Several years ago, no one could sell goods or services without a physical location. However, now, almost everything you want can be found online. All you need to do is search for the product online. E-Commerce stores make it easier than ever to access everything you need or want. And, you can do it all from the comfort of your home, or while you are out and about. This development has made e-Commerce websites a must for businesses. Below are the best e-commerce platforms for small business to utilize.
Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms for all business types needing e-commerce. It can continue to work with your and your business needs as you grow and expand. With Shopify, you can choose a custom domain, design or upload a logo and even find products to sell through their vendor relationships. A big benefit of Shopify is its 14-day free trial period, this makes it easy to test out the product listing features, theme layouts, and chatting features before committing to a monthly payment. Plans are also affordable starting at $29 USD a month. These plans also allow you to use Shopify features for physical store purchases too, so if you sell at events, everything is recorded in one place. Your monthly plan also comes with unlimited storage, security, 24/7 support, and an abandoned cart recovery system.
BigCommerce offers scalability for online business, with advanced SEO and sales tools. Some of the built-in, user features include; special credit card payment rates via BrainTree, single-page checkout, dedicated SSL, shipping quotes, and 24/7 support. You can also integrate your BigCommerce store with Facebook, Amazon, eBay, and Instagram easily. This allows you to cross-post and direct traffic seamlessly. Monthly plans start at $29.95 USD per month and feature no additional transaction fees. BigCommerce also offers a 15-day free trial, so you can test your website.
This e-Commerce platform is built on WordPress, so, you can easily integrate it into your existing website. Or, choose to build a dedicated store with all the support and innovation that WordPress offers. WooCommerce is possibly the most customizable e-Commerce platform as you can use almost any WordPress plugin you’re your WooCommerce store. There are additional WooCommerce extensions and plugins for shipping, abandoned carts, subscriptions, payment processing, and more. Some of the extensions require purchasing. However, many of them including the main WooCommerce platform are free. Being on WordPress, your coding abilities is the only thing limiting you, however, you don’t even need those, simply find a shop theme you love and get started with just a few clicks. You will have to pay for hosting and domain registration, but those will likely be your only monthly costs.
This e-Commerce platform was originally created with creatives in mind. However, it has now expanded to an easy-to-use, intuitive e-Commerce platform. Big Cartel allows you to set up a store in just a few clicks, from choosing the preferred theme. It is less customizable than many platforms, however, Big Cartel does offer a Forever Free plan for 5 products or less. Pricing plans vary depending on the range of products you offer. If you have coding knowledge, customizing the available themes is possible. You also have the option to use Big Cartel when selling in physical locations and it also integrates with Facebook, Instagram, and Google Analytics.
All of the e-Commerce platforms listed are mobile friendly, however, Squarespace is built to ensure the best user experience on mobile. With over 67% of online shoppers using mobile devices to shop, this is a key benefit. Each pre-built template offers a unique and highly optimized mobile version. This allows you to customize your online store for both computer and mobile devices. As with the other e-Commerce platforms, Squarespace integrates with Facebook and Instagram. Business owners also get access to an extensive training library covering everything from SEO optimization to what images work best. Pricing starts at $18 USD per month for a business plan, including your hosting and SSL certificate. Free Trials are available for 14-days.
While no e-Commerce platform is completely perfect, there will be one that works best for your business. Above are the best e-Commerce platforms for small businesses to use. Consider the cost, usability, and user experience of each and take advantage of the free trials they offer to truly test the services they offer. This will allow you to evaluate the options and select the best e-Commerce platform for your business needs.
