Having an online business is vital in today’s digital world, but it can be difficult to choose the right e-commerce platform for your needs. There are so many on the market that it can be confusing for someone new to the industry. With some simple advice, however, you can choose the e-commerce platform that will make your business a success.
When you are choosing your e-commerce platform there are certain aspects you need to consider. An important function of any e-commerce platform is SEO integration for better search rankings, and you should also look at what plugins and extensions are available for the site. You should also consider whether the platform can be integrated with your current website or if it is stand-alone software.
Below we look at some of the best e-commerce platforms for your business.
Magento
Magento is one of the most popular e-commerce platforms on the market, but it does have its own pros and cons. It is a subscription-based service with extensive product-management features. It offers a subdomain and hosting space for your e-commerce store and the option of connecting your website to your store.
One of the disadvantages of Magento is that it is not very strong in the design department but this can be rectified by using third-party software for the design you would like. The main benefits of Magento are the functionalities that allow you to enter SEO information and upload products with ease. It is popular with developers because of it being an open-source platform.
Shopify
Shopify is also a subscription service, but it is a little easier to use for the laymen of online retail, making it one of the more popular e-commerce platform options. You will have access to a subdomain and hosting space for your e-commerce store, and you can choose your own domain name.
There are also fun and exciting templates you can use for design if you do not have a designer to help you, with several customisable features. Shopify is also mobile-friendly, with the option to easily edit HTML and CSS directly. There are also Shopify apps available for the platform to make it more user friendly and experience focused.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is arguably one of the more well-known e-commerce platforms on the market, but it is also one of the more popular, for good reason. However, for those who are looking for unique designs, WooCommerce is not the platform for you. This is because it is a WordPress plugin and it pulls in information about your products through your current WordPress theme.
You are able to keep your current theme but you are not able to easily customise your e-commerce store, which could be detrimental to your overall layout and functionality. It is also only mobile friendly if the theme you have chosen is mobile friendly, making it one of the less ideal choices for a modern e-commerce platform.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is a well-established e-commerce platform, with its roots starting in 2008. It offers an easy-to-manoeuvre interface for users and has an extensive list of addons. You are able to quickly load or create products, create categories and subcategories, and even customise messages to display for products in your store.
PrestaShop has several customisation options that other e-commerce platforms might not offer, including running geographical delivery zones and applying shipping carriers to these areas, set how the product information is displayed on every page, and display a complete product page with call to action buttons, cross-selling and promotional content.
WebFlow
WebFlow is an e-commerce platform that allows the user to have control over almost every aspect of their online store. You can create an actual website without knowing how to code, which is ideal for people who are just starting out and might not have the budget for an entire website design agency for the project.
Some of the features include being able to customise your shopping cart look and layout, highlighting your product pages with unique styles, and creating personalised transactional emails. The payment gateways that you can use are Apple Pay, Google Pay, and PayPal, which can be somewhat limiting but you can look into other options on their Resources information page.
Enhance Your E-Commerce
Choosing the right e-commerce platform for your business will help to make it a success, and once you know the ins-and-outs of some of the best options on the market, you can make a decision. Magento and Shopify are the two most well-known and established brands, with developers preferring magento, whereas WooCommerce, PrestaShop, and WebFlow are better suited to those who have a smaller budget and want to work on their store themselves.
If you are looking to build your e-commerce website, take a look at our business offerings to find the right website development company for your needs.