Online eCommerce has become one of the most popular business platforms these days, mainly due to its ability to bring a business closer and generate sales among people all over the world. Making an online store is not very hard these days; there are many free online platforms that can be used easily. Before you decide to get your own eCommerce platform, you must know about some of the best ecommerce software you may use for building and running your own successful business.
Ecommerce websites are one of the best ways to make money online. They can offer you all the tools you need to create and manage your online store: from creating a beautiful online store to managing your inventory, processing payments, sending order notices and even launch marketing campaigns to promote your products. If you need help finding the best platform for you and an advice on which software would suit your needs, keep on reading and take a look at our top list of Best Ecommerce software
The ecommerce arena is seeing a lot of action and the demand for online shopping applications is ever increasing. With many businesses seeing the potential of ecommerce solutions, there are a lot of vendors popping up, trying to claim their piece of the pie.
Discover best free ecommerce software and platform to start your online business. Our essential list of popular and free open source ecommerce software 2021 includes Shopify, Magento, WooCommerce, PrestaShop, Wix and more. And the best news is that all of them are available for free, even with unlimited products!
The Rise Of eCommerce
The internet has revolutionized the way business is conducted across industries throughout the globe. Technological and logistical advancements have made the world a smaller place, catalyzing growth of the online retail sector. Contemporary eCommerce store software like Tribe, Shopify and others, make it convenient for businesses to start selling via an online channel further facilitating the rise of eCommerce.
According to Statista, the number of digital buyers is increasing every year. In 2020, over two billion people purchased goods or services online. In the same year, e-retail sales from around the world surpassed $4.2 trillion.
Startups continue to leverage innovative business strategies to have a share of the eCommerce market and established players continue to report an increase in business year after year. In the year 2020 Amazon made it to the second spot in Forbes list of “top 10 companies all over the world. In the year 2020 alone, Amazon’s net revenue (consolidated) amounted to $386.06 bn. And this is roughly just 1% of the total global eCommerce market.
Volusion
From creating your store to selling products and growing your revenue, Volusion can help you achieve it all. What makes Volusion one of the best tools for ecommerce is the fact that over 180k entrepreneurs trust it. All you need to do is choose your themes and customize them to start selling.
Image via Volusion
Pricing
Volusion is a paid tool, and it starts at $29 per month and goes all the way up to $299 per month. It also offers a Prime package with which you can customize all features according to your requirements.
Ecwid
Ecwid is a freemium ecommerce tool that lets you create and manage a full-fledged ecommerce store with ease. Their affordable fees make it one of the best business ecommerce tools. It offers unlimited storage and bandwidth. At the same time, you’re not charged any transaction fees.
Image via Ecwid
Pricing
Ecwid offers a free plan for those who want to sell up to 10 products. Beyond that, their Venture plan costs $15 per month. The Business plan costs $35 per month. And their most advanced plan, the Unlimited plan, costs $99 per month.
osCommerce
osCommerce is a great tool that lets you sell online with your self-hosted store and website for free. With over 344k developers, store owners, and service providers, this is one of the best ecommerce tools.
To upgrade your store, they offer thousands of free add-ons as well. They have maintained a strong presence for the past 19 years, which only enhances their credibility.
Image via osCommerce
Pricing
osCommerce is open source and completely free to use.
Zen Cart
This is an ecommerce tool that was developed with the sole purpose of making the whole process of running an ecommerce store easy. It’s extremely simple to install the tool, and you can set up your store quickly with limited computer and coding skills.
Want to know the best part?
What makes it one of the best ecommerce tools is the fact that it can work with nearly every hosting company too.
Image via Zen-Cart
Pricing
Zen Cart is an open-source tool that is completely free to use.
CoreCommerce
CoreCommerce offers a fully-hosted, secure, and customizable ecommerce solution for all businesses. What makes it one of the best ecommerce tools out there is that you can choose functions according to your requirements. Be it a new store or an existing website that you want to turn into a store, this tool can do it all.
Image via CoreCommerce
Pricing
CoreCommerce has a plethora of plans on offer for various businesses that have varying requirements. Their packages start from $19 per month and go all the way up to $540 per month.
Shipping Easy
With more than 75 features designed to ease the process of inventory and product management, shipping, and tracking, Shipping Easy is an ecommerce workhorse. More than 50 app and ecommerce store integrations are offered for this SaaS, and shipping is handled through DHL, UPS, FedEx, and the USPS. The four standard pricing options range from $29-$99 per month and enterprise pricing is also available at $149/month.
Wave
A free alternative to apps like Xero and Zoho Books, Wave is a fast-growing accounting and invoicing platform for small and online businesses. Enterprise pricing is also available. Internationally supported and based in Canada, Wave integrates with Stripe, Workato, Paypal, Shoeboxed and Google Drive, among other apps. Features include direct depositing, payroll, yearly record keeping, invoicing, tax calculations, tax deductions, and receipts management. The interface is a little slow and the UX could be better, but this is a solid free app for ecommerce stores with small budgets.
EcomDash
This web-based multichannel inventory management tool has an iPhone app for running your business on the go and a user-friendly, intuitive design. Pricing starts at $50/month, but a free trial is available for ecommerce store owners who prefer to test the waters before committing. Solutions for enterprises with more than 10k orders per month are also available.
EcomDash offers a buffet of features ranging from activity tracking to inventory optimization, order processing, and sales reporting. Integrations include BigCommerce, Shopify, and WooCommerce carts as well as QuickBooks Online for financials.
eComEngine
Created to help Amazon sellers save time by automating tasks, eComEngine software is designed to grow with your business. The company also provides many webinars and free resources for Amazon sellers.
