The best ecommerce platforms for startups and small businesses help customers create a seamless shopping experience and improve conversion rates. Ecommerce platforms are a great way to connect with customers and grow your business, but it takes time and effort to find the best platform for you. To help you decide, we’ve put together a list of the best ecommerce platform for startups.
1. WooCommerce eCommerce Platform
22% of the top 1 million eCommerce websites use WooCommerce for their businesses. It is an eCommerce platform for startups and small businesses. WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin that can convert any WordPress website into a functional store.
It is an open-source platform that offers endless customization to its users who had coding knowledge. If you need any additional functionalities, there are plenty of extensions and add-ons available on the platform.
This platform supports 24 currencies unlocking your selling opportunities across the globe and almost 24 languages. It has PayPal and Stripe payment gateways inbuilt by default. WooCommerce supports major payment options and uses third-party integrations.
If you are not comfortable with coding, you might find it difficult to add technical details in WordPress. The WooCommerce plug-in is free-to-use. To make your website live you need to purchase domain and hosting.
Pros of Woocommerce
- It’s free and open-source
- Easy to use
- Wide range of features
- A large community of developers
Cons of WooCommerce
You need to be familiar with WordPress in order to use it effectively.
Pricing Details
The pricing details can be obtained on request.
2. Shopify Ecommerce Platform
Shopify is a platform that doesn’t need an introduction. It is the leading eCommerce platform in the industry with 2 million active users. It has over 7000 apps in the Shopify App Store. You will find an application in the Shopify App Store for almost any kind of requirement/functionality.
The platforms anyone to build high-performing, and fast-loading websites quickly without the help of professional web designers. Shopify offers everything you require to build an online store for beginner and professional web developer.
Shopify supports more than 100 payment gateways to let you accept payments from multiple. It consists of 9 free themes and more than 50 paid themes so that you can quickly build beautiful web pages without any expertise. All the themes are multiple devices friendly. You can use the preview option to know how it looks on different devices.
Shopify provides basic SEO capability. If you want more, you can always integrate with the third-party applications from the Shopify App store. A dedicated customer support team is present in the platform to solve your queries.
Pros of Shopify
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to run a successful online store
- Powerful marketing and shipping tools
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of Shopify
Monthly fees can add up if you have a successful store.
Pricing details
Basic: $29/ month
Shopify: $79/ month
Advanced: $299/ month
Read On- Even Beginners can build Top Shopify Stores – Know how?
3.BigCommerce Ecommerce Platform
BigCommerce makes it easy for you to build and grow your online store. It is a cloud-based platform that has the scalability and flexibility you need to meet your eCommerce needs. They provide highly scalable solutions to business owners of all sizes, who want to focus on their core business while still making their store more discoverable.
BigCommerce is the best ecommerce platform for major retailers who need an order management system and inventory management. The platform offers two packages- The enterprise package for large enterprises and the BigCommerce essentials package for starters. The drag-and-drop functionality simplifies the process of customization and allows you to choose from existing templates if you don’t want to build from scratch.
Using BigCommerce, you can sell directly on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. Tons of apps are available in the BigCommerce store to help you integrate and build the store the way you want. You can sell different products from a single platform.
Other appreciable features like abandoned cart recovery, single checkout page, customer segmentation, inventory management, shipping rates calculation, B2B features, unlimited file storage, etc lets you successfully sell your products anytime from anywhere.
Pros of Bigcommerce
- Wide range of features
- Easy to use
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of Bigcommerce
Expensive than other eCommerce platforms
Pricing details shopify
The pricing details of BigCommerce can be obtained on request.
Also Read This- Best Bigcommerce Apps 2022 for Conversions
4.Wix Ecommerce Platform
Wix is a leading cloud-based platform that offers customizable, easy-to-use, and effective solutions for web developers. It serves over 200 million users across 190 countries worldwide. It is an ideal eCommerce platform for small businesses and solopreneurs.
Wix is known to be the best platform for on-page customer support. The platform constitutes impressive features that are accessed as per the pricing plans.
The platform constitutes over 500 themes out of which 72 are free. The drag-and-drop builder makes the platform easy to use even for beginners without any technical expertise. You can choose from over 800 fully customizable templates to design a visually appealing store quickly.
As your business grows, the platform’s limited features and storage space of 20GB might not be sufficient to meet your business requirements.
Pricing Details:
The pricing and the features offered are different for individual website builders and for running online businesses.
For individual professional websites:
Combo: $23/month
Unlimited: $29/month
Pro: $34/month
VIP: $49/month
For Businesses
Plan Business Basic: $34/month
Business Unlimited: $38/month
Business VIP: $64/month
5.Magento Ecommerce Platform
Magento is the best eCommerce platform for startups and large enterprises. It comes with a highly scalable system for businesses to run their online store, plus there’s a large community of developers who can help you if you run into any problems. Plus, there are tons of features available to customize your store to suit your needs.
Pros of Magento
- It’s free and open-source
- Highly scalable
- A large community of developers
Cons of Magento
- Can be difficult to use
- Not as many features as other eCommerce platforms
6.PrestaShop Ecommerce Platform
PrestaShop is an open-source and best eCommerce platform for startups and small businesses. It’s easy to use and comes with everything you need to create a successful online store. Plus, there’s a large community of developers who can help you if you run into any problems.
