Starting an online store can be overwhelming, but selecting the right eCommerce platform can simplify the process, saving you time and effort. A well-chosen platform not only makes your website visually appealing but also ensures smooth operations with the necessary tools to grow your business.
With numerous options available, now is an ideal time for entrepreneurs to launch an online store. To assist you in creating a successful eCommerce website, we have compiled a list of the top platforms, highlighting their features to help you choose the best fit for your business needs.
What is an eCommerce Platform?
An eCommerce platform is a software application that enables businesses to create and manage online stores, facilitating the buying and selling of products and services over the internet. These platforms offer comprehensive tools and features to support various operations, including product catalog management, online payment processing, order fulfillment, inventory management, marketing, and customer relationship management.
Top 9 eCommerce Platforms of 2024
1. Pinecart
Pinecart revolutionizes the way store owners manage their businesses. By offering a unified platform for seamless omnichannel commerce, Pinecart empower retailers to effortlessly control their online presence across multiple platforms. From social media to marketplaces, Pinecart consolidates operations, eliminating the complexities of managing disparate systems. With a user-friendly interface, even those without technical expertise can efficiently handle product listings, inventory, orders, and customer interactions. By streamlining processes and providing valuable insights, Pinecart helps businesses save time, reduce costs, and drive growth.
Key Features:
- Unified Platform: Manage multiple stores on different platforms (social media, marketplaces, etc.) all in one place. No more juggling separate systems and struggling with data integration.
- Effortless Usability: Designed for store owners, not tech experts. Pinecart’s intuitive interface makes it easy to get started and manage your business effectively, even with limited technical knowledge.
- Built-in Marketing Tools: Run targeted marketing campaigns and manage your social media presence directly within Pinecart. Eliminate the need for additional marketing software and simplify your marketing strategy.
- Inventory Management in Real-Time: Track stock levels across all your channels to avoid stockouts and overstocking. Make data-driven decisions and ensure you always have the products your customers demand.
- Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Gain valuable insights into your customer base. Personalize marketing efforts and build stronger customer relationships to drive sales.
- Seamless Integrations: Integrate with essential payment gateways and shipping providers to streamline your operations and offer a smooth checkout experience for your customers.
- Data-Driven Decisions: Generate reports and gain valuable insights into sales performance. Use data to make informed decisions about your products, marketing strategies, and overall business growth.
Why Choose Pinecart?
- Save Time and Money: Eliminate the need for multiple platforms and simplify your operations.
- Grow Your Business: Reach a wider audience and increase sales with effective omnichannel commerce strategies.
- Gain Valuable Insights: Make data-driven decisions to optimize your inventory, marketing, and overall business strategy.
- Enjoy Peace of Mind: Focus on running your business, while Pinecart takes care of the complex e-commerce aspects.
Ideal for:
- Small and Medium Businesses: Pinecart is perfect for store owners who want to expand their business online or manage an existing online presence alongside their brick-and-mortar store.
- Businesses with Stores on Different Platforms: Manage all your stores effortlessly from a single platform, saving time and reducing complexities.
- Store Owners Who Want a User-Friendly Solution: Don’t have extensive coding knowledge?
No problem! Pinecart’s intuitive interface is designed for ease of use.
Price:
- Free Forever Plan
- Growth
- Scale.
2. Wix
Wix offers complete control over your website with its intuitive eCommerce interface. Known for its website builder, Wix allows you to create a site easily, even without a technical background. It provides hundreds of customizable templates and a powerful AI website maker for quick setup. Advanced users can leverage its open platform to create customized solutions with code.
Wix’s eCommerce platform includes tools for establishing, designing, managing, and growing your store. You can sell products across multiple channels, including mobile apps, POS systems, marketplaces, and social media. Beyond website creation, Wix manages sourcing, inventory, payments, order fulfillment, and shipping.
Wix supports various business models, including services, events, and blogs, offering speed, scalability, and enterprise-grade security.
Key Features of Wix:
- Comprehensive, built-in end-to-end solutions
- Integration with hundreds of third-party apps
- Omnichannel selling across marketplaces and social media
- Hundreds of customizable templates
- Advanced AI for site building and content generation
- 24/7 support
Price:
Free
Premium plans available
2. BigCommerce
BigCommerce caters to businesses of all sizes, offering essential tools for a successful eCommerce store, such as SEO, blogging, order, and inventory management. It also includes features like discount codes and product comparisons to boost sales.
