Best ecommerce platforms in 2021: website software for an online store
By Sameh
Alhammouri
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How to
choose the best ecommerce solution for your business
The best
ecommerce package for your business
How to
choose the best ecommerce package for your business
The best
ecommerce platforms can enable your business to set up an online store that
suits your needs.
THE BEST
ECOMMERCE PLATFORMS
1. Wix
2. Bluehost
+ WooCommerce
3. Shopify
4.
BigCommerce
5.
CoreCommerce
6.
Shift4Shop (formerly 3DCart)
There is a
huge variety of ecommerce platform packages from which to choose, so building
an online store has never been easier.
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To begin, first you'll need ecommerce web
hosting, which is to say hosting that will scale up with your business without
interruption. Next you'll need
shopping cart software to run with your ecommerce site. This will probably
include a payment gateway for credit card processing, though if you're already
established and have a decent enough credit rating you could apply for merchant
services to reduce transaction costs.
Your
ecommerce website doesn't have to be expensive to design, either, as there are
plenty of ecommerce themes available. Additionally, if you also have a
bricks-and-mortar store than a Point of Sale (POS) system for mobile credit
card processing can be particularly desirable.
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Which ecommerce software is best for your business depends entirely on your specific requirements. If you're an online-only outfit, then POS integration won't be necessary, but you may get a lot of business from overseas, in which case foreign currency support would be a requirement.
In this
article, we’re going
to highlight some of the best ecommerce platforms available right now,
before moving on to consider other options you might want to explore in terms
of creating your own ecommerce solution.
Best
ecommerce platforms in 2021
Wix is our
top-rated ecommerce platform
If you want
a simpler alternative to some of the full-on web store building solutions here,
check out Wix. It’s highly user-friendly, yet there’s still plenty of ecommerce
power available to create a suitably impressive online store.
We've also
featured the best tax software
And the best
accounting software
Wix logo
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1. Wix
The best
ecommerce platform
TODAY'S BEST
DEALS
Wix
eCommerce - Business Basic
$23/mth
Wix
eCommerce - Business Unlimited
$27/mth
Wix
eCommerce - Business VIP
$49/mth
VISIT SITE
at Wix
REASONS TO
BUY
+Easy to use
+Many
templates
+Simple
pricing
Wix may be better
known for providing an all-purpose website builder, but it's not just templates
and logos that Wix can provide, but also a fully-functional ecommerce platform.
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While other
platforms are known for their complexity in being able to deliver an ecommerce
platform for all needs, Wix offers a much simpler solution for small businesses
that don't need all the bells and whistles of an online megastore.
Additionally,
because of the suite of website building tools available through Wix, setting
up an ecommerce platform is really simple and easy to do, and just as easy to
manage, with no coding skills required. The result is a platform that anyone
should be able to use without too much difficulty.
There are
over 500 templates available to help you get the look and feel you need for
your ecommerce site, and along with inventory management, you can also use Wix
payments to choose from a global network of payment providers, including all
major credit card companies, as well as other services such as PayPal and
Stripe.
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Overall, if
you want a simpler alternative to some of the full-on web store building
solutions here, Wix delivers well. It’s highly user-friendly, yet there’s still
plenty of ecommerce power available to create a suitably impressive online
store.
Bluehost
logo
2. Bluehost
+ WooCommerce
The
Wordpress ecommerce solution
TODAY'S BEST
DEALS
Woocommerce
Standard
$12.95/mth
Woocommerce
Premium
$24.95/mth
at Bluehost
REASONS TO
BUY
+Very easy
to use
+Already
installed
+Lots of
features
+Simple to
start
Rather than
being a standalone ecommerce platform, WooCommerce is a free plugin that can
turn your Wordpress website into a fully functional ecommerce website. The
basic WooCommerce plugin is easy to install through Wordpress, and even better
is that the plugin is free to download and use.
