A website that allows businesses to create, host, and manage an online store is known as an e-commerce platform. While different eCommerce platforms have different features, they all allow business owners to sell to customers directly.
When choosing an e-commerce platform, make sure it matches your technical skills, includes features that improve customer experiences, and allows for customization. Each component provides distinct advantages to you and your customers.
Let’s take a look at some of the most popular e-Commerce platforms in 2021 and see how they compare favorably.
SHOPIFY
Shopify, one of the most well-known names in the industry today, provides an easy-to-use platform for creating an e-commerce site. In the United States, Shopify has a 31 percent market share for E-Commerce websites. Shopify’s flexibility is one of the most important factors in its success. In the Shopify App Store, there are over 2,400 apps.
Pros:
- Ease of Use
- Pricing Plans
- SEO-Friendly
- Quick Downloading Speeds
- Mobile-Friendly
- Fast Website Load Time
Cons:
- Needs Third-Party App for International Currency
- Costly Apps
- Extra Transaction Fees on all Non-Shopify Payments
Shopify has three different plans to choose from. With an annual payment, you can save 10% on all plans, and with a biennial payment, you can save 20%. The following features are included in Shopify plans:
- Basic Shopify: $29/month
- Shopify: $79/month
- Advanced Shopify: $299/month
WOOCOMMERCE
WooCommerce is a free, open-source eCommerce platform for small business owners. It’s built on WordPress and runs in the background of your current WordPress site. You can also take advantage of WordPress’s SEO features. Woocommerce is the e-commerce platform for WordPress, the SEO king. It powers over 28% of all online stores. Those who already have a WordPress site can use it for free. However, keep in mind that hosting can be expensive, and some extensions are not free.
Pros:
- Ease of Use
- Highly Customizable
- SEO Optimized
- WordPress experts available
- Mobile-Friendly
Cons:
- Pay for Hosting
- Requires Extensions
- Scalability Issues
- Poor Support
Although WooCommerce is a free plugin, extensions and add-ons are usually not.
BIGCOMMERCE
BigCommerce is a hosted SaaS e-commerce platform that enables business owners to create online stores quickly and easily using a variety of customizable templates. BigCommerce Essentials (a DIY SaaS platform) and BigCommerce Enterprise (a customized experience for larger customers) are its two products. The BigCommerce app store has over 800 apps that can be used to add a variety of additional features to your store, depending on your needs.
Pros:
- Ease of Use
- Flexible
- SEO-friendly
- Multi-Channel Selling
- Mobile-Friendly
- Can accept international payments-
Cons:
- Sales limits
- No mobile app
- Scalability
- More expensive for high sales volume
- Prone to bugs
You can choose any plan, but BigCommerce will automatically upgrade your program to the next level once you reach the plan’s maximum sales volume over 12 months. BigCommerce plans:
- Standard: $29.95/month
- Plus: $79.95/month
- Pro: $299.95/month
- Enterprise: Call for pricing
MAGENTO
Magento is one of the most customizable e-commerce platforms, with a wide range of extensions and third-party integrations to provide customers with personalized shopping experiences. Magento, as an Adobe product, provides the most customizable solution for large businesses looking to expand. Despite the fact that you’ll need a developer to get started, your non-tech teams will appreciate the user-friendly interface that makes updating and managing your high-volume business a breeze. Magento Commerce and/or Magento Cloud are paid versions for larger eCommerce businesses that include B2B features not available in the open-source version of Magento.
Pros:
- Highly Customizable
- Nearly unlimited capabilities
- Stong SEO
- Large Community of Support
Cons:
- Requires experienced developers to get the website running
- No support for open-source software
- Hosted sites are expensive
Prices for fully hosted Magento Commerce software start at $1,500 per month with an annual payment and include top-tier enterprise features to help your business succeed.
WIX
Wix provides an easy-to-use platform with everything you need to start selling online in minutes if your small business needs to quickly pivot to digital sales. They have a lot of simple features that allow someone with no coding experience to quickly build an eCommerce site. It features a large selection of modern, creative themes to choose from, as well as drag-and-drop customizability, to let you create your own online business.
Pros:
- Creative Templates
- Multi-Channel Sales Capabilities
- Drag-and-Drop Website Builder
- Inexpensive
Cons:
- No free trial
- Weak SEO
- Not suitable for medium to large e-commerce
- Only 20GB storage space on the basic plan
Depending on your needs, pricing ranges from $17 to $25 per month (or less per year).
Choosing the best platform for your business to build an e-commerce website is a long-term commitment, as companies rarely switch platforms more than once every few years. This is why it’s critical to pick the right one before investing time and money.