Ecommerce is the future of business. That’s why nearly every business owner wants to create their own store and sell products over the Internet. However, before diving right into creating a website, you need to first consider which ecommerce platform will serve your needs best. There are many different options available and you need to spend some time researching them so you can find the right one for your business. Keep reading this article to learn more about ecommerce platforms and which one is right for you.
Find the best eCommerce platform for your business with our detailed reviews. Whether you’re a startup, medium-sized enterprise, or large company, we provide a comparison of the best options available so you can quickly find the platform that’s right for you.
It is not often a new platform comes along that can challenge the existing giants in the ecommerce industry. Big retailers like Amazon, eBay and Alibaba have a stranglehold over their respective niches. However, it appears that a number of upcoming platforms are utilising the latest technologies and innovative blockchain technology to completely revamp how ecommerce is conducted . . .
Honestly, one of the most important things you need when starting an online store is an ecommerce platform. This is because without it, you can’t sell anything. Period. So if you want to start making money with your business, then having the best ecommerce platform is crucial.
What Is An E-Commerce Platform?
In basic terms, an e-commerce platform is any software service designed to help businesses sell goods and services online. This typically involves all steps of the selling process, from managing inventory to designing an online storefront and accepting payments from customers. There are e-commerce services to accommodate just about any business type, size and budget.
3dcart
3dcart is one of the best tools for ecommerce tools that can help you build a high-converting online store.
Wondering how?
Check out its key features.
Key features
- 100+ supported payment processors
- 200+ built-in features
- 50 free themes
- Cart abandonment recovery tools
- Full access to the HTML and CSS of your store for customization
Cost
- Startup Store: $19/month
- Basic Store: $29/month
- Plus Store: $79/month
- Power Store: $129/month
- Pro Store: $229/month
Pros
- A complete, all-in-one hosted ecommerce solution
- SEO-friendly website builder
- VISA PCI certified security
Cons
- For advanced customizations, you need to have knowledge of HTML and CSS.
Image via 3dcart
Tool level
From home-based startups to medium-sized businesses to large enterprise ecommerce sites
Usability
Ecommerce store, email marketing
Case study
Brands such as Eddyline and LogoUp trust 3dcart.
Pro Tip: To unleash the full potential of 3dcart, learn from its extensive knowledge base, video tutorials, and support forum.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is one of the best ecommerce tools that’s available for free. It’s specifically built for those who want to add ecommerce functionality to their WordPress websites. What makes WooCommerce very attractive is the fact that it’s easy to use and implement on your WordPress website.
Image via WooCommerce
While they do require that you buy certain features if you want to upgrade the store experience, the free version works well enough too. The only drawback about WooCommerce is the fact that it’s not as easy to set up as other ecommerce stores, which offer drag-and-drop set up.
Pricing
Want to know what makes WooCommerce one of the best tools for ecommerce in the market?
It’s absolutely free and open-source.
ProProfs Help Desk
It is common for ecommerce businesses to receive tons of emails asking about product features, delivery dates, product availability, and more. This is where the ProProfs Help Desk comes into the picture and helps you respond to every customer email quickly. (This makes it one of the top best ecommerce business tools out there.)
Want to learn more about its features?
Let’s take a look together.
Key features
- Track the progress of every customer request/issue
- Shared inbox for easy collaboration
- Built-in Knowledge Base and Live Chat
- Insightful reports to measure individual and team performance
- Capture customer feedback on ProProfs Help Desk with NPS, CSAT surveys
- Can work on desktops, mobile devices, and tablets
Cost
- Forever Free Plan: $0 with limited functions
- Essentials Plan: $10/user/month
- Premium Plan: $15/user/month
Pros
- Easy to set up
- Does not require expert training
- User-friendly interface
- Hosted in the Cloud
- Internal integrations like Knowledge Base, Live Chat, and Survey
Cons
- Lack of external integrations
Image via ProProfs Help Desk
Tool Level
Intermediate — Can be used by small businesses as well as multinational companies
Usability
Customer service, customer support
Case Study
Brands like Acer, Lazy Cloud, OpenCart, etc. trust ProProfs Help Desk to offer delightful customer support experiences.
Pro Tip: Use internal notes and labels to keep tabs on issues and to route your tickets to the concerned departments easily.
Linkio
Linkio is a useful competitive analysis tool for marketers looking to improve their rankings through link building but aren’t sure how many links to build or how the competition is ranking. Using Linkio’s combination of APIs and crawlers, you can create a link building blueprint that answers questions related to quantity and types of links to build. In addition, a rank tracker and backlink monitoring module helps track progress and an email module helps you automate the blogger outreach.
Monday
Monday is the productivity tool of choice for our team at Ecommerce CEO. In addition to being a good task manager, we use Monday to manage our projects, leads, content calendar and processes. At first, it was a bit overwhelming, as most highly flexible tools are. But now that we have the hang of it, I can’t imagine life without it.
