If you plan to open an online store in the short term, you are probably looking for the best eCommerce platforms to open your business. If so, you are in a relatively important selection process, since you are going to establish the foundations of your business on the back of that software.
Why use an eCommerce platform?
Managing an online store is a complex task that requires many processes, from creating the website, accepting online payments, stock management or customer service. Ecommerce software solutions will allow you to manage all these processes together, which can be interesting for your business.
Online sales platforms have many of the components you need to get started and grow your online business without complicating your life. Using an E-commerce platform is cheaper than creating custom software from scratch.
These platforms for E-commerce are worth it since they will save you a lot of time and money. They are specific software to be able to optimally manage any online store. Let’s dive into the details and discover the features you need to consider when choosing the best eCommerce solution for your business.
Keys to the best Ecommerce platforms
Ravi Morisetty has invested many hours of research and testing to bring you this list of the main keys of each software, so sit back and enjoy this roundup of the best e-commerce platforms.
It is true that there are variations from platform to platform and differences in features and performance can have a significant impact on the way you run your business. But, which one is the best for your needs? Let’s go with the analysis and comparison of eCommerce platforms!
1. Shopify
Shopify is a Canadian company founded in 2006 that offers one of the best e-commerce software on the market. It is the second most used online store builder in the world and without a doubt one of the best if you want to get your business up and running quickly. From our own experience and after having used it in several Ecommerce projects, Ravi Morisetty has concluded that it is the best e-commerce platform.
Shopify is our preferred software for e-commerce as it has been built specifically for use in the e-commerce environment and has the most advanced features on the market.
Top Shopify Features
- Ideal for dropshipping, print on demand, small and medium online stores or as a complement to a physical store
- Costs depend on the characteristics of the subscription plan and fees for each transaction
- Exceptional customer service via phone, email support, live chat, and community forum.
- Includes abandoned cart recovery functionality
- Includes hosting and unlimited bandwidth
- Over 100 different payment gateways to choose from (including PayPal, Shopify Payments, Google Pay or Apple Pay)
- Synchronization with 10 other sales platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram or Amazon.
2.WooCommerce
WooCommerce is not really a platform for E-commerce. It is a plugin or application specifically designed to convert the most popular CMS, WordPress, into an online store. Ravi Morisetty includes it in its analysis as it is a powerful tool and the most widely used worldwide with a market share of 27%.
To use it, you will need to download it from the WordPress plugin repository. The use of WooCommerce is completely free (in its basic version), but you will have to take responsibility for the creation of the online store by acquiring a domain, hosting, and SSL certificate and protecting it from possible vulnerabilities. If you want to add functionality, you will have to purchase extensions in the WooCommerce repository. There are some free extensions, but the vast majority are paid.
Main features of WooCommerce
- It is ideal for small online stores with small product catalogues.
- WooCommerce inventory management feature allows you to manage stock and track inventory easily.
- More than 100 payment gateway integrations are available through extensions.
- WooCommerce Analytics provides detailed reports on your revenue, orders, products, categories, coupons, taxes, downloads, and stock.
- WooCommerce is SEO friendly. It is probably the best option to position stores and products on the Internet.
- You must worry about maintaining the security of your store’s data as a priority.
3. Zyro
Zyro is a company born in 2019 in Kaunas (Lithuania) by Hostinger, a well-known web hosting company. This recently created company offers very simple and intuitive software that allows users to create an online store without the need for programming knowledge. Since its launch, numerous extra features have been added constantly.
Main features of Zyro
- Excellent online store builder at a very affordable price with an impressive array of tools and features
- Zyro’s e-commerce software allows you to promote your products thanks to an important variety of marketing tools that it puts at your disposal (logo creator, blogging tools, integration with social networks…etc.)
- Use Cloudflare, a CDN (Content Delivery Network) that allows you to load your store faster and more efficiently through a network of geographically distributed servers
- The control panel interface is very intuitive and account setup is easy
- It has a heat map or heatmap that allows analyzing user behaviour
- Prices are very affordable compared to other online store builders
4.PrestaShop
PrestaShop is a free and open-source content management system (CMS)designed to build online stores from scratch. This means that you can download this platform and modify it however you want. This open-source platform was created in 2007 and is currently considered to be a very proven software in the E-commerce market.
The PrestaShop setup is a bit more complex than the examples above and it may take some time to set up. However, PrestaShop offers step-by-step tutorials that will guide you through the entire process. Like Shopify, this is software built specifically for eCommerce.
It has a wide range of templates and more than 5,000 modules (free and paid) with which you can customize your store.
Main features of PrestaShop
- PrestaShop is open-source software that is free to use.
- Everything about PrestaShop can be edited, modified and fully customized for your business.
- The number of templates and modules in the PrestaShop marketplace is truly impressive.
- It allows you to integrate a wide variety of payment providers and does not charge additional fees for credit card processing.
- Possibility of using several languages and currencies, as well as payment options for taxes and international shipments.
5. Wix Ecommerce
Wix Ecommerce is a well-known eCommerce and website platform with more than 110 million users worldwide. This platform is known for its simple website builder, with a “drag and drop” interface that can work wonders for beginners.
Wix software is also among the best online store builders. Although it is not as popular a platform as Shopify or WooCommerce, it certainly has enormous potential. As a most notable aspect, it is an extremely easy-to-use platform and ideal for people who do not have technical knowledge.
Main features of Wix Ecommerce
- Ideal for small online stores
- The control panel is very easy to use and perfect for beginners
- Abandoned cart recovery system with automatic email sending
- Multi-channel integration: sell on Instagram without the need to install any application
- Wix offers one of the most affordable platforms on the market with exceptional value for money
- All Wix websites automatically come with SSL certificates.
- The help and support are very good. With the most basic plan, you can contact Wix by phone, email, and social media. You also have access to a forum and a helpful website.
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Get connected with Ravi Morisetty to know more about the best E-commerce platforms for 2022.
Sr.Digital Marketing Executive
