Best eCommerce Platform For Small Business: 7 Top eCommerce Websites

What Is An eCommerce Platform?

The main purpose of an eCommerce platform is to provide all the necessary tools for running an online store.

There are several factors that make or break the decision about best eCommerce platform for small business.

eCommerce platforms provide sellers with all the tools to:

• Host and build their business websites
• Manage their products and inventory
• Sell online and process payments
• Track orders
• Integrate with accounting and shipping software

Why A Small Business Should Use An eCommerce Platform

Starting an online store has many benefits compared to a traditional brick-and-mortar business.

Higher Footfall

An eCommerce platform allows you to reach a wider audience and expand your customer base around the world.

Unlike traditional physical stores that rely on the customers that enter their store, online businesses can target customers all over the world, 24/7.

Lower Overheads

An online store requires a lot less capital to get started.

With an eCommerce platform, you can set up your online store quickly and without needing any technical knowledge or coding skills.

You also don’t need to pay for rent, staff, and other costs associated with a physical store.

More Time Freedom

eCommerce businesses require a lot of hard work. But if they are properly set up and running efficiently, they can be run from anywhere in the world.

7 Must-Know Tips for Choosing the Best Small Ecommerce Websites

Running any business can be tough and requires focus, so finding the best eCommerce platform for small business (or big!) that will run smoothly, efficiently, and without issues is important to your workflow.

You’ll also need a dedicated eCommerce platform to provide you with all the tools that you require for your daily activities, that won’t break the bank.

So when choosing an eCommerce platform, there are certain things to consider:

#1 Ease Of Use

Look for a platform that is user-friendly and easy to use. You want something that you can learn quickly and start creating your store right away.

A drag-and-drop website builder is a great choice for small business owners, as you won’t need to pay for an expensive web developer each time you need to make changes to your own online store.

#2 Cost

Although running an online store has reduced overheads compared to a brick-and-mortar store, keeping your business expenses to a minimum is still vital.

Look for an eCommerce platform that offers you good value for your money, and make sure to read through all their pricing plans before signing up. Extra features could start to cost you.

#3 Integration

Ensure the eCommerce platform you select has a wide range of integration options with third-party services like accounting software, shipping carriers, and payment processors.

#4 Payment Processing Features

Using payment processors that customers are familiar with will ensure you avoid shopping cart abandonment. Customers are likely to not go through with the sale if they feel unsafe making the purchase.

The most common type of payment online are credit and debit cards, followed by PayPal, Apple Pay, and Amazon Pay.

#5 Security

Choosing an eCommerce platform with strong security features should be at the top of your list. Make sure it has SSL encryption, firewalls, and other security.

#6 Marketing Tools

Look for a platform that provides many marketing tools, like email automation, discount codes, and customer reviews.

#7 Customer Support

Finally, make sure you choose an eCommerce platform with 24/7 customer support to help you with any issues or queries quickly.

Ongoing issues can cost an online store a lot of money if they’re not resolved quickly, so I always look for an online chat feature to speak with the right department, quickly.

7 Best eCommerce Platforms For Small Business (with Pros and Cons)

After in-depth research, I have found the best eCommerce platform for small business.

The 7 options are listed in order and I’ve found the best features and benefits of each one.

So if you’re looking to start your own online store, I would highly recommend working with one of the following eCommerce platforms:

1 – Shopify

Shopify is said to be the best ‘plug-and-play’ all-in-one package.

The eCommerce platform was founded in 2006 and has since grown into the most popular solution for online sellers, with over 1 million businesses using it to run their online stores.

Shopify offers a variety of tools and features to help users with the entire process of creating and managing an online store, including website design, payment processing, shipping, and marketing tools.

They also provide a user-friendly interface and a wide variety of customizable templates that can be used to build an attractive and professional-looking eCommerce site.

It’s a great option if you are looking for best ecommerce platform for dropshipping, want to start an online store, and run social commerce.

Shopify also integrates very well if you run an Amazon FBA business, eBay business, or Walmart marketplace business.

Main Features:

• Over 100 paid or free themes – You can design your own store and build it requiring zero coding experience.
• An entire suite of business tools – A host of invaluable tools to run your eCommerce business.
• Shopify Fulfillment – Offers better shipping rates with USPS, UPS, DHL Express, and other shipping carriers if you use Shopify Fulfillment
• Sell physical and digital products – Customers can download products directly from Shopify right after purchase, as well as purchase physical items.
• Shopify Mobile App – You can run your business from your phone using features for fulfilling orders, adding products, real-time sales, and inventory updates.
• Use Of ShopPay – Gives you affordable online transaction fees and can handle international business payments.

Verdict:

Shopify is an excellent option for starting and managing an online store.

It has a wide variety of features, themes, and tools to help you build a sleek and professional-looking site with ease. Its 24/7 customer support, low cost of entry, and lack of limitations on traffic make it the perfect choice for small businesses looking to start an online store.

Shopify is at the top of my list for the best eCommerce platform for small business because it provides sellers with the most advanced business tools required to run a successful eCommerce store.

