The influx of customer demand has made the online business competitive and ultra-convenient e-commerce companies are trying to catch up with the trend. Companies continue to innovate increasingly powerful features of their platforms
Here are a few things to consider before settling for an e-commerce software.
• Mobile devices have surpassed desktops in product searches due to their convenience and simplicity. You put yourself at a competitive disadvantage if you don’t choose a mobile-first approach.
• Social commerce is another issue that has contributed to this growth. About 74% of buying decisions are influenced by the social media. It’s no wonder 60% of retailers attribute their new customers to social networks. Purchasing flexibility has given social media popularity, thereby making it possible to purchase directly from social networks without exiting to a separate shopping cart. This gives it its dominance in online shopping industry. Nowadays, online commerce sites are capitalizing on social media and mobile devices to reach their clients. These platforms don’t require technical skills and are easy to use. With these facts in mind, I have chosen 4 best e-commerce platform that are effective for online shop owners.
Table of Contents
1. Shopify
Shopify eCommerce software boasts of 350,000+ active online shops under it. The reason it enjoys such a mass is that of its focus on social commerce and mobile shopping that is becoming a requirement in the online shops.
Benefits
• The platform has over 100 templates(themes) for users to choose from
• Has developed 1500+ apps to extend its functionality which gives simplicity in purchasing
• The platform connects your online store with social platforms such as Facebook and sells directly to Facebook users
• It has a built-in responsive shopping cart that connects store owners with apps through mobile devices. It provides a platform for developers to design apps to simplify shopping
• Its support system includes a 24/7 live chat, telephone, tutorials, and community forums 0
The e-commerce plugin suffers from a few setbacks such as additional transaction fees if you don’t use the Shopify Payment system on every sale. Another one is that additional functionality is not free and you will have to cheap in running the apps. And lastly, the platform has its own coding language called “liquid” and any customization will be subjected to additional expenses. Shopify is best for starters with conventional requirements. Its price plans start at $29 to $299 per month.
2. BigCommerce
This platform hosts over 55,000 online stores and is one of the best e-commerce software providers. It caters to all store sizes, from Samantha’s cakes, Toyota, to SMEs. Due to its comprehensive list of built-in features, BigCommerce is considered the best option for those with little or no technical skills or don’t have time to handle codes.
Benefits
• It extensive built-in features such as newsletters, shipping, analytics, coupons, tax and more
• It doesn’t charge transaction fees
• Free and paid themes are responsive and offer seamless mobile experience
• It integrates your store with Facebook, eBay, Google shipping, and various comparison sites
• Great support system with a helpful setup wizard, educational videos, guides, and visual presentations
However, it lacks free themes. It has only 7 compared to its competitor who has over 20 free themes. The platform also offers customization of its themes to give you a whole look and feel.
It is recommended for full fledged stores that don’t need integration plugins, editing HTLM /CSS or other codes. Price plans start at $29 – $199 per month, without transaction fees.
3. Magento
This is considered a market leader in e-commerce platforms. Many popular brands use this platform for its reliability and scalability. It is the underlying technology for online stores. The platform is best for enterprises.
Benefits
• It has a good user experience: easy to use and manage
•It is open to different customization since it’s an open-source platform
• It has over 9,000 plugins to scale up your business
• Its free social commerce extension enables you to sell through social media platforms
• The stores are managed by extensive library resources where store owners and developers can tap in for assistance Its pricing is not flexible and offers community and enterprise versions. The community version is free while the enterprise version will cost you $20,000 /year. The enterprise version offers built-in high-end features such as customer segmentation, 24/7 support, support modules and so much more. With its open source nature, it requires competent developers for customization. It will cost you time and money to get your community version to work as desired. This eCommerce software is good for enterprise-level store owners with a large volume of products. Due to its complex nature, the platform may not work well for beginners.
See more: BigCommerce Review: Best and Easy-to-use Online Store Builder
4.YoKart
This platform’s primary objective is to help newbies build e-commerce ecosystem easily. It is a one-stop solution for launching a multi-vendor store. Although other platforms offer the multi-vender option, YoKart version is seamless.
Benefits
• It has a ready to launch multi-vendor market solution
• Besides framework, the platform allows you to own the source code so that you can customize the portal as you desire
• Its framework is encrypted, meaning that you will need to seek services from an experienced PHP developer to modify it for customization
• The platform is mobile-friendly and has an Android app for marketplaces
• The platform has the same features across all price plans
• It has a great support from comprehensive manuals, FAQs, video tutorials and a year free support for store management Being a new entity in the e-commerce market, the e-commerce software has no third-party extension available yet. It has a built-in analytics tool and over a dozen payment options, reward, and discount coupons
Conclusion
The mobile and the social media dominance is undisputed and won’t die down soon if anything, it will continue to grow. Why not take advantage of this and embrace them? When looking for an e-commerce platform, make sure it supports these trends and it perceives what you value in your business.
Here are few more topics that you shouldn’t miss:
BigCommerce Review: Best and Easy-to-use Online Store Builder
Shopify Review: The Leading Online Shop Builder
BlueSnap Review: The Best Payment Gateway Company
Like this post? Don’t forget to share
