to competitors, Weebly’s pricing is more affordable. Weebly Professional has features like fast checkout, item badges, and multiple coupon options. Its marketing tools, such as pop-up notifications and SEO tools, are also beneficial. Unlike competitors, Weebly doesn’t limit storage, providing more flexibility for your online store.
WooCommerce: Best for Unlimited Accounts
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $39
- Free Trial Period Length: 14 days
- General Online Credit Card Rates: 2.9% plus $0.30
WooCommerce is a top choice for businesses needing multiple staff accounts, as it offers unlimited accounts even in its basic plan. This is beneficial for companies requiring multiple employees to manage their eCommerce platform. Additionally, WooCommerce doesn’t require coding skills, making it easy to train staff.
WooCommerce offers two plans: Essential and Performance. The Essential plan costs $39 per month (or $25 per month with annual billing). It includes features like built-in payment processing, automated tax calculation, site backups, hosting from WordPress.com, and a mobile app for store management.
The Performance plan, priced at $70 per month, provides additional benefits such as discounted shipping rates, customizable product kits, 200 GB of storage, abandoned cart recovery, and event-based email marketing.
BigCommerce: Best for Marketing and SEO
- Starting Monthly Subscription Cost: $39
- Free Trial Period Length: 15 days
- General Online Credit Card Rates: None
Last but not least, BigCommerce is a top choice for businesses needing assistance with marketing and SEO. The platform offers built-in metadata and allows customization of robots.txt files, making indexing pages more accessible for search engines. Additionally, you can customize your URLs, which aids in developing an effective SEO strategy.
Key features of BigCommerce include access to reporting tools on all plans, unlimited staff accounts, integrations with marketplaces and social media platforms, a mobile app, and real-time shipping.
However, it’s important to note that BigCommerce doesn’t offer free plans. The Standard plan starts at $39 per month, with higher-tier plans costing up to $399. This pricing structure may be expensive for businesses operating on a tight budget for their eCommerce platform needs.
Final Words
Whether you prioritize customization, scalability, ease of use, or specific integrations, there’s a platform tailored to meet your unique requirements. By carefully evaluating each platform’s features and benefits, you can make an informed decision that aligns with your business goals and sets you on the path to eCommerce success.
If you need complete assistance for your eCommerce business, feel free to contact us at eMarspro and book a free initial consultation, or you can ring directly at +1-682-472-4939 to talk with one of our eCommerce management experts.
