Which eCommerce platform is the best for startups?
A question that has troubled many startup owners and entrepreneurs for decades. No need to worry; we have done the research for you. We have curated a list of the top four eCommerce platforms that are easy-to-use, and offer highly intuitive functionality to help your startup launch and scale operations online.
Let’s Begin!
Best eCommerce Platforms for Startups to Sell Online
In the past decade, the eCommerce sector has witnessed remarkable growth due to the rapid growth and adoption of eCommerce platforms like Amazon and Alibaba. According to statistics published by Jake Rheude, in 2010, only 5% of retail purchases were made online. By the end of 2020, this rate has soared to 43%, due to the COVD-19 pandemic.
Image From Red Stag Fulfillment By Jake Rheude
Currently, it sits at around 14% in the third quarter of 2022 and is forecasted to post a staggering growth rate of 10.4%. This marks a remarkable recovery of 0.7% compared to the massive decline that the sector suffered in 2021.
Image From Shopify By Greg Bernhardt
BigCommerce
Founded in 2009, it is the ideal eCommerce platform for startups, wholesalers, and MNCs. The SaaS eCommerce website builder integrates exceedingly well with all the payment gateways like Stripe, Paypal, Amazon, and more. It is one of the most trusted solution providers that has gained the trust of clients all over the world. The amalgamation of openness and flexibility speeds up the agility to protect your store and help you grow more sales. The scalable and robust platform ends up creating customized solutions that further simplify the backend complexities, enhance the customer journey, and offer high-end products.
Image From Big Commerce
Benefits Of BigCommerce Platform
| Benefits |
Description |
| Easy kickoff | This platform delivers the easiest and most flexible onboarding experience. The procedure of setting up this platform is simple yet quick. |
| Manage store operations | Along with offering an easy-to-use interface, this platform provides the most intuitive dashboard so that products, orders, and returns can be managed easily. |
| SEO friendly | It allows updated SEO practices like automized titles, URLs, and keyword-rich information that is much needed. |
| 24/7 customer support | It has the most hospitable customer support team that helps in rendering whenever you need quick support. |
WooCommerce
It is actually a WordPress plugin that enables entrepreneurs to transform their WordPress website into a highly functional eCommerce store. A key feature that sets WooCommerce apart from its competitors is that it is “free,” but it also has a subscription-based business model. Nonetheless, WooCommerce is among the most adaptable and versatile eCommerce platforms. making it the ideal contender for being listed as the best eCommerce platform for startups in 2023.
Image From WooCommerce
Benefits of the WooCommerce platform
| Benefits | Description |
| Customize and extend | From subscriptions to luxury cars to aerobic classes, WooCommerce is an entirely customizable platform. By adding features and extending functionality, you can make your online presence a boom. |
| Manage your business on the go | Manage your business from anywhere in the world. Create products, process orders, and keep real-time track of the procedure. |
| Cost-effective advertising and marketing | Sellers do not have to spend an extortionate amount of money for promoting the items. It’s a visual channel where sellers showcase their products and create customized deals. |
Shopify
Labeled as the industry leader, there are more than 6 million stores and over 1,000,000 Shopify merchants running their businesses in around 170 destinations globally. Shopify has helped millions of entrepreneurs and solopreneurs globally. To attract business owners, Shopify offers a 14-day free trial version, under which it gives access to nine free and 64 paid themes. Some key features that set Shopify stores apart from their competitors are built-in POS and a wide range of apps to customise and manage your eCommerce store.
Image From Shopify
Benefits of the Shopify platform
|
Benefits |
Description |
| Secure and reliable | One of the advantages of this hosted solution is the reliability it provides. It takes care of all the server maintenance and keeps the shopping cart always available so that the loading of pages can be ensured. |
| Shopify Apps | It’s a treasure trove of functionality that can be added to your shop. Reviews can be added, loyalty programs can be generated, customer wish lists can be considered, In-depth analytics can be drawn, and software can be integrated. |
| Own payment gateway | It has a multitude of payment gateways but it also has its own that’s powered by stripe. If you choose to use this, no transaction fees will be incurred and you will benefit from lower credit card fees. |
Square Online
It’s an eCommerce platform that allows businesses to sell products with in-built inventory management. There is a free-of-cost plan available but the paid plans offer a lot more features to help small businesses sell more effectively. Even if you run a brick-and-mortar shop or you sell in various locations occasionally, you can still use Square for processing the payments and syncing the online and offline store simultaneously. Square online makes it exceedingly convenient for mobile owners to sell their products and services on Facebook and Instagram. It’s one of the most popular and widely-suitable platforms for your eCommerce store.
Image From SquareUp
Benefits of a square platform
| Benefits | Description |
| Budget friendly | With plans as low as $12 a month, Square is the ideal eCommerce platform for entrepreneurs. |
| Simple User-Interface | It has one of the simplest and easy-to-use website editors, enabling entrepreneurs with zero technical knowledge to set-up an online store in minutes. |
| Various Integrations | Its marketplace apps include hundreds of integrations, with featured apps like SKU IQ allowing retailers to sync their product catalogs, orders, and inventory between multiple POS and eCommerce solutions. |
Bottom Line
With so many options available, it has become easy for entrepreneurs to build an eCommerce store to start selling online. In this blog, we have highlighted some of the best, highly functional, and user-friendly eCommerce platforms. These are not the only eCommerce solutions available; you can also explore other options like OpenCart and Weebly.
Remember to take your time and assess multiple factors before you proceed forward with selecting an eCommerce platform for your business. Making the correct choice can be difficult, but it will ultimately save time and money for your business.
It is recommended to pick the solution that best satisfies your business requirements and meets your budgetary constraints. Still, if you get stuck between two eCommerce platforms, it is best to contact an ecommerce development agency. They can help you select, manage, optimize, and scale your business online using the eCommerce platform that is best for your business.
FAQs
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What makes a great eCommerce platform?
The best eCommerce websites are easy to use with minimalistic product pages and a trusted checkout process. There are no potential barriers that restrict the buyers from purchasing the products/services.
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What should I look for before choosing an eCommerce platform?
Hosting and platform ownership, cost of ownership, integrations, themes, speed, scalability, functionality, platform security, and multiple payment gateways.
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What attracts the attention of customers toward your online store?
You can only get customer attention by paying utmost attention to their problems and coming up with win-win solutions.
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What is the biggest threat when it comes to eCommerce businesses?
Credit card fraud because it happens when a cybercriminal user steals the card to purchase products from your eCommerce store. In such cases, shipping and billing addresses might vary.