If you’re wondering what is the best software for ecommerce, you have come to the right place. The goal of this article is to give you an overview of different e-commerce business software and online shop platforms, explain what each one of them does and then allow you to make the best choice for your business.
Got tired of the old installed shop platform? Maybe it just doesn’t fit to your needs? Maybe you shouldn’t continue using it. Maybe it’s time for change. The article contains some comparison of the best software for ecommerce, which will help you to make a right decision.
As we’ve all heard a thousand times, “80% of online sales are from 20% of online sellers.” This figure comes from a study by the Baymard Institute, based on an analysis of 50 of the largest ecommerce websites in the United States, who account for 35% of consumer electronics and appliance sales. The same study sees that outside this 20%, sales are declining.
Ecommerce has been the most popular online trade for centuries and years. Shopify is one of the best e-commerce platforms today. We’re here to introduce it to you deeper and hope that after reading this article, you’ll decide on using it for your own online trade as well.
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.
Shopify
Best ecommerce solution for larger businesses
Start selling from $29 a month
Best for large stores selling 10+ products
4.6out of 5TOP CHOICEEase Of Use
3.5 out of 5 starsDesign Flexibility
3.9 out of 5 starsSales Features
4.5 out of 5 starsWebsite Features
4.2 out of 5 starsCustomer Score
4.7 out of 5 starsHelp and Support
3.8 out of 5 starsValue For Money
3 out of 5 starsVisit SiteRead Review
| Shopify Pros | Shopify Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to create a powerful online store – no coding needed! | Poor for international growth |
| Powerful sales features help large stores continue to grow | Transaction fees are applied to sales unless you use Shopify’s inhouse payment gateway, Shopify Payments |
Shopify Gallery
Click the image below to expand
Shopify is the best hosted ecommerce software for large stores, with strong sales tools and dedicated ecommerce designs and features.
Browse Shopify’s themes to find one that suits your store’s branding – once you’ve chosen your style, you can customize it, too!Shopify’s standout feature is its enormous app store, which holds over 6,000 apps. This lets you fully customize your store’s features.
Shopify has three core price plans, ranging from $29 to $299 per month. Most new stores will find the cheapest plan provides more than enough features to start fueling growth.
Shopify is one of the best ecommerce software in the market today.
It’s suitable for small businesses who are just starting out, but we recommend it most for larger stores that sell a range of products and manage large inventories. Shopify customers include Tesla and Penguin Books Store. This is a solution with the scalability to grow with your store as your business expands.
Here are some key Shopify highlights:
- Over 100 beautiful, professional, mobile-ready themes to help your store look great
- Over 1,400 apps to add to your store and extend the functionality of your business
- 24/7 anytime support (perfect if you find yourself pulling your hair out at 3am)
- Qualified/re-approved experts available to hire if you want to customize your design and functions
Shopify is a one-stop-shop for ecommerce solutions. Its drag-and-drop functionality eliminates the usual challenges of building an online store, with no coding required whatsoever.
In our research testing, Shopify scored an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars for its range and quality of sales tools. Some of these tools include:
- Multi-channel selling through Facebook, Instagram, Amazon and more
- 100+ payment options
- No limit on number of products you can sell
- Mobile app to manage your store on the go
- Customizable checkout and guest checkout options
- Automatic email notifications for customers
- Abandoned cart recovery
- In-depth analytics and insight reports
- All-round shipping support
To put it simply: Shopify is one of the very best ecommerce solutions. It’s used by brands like Red Bull and Tesla, so it must really be doing something right! It’s perfect for starting and scaling your business.
Shopify has three main price plans: Basic Shopify ($29/month), Shopify ($79/month), and Advanced Shopify ($299/month), unlocking a wider range of brilliant sales tools the more you pay.
Save Up to 20% on Your Shopify Plan
You could save almost $190 per year on the Shopify Plan if you sign up for two years, or you could save $94 annually if you sign up for one year!
BigCommerce
Best ecommerce solution for purely online businesses
Start selling from $29.95 a month
Bestfor purely online businesses
4.1out of 5Ease of Use
3.3 out of 5 starsDesign Flexibility
4 out of 5 starsSales Features
4.6 out of 5 starsWebsite Features
3.6 out of 5 starsCustomer Score
3.1 out of 5 starsHelp and Support
3.4 out of 5 starsValue For Money
3 out of 5 starsVisit SiteRead Full Review
| BigCommerce Pros | BigCommerce Cons |
|---|---|
| Has the most amount of built-in features out of all its competitors – makes it extremely scalable | Prices aren’t suitable for very small-scale sellers |
| Fantastic SEO and multi-channel integrations | Terminology can make it tricky to get to grips with |
BigCommerce Gallery
Click the image below to expand
BigCommerce is a powerful ecommerce software that has more built-in features than any other ecommerce solution.