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However, to
get the most from WooCommerce you will
need to install a number of third-party plugins. This is to add features such
as payment processing, inventory management, and stock control.
Bluehost
simplifies the process by providing a read-made Woocommerce platform with
everything you need already installed, and that includes a shopping theme and
essential plugins. Although two different plans are offered, even the Standard
plan offers almost every feature you could possibly need.
Features
include not just the online store with the store-front theme installed but also
a blog, along with Jetpack free, payment processing, email marketing, and
discount codes. The Premium plan adds online bookings and appointments,
subscriptions, product customization, as well as local & country tax
management.
Of course,
there's web hosting undlying everything as well, meaning that you have a fully
functional ecommerce platform already online as soon as you sign up to Bluehost
- all that's left for you is to add your products and set up marketing and
you're good to go.
All in all
Woocommerce is one of the best ecommerce platforms for those looking to ease
themselves into starting an online retail business, whether for physical
products or even digital ones, and the web hosting platform deal provided by
Bluehost makes it incredibly simple to get started.
Shopify
3. Shopify
Giant of the
ecommerce world
Basic
Shopify
$29/mth
Shopify
$79/mth
Advanced Shopify
$299/mth
at Shopify
REASONS TO
BUY
+Easy to use
+Loads of
features
+Powerful
analytics
Shopify is
perhaps the most well known ecommerce platform available. It was set up in 2006
by founders Tobias Lütke, Daniel Weinand and Scott Lake who, as the story goes,
felt that there wasn't a simple-to-use ecommerce platform available and so
built their own. The company claims that: "You don't need to have any
technical or design experience to easily create a beautiful online store."
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According to
Shopify, it's possible to get one of its online stores up-and-running within
minutes. Users can choose from a wide range of templates, or they can design
the look and feel of their store themselves. It accepts a comprehensive range
of credit cards, has Level 1 PCI compliance and 256-bit SSL encryption for
security, and it offers 24/7 support via phone, instant messaging or email.
The platform
provides a full CMS with which users can manage the functionality and layout of
their online store. Users can manage their store on-the-go using Shopify's
mobile apps, and the platform itself is fully responsive, meaning the store
will be optimized for visitors regardless of whether they access it from a
desktop computer or a mobile device. A live chat function is available which
allows you to have a real time conversation with your customers. There's a
built-in support for 3D models and video too. There's also an option to create
customizable storefronts on Facebook and Instagram. One of the newer features
is the store speed report.
Shopify also
offers users unlimited hosting for their stores, in-depth analytics of how
visitors are using the store, and functionality for marketing such as SEO
optimization, a discount and coupon engine, gift cards and email marketing
tools. You can test out Shopify with a 14-day free trial.
Shopify
subscription options:
12 month
plan - $29 per month ($348 total cost)
BigCommerce
logo
4.
Bigcommerce
Ecommerce
expertise with a fully-fledged CMS
TODAY'S BEST
DEALS
BigCommerce
Standard
$29.95/mth
BigCommerce
Plus
$79.95/mth
BigCommerce
Pro
$249.95/mth
at
BigCommerce
REASONS TO
BUY
+Flexible
product management
+Great
support
+Access to
web design expertise
Bigcommerce
was established in 2009 and promises to "support your business, not just
your store." BigCommerce is now listed on the Nasdaq as a public company.
In addition to offering support via phone, instant chat and email, it also
offers articles and videos to help with ecommerce, and access to a team of
ecommerce experts who can provide advice and guidance about online selling.
Their experts are qualified in both Google Analytics and Adwords.
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Like
Shopify, Bigcommerce provides a variety of templates and themes to help stores
look their best and get up-and-running quickly. Alternatively, users can design
their own store or use Bigcommerce designers to do so. The platform
incorporates a full-featured CMS that allows users to run an entire website,
rather than just a store.
Users can
benefit from detailed and flexible product management, optimized search engine
rankings, along with a variety of integrated marketing tools and analytics.
