What is the best ecommerce platform?
This question is enough to spark a debate, but it’s a legitimate query for anyone who is planning to build an online store.
With e commerce on the rise, it’s time to take your business online and you need the best ecommerce platform with essential tools to build an ecommerce site and make selling online a breeze.
Ecommerce platforms are among the best ecommerce solutions available for new online business owners, or those that want to grow their business. No matter where you are in your online selling journey, the right platform will help you get to where you need to go.
I’ve tried many ecommerce platforms for my online businesses and I will share my own experience, and insights into what’s best for your business.
Whether you’re ready or not, ecommerce is the way to go. Statista estimates that the global ecommerce sales will hit the $6 billion mark in 2024.
If you want to get a slice of that pie, let’s discover the top ecommerce platforms and how they compare with each other.
Key Features
- Choosing the best ecommerce platform requires you to align the features with your business needs and the desired functionality.
- Consider the pricing, benefits and drawbacks when comparing the top ecommerce platforms.
- Shopify and eBay stand out for ecommerce merchants looking for the best platform for selling online.
- Check out the reviews on other ecommerce platforms, such as BigCommerce, Wix, and WooCommerce.
How to Choose an eCommerce Platform
Before the ecommerce platforms comparison, it’s crucial to know how to choose a platform based on the ecommerce features you need for your online store.
Align eCommerce Features with Your Business Needs
Before you begin comparing ecommerce solutions, you must first understand your business needs. If you don’t do this, not even the most ecommerce features can guarantee success for your ecommerce site since they’re not matched.
The most crucial aspect of understanding your ecommerce business needs is to know your customers. Identifying your target customers help you identify the features and ecommerce solution, as this can vary widely from business to business.
Not all ecommerce platforms are suited for all kinds of businesses. Some ecommerce platforms are designed for B2C businesses and others are better suited for B2B businesses.
In addition, you must also identify what kind of tech stack you need for your ecommerce store. Create a list of the essential features, tools, and technology you need and compare that with what the best ecommerce platforms offer.
For example, there is an ecommerce solution if you’re looking for marketing tools, or built in SEO tools. Based on this, you can drill down your research to find the perfect fit.
Basic & Complex Functionalities
When building an ecommerce site, you want to have a mix of basic and complex functionalities to deliver a seamless user experience.
An example of a basic functionality is a payment processing system. When you start selling online, the payment processing method is one of the things you initially consider as it helps you receive customer orders and payments.
Your ability to accept online payments is a crucial consideration when building an ecommerce website, so make sure to look for these functionalities.
Other examples of basic functionalities to look for in an ecommerce platform include web hosting, a content management system, or a user friendly interface.
On the other hand, you must look at the complex functionalities available in an ecommerce solution. These complex functionalities allow more customization options to fit your ecommerce website needs and foster business growth.
For example, you can choose ecommerce platforms that allow you to manage multiple stores with a single inventory management system. Another example is to choose a SaaS ecommerce platform if you specialize in selling digital products or software.
Timeline
Timeline is another crucial factor when choosing the best ecommerce platform. However, many factors can influence the timeline for launching your ecommerce store.
If it’s a basic online store with only a few products with out-of-the-box features, then you can expect a shorter timeline for its launching.
On the other hand, a more complex ecommerce store website with a large product inventory and advanced integrations, the timeline will be much shorter.
On average, an ecommerce site takes a few weeks to launch to months. Obviously, it will take longer depending on your brand or ecommerce store specifications.
So, whatever your goal is, consider how that fits with what the ecommerce platform offers so you can complete the site’s build within your projected timeline.
Advanced eCommerce Features
As mentioned, some online store owners like to add more integrations into their ecommerce site to enhance functionality and deliver a better customer buying experience.
Unfortunately, not all ecommerce platforms offer advanced features, so your options will significantly be narrowed down.
For example, if you want to sell internationally, you must choose an ecommerce solution that offers the capability to sell to different markets.
In addition, it should offer an integration for global payment gateways or have currency conversion services (using third party apps integration) that would enable you to accept payments from customers all over the world.
Even if you are not currently selling internationally, anticipate the potential growth and expansion of your own online store. That way, you can anticipate your business’ future needs and plan for it accordingly.
It will eliminate the hassle in the future of taking down your ecommerce site from the web to transfer to another platform.
