One of the biggest decisions you can make to take your business to the next level is choosing the best E-commerce platform you can use for years to come.
Although it may appear simple, you should be aware of several critical factors before selecting an e-commerce platform. That is why you should read this article, because we will also discuss various platforms to consider.
Before we begin, let us discuss an e-commerce platform. So, what's the deal?
An E-Commerce platform is a software as a service cloud app that allows online entrepreneurs to use their website for marketing and sales. Bigcommerce, for example, is a fantastic ecommerce platform that includes business tools to help entrepreneurs run their online businesses independently.
Then, what are the advantages of using Ecommerce platforms?
Ecommerce platforms will have a significant impact on the stability and profitability of your business, whether it is new or already established.
Among the benefits are;
- Quicker selling and buying process
- Easy product listing system
- Reasonable marketing expenses
- Faster buyers’ response based on demand
- Variety of flexible payment methods
- Now let's talk about e-commerce platforms.
Generally, Ecommerce platforms are in three forms, they are:
Open source such as WooCommerce
Software as a service (saas) like Big commerce
Headless commerce found in Shopify Plus
The software hosts its users in either an on-premises or a cloud environment.
The open-source e-commerce software is the favourite of technologically developed organizations that prefer to have power over their ecommerce environment.
This software is costly and sophisticated to implement, requiring coding knowledge or third-party development agencies. For that reason, many brands neglect it for the other two types. That is because users are responsible for the operation of the software.
SAAS e-commerce software involves hosting users on the cloud. The platform is less sophisticated to implement, but monthly charges can be expensive for first time users. Many entrepreneurs use this software to market their business due to its flexibility. The SAAS operators are responsible and in control of the software coding.
The last one is the headless commerce software. Users of headless commerce can creatively customize their platforms the way they like. This platform also hosts its users on the cloud. The uniqueness of this platform is that it has been designed with plug-ins, CMS, APIs, and the likes, making it flexible and easy to create your perfect website.
For example, Shopify Plus lets businesses create customized Frontend websites for their customers, with visuals that appear natively on any device the customer uses, from mobiles to wearables. Shopify Plus also powers the back end of merchandising, fulfilment, integrations, data storage, and checkout.
Primary Features of Ecommerce Platforms
Physical stores or shops have their needs, as well as online shops. Therefore, the online software you choose must meet these needs, which depends on the features of the platform.
A good Ecommerce provider must possess these significant features.
 Year-to-year update, domain name, hosting environment, and bandwidth
 API call volume that’s limitless
 Free, user-friendly site with non-proprietary language themes
 Extensive application marketplace.
 Fully customizable URLs and SEO features
 Basic in-built Ecommerce features
 PCI compliance mitigation
What are the things you must consider before selecting an Ecommerce platform?
Getting your online store on an e-commerce platform is a project on its own that requires significant planning.
• Budget
As a business owner, you must have a budget for marketing and other things involved in promoting your business. In this case, you should first research all e-commerce platforms and know their costs upfront and hidden costs. Before selecting a suitable one, you must include the following factors in your budget.
 Website design
 Hosting fee per month
 Coding
 Custom app creation
 Security
 Maintenance
 Licensing
• Quantity of your products
If you're choosing a platform that doesn't allow you to display all your products, don't choose it. If you don't have many products to show, this may not be a problem for you.
• Prospective clients
The platform you choose should have good marketing features that will help you reach your customers.
• Customer service system
Once you've picked a platform, you'll be active daily. So, you'll probably need help at some point, which is when you'll need customer service. Make sure the platform uses a real person who can quickly approach you, rather than outsourced customer service that cannot be easily reached.
• Room for growth
Choose an e-commerce platform that will scale with your business growth in order to continue to meet traffic requirements.
WHAT IS THE BEST ECOMMERCE PLATFORM?
This section will show you some of the best Ecommerce platforms that you can choose from, and a little information about them.
1. Wix
Another option for you aside from Big Cartel is Wix. It is simple to operate making it the best option for you if you are new to e-commerce platforms.
2. Woocommerce
If you are an experienced business owner, blogger or hobbyist who can set up your own website, you can choose this simple open-source platform. Likewise, brands that enjoy using the WordPress platform will find this helpful.
3. Ecwid
Small business owners opt for a widget that allows users to add a store with a website. It has over a million users, and you can join them if you have 10 or fewer products. This program will initially offer you free services, after which you will begin paying a small amount.
4. Bigcommerce
This platform is super flexible and can host online stores, such as other platforms such as Shopify. BigCommerce, however, is equipped to handle larger omnichannel growth, and has incredible built-in sales features without having to install apps. It is also one of the rising headless e-commerce software, without transaction fees. The platform is developed with SEO and all the necessary features, with a small learning curve and less customizable themes.
5. 3dcart
This solution provider provides multilingual support. The platform also offers modern shipping solutions without an API. Fantastic range of tools for inventory management. Not the best for customer support.
6. Magento
Due to its learning curves on coding in functionality, this platform is the favorite of technologically skilled developers. Magento is more of a project for technically savvy entrepreneurs. It takes time and technical know-how to bring your vision to life, and you will be largely dependent on guides or developers. Although the platform recently launched cloud hosting, it still hosts on-premises, such as your own hosting.
7. Shopify
Shopify operates like big commerce. It is a large platform with millions of users. Although starters, hobbyists are plenty on the platform, there are also growing brands present. You will have the chance to market and sell all your products, even if they are about 100 variants.
8. Prestashop
This platform hosts its users on the cloud, and it offers free services. The platform stands out in that it allows about 60 languages making it common among non-English speaking countries that are dominated by other popular Ecommerce platforms, such as Shopify, bigcommece, and the likes.
9. Salesforce Commerce Cloud or Demandware
The platform was previously known as Demandware. Rising fashion retailers mainly use it. It can be compared with Big commerce and Shopify. One of the advantages of Salesforce Commerce Cloud is that the built-in marketing functionality is world class, along with certified plugins that do not slow down your site. A major feature is the integration of A / B tests, so that you can create and test very different flows.
10. Big Cartel
This e-commerce solution is developed for small businesses that do not need a full store and have one-off or individual products to sell. The only e-commerce platform that allows you to sell online for free. If you only have a few products, then this is a suitable solution. However, theme designs are poor and offer limited customization, so you may have to create your own designs.
Conclusion
Choosing the best e-commerce for your business marketing should no longer be a difficult task. Read more about each e-commerce we have listed in this article and choose the one that suits you most.