Payments can be accepted via 40+ pre-integrated gateways and shipping details
can be customized as per the business's requirements. As of late, some new
features have been added like support for Amazon Import and Link and Shopping
in Instagram Stories. The platform offers automated order processing, flexible
tax rules depending on where orders are made and shipped, and support for
multiple currencies. You can test out Bigcommerce with a 15-day free trial.
BigCommerce
subscription options:
12 month
plan - $29.95 per month ($359.40 total cost)
CoreCommerce
5.
CoreCommerce
Service
which focuses on SMBs
Corecommerce
Personal
$19/mth
Corecommerce
Pioneer
$41/mth
Corecommerce
Progressive
$71/mth
at CoreCommerce
REASONS TO
BUY
+All
features offered across every plan
+Secure
hosting with a 99.9% uptime guarantee
+Prides
itself on transparency
CoreCommerce
was set up in 2001 and focuses on providing e-commerce services to small and
medium-sized businesses. The company places an emphasis on simplicity and
transparency, promising that its platform is easy-to-use and that customers
will not fall foul of any hidden charges.
Perhaps
CoreCommerce's most unique aspect is that all of its features are offered to
all customers regardless of what plan they are on. Price plans are determined
by the number of products, the number of email addresses, the amount of
bandwidth and the amount of storage required by the user (and higher-end plans
also benefit from additional support).
As with
other e-commerce providers, CoreCommerce offers functionality for store design,
product management, order processing and marketing. Of its headline features,
the platform offers unlimited product customization options, a built-in
blogging engine, and secure hosting that is provided by Rackspace and comes
with a 99.9% uptime guarantee. You can try CoreCommerce out with a 15-day free
trial.
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Corecommerce
subscription options:
12 month
plan - $19 per month ($228 total cost)
Shift4Shop
6.
Shift4Shop (formerly 3dcart)
Allows for
an impressive degree of tailoring to your needs
TODAY'S BEST
DEALS
3DCart Basic
$29/mth
3DCart Plus
$79/mth
3DCart Pro
$229/mth
VISIT SITE
at 3DCard
REASONS TO
BUY
+User-friendly
+Plenty of
innovative features
+Lots of
additional services on offer
Having been
founded in 1997, 3dcart (now Shift4Shop)
is the oldest of our featured providers here. It was set up with a view to
incorporating as many of the most requested eCommerce features into one platform
as possible.
The company
says it has six core values by which it operates: ongoing innovation, good
service, simple solutions, fostering trust, keeping employees and customers
happy, and stimulating prosperity amongst employees and customers.
Some of the
platform's innovative features include a module that users can install to offer
gift-wrapping, a purchase order system, the option of running a loyalty program
and the ability to offer recurring orders. Many of these features are very
specific, meaning that stores can be highly tailored to the needs of each
business.
Stores can
be designed using one of the many templates offered by Shift4Shop, or users can
design their own store. A quick edit bar means that making changes to the
design of a store is simple. Product images are fore-fronted with Shift4Shop's
auto-zoom feature and products can be sold via Facebook with its store
integration. As with some other platforms, users can blog directly from
Shift4Shop and tools are provided for setting up coupons, sending newsletters, and affiliate marketing.
Shift4Shop
is regularly updated and new features are constantly added, like the drag and
drop HTML builder, built-in SEO stats, the home page editor or scheduled
promotions.
Users can
also make use out of the "make an offer" feature, which basically lets
you and your customers negotiate on a price. There is also a B2B quote
system, which provides customers with a temporary quoted price after discussing
their order via phone.
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In addition
to its platform, Shift4Shop offers a number of professional services. Users can
request help with SEO, PPC, shopping feed management, social media, Facebook
ads, and conversion consulting. Help can also be provided to ensure that a
user's store is set up to the highest standard. Services such as site cloning,
setting up custom tracking, data migration, and training are offered.