FeedbackFive allows you to automate feedback and review requests, monitor reviews, and see the impact of your order volume + requests sent compared to reviews, ratings, and feedback received. There is a free plan if you’re just getting started; pricing ranges based on the number of emails you send and ASINs you monitor.
RestockPro is designed for FBA sellers who want to manage their inventory more effectively. Streamline shipments, build bundles, manage profitability, and more starting at $99 per month. MarketScout provides detailed Amazon product research with pay-as-you-go pricing.
Buffer
Source: Buffer
For a complete brand building solution, Buffer is an excellent ecommerce tool. It’s all about social media scheduling and management, giving you unprecedented control over your social media campaigns.
Buffer also has a range of analytics that you can track post-interaction and to get a better idea about the performance of your campaigns. It’s one of the most viable tools for ecommerce marketing on social media platforms.
Compared to other marketing automation tools, Buffer is much more reasonably priced, making it a suitable choice for people who have just launched an ecommerce website. The starter plan is free to use, but focuses on individuals and freelancers. The Pro plan costs $99 per month and allows you to access 25 accounts with 2,000 posts per account.
All of the business plans come with a range of additional features that you don’t get with the Individual plan. With the array of social analytics that it offers, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better social media management tool than this!
Google Analytics
Source: Google Analytics
According to a study by Econsultancy.com, more than 70 percent of the companies now use Google Analytics to track their online performance, and it’s easy to see why. For one thing, this powerful analytics tool is completely free to use. For another, its fantastic visualization features allow you to easily track your landing pages, your site visitors, and their behavior.
If you aren’t using Microsoft’s PowerBI or IBM Watson Analytics, this is a great alternative. The freemium versions are an excellent choice for most companies, and give you a lot of data to work with.
Enterprise pricing varies, and you will have to contact their team for a quote.
Microsoft PowerBI
Source: Microsoft PowerBI
Arguably the most efficient and user-friendly data reporting tool in the world, Microsoft’s PowerBI is on a whole another level when it comes to data analytics.
It marries power analytics with an excellent user-friendly interface that hands you all the details you need about your website’s performance. You can track the performance of landing pages, of different campaigns, and of other pages with relative ease.
There’s a connector for Mailchimp to track the efficacy of your email marketing campaigns. It also integrates seamlessly with Salesforce through a connector.
You can install a web tool and/or a desktop software app, thoughMicrosoft says that most people prefer their desktop tool more than the web version.
EngageBay
EngageBay is a platform that offers customer relationship management (CRM), marketing automation tools, a help desk, and live chat, all in one. It’s ideal to help with managing contacts, proposals and deals, sales, and scheduling appointments. You can also use it to build landing pages, forms, and email sequences.
Before, during, and after the sale, you need tools to help you manage your customer service. The help desk and live chat software help you do just that.
It integrates with many popular apps, including:
- Shopify
- BigCommerce
- WooCommerce
- DocuSign
- ReCaptcha
- Stripe
- Zapier
- And more…
Users can get the whole stack, or purchase only what they need. They’ve got a free plan for up to 15 users with no credit card required.
- The all-in-one pricing is $14.99/user/month.
- The Marketing tools are priced at $12.99/user/month.
- The CRM & Sales Bay tools are priced at 12.99/user/month.
- The Service Bay, or help desk plan, is free.
You can save 10% by signing up for an annual plan, and 20% with a biennial plan.
ProTexting
ProTexting is a SMS and MMS messaging platform that works in over 200 countries, with all languages supported. All major US carriers are supported, including AT&T, Verizon, TMobile, and U.S. Cellular. The platform operates in compliance with all mobile marketing rules and regulations.
Beyond text and multimedia messaging, Protexting also works with social media messaging. Multiple integrations are available, including:
- Shopify
- Constant Contact
- MailChimp
- Amazon Seller Central
- Zapier
- Custom integrations are available via API access
Pricing starts at $49/month for 1,000 credits and one keyword. If your business exceeds the limits of the Corporate plan at $499/month for 11,000 credits and 8 keywords, you can request a custom plan. There are no contracts or setup fees. Discounts are available for annual plans.
All plans include:
- Free unlimited signups
- Instant access to a text code
- Free unlimited incoming messages
- The option to change your keywords at any time
- MMS
- Unlimited email and phone support
Role of Turnkey Free eCommerce Software Solutions in Digital Transformation
Selling online necessitates a contemporary website. Popular online retail stores like Walmart.com continue to push the limits of the shopping experience that they offer, setting a bar for customer expectations.
For startups and SMBs considering launching an online store, an apparent approach would be to code a website from scratch, a process that entails significant time and resources. Turnkey eCommerce software offers a viable solution, undercutting costs and time required by a considerable margin.
They have let businesses sell their inventory via quality online stores but the post-pandemic economic downturn has posed fresh challenges, requiring judicious use of working capital for startups and existing online stores alike.
Furthermore, unnecessary overheads undermine the competitive edge of existing online stores. The capital could have been used for marketing operations or utilized in increasing the value proposition of the products in a highly competitive space.
So, how do businesses avoid these costs and still own a rich-featured online website?
The solution is free eCommerce software that lets startups and SMBs launch a quality online store with lesser costs.
But these free solutions vary in the extent of the value proposition as well as other parameters. Read ahead to find out more about these differences and ascertain which solution is the best fit for your business.
Conclusion
Electronic commerce, or ecommerce, is a method of conducting business over the internet. The term is often used in the cases where a customer can order products and services on the net exclusively. This function is performed either using a website with the necessary functionalities or via an application or software.
Free Ecommerce Software lets you Sell Online, and is highly flexible with unlimited products and categories. It has an easy to use interface, product reviews and ratings, inventory management, discount coupons & vouchers, secure shopping carts and tax settings.