title: "Best eCommerce Platform for Small Businesses" date: 2024-09-11 slug: /best-ecommerce-platforms word_count: 2400 images: 12
Best eCommerce Platform for Small Businesses
An eCommerce platform is software that helps businesses sell their products and services online. It provides a means for businesses to create an online store, manage inventory, process payments, and more. By choosing the best eCommerce platform for your small business, you could see significant sales increases and have your goals within reach. This should be one of the first steps in your small business eCommerce blueprint.
With an overwhelming number of choices, it can be difficult to decide which platform is best for your business. In this guide, we have compiled a list of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses.
Table of Contents
- What's the Best eCommerce Platform for Small Businesses?
- Shopify
- WooCommerce
- Squarespace
- Wix
- BigCommerce
- Square Online
- Weebly
- How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business
- FAQ
What's the Best eCommerce Platform for Small Businesses?
The following are the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses:
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular eCommerce platforms, helping businesses of all sizes sell online. It offers a customisable platform, an easy-to-use checkout process, and a wide range of features. Shopify also has a large app store with over 2,000 apps to help businesses extend the functionality of their stores.
Shopify is an excellent eCommerce platform for small businesses because it is comprehensive and easy to use. You can design your store using one of more than 100 paid or free themes without any coding skills necessary.
Most industries benefiting from Shopify as an eCommerce platform include fashion and apparel, health and beauty, electronics and gadgets, and furniture. This is because Shopify offers comprehensive eCommerce features, an easy-to-use checkout process, and a wide range of customisation options.
With this platform, you are not only getting an eCommerce solution for your small business — you are also getting a host of other features to help streamline your company as a whole. Shopify offers a best-in-class suite of business tools to help you build a complete business command centre. Shop Pay has low online transaction fees, Shopify POS is available for in-person sales, and Shopify Fulfilment can help you with shipping orders.
Shopify offers affordable shipping rates from top carriers. Plus, there is no limit to how much traffic (unlimited bandwidth and storage) or sales your site can get before your prices increase. This is particularly helpful during the holiday seasons, when most businesses experience a significant increase in sales volume.
Shopify also has a free email marketing service, abandoned cart recovery, and search engine optimisation (SEO), among other tools for business owners. In addition, there is an extensive library of over 6,000 third-party apps that can further extend your website's capabilities.
When it comes to support, Shopify offers 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support. There is also a huge online knowledge base with step-by-step guides and tutorials to help you get started.
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WooCommerce
If you are looking to sell goods through your WordPress site, WooCommerce is the answer. What began as a blogging platform has now become a fully fledged website builder, and adding WooCommerce will give you eCommerce capabilities.
One of the reasons WooCommerce is so popular is because it is open source and easily customisable. WooCommerce offers a lot of flexibility, with over 6,000 third-party integrations. This allows you to expand the functionality of your store and tailor it to your specific needs.
The WooCommerce plug-in is a free business platform, which makes it perfect for those working with a budget. While some integrations and plug-ins are free, you may eventually have to pay for more premium tools, which can get expensive if you are not careful.
WooCommerce is a great choice for small businesses looking to sell products online and needing a customisable platform. It is also perfect for businesses that want to use WordPress as their website builder and do not need the comprehensive features of Shopify.
Top industries benefiting from WooCommerce include arts and crafts, food and beverage, beauty and health, and sports and outdoors. As WooCommerce is flexible, it can work with any type of business.
In terms of support, WooCommerce offers extensive documentation, live chat support around the clock, and community forums. The documentation page is very comprehensive and will help you get started with setting up your store.
Squarespace
Squarespace is another great eCommerce website builder for small businesses because of its easy-to-use interface. You can create a fully functioning online store without technical experience using their simple drag-and-drop tools and reliable functionality.
Squarespace originally launched as a website builder, not necessarily an eCommerce platform; however, it has since added features to accommodate online sellers. While Squarespace is typically used for service-based businesses, it can also benefit product sellers.
The top features offered by Squarespace are tight scheduling and calendar integrations, email marketing, social media integrations, and embeddable maps to help people locate your physical store (if you have one). If you have a subscription-based business, this platform also has features for recurring billing.
Squarespace is the perfect platform for photographers, artists, and anyone else who wants their website to look as good as the content they are sharing online. Squarespace's design capabilities are unrivalled.
While Squarespace's designs are top-notch, they are also inflexible. You cannot make too many changes to the templates without breaking the code, which is why Squarespace may not be ideal for businesses that want a lot of customisation options.
Another downside to Squarespace is that it does not have as many integrations and add-ons as other eCommerce platforms. However, it does integrate with G Suite, which can be helpful for businesses that want to use Google's productivity tools.
Support is important, especially when it comes to website design and hosting. Squarespace knows this, which is why they offer live chat, email support, and a comprehensive knowledge base for their customers. The company also has an active community forum where users can ask questions and get answers from Squarespace experts.
Wix
Wix is perfect for those who want a user-friendly website builder with eCommerce features. With a paid plan, you can access eCommerce features like online payments, order tracking, multi-channel selling, and abandoned cart campaigns.