BigCommerce has a well-stocked app market for any extra features you may want to add to your store – however, you’ll be less reliant on it than you would be with Shopify.BigCommerce is perfect for ambitious sellers with big plans for growth, as it’s a very scalable ecommerce solution, with plenty of features to boost traffic.
BigCommerce’s pricing starts at $29.95 per month, and doesn’t charge transaction fees on any of its plans.
BigCommerce’s themes are fully optimized for ecommerce, and you can filter by industry – or even by layout!
BigCommerce is another reputable ecommerce software option that allows you to build your store without getting tangled up in technology.
As one of the best ecommerce solutions, BigCommerce is suitable for businesses of any size. It has more in-built features than any of its competitors, so you’ll have everything you need to succeed right at your fingertips. It’s especially great for online businesses thanks to its multichannel features and SEO tools!
Heads Up: Special BigCommerce Savings
Get one month free when you sign up to a BigCommerce plan! You can claim this offer by simply starting a free trial with BigCommerce today.
BigCommerce has the best sales features on the market; it scored 4.6 stars out of 5 in our research! With BigCommerce, you get:
- A comprehensive set of “out-of-the-box” ecommerce tools to help you build your store
- The chance to leverage different social channels to help you grow your sales
- Advanced tools through their app store (just like Shopify)
- 24/7 support
- A mobile app
The BigCommerce mobile app is a new addition that allows you to view performance metrics, update orders, and more while on the go. Another exciting recent update allows you to integrate your BigCommerce store with your WordPress site. This is a great option for combining the specialist ecommerce features of BigCommerce with the flexibility and customization of WordPress.
We like BigCommerce because it focuses on growing with your store. As you grow, you get access to more features and functionality to take your store to the next level. There are no limitations on whether you sell one or 100 products through your store. Plus BigCommerce gives you great analytics tools and reports to track the success of your business.
You can integrate your store with multiple social channels including Facebook, Instagram, eBay and Amazon. You can manage all your integrations from one place with the BigCommerce Channel Manager. This makes it super easy to sell across these different platforms and expand your business.
Because of the number of features and tools, BigCommerce is really best for anyone looking to scale their business. You get the top-notch features you pay for.
BigCommerce Named a “Strong Performer” in the Ecommerce Space
In two recent reports from Forrester Research – one on B2B commerce suites and one on B2C commerce suites – BigCommerce earned the highest possible score in five total criteria: Expanded Sales Channels (B2C Wave), A/B and Multivariate Testing, Platform Architecture, Platform Integration, Delivery Model, and Technology Partners and Marketplace (B2B Wave).
The reports evaluate the most significant software providers, to help digital businesses select the right technology for their needs. The reports also use feedback from BigCommerce customers, who said that they “like the culture and responsiveness of the support experience” when using the platform.
If you’re a large store with a physical presence, you’re better off with Shopify – but if you’re an online business, BigCommerce is truly worth every cent. While it’s not quite as polished as Shopify, it’s still an excellent ecommerce solution.
Wix
- Pricing starts at $13 per month for a standard website or $23 per month with a site that offers eCommerce functionality.
- What is it: Hosted eCommerce solution
- Sell: Physical and digital products, services, and dropshipping
- Features: 10/10
- Ease of use: 10/10
- Designs: 9/10
Wix stands out as one of the most versatile tools on the market for businesses of any size. You don’t need to be a master coder or have years of experience online to succeed with Wix. This sensational product ensures that you can access everything from high-quality templates to automation with ease. There’s even complete design freedom with drag-and-drop customization.
Wix gives you all the functionality you need to build a successful website. There are over 500 templates to choose from, and many of them are highly professional and attractive straight out of the box. You can sell products in a range of ways, and you can even build your site with the help of AI thanks to Wix ADI. This means that you can get the Wix system to build a multi-channel solution for your eCommerce business. You won’t get that from companies like ECWid and BigCommerce.
Wix also gives business owners and retailers plenty of access to extra add-ons and features, such as plugins for cart abandonment, drop-shipping, SEO, and beyond. You can find SaaS solutions for all of your needs, and there are plenty of analytics for tracking the performance of your campaigns too.
Whether you’re a startup trying to scale fast, or you’re a larger business that needs a flexible website for sales, Wix has you covered. To make it even better, the Wix experience also keeps updating with new features and functionality all the time.
Pricing
If you need Wix Ecommerce,then you will need to go with the Business Basic package that starts at around $23 per month. This product comes with customer accounts, secure payments, a custom domain which is free for a year, and a host of other great functionalities.
