You don’t have to be tech-savvy to run an online store. These best ecommerce platforms for small businesses are easy to use and offer great features.
Then we’ll closely examine 7 of the best online sales platforms available today.
- Ecwid – cheap ecommerce platforms.
- Shopify – best ecommerce platforms for dropshipping.
- Squarespace – customizable ecommerce platforms.
- Zyro – easiest online selling platform.
- Square – best ecommerce platform for SEO.
- Weebly – Create your online selling sites.
- BigCommerce – online marketplace platform.
Using these best eCommerce platforms for selling online, you can build an online store that can generate enough income to meet your needs and even more.
There are websites to sell items online for free locally level. All you need to do is create a free account, start creating your own store, and add your items for sale. But many options depend on features, pricing and plans, keys, and your needs.
What Is an E-Commerce Platform?
An e-commerce platform is a software solution that helps companies create and manage their online stores. This can range from hosting to payment processing, website design and much more. In other words, it's everything you need to run your store in one place. Shopify, WooCommerce, Wix and Squarespace are examples of e-commerce platforms.
The best e-commerce platforms offer a wide range of features and integrations, making it easy to create the store you need. They're also easy to use, so you can get your store up and running quickly and smoothly.
What Is The best Ecommerce Platforms For Small Business?
1. Ecwid
best ecommerce platforms for beginners
Ecwid is an e-commerce solution that integrates with your current infrastructure, regardless of what you are already using.
Ecwid integrates with any e-commerce platforms for selling online such as Weebly, Zyro, WordPress, Squarespace, and many others. So, if you already have a website and want to add e-commerce functionality, Ecwid is a great choice for you.
That being said, Ecwid also offers a fully integrated eCommerce site builder for those who want to start from scratch. But there are better site builders to use.
This eCommerce platform includes a wide range of features, such as:
Key Features:
- Multi-channel selling (social media, online marketplace platform), in-person, etc.
- Integrated email marketing services and advertising features.
- Centralized inventory and order management.
- No transaction fees.
- Fully responsive designs.
- Built-in POS integrations.
- Customer accounts for easy checkout.
- Real-time shipping calculator.
- Product variations.
- Digital product capabilities.
- 40 payment options.
The main drawback is that you can't manage your store from your web account dashboard. You have to log into Ecwid instead, which forces you to manage two separate accounts.
Pricing and plans:
Fortunately, you can start with the limited free plan forever to try it out before making an investment. This free plan only allows ten products, so you'll need to upgrade if you need more products.
Ecwid also offers three paid plans, including:
- Free Plan Forever 0$.
- Venture – $15/month (up to 100 products)
- Business – $35/month (up to 2,500 products)
- Unlimited – $99/month (unlimited products)
This price is a monthly payment. If you are willing to sign a one-year contract, the price for this service is a bit lower.
As a standalone store builder, you may want to consider other options (like Zyro and Shopify). On the other hand, if you already have a website and want to add an eCommerce store, Ecwid is a great alternative.
2. Squarespace
best ecommerce platforms for small businesses
Equally, Squarespace is known as a website builder, but its higher-level packages also include eCommerce-related features.
Especially their design templates are easy to set up, but you're not just replicating the same templates – there's a lot of potentials to create a unique shopping experience for your customers.
Other popular eCommerce platforms for selling online are a bit limited in their capabilities. Squarespace gives you more creative freedom.
You can install and customize multiple templates at once to see which one you like the most. Changing templates only takes a few clicks.
In addition to its great templates, Squarespace offers many e-commerce related features, such as:
- Subscriptions, digital products, and in-person compatibility.
- Built-in tax tools for automatic tax calculation.
- Discount codes and gift cards.
- Abandoned cart recovery.
- Mobile-optimized payment.
- Mobile store management.
- Rich product listings.
- Fast display capability.
- Inventory management.
- Real-time shipping estimates.
- Website builder
Squarespace also integrates with the most popular email marketing and social media platforms, so you can sell and market your products like a true professional.
Squarespace's customer service is available 24/7/365. They are always ready to answer your questions and help you set up your site the way you want it.
Pricing plans:
There are three e-commerce plans offered by Squarespace:
- Business – $18 per month + 3% transaction fee.
- Basic Commerce – $26 per month + 0% transaction fee.
- Advanced Commerce – $40 per month + 0% transaction fee.
If you browse through the pricing options, you will see that the Personal plan is offered at $12 per month. This plan is great for creating a website, but it doesn't have any e-commerce functionality so it won't work for you if you want to create an online store.
The company also offers a business plan with a dedicated account manager, SEO advice, and priority technical support.
While the business plan offers e-commerce capabilities, I highly recommend choosing the basic business plan to get started. This plan is the least expensive and has no transaction fees.
Plus, it offers other essential features, such as customer accounts and e-commerce analytics.
Try Squarespace to learn more and get started.
3. BigCommerce
best online ecommerce platform
With over 100 thousand store customers, including large brands, it's a smaller player in the industry.
BigCommerce is a complete solution for creating eCommerce websites dedicated to large online stores. It has more advanced eCommerce features suitable for handling high volumes and a large number of products compares directly to ebay.