Pros of PrestaShop
- It’s free and open-source
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- A large community of developers
Cons of PrestaShop
It consist of less features than other Ecommerce platforms.
7.OpenCart Ecommerce Platform
OpenCart is a free and open-source best eCommerce platform for startups that’s easy to use, regardless of your skill level. It comes with a wide range of features and can be used on almost any hosting plan. Since there’s so much support out there, it’s the perfect choice if you run into any problems along the way.
Pros of OpenCart
- It’s free and open-source
- Easy to use
- Wide range of features
- A large community of developers
Cons of OpenCart
This eCommerce platforms contains limited features as compared to other.
8.Squarespace Ecommerce Platform
Squarespace Ecommerce Platform is a user-friendly eCommerce platform that can help you build online stores.
It has gained popularity for its beautiful designs, themes, and templates. Visually appealing design templates are present to let your product stand out among others and convey your brand message clearly and immediately to the audience.
Set up your store quickly with the easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder. Squarespace provides features for efficient inventory management. Product usability is very flexible, you can add unlimited products, add single/bulk products and send email alert if any product needs to be restocked.
The platform uses the Squarespace analytics software to analyze the performance of your store, track orders, inventory, and other metrics. Nurture your leads with the ultimate email marketing tools available on the platform. You get a live chat or email customer support to solve your queries.
Pros of Squarespace
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of Squarespace
Monthly fees can add up if you have a successful store
Also, Read this blog – Shopify Vs. Squarespace – Which is the Best Pick For 2023?
Pricing details
Personal: $23/month
Business: $33/month
Basic Commerce: $36/month
Advanced Commerce: $65/month
9.Weebly Ecommerce Platform
Take your business or store online with the Weebly Ecommerce Platform!
With its easy-to-use drag-and-drop builder, you can create a stunning website in no time. You don’t need any coding knowledge to get started – simply select from our professionally designed templates and customize them to make them your own. With Weebly, you can easily set up an online store and start selling quickly. Get started now and take your business to the next level!
Using the drag-and-drop email builder, include the elements you want to add to your email and send the email directly to your audience. Track emails to get open rates, click-through rates, and conversions.
There is a mobile app for Weebly. That means you can create and manage your e-commerce store even from your mobile device. 24×7 customer support is provided to its users.
Pros of Weebly
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of Weebly
Monthly fees can add up if you have a successful store
Pricing Details
Personal Plan: $9/ month
Professional Plan: $16/ month
Performance Plan: $29/ month
10.BigCartel Ecommerce Platform
It is a cloud-hosted eCommerce platform that contains multiple features and themes so that you can easily build websites from any device with internet access.
The features of the free plan are good enough to effectively build and manage your online store. Features like SSL certification, Search Engine Optimization, mobile application, customer support through email, and bulk order management are available with the free plan.
The paid version of the platform offers features like Google Analytics integration, offer discounts to customers, HTML/CSS editor, inventory management, the ability to add multiple product images, customized domain, etc. Still, if you need any additional functionalities in your store, the Big Cartel contains surplus apps which can be integrated into your store anytime.
The platform is available in app format, which lets you easily create and manage your website from mobile devices. This application works well on Android and iOS devices.
Pros of BigCartel
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of BigCartel
Limited features compared to other eCommerce platforms
Pricing details
Free
Gold Plan: $9.99/month
Diamond Plan: $19.99/month
11.Volusion Ecommerce Platform
It is a cloud-based hosted platform that lets you quickly build eCommerce websites from scratch. The platform offers all the necessary features required to create an online store and sell uninterruptedly. It is one of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses.
The CSS editor lets you modify your source code. The barcode generator simplifies the inventory management process. There is a recurring pricing structure in the platform for the businesses that collect regular payments.
Add unlimited products by adding extra product pages. Let your customers easily find out their desired products using the platform’s search function.
More than 300 designs/templates are available on the platform, optimized for speed and mobile friendliness. You get 24×7 support from the team and dedicated account managers are onboard to solve your queries.
Pros of Volusion
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of Volusion
Monthly fees can add up if you have a successful store
Pricing details
Mini: $15/ month
Plus: $35/ month
Pro: $75/ month
Premium: $135/ month
12.3dcart Ecommerce Platform
3dcart is a best eCommerce platform for startups that’s used by small businesses and startups. It’s easy to use and comes with everything you need to create a successful online store. Plus, there’s 24/7 customer support available if you need any help.
Pros of 3dcart
- Easy to use
- Comes with everything you need to create a successful online store
- 24/7 customer support
Cons of 3dcart
Monthly fees can add up if you have a successful store
13. Shift4Shop Ecommerce Platform
Previously known as 3D Cart, the Shift4Shop offers a solid website builder that lets you easily build powerful websites and sell a variety of products online. What makes it unique from other platforms is that it provides extensive and unmatchable features in the free plan when compared to the basic plans of other platforms.