In addition,
Shift4Shop can provide SSL certification. Hosting is guaranteed at 99.9% uptime
and 24/7 support is provided via phone, email, or online chat. You can test out
the service with a 15-day free trial.
3DCart
subscription options:
1 month plan
- $29 per month ($29 total cost)
Also
consider:
Oxatis
ShopFactory
ekmPowershop
Alternative
means
If you don’t
want to go the route of using an off-the-shelf package, what other options are
available for you to explore? That’s what we’re going to look at in the second
half of this piece…
Many serious
businesses have taken to eBay these days
Is eBay
right for your business?
Opening its
doors in 1999, eBay UK now has over 14 million users, with over 10,000 people
using the site for a business that is their primary means of income. It's not
just about people selling unwanted goods - businesses have used the simplicity
that eBay offers to set up lucrative operations. Even the larger brands such as
Argos, Debenhams, and House of Fraser are using eBay to sell online.
With
sophisticated tools now available you can be up and running with your store in
just a few hours. The eBay Seller Centre has all the information you need. Each
store is managed via eBay's familiar user interface, and there are a number of
eBay-provided tools to help manage, track, and promote your shop once it's
established.
Using eBay
as the platform for your business could be ideal if your business wants to sell
goods on a fixed price basis. The complete integration of the PayPal e-payments
system into eBay takes care of this essential component of your store.
The key with
eBay is to look closely at the costs involved and also the transaction fees
that PayPal charge before moving forward and setting up your own store.
How to
create your own eCommerce solution
Of course if
you want complete control over every aspect of your new online store, building
each page yourself will be the best course of action. Hiring someone to code
your website is one option. If you decide to do this follow these steps:
Ask the
company for live examples of their work to look at
Write a detailed brief of the site you want to be created. The more detail the better to
avoid confusion
Ensure you
understand the price you are being charged and how many revisions this price
includes
Always have
a signed agreement or contract before work commences
Ask whether
the designers will host your site and if you will be able to make updates
yourself or if all updates must go through the design agency at an additional
cost
Ask for the
copyright of your design to be assigned to your company, as your website is an important part of your business intellectual property
Put into
your contract, details of how the agreement can be amicably dissolved if things
go wrong
Choose a
website design from Template Monster
You also
don't have to build your site completely from scratch. Buying a template can
give you all the basic pages your site needs. You can then either modify them
yourself using an application like Dreamweaver, or hire a coding expert to make
the changes. Website templates are available from a number of vendors including
Template Monster.
If you
already have a website and want to add eCommerce functionality, this can be
easily achieved with a number of applications including:
XCart
ClickCartPro
CubeCart
Final advice
Whichever the route you decide to take when building your website always remember:
You need to
ensure your store can be easily updated and managed.
Good
professional web hosting is vital to ensure your site is always available.
Look for
payment and shopping carts that are intuitive and efficient to use.
Customer
service is king these days. Businesses shouldn't just efficiently take
customers' money, but should also properly support them.
Make sure
that your store is fully integrated with all the leading social media sites.
Put security
first – shoppers are now more comfortable buying online, but always ensure your
site uses SSL (Secure Socket Layer) which is now the industry standard for
online payments.
Above every
other consideration should be your site's visitor experience. Don't forget your
competitors are just a mouse click away in the world of eCommerce.
Setting up
your online store should be approached carefully and diligently to ensure you
put a professional and efficient site live. Internet shopping continues to
expand. Make sure your business doesn't miss out on a sales channel that shows
no signs of slowing down.
read more articles
We’ve also
picked out the best website builder software and the best website hosting
services
Round up of today's best deals
1-Wix
Wix eCommerce - Business Basic
$23/mth
2-Bluehost- Woocommerce Standard
$12.95/mth
3-Shopify
Basic Shopify
$29/mth
4-BigCommerce
BigCommerce Standard
$29.95/mth
5-Corecommerce
Corecommerce Personal
$19/mth
6-3DCart
3DCart Basic
$29/mth
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