With BigCommerce plans, you get access to powerful, industry-leading features, including:
- Customer accounts for faster payments
- Mobile-optimized checkout
- Abandoned cart recovery
- Google AMP and Akamai
- Advanced product filters
- Coupons and discount codes
- Advanced inventory management
- Customer groups for personalized shopping
- 65+ payment gateways with no additional transaction fees
- Integrated shipping management
And all of their plans include unlimited products, file storage, bandwidth, and employee accounts.
Best of all, you can choose from 12 free mobile-friendly design templates or opt for a paid template to make your online store stand out from the rest without touching a single line of code.
Plans and Pricing:
BigCommerce offers four paid plans (with a 15-day free trial), including:
- Standard – $29.95/month with an annual sales limit of $50,000.
- Plus – $79.95/month with an annual sales limit of $180,000.
- Pro – $299.95/month with an annual sales limit of $400,000.
- Enterprise – custom pricing.
If you are just starting to sell your products online, you won't be able to do without BigCommerce for your online store.
On the other hand, if you are an existing business or plan to sell large quantities, BigCommerce is a great choice for you.
4. Shopify
best platform for selling online and ecommerce website
Over $200 billion in online sales have been facilitated through Shopify.
It is true that Shopify is king in the field of eCommerce website creation. As well as, being recognized by over a million websites in 175 countries, it is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms for selling online available on the market today.
Shopify's eCommerce platform is extremely versatile. Whether you are starting a new eCommerce business from scratch or expanding your physical presence to an online store, Shopify can meet your needs.
It contains everything you need to create your website and start selling online:
- Industry-specific templates
- Supports multiple sales channels (point of sale, social media, online marketplaces, etc.)
- Drag and drop store builder
- 70+ templates
- Custom domains
- Secure payment
- Gift cards
- 24/7 support
- Unlimited products
- Integrated payment processing
- Shipping discounts
- Marketing Tools
- Business Insights
Pricing :
So no matter what size your business or industry, Shopify's eCommerce platform is versatile enough to support your site. Plus, plans start at just €27 per month.
Try Shopify for free with a 14-day trial.
5. Zyro
The easiest way to launch your online store.
Zyro is one of the best global site builders on the market today. The eCommerce platform can be used to create any website, including eCommerce websites.
More people across the world are using Zyro to create a website from scratch. Zyro is a great option for beginners. Anyone can use this platform to sell online, regardless of their technical skill level.
This is what makes Zyro so great:
- Intuitive drag-and-drop site builder
- Great templates
- Optimized for SEO
- Application marketplace for custom features
- Advanced design features such as video backgrounds, animations, and scrolling effects
- Mobile-optimized eCommerce site
- Custom domain, free hosting, and free SSL certificate
- Supports multiple payment methods
- Product pages and store management tools
- Coupon for advertisers
- 24/7 customer service
- Unlimited products
Pricing:
Zyro eCommerce plans start at $4.90/month for websites and blogs. But I recommend starting with the Business plan for your eCommerce site. It's just €1 more per month and comes with enhanced features.
Then you can start creating your store online for free to try the drag and drop generator. Then enjoy a free 30-day trial to access the premium features.
6. Weebly
best ecommerce platform for digital products
If you have unique needs and are working with a developer or designer, Weebly may be the solution for you.
Weebly is not as popular as some of the other eCommerce site builders on our list. But that said, it's not for everyone.
While Weebly has drag-and-drop creation tools to accommodate beginners, the software is powerful enough to meet the needs of developers and design experts.
So it can be as simple or complex as you want it to be.
Other notable features and highlights of Weebly include:
- 200+ built-in features
- 200+ ways to accept payments
- 50+ free themes
- Simple and versatile shipping setups
- Robust security
- Supports dropshipping
- Supports subscriptions, tickets, events, and print-on-demand sales
- Powerful CMS
- Optimized for eCommerce SEO
Pricing:
So, all plans come with secure hosting, unlimited orders, 24/7 support, and no transaction fees. The price starts at only $8.55 per month.
In fact, the subscriptions are covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Try it for free for 15 days.
7. Square
best online store platforms for selling online
So, Square is best online store platform known for its payment processing and point-of-sale solutions. But the platform also offers business owners the ability to create a free online store.
If you're a physical retailer currently selling with Square, you can easily expand your online presence by creating an eCommerce site using Square Online.
First, let's take a closer look at some of the features and benefits you'll get with Square Online:
- Quick setup with no coding required
- Integrated payment processing
- Automatic synchronization with your Square POS system
- Supports in-house and on-demand delivery
- Instagram integration
- Inventory management tools
- Accept gift cards, Google Pay and Apple Pay
Pricing:
Launching an eCommerce site with Square Online is free; you'll only pay transaction fees (starting at 2.9% + €0.25). For advanced features, paid plans start at €10 per month.
6 things you need to consider when choosing the best ecommerce platform for your business
Finding the best ecommerce platform for your business depends on several factors such as your skill level, customization expectations and product type.