For small businesses, the Standard plan is a great starting point, offering a ready-to-use site builder. More technical users can customize with CSS and HTML. Larger businesses benefit from its enterprise tools for wholesaling and international shipping. Enterprise pricing requires contacting sales.
Key Features of BigCommerce:
- Advanced sales and marketing tools for enterprise
- “Buy Online and Pick Up in Store” (BOPIS) feature
- 15-day free trial
Price:
Standard plans start at $39 per month
3. Squarespace
Squarespace is a website builder with eCommerce functionality, popular for creating visually appealing sites. It offers elegant templates customizable through a drag-and-drop interface.
Squarespace provides two Commerce plans with merchandising and analytics tools. The advanced plan includes additional shipping and discount tools, plus subscription selling. It lacks multichannel selling and supports limited payment gateways (PayPal, Stripe, Afterpay). In-person payments are possible with Square via the Squarespace app.
Key Features of Squarespace:
- No transaction fees with Commerce plans
- Beginner-friendly interface
- 14-day free trial
Price:
Commerce plans start at $36 per month
4. Shopify
Shopify is a dedicated eCommerce platform offering over 100 professionally designed templates for easy store setup. While free themes are available, premium themes incur extra costs. Shopify’s app store features over 6,000 integrations for community support, marketing, payments, and more, some with additional fees.
Key Features of Shopify:
- 24/7 support
- Integration with over 6,000 apps
- Omnichannel selling across platforms
Price:
Basic plans start at $39 per month
5. WooCommerce
WooCommerce adds eCommerce functionality to WordPress sites. The plugin is free, but you’ll pay for hosting, domain, and any extensions. WooCommerce offers over 800 extensions for returns, shipping, bookings, etc., with prices ranging from free to $299.
It provides design freedom with thousands of WordPress themes for customization. However, it may be challenging for those lacking technical skills. Maintenance and upgrades are user-managed.
Key Features of WooCommerce:
- Open-source flexibility with WordPress
- 800+ eCommerce extensions
- Full control over store design and functionality
Price:
Free plugin; extensions range from free to $299
6. Weebly
Weebly, owned by Square, is ideal for those seeking simplicity. Its drag-and-drop editor requires no technical skills, offering all essentials for quick eCommerce setup. Weebly is limited in design options compared to larger builders, but its robust free plan allows store setup without costs, including unlimited items, in-store pickup, and tax calculator. A custom domain requires a paid subscription.
Key Features of Weebly:
- Simple interface for beginners
- Robust free plan (no custom domain connection)
- Budget-friendly premium plans
Price:
Free and premium plans start at $13 per month
7. Big Cartel
Big Cartel suits creatives, focusing on simplicity. It allows up to five products for free, or 50-500 products with paid plans, featuring custom domains and eCommerce tools like stats, tracking, and tax automation. Limited templates and themes suit artists needing straightforward platforms.
Key Features of Big Cartel:
- Affordable for creatives
- In-person payments with Big Cartel app
- Facebook Shop integration
Price:
Free and premium plans start at $9.99 per month
8. Centra
Centra, a headless SaaS tool, serves fashion and lifestyle brands like Nudie Jeans and Eton Shirts. It allows custom front-end experiences with robust back-end support for product and catalog management. Centra is ideal for direct-to-consumer and digital wholesale commerce, offering five-star support.
Key Features of Centra:
- Effective for fashion and lifestyle brands
- Direct-to-consumer and wholesale options
- Five-star support
Price: Contact Centra for a quote
9. Ecwid
Ecwid adds a shopping cart to websites or blogs, including Wix. It offers “Instant Sites” for quick standalone landing page creation. The free plan covers five products with basic features; paid plans handle 100 to unlimited products with tax, POS, and cart features.
Key Features of Ecwid:
No setup/transaction fees
- Simplified online selling
- Quick store integration into sites/blogs
Price:
Free and premium plans start at $19 per month
How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform
Selecting the best eCommerce platform involves understanding your specific needs, budget, and long-term goals. Here’s how to make an informed choice:
Define Your Requirements: Identify business needs, product types, sales volume, desired features, scalability, budget, and technical expertise. Consider ease of use, customization, integrations, and support.