Price:

There are 3 price structures to choose from with Shopify:

• Basic – 32€ per month
• Shopify – 93€ per month
• Advanced – 384€ per month

2 – BigCommerce

The BigCommerce eCommerce platform was founded in 2009 and powers more than 60,000 online stores in over 120 countries.

One of the main advantages of BigCommerce is its ease of use. Even those with very little technical experience can create customizable, professional-grade online stores with BigCommerce’s drag-and-drop editor.

BigCommerce is a ‘hosted’ eCommerce platform, meaning you don’t pay for web hosting separately as your site will run on the BigCommerce servers.

They offer a wide range of templates to get started with, making it simple to create a visually appealing online store that reflects your brand.

Main Features:

• Page Builder Visual Editor – Easy to use drag and drop webpage builder to create your online store
• Theme Customization – Easily customize your store to incorporate your store’s branding.
• WordPress Integration – Create valuable SEO-optimized content to drive organic traffic to your offers

Verdict:

BigCommerce is a great option for small businesses looking to start an online store. Its ease of use, range of features, and 24/7 customer support make it one of the best eCommerce platforms available today.

Through its drag-and-drop visual editor, WordPress integration, and theme customization options, BigCommerce lets you create an attractive site in no time at all. The only drawback is that the number of themes available can be limited compared.

If you’ve never built your own online store before, BigCommerce is a great option!

Price:

All pricing is in US Dollars, and there are 3 options to choose from:

• Standard – $39 per month
• Plus – $105 per month
• Pro – $399 per month

3 – WooCommerce

WooCommerce was first released in 2011 and has since grown to become one of the most widely used e-commerce platforms on the web, powering over 28% of all online stores.

One of the main advantages of WooCommerce is its flexibility. Because it is built on top of WordPress, there are thousands of plugins and themes available that can be used to customize and extend the platform’s functionality.

If you already have a WordPress site, all you would need to do is install the WooCommerce Plugin and you can integrate the two together seamlessly.

This makes it easy for businesses to create customized online stores that match the unique needs and requirements of their business.

Because WooCommerce is built on WordPress, you gain access to a huge array of marketing tools, SEO tools, payment options, analytics tools, and 3rd party integrations.

Main Features:

• Hosted on WordPress – Easy transition for WordPress users.
• Awesome blogging capabilities – A great way to monetize an already existing blog.
• Limitless customizations – If you are savvy in WordPress, the capabilities to customize your online store are endless.
• Easy integration with various third-party apps and extensions – Simple to integrate with accounting software and shipping services.

Verdict:

WooCommerce is an excellent choice for small businesses looking to start an online store without the high setup costs associated with other platforms.

It’s a free open-source e-commerce plugin for WordPress, meaning there are no setup fees or monthly subscription costs. You will need to factor in the cost of web hosting and domain registration, however, this can be very affordable.

Overall, WooCommerce provides small businesses with an easy way to set up their own online stores at a minimal cost. Its flexibility and customization options make it ideal for businesses of all sizes looking to expand their reach and increase sales.

With the right combination of plugins and themes, you can create any type of store imaginable.

Price:

Technically, WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin.

You will need to factor in the cost of web hosting, domain registration, and the cost of any other plugins and tools that you require to run your online store

4 – Squarespace

Squarespace is a website builder and hosting platform that allows users to create professional-looking websites without needing any coding skills. It was founded in 2003 and has grown to become a popular platform, with millions of users worldwide.

Squarespace is known for its beautiful designs and templates that are easily customizable.

They also provide a range of features and tools specifically for e-commerce businesses.

Squarespace users can add products and manage inventory, set up payment processing, and track orders and shipping.

The eCommerce platform also includes powerful marketing tools, such as built-in SEO features and email marketing campaigns, to help drive traffic and sales to your online store.

Main Features:

• Ease of Use – It provides a user-friendly interface, making it easy for anyone to create and manage their own website.
• Reliable Hosting – ensuring that your website loads quickly and is always available to visitors.
• Built-In SEO Features – Drive traffic to your site organically
• Built-In Email Marketing Tools – Tools for lead generation and email marketing campaigns are built in.
• Sell Services As Well As Physical Products – Payment options to start a service-based business as well as a physical products business

Verdict:

Overall Squarespace is a great option for small businesses that want an easy way to create a professional-looking online business and gain access to eCommerce tools.

Price:

There are 4 payment options with Squarespace, but you are unable to receive payments with the cheapest option, which rules that out as an eCommerce website.

• Business – 24€ per month
• Commerce Basic – 28€ per month
• Commerce Advanced – 42€ per month

5 – Wix

Wix was founded in 2006, it has since grown to become one of the largest and most popular website builders around the world.

It started off as a website builder and later developed into a dedicated eCommerce platform alongside the webpage builder feature.

Wix includes a number of features and tools specifically designed for eCommerce businesses, including product galleries, inventory management, order management, shipping and tax management, and more.