But choosing the best ecommerce platform can seem overwhelming because there are countless options to choose from.
It can be helpful to start by making a list of the requirements and features you need. From there, you can narrow down your choices based on the following criteria.
ecommerce website builder
An e-commerce website builder is usually the easiest and fastest way to sell products online. It comes with a page editor that allows you to create a website entirely without touching a single line of code. They include everything you need to manage orders, shipments, etc.
Zyro offers a fantastic free plan. It offers a full shopping cart, coupons, unlimited products, inventory management and automatic tax calculation. Its main drawback is that you can't use your own main domain.
Digital Vs physical products
Digital products are a growing market. Online courses, music, art, and podcasts are just a few of the digital products that are making a lot of money for new businesses.
At the same time, selling and delivering digital products is not the same as delivering a physical product to someone's door.
If you want to sell digital products, Shopify is a great option, but some online ecommerce platforms for selling online don't support digital products at all. So it's important to understand what type of product you plan to sell before making a decision.
Installation Options
How do you get your e-commerce platform up and running?
There are several ways to deploy your platform, depending on your starting point and goal.
If you currently have a website, the best option is to integrate an online store rather than creating a brand new website on a new e-commerce platform. By doing this, you are building on what you have already done. Ecwid is ideal for this use case.
If you're starting from scratch, you'll need a website builder and other tools to help you design your own e-commerce platform.
In this case, opting for solutions like Zyro and Squarespace makes a lot of sense. They offer everything you need to get started at a very affordable price.
Routine Administration
Managing orders, creating products, tracking orders, and navigating the dashboard are important factors in the day-to-day management of e-commerce.
Opt for an ecommerce platform that is easy to use and manage on a daily basis. It doesn't have to seem difficult to create new products, check the status of an order, or update pages on your website.
It's all about finding the right balance between flexibility, customization and ease of use. The more a platform can do, the harder it is to manage.
You can simplify your workload by choosing a platform that offers just enough flexibility without going too far for your specific needs.
Creative design capabilities
Some ecommerce site builders (like Zyro) actually use drag and drop, which means the customization options are endless. If you can imagine it, you can build it. But this freedom also makes the ecommerce platform more difficult to use.
Other ecommerce platforms for selling online integrate with your current site and adopt its look and feel, with very few customization options. For some users, this is fine.
On the other hand, if you already have a physical store or an established brand, design is more important to create a consistent aesthetic from one touchpoint to the next.
Advanced eCommerce Features
Do you want to offer discounts or accept payments via different payment systems? Or maybe you want to send an email reminder to visitors when they leave your website with something in their cart.
Or maybe you want to create customer profiles and perform advanced analytics.
Additional sophisticated ecommerce features include:
- Email marketing integrations
- Memberships and recurring payments
- Gift cards and discount codes
- Partial payments or payment plans
- Shipping and order management
- Product variants
- Product categories
Take a good look at what you need and what would be nice to have. You can then use your list of requirements to narrow down your list of choices.
platforms for selling online – FAQs
What is E-Commerce?
E-commerce is the buying and selling of goods or services over the Internet, as well as the transfer of money and information to complete sales. Electronic commerce is also known as e-commerce.
What Are The Types Of E-Commerce?
The ways in which e-commerce works are constantly evolving. Below are the most traditional types of e-commerce models:
– Business to Consumer (B2C)
– Business to Business (B2B)
– Direct to Consumer (D2C)
– Consumer to Consumer (C2C)
– Consumer to Business (C2B)
Can I create an online store for free?
Yes, almost all ecommerce platforms for selling online offer a free trial, which allows you to start creating an online store for free. Squarespace allows you to create and sell products for free, while Zyro allows you to create a store for free, but in order to sell products, you need to upgrade.
Which ECommerce Platform to Choose?
BigCommerce is the best online sales platform overall. Its robust product search engine makes it ideal for large retail brands. It's also a good choice for people who want to start an e-commerce store or who have a brick-and-mortar store and want to expand their operations to include online ordering.
What is the number 1 selling platform?
Amazon.com is the world's largest online retailer, according to eMarketer. It was also named the top ecommerce site by Forrester Research last year.
What platforms can you sell on for free?
There are many different ways to sell products online without having to spend any money. Some of these include Amazon FBA, eBay, Etsy, Facebook Marketplace, Google Shopping, Shopify, and others.
Conclusion
The internet has made it easier than ever before to sell products online. Whether you're looking to start a business or just sell something on eBay, these best platforms for selling online will help you set up shop quickly and easily.
Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms for selling online available today. It's simple to use and offers lots of customization options. If you're looking for a platform with a lot of flexibility, Shopify might be right for you.
WooCommerce is another option for those who prefer a more traditional shopping cart solution. It's also very customizable, making it perfect for small businesses. Magento is a robust platform that allows you to build a fully functional ecommerce site. It's not as flexible as other platforms for selling online, but it does offer some unique features.
Finding a better online sales platform does what you need is a breath of fresh air.
After using dozens of different options over the years, I am confident with my selection of the best options available.
Which ecommerce platforms for selling online do you use? Tell us in the comments.
