The online store business is growing fast, and more and more people are starting businesses online. This is a great option for anyone, whether you already have a business and want to sell online too, or you have a brand new idea for a product. But with so many different online store platforms to choose from, it can be hard to pick the best one for you.
This blog is here to help! We’ll take a look at some of the best online store platforms and break down their pros and cons, what they cost, and what makes them special. By the time you’re done reading, you’ll know what to look for and be ready to pick the perfect platform to launch your online store.
Shopify
Millions of online stores trust Shopify for a reason – it lets anyone, regardless of technical expertise, build a professional-looking online store without breaking the bank. Shopify comes loaded with features to help you find customers, make sales, and manage your day-to-day operations with ease.
What Makes Shopify Stand Out?
Shopify’s user-friendly interface makes building your store a breeze, even for beginners. You don’t need coding skills and there are a variety of attractive themes to choose from, allowing you to create a store that reflects your brand. But Shopify goes beyond just looks – it offers an all-in-one toolkit to streamline your business. Finding customers, managing payments, and promoting your store online are all made simple with Shopify’s built-in features. Reliability and security are also priorities for Shopify. They take care of hosting your store and keeping it secure, giving you peace of mind to focus on selling. And if you ever get stuck, Shopify’s 24/7 customer support is always there to help.
Things to Keep in Mind
While Shopify offers a lot, it’s important to consider your budget. They have different pricing plans, so make sure you choose one that fits your financial needs. There are also some limitations to consider. While you can customize the design of your store to some extent, creating a truly unique look might be difficult. Additionally, Shopify charges fees for using their payment processing system, and you’ll need to use a separate service for email marketing. Finally, switching from Shopify to another platform down the line can be a complex process.
Despite these considerations, Shopify remains a popular choice globally, especially in North America (US and Canada), the UK, and Australia. Its user-friendly interface, comprehensive features, and reliable support make it a great option for beginners or anyone who wants an easy-to-use platform with all the tools needed to run a successful online store.
Wix
Wix is a popular website builder known for its user-friendly approach. Even if you have no coding experience, you can use their drag-and-drop editor to create a website that looks great. With over 500 templates to choose from, getting started is a breeze.
What Makes Wix a Good Choice?
Wix goes beyond basic website building. It includes features to help you run your online store, market your business, manage appointments, and build your brand. They even have built-in SEO tools to help your website rank higher in search results, a blog platform to connect with your customers, and mobile optimization to ensure your website looks good on all devices. Plus, Wix offers an AI assistant for extra help if you need it.
Here are Some Things to Consider Before Choosing Wix:
Limited Design Changes Later: While Wix offers a lot of customization options, once you choose a template, you can’t switch it later.
Mobile Management: Managing your mobile website is separate from your main website editing.
Customer Support Speed: Wix’s customer support might not be as responsive as some other platforms.
Despite these drawbacks, Wix remains a popular choice worldwide, especially in the US, where it boasts over a million websites built with their platform. Wix is a great option for beginners or anyone who wants a user-friendly platform with a variety of features to build a professional-looking website.
WooCommerce
If you already have a WordPress website, WooCommerce is a great option for adding an online store for free. This user-friendly plugin seamlessly integrates with WordPress, making it familiar and easy to use for anyone comfortable with the platform.
What Makes WooCommerce Stand Out?
For WordPress users, WooCommerce is a particularly attractive choice. It’s free to use and offers a wide range of features to manage your products, create shopping rules, track orders, and analyze your sales. Plus, there’s a large and helpful online community to answer your questions.
Things to Keep in Mind
While WooCommerce itself is free, there are some additional costs to consider. Some extensions and professional themes might require extra fees. Additionally, very large businesses with complex needs might need additional resources for scalability.
Whether you’re just starting out or looking to expand your existing website, WooCommerce offers a user-friendly and cost-effective way to enter the world of e-commerce. The United States leads the way with the most WooCommerce sites globally, followed by the UK and Germany.
Magento
Magento is an open-source platform designed for large businesses with complex online store needs. It offers a wide range of features, including high customization options, scalability to handle large amounts of traffic, and advanced marketing and SEO tools to help you reach more customers. Currently, there are over 145,000 online stores running on Magento worldwide.
Things to Consider Before
However, Magento is not for everyone. It requires more technical knowledge to set up and maintain compared to other platforms. This means you might need to hire a developer or have someone on your team with coding skills. Additionally, Magento can be expensive due to the cost of maintaining the platform and purchasing additional plugins.
Despite these drawbacks, Magento remains a popular choice for large businesses in countries like the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Its powerful features and customization options make it a good fit for companies that need a highly functional and scalable online store.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a popular hosted e-commerce platform used by over 44,000 businesses worldwide. They offer solutions that can grow with your business, no matter the size. With features like unlimited product listings, storage, and bandwidth, you’ll never have to worry about running out of space.
What Makes BigCommerce Stand Out?
BigCommerce is packed with features to help you sell online. They make checkouts easier with single-page options and boost sales with features like coupons and product videos. Their plans are affordable, starting at $29 per month, and include benefits like managing inventory across multiple locations, no extra transaction fees, and 24/7 customer support.
Things to Keep in Mind
There are a few limitations to consider with BigCommerce. Some plans have caps on annual revenue, and they offer a smaller selection of free design templates compared to other platforms.
Despite these drawbacks, BigCommerce remains a popular choice, especially in the US, where over two-thirds of its online stores are located. The UK and Australia also have a significant presence on BigCommerce. This platform is a good option for businesses of all sizes, but especially those looking for a scalable solution with easy-to-use features and affordable pricing.
Conclusion
The best e-commerce platform depends on your comfort level with tech. Self-hosted platforms offer more control and growth but require technical knowledge. Cloud-based platforms are user-friendly, but have limitations on customization and might not scale infinitely. Consider your budget, skills, and growth plans to choose the platform that sets your online store up for success.