Choosing your ecommerce platform is one of the essential parts of starting an online business. The look, feel, and functionality of your store and shopping cart have a distinct impact on your sales. Thus, finding the right one is essential.
The market for ecommerce platforms offers options for every entrepreneur, but there’s no one-size-fits-all option. The right ecommerce platform for you will depend on what features you require, where you want to host it, and how savvy you are in IT.
Here are the five best ecommerce platforms for budding entrepreneurs
Shopify
Shopify tops plenty of lists for best online platforms because it’s easy to get started and one of the most popular platforms online. A recent report from the site said that 100,000 stores call Shopify home.
Shopify is constantly evolving to meet customer expectations. Recent additions to the platform include hundreds of templates, fast and safe payment systems, and custom title tags essential for SEO. Shopify uses several SEO tools like meta descriptions and canonical tags. This enables shops on this platform to rank higher in Google searches.
Shopify is great for anyone just starting. But it isn’t easy to switch out your store on this platform. This can complicate plans for expansion or move to an independent store. The number of options available can also be overwhelming, so knowing what you’re looking for before diving in is helpful.
Bigcommerce
After Shopify, Bigcommerce is the second easiest place to set up shop. The user dashboard offers clear directions and simple steps. Thus, you can get your business up and running in a few minutes. You can do all your customizing from one dashboard, which makes it easy to return to later.
If you are after customization options, there are coding options available. However, Shopify offers you greater control of the changes.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an excellent tool for entrepreneurs with a website or blog on WordPress. It runs as a shopping cart plugin which means you can integrate it into an existing site or launch it as a stand-alone store. Woocommerce is also customizable, so you can set it up to fit the aesthetic of your site.
Rather than setting up a dedicated merchant account, WooCommerce can be integrated with your existing PayPal account. Thus, you’ll only pay the relevant PayPal fees per transaction instead of merchant fees.
Most of the content on WooCommerce is free of charge. This makes it an excellent tool for bloggers or artists looking to monetize their sites for the first time. However, there are also specialist themes and extensions for sale designed for those who need more functionality from their shop. These paid extras run from anywhere between $79 and $139.
Prestashop
PrestaShop is an open-source store software system. Because it’s open source, the software is free to use. However, you need to pay for hosting, which can be done through a third party or with your server.
An open-source shopping cart allows you to develop a specific shopping cart for your goals. If you’re unfamiliar with web design and development, you’ll need a professional to set up the system.
PrestaShop has over 300 features that are useful for growing your business. You can integrate your store with PayPal and social media. You can add functions like one-page checkout, coupons, sales tracking, image zoom, and currency support. If you find that there’s something you need that isn’t already available, you can have it built for the site or buy it from the Modules page.
PrestaShop also offers a guide to help store owners make the most of SEO, an essential and valuable feature.
Keep in mind that open source systems require a lot of administrative labor. If you’re unfamiliar with IT, getting a tech guru involved with your site is a good idea to check in and ensure everything is running smoothly.
Magento
Magento is an excellent platform for entrepreneurs who expect to increase. Unlike other media on the list, you can quickly scale your Magento store to meet the needs of startups and large businesses.
The platform is not always novice-friendly. It’s a bit more complicated to use than the simple step options provided by Shopify and Bigcommerce. This is natural because a more mature platform is required when you want the opportunity to expand.
However, the technical skills required should not put off entrepreneurs. Instead, make sure you get to know the platform inside and out before going live.
There’s a lot of information on the internet to help you, including this handy white paper from OSF Global Services that highlights the key points to consider when embarking on a full-scale ecommerce solution.
“Building or replatforming your ecommerce site can be a daunting task,” said Gerard Szatvanyi, President and CEO of OSF Global Services. “Before you move forward, consider the key points of action—and unexpected pitfalls—to an engaging ecommerce experience.”
These are just a few options for your new store, with many differences. Match their capabilities to your business goals, and you’ll quickly find a new online home for your business.
