These days, the Millenials are addicted to online shopping, whereas the malls have become sparsely populated. All thanks to the online businesses running successfully by keeping their target customers glued by choosing the best eCommerce website development platform from the list of eCommerce platforms. SMBs are focusing a big way on the web, by opting for the best eCommerce Software, to grow their online business and reach a wider audience. It has been propelled further by the extensive use of mobile phones and easy access to the internet. So, if you are planning to sell your products or services online, you should choose the best eCommerce platform that can help you build an appropriately equipped website.
Benefits of Choosing an eCommerce Platforms
In the year 2018, it was estimated that around 1.8 billion people did online shopping worldwide. And according to Oberlo, it is projected that by the year 2021, the e-retail sales will grow up to $4.8 trillion. So, whatever product you want to sell, you will surely find most of the customers online. The standard functionalities supported by a majority of e-commerce platforms are, as follows:-
- Online Catalog for all Products
- Online Payment
- Customer Management
- After Sales Support
You can also go for more sophisticated features, like Online Marketing, integration with in-store systems, and provision of APIs.
Apart from all this, launching and maintaining an eCommerce website is hardly 10% of your total budget, as compared to building a store in your marketplace. By investing a comparatively shorter timespan and money on an eCommerce platform, will surely help your online business grow profitably and bring stability to it.
Different Types of eCommerce Platform
With the advancement in technologies, it is becoming challenging for eCommerce development companies to deliver the best eCommerce platforms to their clients, which will then help their online business to outperform others. There are mainly two technologies that are used to build an eCommerce Platform. They are as follows:-
- Open Source eCommerce Platforms
- SaaS-based eCommerce Platforms
eCommerce platforms like Magento, WooCommerce, and OpenCart are developed by using the Open Source platform. Whereas Shopify, BigCommerce, and Volusion are SaaS-based.
The web hosting environment that is used for working on an eCommerce platform can be either Cloud Hosting (which is mainly used along with Open Source platforms, like CloudWays) or On-Premise or Self-Hosted, which comes along with SaaS-based eCommerce platforms.
So, now that you are all set to build your online store, we will help you to choose the best platform for eCommerce website development:-
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is a flexible and scalable platform and excels in multi-channel selling. It also provides an enhanced SEO Performance. It is rated high in performance and is easy to use. Though it does not offer excellent features, but has great value and is the most preferred eCommerce platform. Some issues faced while using the BigCommerce platform are like the inconsistent speed of loading and high volume stores have to pay more.
Magento
Magento offers excellent features for running Online business successfully. It is robust and one of the most feature-rich platforms. It supports strong SEO, and single-click selling apps are available. Some users also report that it is frequently slowed down and also, requires Magento development skills, as it is not much user-friendly. Pricey themes also discourage people from using Magento.
Shopify
Shopify has an effortless setup and guarantees the fastest loading time. It supports single-click selling apps and can integrate easily. It supports unique designs and themes, as compared to other eCommerce platforms. Some issues faced while using Shopify are that it has a weak SEO, and the checkout is not customizable. Also, Apps can become costly while using this platform.
3dcart
3dcart offers great business management tools and has many integrations. It also provides better blog features, as compared to Shopify. But, the reviews on Support are not that great, and the templates are outdated.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is the best eCommerce platform for SEO and offers plenty of single-clicking Apps to its users. It can support lots of Service Providers. The hassles faced while using this platform are that it needs a lot of Extensions. Also, troubleshooting is difficult, and hosting can be expensive.
Volusion
Volusion is the most preferred choice of SMBs and is very user-friendly and economical for startups. It offers excellent On-boarding features and a supportive Help Center. The few issues that the users face are slower load times, outdated sites, and lack of Up/Cross-Selling options.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop offers abundant Apps and provides a compelling SEO. Another advantage of using it is that it is flexible and free. The drawbacks faced while using this eCommerce platform are that it has slower load times, and the Apps can pinch your pocket. It offers limited 3rd Party Automation Integration.
Weebly
Weebly is considered the best option for a basic Online store and offers stunning template designs. It provides powerful eMail tools. The concerns faced while using Weebly are that there is a transaction fee on lower plans. Also, it offers weak SEO and cannot integrate with Amazon.
Squarespace
SquareSpace is super easy to set up and is excellent for simple stores. It provides stunning design templates. The shortcomings while using this platform are that it offers limited eCommerce Integrations and does not support many payment gateways. Also, another major drawback is that there is no phone support available with this platform.
Wix
Wix offers many Amazon themes and that too, for free. It is super simple to use and can be set up quickly. But, the users have reported many HTTPS issues and has poor SEO. Another major problem faced while using Wix is that it lacks marketing features and Integrations.
Yo!Kart
Yo!Kart is a license-based standalone eCommerce platform with all the features required for launching a successful multi-vendor marketplace. Unlike Shopify or Magento, it does not need any external plugins or extensions for the launch. The solution gives complete control to the business owner to build an online marketplace similar to Amazon or eBay. With its latest version V9.3.0, Yo!Kart enables business owners & vendors to provide tailor-made shopping experiences for the buyers.
Yo!Kart is trusted by 1000+ eCommerce businesses across different niches such as Liquor Marketplace, Groceries, B2B Wholesale, Diamond B2B Trading, and more. The platform is also featured by esteemed media houses like INC., The Telegraph, Forbes, etc.
Conclusion
So, now that we have done all the searching and sorting for you, we are sure you can straight away choose the best eCommerce platform and run your online business profitably. It is strongly recommended not to waste your time and money on experimenting with other eCommerce platforms that are placed in the second-grade category.
Seasia Infotech offers excellent services to help you create and nourish your online business, globally or at the local level, by creating the best eCommerce Website Development platform for you. Our team of experienced, diligent, and professional developers guarantees that you rise above your business competitors and gain the maximum profits.
