We’ve taken a look at the best options on the market today to help you determine which e-commerce platform is best for your business. When it comes to choosing software for your online store, the possibilities can seem endless. There are many factors to consider, including:

• Are you selling on a marketplace or an e-commerce platform – or both? What features and tools do you need? 

• What can you safely skip? 

• Can the technology you choose support your current sales volume as well as growth across your business? 

• What is your technology budget? 

In this article, we will focus on e-commerce platforms in particular. An e-commerce platform is software that allows companies to launch, host and manage their online store.

Shopify 

Shopify is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world, in part because of how easy it is to launch a new store. This makes Shopify especially popular with smaller e-commerce brands handling lower order volumes. 

Depending on added features and order volume, Shopify’s monthly price can range from $29 to $299. Despite limited customization options, Shopify is a great option for SMB ecommerce merchants. In addition, you can check out 11 Reasons Why To Choose Shopify..

Magento

Magento is designed primarily for enterprise-level e-commerce businesses. As an open source e-commerce platform, Magento requires programming and developer resources, which creates a higher barrier to entry than plug-and-play platforms like Shopify. 

However, Magento offers a wide range of features for enterprise merchants, including the ability to offer discounts, support recurring payments, unlimited products, and more. 

The basic version of Magento is free, but the enterprise version can cost upwards of $20,000 per year. For large online stores, Magento can be a great choice, but we don’t recommend it for small or medium businesses with small product catalogs.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a free WordPress plugin that allows e-commerce platform merchants to turn their WordPress sites into online stores. WooCommerce, one of the most popular e-commerce platforms in the world, has its own secure payment processor and shopping cart. An open source platform can be a great option for smaller brands that have the resources to develop for WordPress. 

WooCommerce is one of the only free e-commerce platforms out there, although it does cost extra money to fully integrate the shopping cart. If you expect your business to scale quickly, consider choosing a different platform – WooCommerce can slow down as more customers and products are added to your store.

BigCommerce 

BigCommerce has a wide range of built-in features and customization options that appeal to both merchants with enterprise-level e-commerce platforms like Toyota and Natori and those who are just getting started. Features include industry-leading uptime, improved security, payment and fulfillment partnerships, and a wide range of built-in integrations with leading e-commerce platform applications. 

BigCommerce can be an expensive option with a bit of a steep learning curve, but it’s popular for a reason – it offers a full-fledged store without complex back-end barriers, making it a great choice for a wide range of merchants.

Conclusion 

In general, there is no universal solution for e-commerce platforms for every online store. When choosing an e-commerce platform, consider your business needs, sales volume, and future growth potential. We hope the above list will help you make the best decision for your business.