Upgrade to Business Unlimited and you’ll unlock 10 hours of video for $27 per month, as well as unlimited bandwidth, 35GB of storage, and so much more.
The final product for eCommerce is Business VIP, which comes with 50GB of storage space, all the features of Business Unlimited, priority support, a loyalty program by Smile.io and support for automated sales tax on 500 transactions per month.
If you do have a particularly large business, you can upgrade to an Enterprise package, which comes with custom pricing. You’ll need to contact the team to find out how much service this will be for you, but it usually starts at a price of at least $500 per month.
Some of the notable features you get with Wix include:
- More than 500 templates
- Complete drag and drop customization
- Mobile friendly designs
- Industry leading integrations with things like Salesforce
- AI supported designs
- Media galleries and advanced design options
- Tons of app options and plugins
- SEO and marketing feature
- Unified database management for your CRM
- Scalable range of API connections
- Restaurant booking and reservation
- Multiple payment processing support
- Forums and memberships
- Event management
- Booking forms and contact management
- Comprehensive analytics and reporting
- Integration with social media
- Custom domain name
- SSL certificate support
- A professional mailbox
Main dashboardNew productThemes directory
Some examples of existing ecommerce stores built on Wix:
Why use Wix?
Wix is just one of the many leading tools on the market for eCommerce site building today, but it’s extremely popular for a reason. It’s not just ads featuring Heidi Klum and Gal Gadot that make Wix so appealing. This is a service that can appeal to businesses of all sizes, selling a wide range of products online. Wix is designed to be extremely flexible and scalable, with plenty of add-on features to help your business grow with the needs of your customers.
If you need a site builder that’s easy to use, brimming with extra features like abandoned cart recovery, friendly for beginners, and affordable, it’s hard to find anything that offers the same impact as Wix.
Square (Web, iOS, Android)
If you want the option to sell in-person, like at a farmer’s market or craft fair, as well as through your online store, Square is the best choice. Your online and offline orders are all organized under a single dashboard, so there’s no jumping between apps, trying to track down customer details using random spreadsheets, or having to enter things manually after the fact.
Square bought the website builder app Weebly in 2018, so when you set up your store, that’s what’s running under the hood. If you occasionally see a URL direct to weebly.com, it’s nothing to worry about. (Note: we noticed fewer Weebly URLs popping up in the most recent review.)
Square has some of the best onboarding around. When you sign up, you have to fill in a quick questionnaire about your business and its needs. You’ve got the option to set up a single booking page, a full online store, or simple checkout links, depending on what you’re looking for. The default theme will also be tweaked to match the business category you chose.
In terms of storefront customization, Square is a little more limited than some of the other options. Instead of picking a theme that does most of the work, with Square you have to make your own design using the (admittedly excellent) site builder—or you can hire a designer from $99 to do it for you.
From the Square Dashboard, click Online then click Website > Edit Site to get started. In the sidebar on the left, you can select the different page elements, or you can just click on them directly. For more options, click the three little dots. You can change the colors, fonts, and layout of everything individually and, of course, upload your own images. It works well, but it is a bit constrained.
You can create “items,” what Square calls products or services for sale, through both the regular Square Dashboard and the Square Online Dashboard, and they’ll be synced to a common Item Library. This means that you can sell the same products both online and off, or have some things you just list in one location. Just go to Items > Item Library, and click Create an Item.
When you want to make an in-person sale, open up the menu and select Virtual Terminal, which acts just like a digital cash register. If you have a Square credit card reader (available for free), you can swipe your customers’ cards for a 2.6% + $0.10 fee from Square, and their details will automatically upload to your account. Otherwise, you can type in your customers’ credit card information for a 3.5% + $0.15 fee per charge. Online, Square’s charges are similar. On the free plan, you’re charged 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction.
Square also integrates with Zapier, so you can connect it to thousands of other apps to do things like post your in-person transactions to a Slack channel for the rest of the team to see or record the details using Airtable.
Square Price: Free with 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction for unlimited products and a Square branded site; from $12/month billed annually with 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction to use a custom domain and remove ads.
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
The ecommerce business is booming and it’s not going to stop anytime soon. With customers relying on internet for shopping products, the ecommerce business has become an easy way to earn money. If you don’t want to start from scratch, the best software for ecommerce can help you.
In ecommerce world the trend of digital sales is not stopping. It will only grow with time. Data backup is the most significant aspect of a business and can be a lifeline if we’re talking about an ecommerce merchant. If you are running an online business, it is essential for every user to have a reliable and high-performing cloud backup that effortlessly takes care of your data seamlessly.