The platform enables you to add unlimited to your store. Once your eCommerce store gets ready, you can import the whole inventory into your store immediately. You can also create as many extra pages as you want, for listing additional products. The automatic integration with Google AMP enhances the loading speed of your websites on mobiles.
The code is optimized to load important elements first so that your customers don’t have to wait for anything. Both free and paid themes are available. The unlimited customizable themes let you include essential functionalities in your store. You can accept payments through PayPal, Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Discover payment methods.
Once the buyers add products to their carts, you get to decide whether to redirect them to the checkout page or let them continue shopping. Thus, you get better control of the shopping experience you create for them.
Pricing details:
Free
Basic: $29/month
Plus: $79/monthPro: $229/month
14. Podia Ecommerce Platform
Podia is an eCommerce platform for selling downloadable digital products. These products include online courses, webinars, coaching programs, e-books, videos, music, etc. You can build a community within the platform and conduct a class or sell exclusive content for your members only.
Building a site is easier than ever with Podia. You can create and customize as many pages as you want without the need for coding. The live preview enables you to view the changes without having to go live each time you modify.
For lead generation, you can collect the email addresses of the viewers from any page of your site and using the email marketing tools, send promotional emails to the leads and turn them into your customers.
The Podia editor works well even on mobile devices, which means you can sell anytime from anywhere. A 14-day free trial without a credit card requirement is provided.
Pricing details
Shown below are the pricing plans offered by the platform at the time of writing:
Free Plan (contain transactional fees)
Mover Plan: $33/month
Shaker Plan: $75/month
Earth quacker Plan: $166/month
What Is The Best Ecommerce Platform For Startups?
There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question, as the best eCommerce platform for startups depends on your specific needs and budget. We recommend WooCommerce, Shopify, or BigCommerce to run a successful online store. Plus, there’s plenty of customer support available if you need any help.
No matter what best eCommerce platform for startups you choose, make sure it has the features and tools you need to run your business successfully.
Related Article-10 Best Headless Ecommerce Platforms In 2023
What should You Look For In An eCommerce Platform?
Site Builder
A site builder is a tool that lets you design and develops websites without having to alter any code. If you are not good with coding, choose an eCommerce platform with a good site builder. Most platforms use drag-and-drop wordpress page builders to edit, add or remove the page elements without affecting the code.
Integrations
Integrations are used to level up the functionality of your store. Though most platforms come with tools to let you efficiently operate your business, some might need integrations with third-party applications for additional functionalities.
SEO
To make sales, people should know about your brand and how can you help them through your products/services. This can be achieved by optimizing your site content for search engines. There are many aspects of SEO that are important, but one area that is often overlooked is the structure of URLs. Make sure the platform you choose incorporates all the SEO capabilities to let users find you online.
Mobile Compatibility
Most buyers use mobile devices to shop online. Thus, it is important for every eCommerce owner to have their websites mobile-friendly and responsive. Though every eCommerce platform offers responsive themes and designs, it is better to confirm before taking any decision.
Analytics
No matter how well you have built a website. It is impossible to run business if you do’nt know how it performs and what your customer wants. Having analytics lets you know about site traffic, sales, conversion, inventory, etc. using the data. Some eCommerce platforms provide native solutions for analytics whereas others need third-party integration with the other apps.
Support
Those with good customer support are considered the best eCommerce platforms. It is always necessary to have a customer support system. While picking up the eCommerce platform, know-how can you contact them in the case of emergency.
Final Thoughts
If you’re a startup, one of the best ways to get your products in front of customers is by selling them online. An ecommerce platform can help maximize your revenues by providing shoppers with an intuitive and engaging experience. And for those businesses just starting, these platforms can provide everything needed to get started. Whether you’re an established brand or a fledgling business, there should be an ecommerce platform to suit your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an eCommerce startup?
An eCommerce startup is a company that uses the internet to sell products or services. Ecommerce startups usually have an online store, and they may also sell through other channels such as marketplaces or social media.
What are the benefits of using an eCommerce platform?
There are many benefits of using an eCommerce platform, including:
– It’s easier to set up and manage an online store
– You get access to powerful features and tools
– It’s more affordable than setting up a traditional brick-and-mortar store
– You can reach a global audience
Why Do You Need An eCommerce Platform?
An eCommerce platform is a software solution that helps you create and run an online store. It provides you with the tools and features you need to manage your business, including product listings, payments, shipping, and more.
What to Consider to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform?
There are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing an eCommerce platform, including:
-Your budget
-The features and tools you need
-How easy it is to use
-The level of customer support available
Which eCommerce platform is best?
It depends on your business objectives, company size, budget, and other factors. As a small business owner, you are entering into the eCommerce market that has an ever-changing landscape. Out of all these platforms, BigCommerce emerged as the best overall eCommerce platform, Shopify and WooCommerce are the next leading platforms.
Is Shopify good for beginners?
Shopify is the best eCommerce platform for startups. Easy to use setup, customizable themes, tons of useful features, and excellent support, all available at affordable prices allow you to create a powerful online store, without much experience.
Is dropshipping worth it?
Yes. If properly executed, drop shipping can help you earn decent money. There are a few risks involved that can be overcome by working with a dropshipping agent.