Wix is an ideal platform for small businesses, creatives, and beginners. It is packed with features, great SEO tools, and hundreds of apps. Wix provides you with 800+ professional and customisable website templates. No tech skills? No problem — Wix makes it easy for anyone to create a beautiful website.
With more than 500 templates available, you are sure to find the perfect design for your storefront. Wix makes it easy to create an online store through its drag-and-drop interface. You can also manipulate the aesthetics of your page to better reflect your brand. Wix also facilitates billing subscriptions and shipping orders from third parties.
The only downside to Wix is that it can be expensive, especially if you need to use premium features and apps. Additionally, while Wix gives you much creative freedom, it does not offer as much flexibility as other website builders.
Wix support is available through email, phone, and live chat. The company also has an extensive knowledge base with articles, video tutorials, and FAQs.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is an eCommerce platform with all the features and functions you need to run a successful online store. While BigCommerce may be daunting for some small businesses, it is the best platform if you have growth plans or access to technical resources.
BigCommerce is most beneficial for larger businesses that require specific, customisable solutions. Most companies that are this size have the budget and access to bring on better resources, which is something you will need if you are hoping to build a successful store with BigCommerce.
Not only does BigCommerce have features like international commerce and SEO, but you can also do multichannel sales on social media sites and third-party marketplaces. In addition, it is compatible with numerous payment options and provides decently priced (and sometimes free) payment processing rates.
BigCommerce is popular among small businesses and new online shop owners because of its affordable pricing options and easy-to-use interface. Their support team is available 24/7 via phone, live chat, and email. You can also find a wealth of articles and tutorials in their knowledge base.
Square Online
Square originally started with its POS device for retailers, but it has since added other business management tools to its product line. One of those is Square Online. With tight integrations with other Square products, Square Online also works well with mobile wallets, Afterpay, and more.
When you create an online store with Square, you can begin with a template designed for retail businesses, restaurants, non-profits, and more. Square Online offers competitive payment processing rates.
Square Online is ideal for brick-and-mortar retailers that need basic online store functionality. The platform is also great for restaurants that want to take orders online but do not need a lot of bells and whistles. If you need more customisation or advanced features, you may want to consider another platform.
What makes Square Online unique is its integrations with other Square products. For example, if you have a POS system from Square, you can automatically update your inventory levels on your online store. Additionally, if you use Square for Appointments, you can embed a booking widget directly on your website.
Square offers email and live chat support 24/7. You can also find helpful guides and articles in their knowledge base.
Weebly
Weebly is powered by Square, so it has integrations with other small business platforms by Square. These include a fully secure online shopping cart and inventory management system.
Weebly's eCommerce platform for small businesses has product search with filters, optimised mobile checkout, order management and processing, and flexible shipping options. This is the ideal eCommerce platform for start-up businesses because it is simple and has all the basic features you need to get started.
While there are many templates to choose from when building your eCommerce site, there are not many advanced features. This can be limiting as your business grows. For example, if you want to add customer testimonials or product reviews, you will need to use a third-party app.
Weebly offers email and live chat support 24/7. You can also find helpful guides and articles in their knowledge base.
How to Choose the Best eCommerce Platform for Small Business
eCommerce platforms come in all shapes and sizes. Some are better suited for large companies, while others fit small startups perfectly. And depending on your budget, you can find one that is either affordable or premium. As you look for the ideal eCommerce platform to advance your business, consider these key factors:
- The size of your business
- Start-up costs vs. ongoing fees — some features are free, but others may come at a premium
- Whether you are a brand-new business or an established one
- Whether your company plans to have both physical and online stores
- The types of products your store offers
- Your target audience and customer demographics
- Your sales and marketing budget
- To what extent you want to manage the technical side
- Your priority list — if you are weighing pricing against creative control, keep in mind that some features may be non-negotiable. Also consider whether a mobile app would be handy for managing your business on the go, and how much control you want over your website's design
To find the best eCommerce platform for your business, list all the features you need. Then, add a second list of any optional features you would like to have. As you read through the different solutions, narrow down your options based on which platforms offer the features you need. And do not forget to read reviews!
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FAQ
Which eCommerce platform is cheapest for a small business?
WooCommerce is free to install and use, making it the cheapest option if you already have WordPress hosting. Weebly and Square Online also offer free plans with basic eCommerce functionality, though you will pay transaction fees.
Can I switch eCommerce platforms later?
Yes, most platforms allow you to export your product data and customer information. However, migration can be time-consuming and may require technical assistance, so it is worth choosing carefully from the start.
Do I need professional product photos for my eCommerce store?
Absolutely. High-quality product images are one of the biggest factors in conversion rates. Studies consistently show that better imagery leads to higher sales and fewer returns. A professional photo editing service like Pixel by Hand can help you achieve this without the expense of a full studio setup.
What is the best eCommerce platform for selling clothing?
Shopify is widely regarded as the best platform for fashion and apparel brands, thanks to its extensive theme library, robust inventory management, and strong integrations with social selling channels like Instagram and TikTok.
How important is mobile optimisation for my eCommerce store?
Extremely important. Over 60% of eCommerce traffic now comes from mobile devices. All of the platforms listed in this guide offer mobile-responsive templates, but you should always test your store on multiple devices before launching.