10 Best Online Ecommerce Website Builder
As a new business owner, you probably have already heard of eCommerce platforms and what they can do for your online store. They help you set up your store in hours without all the technical know-how giving possibilities for success that are practically endless. But the big question is, what platform will suit your needs?
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the top 10 eCommerce platforms that are most suitable for new businesses. We’ll also discuss how great design can do wonders for the platform of your choice.
1. Shopify
Based in Canada, Shopify has been helping entrepreneurs build their online stores since 2004. Launching your store is quick and easy, thanks to its tools that will help you with listing on Amazon or eBay, or its social shopping feature that allows your customers quick purchases without leaving their social media accounts. It has various plugins, extensions, and themes all for an affordable price that starts at $29 a month.
If you’re looking for a platform for multi-channel selling and built-in marketing, this is for you, but if you have a high order volume, this may not be the perfect fit.
2. Magento
Magento is an open source eCommerce platform that lets sellers list an unlimited number of products, offer discounts, or support recurring payments. For new businesses, this is a great deal as it’s free, but if you move on to bigger things, they also have a paid version that offers numerous enterprising solutions. It is pricey though, the licensing fee can cost you up to thousands of dollars per year.
3. BigCommerce
When it comes to scalability, BigCommerce is the best platform for new businesses aiming to go big. Its SEO feature helps bring in more clicks to your store by enhancing your visibility. It operates on a WYSIWYG framework that is one of the easiest to navigate and work with even for non-tech savvy sellers. You can customize your dashboard to add items, create catalogs, provide shipping services, add payment options, and manage shopping carts, simply and easily.
The lowest plan is offered at around $29.95 but can become expensive for high-volume orders.
4. WooCommerce
If you already have a WordPress website, you can transform it into a fully-functioning eCommerce platform using WooCommerce. It boasts its own shopping cart and secure payment system. It has the ability to do 1-click selling, email and social media marketing, shipping, and many more. The best part is that it’s free, although you will need to pay to have the shopping cart integrated with your store.
5. Wix
A website builder that has eCommerce capabilities, Wix is a favorite among beginners as it is one of the easiest to use. It has features that allow you to add videos, 72 themes that help you get the look you want, and on page customer support. It can help you with your website’s ranking with its SEO tools such as descriptions, alt texts, and page titles that are customizable.
Starting at just $20 per month, it’s a good deal for new online stores but its lack of abandoned cart features and no option for multi-channel selling may put off some sellers.
6. 3dcart
3dcart has been a leader in the eCommerce platform industry, having been in business since 2001. It offers unlimited storage and supports multi-channel selling. It has a better blog feature than other platforms in its category and supports all the integration that you will need.
And since it is older than its competition, it has features that seem outdated and has a long learning curve as there is no drag and drop function.
7. Volusion
Catering mainly to newer eCommerce entrepreneurs, Volusion has a drag and drop functionality which is a favorite among sellers that have limited tech knowledge. It offers a wide array of themes, both free and premium, to choose from. The differently priced plans offer a certain amount of products you can sell which could be restricting for those with a ton of products to offer.
Also, if you plan on selling digital products, Volusion is not for you as they only support selling physical products.
8. Weebly
Budget-friendly Weebly is easy to use and provides amazing features that surpass its cheap price of just $8 a month for its lowest plan. You can save a lot of time using their semi-automatic shipping and tax calculator and built-in marketing automation feature. The downside to it is that you would be unable to sell on Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram.
9. Squarespace
Squarespace offers unlimited product listing and has beautiful templates which makes it a favorite among artists and creative people. It has abandoned cart recovery features as well as recurring payment options. Price starts at $18 a month but you will have to pay a 3% transaction fee. If you choose the higher priced plans, you don’t have to worry about this.
10. GoDaddy
One of the most affordable eCommerce platforms for new businesses is GoDaddy. You can set up your store in a matter of minutes at just $5.99 a month for its Personal price plan. This is probably the reason that its features may be lacking in quality, but for new business owners who are on a tight budget, this is not a deal breaker.
However, it runs on GoCentral ADI (Artificial Design Intelligence) which is what makes its speed one of the best in the market.
Why Design is Important for Your Ecommerce Platform
Each of the platforms listed above offers themes that can help you customize the look of your website. This is because the design and layout can impact your online store’s profits and overall success. A visually appealing website will entice your customers to spend more time browsing through your products.
If they can find what they’re looking for in a short time, this will lead to more sales. They will no longer resort to searching for another site to get what they want. The possibilities are endless if you incorporate good design in your eCommerce platform.
To do this, you need to get the help of the professionals to do what they do best—provide a professional looking website—something that can make or break your online store.