Comparison of Top eCommerce Platforms in 2024
With an understanding of the various considerations when choosing the best ecommerce platform, it’s time to learn about your best options.
Consider these best ecommerce platforms when building your own online store and consider the features, benefits, and drawbacks.
1. Shopify
Best for getting your ecommerce store up and running quickly
Shopify is among the frontrunners for the search for best ecommerce platform for selling online.
It is a site builder that has been around for nearly two decades. Since its inception, there have been millions of ecommerce stores that were built using this ecommerce platform.
And it’s without a doubt among the best options for small businesses, especially new business owners that want to get a website up and running quickly.
When you sign up on Shopify, you have the option for a free trial. No credit card required. It gives users the opportunity to explore the site’s features and determine if it’s the right fit for them before they commit to a plan.
No matter which plan you choose, the onboarding wizard makes it easy to build your ecommerce website from scratch. It walks you through the steps on how to use this site builder and its features, such as customizing your online store and connecting your own domain.
Oh and by the way, choosing Shopify as a platform for your ecommerce website includes a free web hosting.
Even if you have never built your own ecommerce website before, no need to worry. Shopify makes you look like a pro!
The intuitive and user friendly interface means you can easily figure out what you must do next. Every step and feature are clearly labeled that you won’t get lost.
However, it has plenty of setup guides and docs readily available if you were to need them.
Speaking of customizing the look of your ecommerce website, you can access customizable themes from the Shopify Theme Store. It allows you to tweak the design based on your brand or niche.
This ecommerce platform offers paid and free themes. Even the free themes provide you with quite a hefty selection, so no need to spend more if you don’t have the budget for it.
On the Shopify Theme Store, you have access to less than 200 themes – that’s a lot to choose from to make your store look unique!
But if you would like to make your online store stand out, you can hire a professional designer or choose other paid themes. Due to its popularity, there are many websites where you can buy third-party themes for your Shopify ecommerce stores.
Choosing Shopify for your ecommerce site already sounds good as it is. But, we haven’t even explored the advanced functionalities on Shopify that truly makes it a great ecommerce solution.
You can optimize the functionality of your ecommerce website with third party apps. integrating apps to your store is seamless, especially if you chose apps from the Shopify App Store.
The Shopify App Store is a goldmine of opportunities to expand on what your ecommerce website can do!
You can integrate dropshipping apps or print on demand apps for your website, if you’re into that business model. It simplifies the setup so you can start selling online once your store is live.
You can also access various marketing tools and built-in SEO tools within the Shopify ecommerce platform. For example, you can add a Buy button app integration when you are using social media as your sales channels.
In addition, you can integrate email marketing apps if you want to set up email marketing campaigns to promote your ecommerce store to your subscribers.
There is also product reviews app that allow you to share what other customers think about the product they purchased from your ecommerce website. Social proof is valuable in ecommerce and a great investment for your store if you want to optimize sales volume.
There are over 8,000 apps on Shopify that you can integrate on your ecommerce website, whether you want to improve customer service, access in-depth analytics or launch advanced marketing campaigns with professional marketing tools.
Shopify Pricing
- Starter (for selling on social media, no website): $5 per month
- Basic (for solo entrepreneurs): $25 per month
- Shopify (for small teams): $65 per month
- Advanced (for scaling businesses): $399 per month
- Plus (for complex businesses): $2,300 per month (3-year term)
- Enterprise (for enterprise organizations with custom needs): Custom pricing
Shopify Pros
- Caters to a wide range of markets and ecommerce businesses of all sizes
- Flexibility in pricing depending on your needs and size
- Shopify’s functionality comes “out of the box” with minimal learning curve
- Vast customization options with customizable themes and apps integrations
- Accepts multiple payment gateways and has its own built-in payment system with Shopify Payments
- Extensive built in SEO tools and marketing tools to ace your campaigns
- Secure web hosting and leverage advanced security features
- Access to 24/7 customer support and an intuitive Help Center
- A recognized leader in the ecommerce industry employed by millions of ecommerce stores
Shopify Cons
- Some sellers consider the pricing to be on the higher end, even for the lower plans
- Processing fees can eat up at your profit margin, especially when using third party payment gateways
- A lack of email hosting means you must pay additional for email marketing
- Leaving the platform can be difficult and complex, so think hard before you commit to this platform
2. eBay
Best for ecommerce merchants that want a wide global reach
The next one on this list of e-commerce platforms comparison is eBay. Like Shopify, eBay needs no introduction.