The eCommerce platform also supports multiple payment methods, such as PayPal and credit card processing, and provides a range of marketing tools to help businesses attract more customers and sales.

Main Features:

• Easy to use website builder – The Wix website builder drag and drop feature makes building a stunning website very simple, with over 500 themes to choose from.
• Abandoned Cart Recovery – send automated emails to customers who didn’t check out, to redirect them to your checkout page.
• Unlimited Bandwidth – No limits on the number of visitors you can have to your store.
• SEO Tools and Features – Great for creating content to drive organic traffic to your eCommerce site.

Verdict:

Overall, Wix is fantastic for small business owners as it provides sellers with a simple and affordable way to create an online business that looks professional and is equipped with all the necessary features to sell online.

Price:

Wix offers the most affordable pricing plan making it a great eCommerce platform for small business owners.

There are 3 options to choose from:

• Business Basic – 20€ per month
• Business Unlimited – 30€ per month
• Business VIP – 44€ per month

6 – Weebly

Weebly was founded in 2007 as a website builder that allows online sellers to create their own eCommerce site.

The features that Weebly offer are more basic than the other eCommerce platforms in this list, however, it is still in this list of 7 for good reason.

Although the features are basic, they are still well worth considering for small business eCommerce.

The Weebly platform offers a selection of customizable templates that enable users to create professional, polished-looking websites without needing to know how to code.

These templates are also mobile-responsive, ensuring that your store looks great on any device.

Main Features:

• Easy to use drag and drop website builder – The Weebly website builder drag and drop feature makes building a stunning website very simple.
• Simple Interface – the user-friendly platform and basic features are great for a small business eCommerce website.
• Weebly Mobile App – You can run your business from your phone using features for fulfilling orders, real-time sales, and inventory updates.

Verdict:

Overall, Weebly is a great choice for small businesses looking to get started with a simple but professional-looking online store.

With its ease of use, built-in e-commerce features, and integrations with third-party tools, Weebly provides businesses with everything they need to create a simple, yet successful online store.

Price:

Weebly is the only one of the eCommerce platforms to offer a free plan. Although the free plan comes with a lot of limitations, it’s great to get a feel for the tool if you’re new to running an eCommerce website.

The 2 paid plans are:

• Professional – 14€ per month (paid monthly)
• Performance – 25€ per month (paid monthly)

7 – Square Online

Square Online is an eCommerce platform that enables individuals and businesses to create and manage an online store. It is part of the Square family of products and services (Square also owns Weebly).

Square Online includes a range of features specifically designed for e-commerce businesses. These include online payment processing, order management tools, shipping and fulfillment options, and inventory management tools.

They also have their own built-in payment processing for 0.9% plus 30¢ per transaction, which accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, Paypal, all major credit cards, and Square gift cards.

The eCommerce platform also includes powerful marketing tools such as SEO and social media integration, email campaigns, and discounts and promotions.

Main Features:

• Stylish themes and designs – Square Online is known for its stunning website themes.
• Simple To Use – Not quite as easy to use as some of the other drag-and-drop website builders, but SquareOnline is still very user-friendly.
• Built-In Payment Processing – Square Online offers competitive transaction fees leveraging its own built-in payment processing feature.
• Suite Of Marketing Tools – SEO and social media integration, email campaigns, and discounts and promotions.
• Great Integration Features – Integrate your eCommerce store with other popular marketplaces such as Etsy, Amazon, and Etsy.

Verdict:

Square Online is a great choice for small businesses looking to make their mark in the online industry.

It offers a great balance between affordability, features, and ease of use while providing powerful marketing tools that can help you grow your business. The built-in payment processing feature makes it easy to accept payments from customers as well.

However, if you are looking to scale your business in the future, the payment processing fees could become expensive.

Price:

There are 3 pricing tiers with SquareOnline. The monthly subscription fees are very competitive, compared to other eCommerce platforms.

This is because SquareOnline makes money on transaction fees:

• Free – 0$ per month, plus 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
• Plus – 29$ per month, plus 2.9% + 30 cents per transaction
• Premium – Custom price per month, plus 2.6% + 30 cents per transaction

Which Is The Best Website Builder for Small Business eCommerce?

Finding the best website builder for small business eCommerce will depend upon your small business’s goals, needs, and budget.

But in terms of all the following factors:

• Price
• Ease of use
• Future-proofing to scale your business
• Features and tools
• Customer support

My two favorite options would be:

• If you are starting an eCommerce business from scratch, I would choose Shopify
• If you already have an established WordPress website that you would like to monetize with an eCommerce store, I would choose WooCommerce

Conclusion

Hopefully, this post has highlighted 7 of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses and helped you in your search for the best platform for you.

In conclusion, all 7 of the eCommerce platforms are great, and each has its own benefits, but overall, I would say that Shopify and WooCommerce come out on top.

Each business has different needs and budgets, so the best way to decide is by looking at which platform would fit your needs the best.

At the end of the day, it comes down to what works best for you and your small business!

Guest post by Craig Adam.