Sourcify
A matchmaking service for companies looking to manufacture a product and manufacturers looking for clients, Sourcify reduces the risk associated with the manufacturing process by vetting their manufacturers. The service provides a money back guarantee if store owners aren’t happy with the final product. Sourcify also provides project management tools to smooth the production process and provides users with bids from three manufacturers for each project. There are three pricing plans, starting at $399. The primary difference between plans is the number of units per production run.
Veeqo
Source: Veeqo
Veeqo is an omnichannel inventory management tool that lets ecommerce business owners manage their orders, ship, and sync inventory from multiple channels.
Veeqo integrates seamlessly with a range of ecommerce platforms and logistics businesses, including Shopify, Rakuten, Magento, WooCommerce, Royal Mail, DHL, and a whole lot more.
If you need an all-in-one platform to keep a strong check on your inventory, you can’t go wrong with Veeqo. The pricing starts from $180 a month per user, so it’s one of the best ecommerce tools for small business owners who are looking to grow their ecommerce presence.
Slack
Source: Slack
Slack is a business communication tool that allows employees to communicate with each other through a secure platform. It also integrates well with other apps, including Google Docs. Slack supports video and voice calls, and allows for screen sharing as well.
It is one of the most popular communication tools for ecommerce store owners, keeping teams organized and focused on their objectives. However, it’s not a one-size-fits-all platform and it is quite expensive for startups or small to medium-sized enterprises. Finding Slack alternatives to suit your own business is fine.
Assembla
Source: Assembla
Assembla is a secure platform for project management, collaboration and version control. It offers secure cloud hosting for Git repositories, Perforce, and Subversion, and also offers integrated project management tools like a task view option and separate cards for tracking progress.
Think of it as the ultimate team building software program that does everything that you need and more. The pricing starts for $9.16 per month for a user. If you need a viable program that allows for code tracking and management, Assembla is one of the best ecommerce tools out there.
UltraCart
This is a best ecommerce tool that lets you create your online storefront and start selling. It supports businesses regardless of the number of products and experience they have.
Want to learn how it can help you grow your business?
Let’s take a look at its key features.
Key features
- Fully customizable themes to build a responsive website without any additional design skills
- Valuable insights from UltraCart’s analytics dashboard to make informed marketing, sales, and design decisions
- Useful integrations with payment and fulfillment providers without expensive add-ons
Cost
- Small: $49.95/month
- Medium: $79.95/month
- Large: $229.95/month
- Enterprise: $499.95/month
Pros
- Responsive design and checkout themes for all mobile platforms
- Multiple storefronts
- Multi-language support
Cons
- Development skills required
Image via UltraCart
Tool level
For growing businesses, enterprises, and developers
Usability
Ecommerce, mobile commerce, website design
Case study
Ecommerce businesses like Solmate Socks and CenterForLit vouch for this ecommerce solution.
Pro Tip: It is best for those who want to add a store to their existing site. If you want to build a website from scratch, this may not be the best platform for you.
Tickspot
This time management software makes keeping projects on budget an easy task. Users can log hours, track the amount of time spent on each task, take notes, and jump between multiple timers based on the task they are working on at the moment. Ecommerce store owners can make use of TickSpot’s report functions to keep an eye on project budgets and productivity, assign tasks to members of their team, or set recurring projects from within the app. Pricing ranges from free for a single project to $149 for unlimited projects.
Quickbooks
Source: TradeGecko
Previously known as TradeGecko, Quickbooks Commerce is one of the leading accounting and inventory management tools available. Naturally, it will integrate very well into your ecommerce business.
This is one of the best ecommerce tools that allows you to view your manufacturing, channels, sales, locations, and currencies, letting you manage each and every order through a single platform.
This program also offers detailed reports, insights, forecasts, and other analyses that you can use to determine your business performance and adjust automatically.
How To Choose An E-Commerce Platform
With so many e-commerce platform choices, it’s vital to pay attention to which features matter most to your business. After all, what works for one seller may not work for all sellers. For example, you may only sell seven different things, which means you don’t need software that supports a large inventory.
Or, perhaps you have a brick-and-mortar store but want to branch online—you need a platform with POS capabilities, so inventory automatically syncs no matter where the purchase is made. Aside from necessary features, you should also consider your budget, how easy it is to use, whether you need multichannel selling and if the platform includes an SSL certificate. This certificate is necessary and lets customers know it’s safe to input credit card details when placing an order.
Conclusion
People ask me all the time about the best platform for ecommerce, and truth be told there is no straightforward answer for this. It all comes down to each business’s unique needs, business goals and other contingent factors.
Self-hosted e-commerce platforms are a great way to get complete control over your own e-commerce experience. However, self-management also means you are left to your own devices and expertise. The good news is that there’re so many options out there, whether you want an all-in-one solution or simply a hosting platform for your store.