Best eCommerce Platform for Startups

Each ecommerce platform is built to entertain a specific set of business goals & needs. So, in order to decide which ecommerce platform is the best, you first need to outline your business requirements. If you find yourself at loss on this suggestion, then following the factors you need to decide:

Do you want a hosted or self-hosted ecommerce platform

Do you want a single-vendor online store (like Nike, Zara, etc.) or multi-vendor store (Amazon, Etsy, etc.)

How many products (only a rough number) are you planning to sell through your online store?

How much customization you want in your store's design & features?

There are other such factors that you have to consider to decide which ecommerce platform will work best for you. To help you with that, i've compared the most popular e-commerce website builders. In the end, i hope you are ready to make a decision on which platform is the right one for you.

 Shopify: Shopify is a fantastic solution for the majority of straightforward, small to medium businesses. With built in speed and security hosting, it can be a perfect platform for starters. However, its feature set is limited to simplicity and does not give you more options to customize.

Pros

• Allows Customizable Permalinks with Limitations
• Allows Easy Content Modifications
• SEO Friendly
• Full Integration with Payment Providers

Cons

• Doesn't Allow Root Customizable Permalinks for Products or Categories
• Monthly Cost Increases if You Use Apps
• You Must Know Liquid to Customize the Theme

 Magento: Magento is a flexible platform that is easily customizable to your needs and a strong SEO. Magento is free for downloads and includes the necessary feature to have your store setup and run. On the other hand, it's not suitable for a large business that has large data and inventories. It's time-consuming and will require you to have a little of technical knowledge.

Pros

• Ultimate Flexibility
• Allows Customizable Permalinks
• SEO Friendly
• Large Selection of Features
• Able to Handle Business Growth

Cons

• Expensive
• Expensive Developers
• Unimpressive Customer Support

BigCommerce: Bigcommerce is a fully cloud-based e-commerce software that gives you a friendly user interface for the admin panel and easy to navigate. I especially like their automated emails that are sent out to visitors that abandon their cart, which is an excellent idea and likely to boost revenue. The only major downfall of Bigcommerce is the price.

Pros

• Allows Customizable Permalinks
• Integrated Education
• Remarkable Built-in Features
• Outstanding Customer Service

Cons

• Small App Marketplace
• Lock In
• Limited Free Templates

 WooCommerce: WooCommerce is the most popular e-commerce platform in the world. It is a plugin offered for WordPress users. This free plugin will allow you to turn your WordPress website into an e-commerce website or online shopping website easily by installing this plugin. In addition, WordPress is also free to use and is quite simple. Although, WooCommerce can be used on any type of hosting but can be installed on WordPress for free.

Pros

• WordPress is the best platform for SEO
• 1 Click selling app available
• Lots of WordPress experts available
• Many marketing options and plenty of other integrations

Cons

• Good hosting can be pricey
• Have to deal with blame game for troubleshooting.
• Virtually zero support
• You need extensions for simple stuff