It’s an ecommerce giant, and it’s unsurprising why I’ve included it on the list of the top online store platforms you must consider.
In fact, when most people think about selling online, the first thing that pops to mind is eBay. This ecommerce platform or online marketplace was founded in 1995 and has since been the gold standard for ecommerce buyers and sellers worldwide.
The website gets millions of visits daily, which makes it a good platform for store owners that want to optimize sales.
To begin selling on eBay, it takes only a few simple steps. The first step is to register your eBay account. Upon registering as a seller on eBay, you must choose to set up an LLC or as a sole proprietor.
Choose whatever suits your business type. Depending on what you choose, additional information must be provided upon registering as a seller on eBay.
To do this, go to the registration page and provide your business name and e-mail address. Set your password and provide your business location.
Then, choose Create Account. You can also input a username; while this is optional, I recommend you add one to make it easier for your buyers to identify you as a seller on eBay.
The next step is begin setting up a seller account. Once you have an account, you will receive an email to verify your account.
You will be asked a few questions about your business, including your business address, bank information, etc.
Once you review and confirm the information, you will be taken to the home page.
At this point, you can create a listing. When selling on eBay, you need inventory. If you already have that, you can get started on listing the products to your eBay account.
This part is what differentiates selling on eBay with that of Shopify, another ecommerce platform.
With Shopify, you take additional steps to customize your ecommerce store to make it look like your own unique ecommerce website. You can choose various themes and customize other functionalities to make your store visually stand out.
With eBay, you don’t have the ability to customize your store or add your branding elements to the store design. Instead, you will be taken to a seller hub where you can create listings.
When adding your eBay listings, configure it so it includes the following information:
- Product title
- Product description
- Category
- Quantity, weight and other information
- Shiping details
- Item specs and variations
- Product condition (used or brand new)
- Product pricing
Adding product photos and videos is a good practice. It can boost your sales and increase your revenue.
Aside from the best selling practices on eBay, such as optimizing your product listing and choosing winning products, eBay offers various programs that make it a frontrunner as the best ecommerce platform for online stores.
First, there is the eBay Guaranteed Delivery program. As the name implies, this program ensures rapid delivery times, such as same-day or next-day delivery.
When adding your listings, eBay will calculate the delivery times and it will be shown on the product page, giving customers an idea of when they can expect the item to arrive.
Research shows that faster shipping times are among the biggest factors that influence customers’ buying decision on ecommerce platforms. Therefore, qualifying for the eBay Guaranteed Delivery Program will give your online store an edge over the competition.
Another program that eBay has to help you excel in the ecommerce landscape is the Global Shipping Program. Whenever a customer orders for qualified items, the seller must ship the parcel to eBay’s global shipping center in Kentucky.
eBay will handle the forwarding of the parcel to your customer’s international address, including the necessary paperwork. Buyers love this because it promotes transparency when it comes to the delivery fees and tracking details.
eBay sellers that qualify for eBay’s GSP ensure their global customers expect quick and hassle-free delivery.
Promotional and marketing tools are available on eBay to help sellers boost their sales performance.
With this in mind, eBay truly excels as an ecommerce platform worthy of consideration for anyone planning to build an ecommerce site.
eBay Pricing
- Starter – $4.95 per month (annual subscription) with 250 free listings per month
- Basic Store – $21.95 per month (annual subscription) with 1,000 free listings per month
- Premium Store – $59.95 per month (annual subscription) with 10,000 free listings per month
- Anchor Store – $299.95 per month (annual subscription) with 25,000 free listings per month
- Enterprise Store – $2,999.95 per month (annual subscription) with 100,000 free listings per month
eBay Pros
- Easy to set up and get started with online selling
- Secure place to sell and conduct online transactions
- Access to a vast audience base and reach more potential customers
- User friendly interface makes it easy to start selling even if you’re new to ecommerce
- Consumers trust the eBay brand when online shopping
eBay Cons
- You have to pay lots of fees and commissions for every sale
- Presents unique hurdles when shipping to customers internationally
- You must work hard to maintain your seller level
- Highly competitive with thousands of other sellers
3. BigCommerce
Best for a well-integrated ecommerce website
BigCommerce is another popular ecommerce platform for online business owners. It boasts a wide range of ecommerce features and functionalities for businesses of all sizes.