Research Options: Explore different platforms, considering features, pricing, user reviews, and reputation.
Assess Ease of Use: Evaluate user-friendliness for administrators and customers. Look for intuitive interfaces, drag-and-drop functionality, and user-friendly tools. Check for customizable templates matching your branding.
Evaluate Features: Compare features like product management, payment processing, shipping, marketing, analytics, and scalability. Check integration support with third-party apps, payment gateways, and shipping carriers.
Assess Pricing: Review setup fees, subscriptions, transaction fees, and add-on costs. Calculate total ownership cost, considering sales volume and growth. Look for transparent pricing and scalable plans.
Review Customer Support: Consider support resources like documentation, tutorials, forums, and dedicated channels. Check for responsive support, updates, and training resources.
Test Drive: Use free trials or demos to explore features and user experience. Test customization options and ensure they meet expectations.
Consider Scalability: Anticipate future growth and select a platform that can handle traffic, sales, and product expansion without disruptions or migrations. Opt for scalable and flexible platforms.
Also read: How to Select The Best eCommerce Platform for Your Online Store?
Key Features of eCommerce Platforms
Ecommerce platforms provide essential tools for building, managing, and growing online stores. Core features include product management, inventory tracking, order processing, secure payments, and customer relationship management.
Effective marketing tools, analytics, and mobile optimization are crucial for success. Additional features like multi-channel selling, dropshipping, and subscription management cater to specific business needs. By selecting a platform with the right combination of features, businesses can create a robust online presence and drive sales growth.
Ensure access to these features for building your eCommerce site:
Storefront Creation: Tools for designing and customizing store appearance, including templates, themes, and layouts.
Product Management: Add, edit, and organize product listings, including descriptions, images, pricing, and inventory.
Shopping Cart: Secure cart functionality for adding items, reviewing selections, and completing purchases with integrated checkout and payment gateways.
Payment Processing: Support for various methods (cards, wallets, transfers) for secure transactions.
Order Management: Tools for order tracking, status updates, invoicing, and fulfillment to streamline operations.
Inventory Management: Real-time tracking of stock levels, low-stock alerts, and reorder management for efficient inventory control.
Shipping and Fulfillment: Shipping options, rate calculators, and label printing for streamlined order delivery.
Mobile Responsiveness: Ensure mobile-friendly designs for seamless customer browsing and purchasing.
SEO and Marketing: Tools for search optimization, email campaigns, discounts, and promotions to drive traffic and sales.
Analytics and Reporting: Insights into sales, traffic, conversion rates, and customer behavior for informed decision-making.
Security: SSL, encryption, fraud detection, and data protection for secure transactions and customer data.
Customer Support: Assistance via chat, email, or phone for setup and issue resolution.
Wisely choose a platform that aligns with your business goals and provides these essential features.
Which ecommerce platform is best for beginners?
For beginners looking to start an eCommerce business, choosing a platform that is user-friendly, offers strong customer support, and provides essential features without being overly complicated is crucial. Here’s why Pinecart is an excellent choice for beginners:
Ease of Use
Pinecart is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, allowing beginners to set up their online stores quickly and efficiently. The platform simplifies the process of managing products, orders, and customers, even for those without technical expertise.
Templates
Pinecart offers a variety of professionally designed templates tailored specifically for eCommerce. These templates are customizable, enabling users to create visually appealing and unique online stores that match their brand identity.
Tools
Pinecart provides all the essential tools needed for a successful eCommerce store, including:
- Payment Gateways: Seamlessly integrate multiple payment options to cater to different customer preferences.
- Inventory Management: Keep track of stock levels and receive alerts for low inventory, ensuring smooth operations.
- Marketing Tools: Access built-in marketing features to promote products, engage with customers, and boost sales.
- Customer Support: Pinecart offers robust customer support to help beginners navigate any challenges they may encounter while setting up and managing their online store. With responsive support and helpful resources, users can confidently build their businesses.
By choosing Pinecart, beginners can focus on growing their business without being bogged down by technical complexities, making it a great option for those new to eCommerce. Try Pinecart today for free for a seamless ecommerce experience.