E-commerce has changed the way the world lives. Now it is no longer necessary to get up, go downtown or to the mall and shop at different stores until you find what you are looking for at the best price. You can do it using your fingertips and your computer and you don’t even need to step outside to place an order. For anyone who has a website or wants a website being able to integrate an e-commerce platform into your website is essential. Your website gives you a store that never closes or much less needs a coffee break. An e-commerce platform gives you a salesman that does not sleep and who you do not need to pay a commission to.
Shopify is probably the top-rated e-commerce platform. It is easy to use, has excellent features, is secure, helps with SEO marketing and has excellent customer support. It is trusted by over 400,000 e-commerce sites. BigCommerce is another popular platform. It is customizable and will link to Amazon, eBay and Facebook. Compared to other platforms it is not expensive and has no hosting, maintenance or update expenses. Ecwid is another popular platform. It is easy to use and links to web development platforms like WordPress, Weebly, Wix or Joomla or to social media like Facebook. The plug-in can have you selling in five minutes and can be as simple as adding YouTube video. Over one million websites use Ecwid around the world. Magento styles itself as the world’s most customizable commerce platform with the most power, out-of-the-box functionality and seamless third party integration. It ranks as the top platform in SEO score and claims it will expand your sales by 3x.
Volusion has been in the game for 15 years and has helped their users make over 21 billion dollars in sales. It is described as a blend of simplicity and sophistication and is very easy to use. Features include powerful integration tools, SEO tools and social media access to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. 3dcart calls itself the most powerful ecommerce platform available. It is easy to use, customizable, has many advanced features and does not charge transaction fees. It is SEO friendly and links with Facebook. Other website builders like Wix or GoDaddy also offer e-commerce platforms as part of their package.
WordPress offers many e-commerce plugins and themes. Bluehost is the most popular plugin on the world’s most popular developer tool. It integrates WooCommerce to provide security, 100 GB of website space, 100 email accounts, free domains and a dedicated IP address. It is easy to install, use and customize. WooCommerce has garnered one of the top SEO scores so you know your products will reach your customers.
There are hundreds of other e-commerce platforms on the Internet so this is not the end-all-be-all list. Which platform is right for you? That is up to you. Many of these solutions claim they are the top solution available and will expand your sales. Most offer a trial version so you can try it first with no risk. If your website or business is not on the Internet then you are missing out but if this all seems too daunting then Nicely Done Sites can help. Give us a call and we can sit down with you to determine which platform is right for you and get you on your way to opening up your business to the world.