It is a SaaS platform with open-source functionalities. Thus, you can choose this platform whether you want more or less control.
There is an ample amount of native features, like Shopify, but online business owners have the freedom to customize to fit their needs. As expected, there is 24/7 customer support available to BigCommerce customers, although more advanced subscribers can get more assistance from the customer service team.
According to BigCommerce, its online store owners were able to break even within the first eight months of running their ecommerce site.
BigCommerce Pricing
- Standard (online selling with your own online store)- $39 per month
- Plus (best for growing an online business) – $105 per month
- Pro (best for scaling businesses with complex needs) – $399 per month
- Enterprise (for businesses looking for a full-service open platform) – Custom pricing
BigCommerce Pros
- A drag and drop builder with access to customizable themes
- Ability to optimize and integrate checkout functionalities to your ecommerce website
- Integration for various payment processing gateways
- Reliability and high uptime since launching
- Advanced functionality for bigger businesses, such as B2B ecommerce stores
BigCommerce Cons
- Can be too complex for those new to selling online
- Not cost-effective for small businesses
- Limited customization for online store with less access to themes
4. Wix
Best for merchants looking for a drag and drop builder
Wix is another one of the drag and drop website builders on this list. As a site builder, you can set up a custom domain and have access to web hosting.
Wix also offers various templates for your ecommerce stores, but the basic online store is available for free. There is an option to upgrade to a paid plan if you want to access more robust ecommerce features.
As an ecommerce merchant on Wix, you can accept online payments and manage orders through multiple channels.
However, there are some limitations to setting up a store with Wix. It lacks some of the basic features that other ecommerce platforms offer.
As an example, it has no dedicated inventory management system and you won’t have features like alerts when certain products are low in stock. You need third party apps and other integrations to be able to access those ecommerce features.
Wix Pricing
- Silver (perfect for beginners) – $75 per month
- Gold (for serious ecommerce merchants) – $100 per month
- Platinum (for the high-volume sellers) – $150 per month
Wix Pros
- Ability to sell with the free plan and the option to upgrade when needed
- Hosting and domain name registration available
Wix Cons
- Lack of built in seo tools and analytics
- You cannot transfer your store to another ecommerce platform
- No inventory management features
5. WooCommerce
Best for an existing WordPress site
WooCommerce is not technically an ecommerce platform but rather a WordPress plugin.
If you have an existing WordPress site, you can use this WordPress plugin to build your site into a fully-functional ecommerce website, with product listings and a checkout page.
WooCommerce is a great solution if you don’t want to start from scratch with building an ecommerce website. This ecommerce platform offers native features and third-party integrations to enhance its functionality.
You can use those paid extensions to access themes, enhance security, or incorporate marketing tools, to name a few.
While it’s good that sellers have this option, there is a downside to this approach as you will be making separate payments for these third party apps and integrations, making it difficult to track your spending.
WooCommerce Pricing
- Online Store (for selling products and services) – $9.95 per month for a 12-month subscription
- Online Store + Marketplace (for selling products online and other marketplaces) – $12.95 per month for a 12-month subscription
WooCommerce Pros
- A free version is available for use and download
- Easily integrates into a WordPress site
- Provides access to other paid extensions to increase your store’s functionality
- Fully customizable ecommerce website
WooCommerce Cons
- Limited payment plans available to fit your needs and budget
- Must have website built via WordPress
- Requires a skilled developer to maintain the website
- While it’s a free WordPress plugin, running an ecommerce store can be more costly
- Difficult to scale your website without slowing it down
Conclusion: Which is the Best eCommerce Platform?
Choosing the best ecommerce platform for your online business seems daunting with the overwhelming options. Taking the time to study your options and compare ecommerce website platforms is essential to building a successful online store.
As you can see from the comparison of top ecommerce platforms above, you can determine that they differ in their features and capabilities. Aligning what the ecommerce platforms offer with your needs and budget can be what it takes to build a successful online business.
So, take your time because it can impact the rest of your online selling journey!
