In today’s competitive market conditions building a successful online business is a hard job and having the best ecommerce platform may be among the key factors that will help you achieve this. Ecommerce refers to the buying and selling of goods and services online. It has become an increasingly popular way for businesses to reach and sell to their customers, and the right ecommerce platform can make a huge difference in the success of an online store.
If you want to use the world of the internet to make money then you can start an online business almost immediately. But finding the best ecommerce platform may not be that easier for an individual. When you choose a popular ecommerce platform for this purpose then it can help you in building your online store without any degree in web designing or any programming skills. Most of the top platforms have a lot of ready designs suitable for an ecommerce business and features that can make your ecommerce business stand out.
In 2023, there are many ecommerce platforms available, each with their own unique features and capabilities. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the most popular ecommerce platforms of 2023 and compare their features, ease of use, pricing, and user reviews to help you determine the best platform for your business.
Here Are The Best Ecommerce Platforms in 2023
Shopify
Shopify is multinational online ecommerce company that was established by a group of enthusiastic snowboarders in 2004 as a platform to help others in establishing their ecommerce businesses. It offers a wide range of features to help businesses of all sizes build and manage their online stores, including an easy-to-use drag-and-drop website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers. Today this platform is serving more than 1 million retailers, and businesses of all sizes and from different types of industries all over the world.
For beginners as well as businesses of small to medium sizes who want to set up their businesses online can consider Shopify as the best ecommerce platform for them. This platform includes almost everything you may need for establishing your online business successfully like the design of the front of the store to performance analytics and content marketing. After setting up your store this platform can also help you in upgrading your online store just by changing its code or extensions from a third party.
Features
One of the key features of Shopify is its extensive app store, which offers over 4,000 apps to help businesses customize and extend the functionality of their stores. Some of the popular apps available on Shopify include email marketing tools, customer review tools, and social media integrations.
The Spotify platform offers the following additional features to help you build an ecommerce website for your business:
- Custom domain
- Listings of unlimited products
- Track inventory
- Sales statistics in real-time
- More than 70 design templates or themes
- Personalization or artificial intelligence
- A class customer support through phone, chat, and email as well as community forums
Shopify also offers a variety of customizable and professional-looking themes to help businesses create a unique and visually appealing online store. Additionally, Shopify provides 24/7 support to its users via phone, email, and live chat
Ease of Use
Shopify is known for its ease of use, with a user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores. It also offers a range of tutorials and support resources to help users get the most out of the platform.
Shopify offers various cordless tools and innovative interface to build your online store which you can learn easily to use them. Moreover, they provide various types of support to help you if you are facing some problem. They also provide several design templates that can be used as well as created by the users of its Basic plan to create their online store.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Shopify offers a range of subscription plans starting at $29 per month for its basic plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $79 to $299 per month. It should be noted that Shopify does charge transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes.
- Basic Shopify is available for $29 per month
- Pro Shopify is available for $79
- Advanced Shopify is available for $299
They also offer a free trial period for 14 days.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using Shopify include its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop website builder, as well as its wide range of features and integrations to help businesses build and manage their online stores. It also offers a range of support resources and tutorials to help users get the most out of the platform.
However, some cons of using Shopify include its transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes. It may also be more expensive compared to other ecommerce platforms, especially for businesses that need higher-tier plans or additional features and integrations.
Examples of successful businesses using Shopify include Gymshark, Allbirds, and The Honest Company.
Wix
Wix is a popular ecommerce platform that is known for its easy-to-use website builder and wide range of customizable templates. It offers a range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
This website building platform is based on cloud-based technology which allows you to use drag-and-drop builders and tools to create your online store. It allows beginners as well as small business owners with a limited budget to use a wide range of designs and templates to build a functional and attractive website for their ecommerce business.
For those business owners who cannot use a dedicated designer to design their website, it is the best ecommerce platform. The ecommerce functionality provided with this easy-to-use platform is strong enough to meet the basic needs of your online store. Though you can extend the functionality of your website by using certain plugins but if you are designing it for selling various types of products then it may not be very useful for you.
Features
Some of the the features offered by Wix that will help you to build a complex ecommerce business website are:
- Product galleries
- Digital products
- Discount codes
- Shipping options
- Recovery from an abandoned cart
- Mobile-optimized businesses
- Payment options
- Inventory management
- Extensions for other functionalities
Wix provides A-class support to its clients through social media, phone, community forums, and email as well as its online help center.
Ease of Use
Though this is not a dedicated ecommerce platform still it is very easy to use. It helps in building a user-friendly website perfectly by using its website builder and ecommerce tool. You can choose from the wide range of templates provided by this platform according to the best suitability for your ecommerce business. Wix provides ecommerce functionalities that will definitely meet the needs of any small business or startup.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Wix offers a range of subscription plans starting at $23 per month for its basic ecommerce plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $49 to $499 per month. It should be noted that Wix does charge transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes.
- For eCommerce, this platform is available for $17 per month
- The VIP at this platform is available for $25 per month
- For Business Basic this platform is available for $23 per month
- For Business Unlimited this platform is available for $27 per month
- The Business VIP this platform is available $35 per month
- For Enterprise this platform is available for $500 per month
The pricing of this ecommerce platform can appear to be a bit confusing. To create an online store on your website you can use the first two plans i.e. eCommerce and VIP plans. But to include collection and processing payments on your online store you should use the rest of the plans starting from Business Basic and onwards. These plans will also allow you to use more tools to create your ecommerce website, video time, and storage space. To get a higher level of consultation and support you should use the Enterprises plan. Moreover, any transaction fee is not charged by this ecommerce platform whether you make a payment on a monthly, bi-annually, or annually basis.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using Wix include its wide range of customizable templates and website design options, as well as its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop website builder. It also offers a range of integrations with popular tools and services to help businesses streamline their operations and manage their online stores more efficiently.
However, some cons of using Wix include its transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes. It may also not be as scalable or feature-rich as other ecommerce platforms, and it may not offer as much flexibility in terms of customizations and integrations.
Weebly
Weebly is a popular ecommerce platform that is known for its easy-to-use website builder and wide range of customizable templates. It offers a range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
This ecommerce platform allows you to choose a customizable design of the theme for your online store so that you can showcase your products effectively. Moreover, you can launch your online store as soon as possible by using their drag and drop website builder. They also provide smart tools like email and SEO and Site Stats etc. for marketing your online business to grow it fast.
You can use customizable templates on email to get connected with your customers. SEO & Site Stats can help in optimizing your site for the purpose of SEO so that search engines can recognize your website easily. You can track the performance of your ecommerce website by using analytics tools provided by this platform. You can also use their app center to add new partners to your online store.
Features
You can use the following features of Weebly to maintain your store.
- Inventory: It will allow you to use advanced tools to manage inventory to track inventory and supply easily and manage the growth of your ecommerce business.
- Shipping: It will allow you to deliver your products easily at the local as well as international level. It will provide you shipping rates in real-time according to address, carrier, quantity, and weight.
- Product Search and Badges: It will allow visitors to search your online store to find the products of their choice. It will also help in making outstanding badges for your products when their stock is low or selling them.
- Gift Cards and Coupons: This feature will allow you to make custom gift cards and coupons to promote your business.
- Checkout: It will allow you to use Stripe, PayPal, or Square to accept payments from your customers as well as also use automatic fully integrated tax collector and shopping cart.
- Customer Reviews: It can help in increasing the interest of prospective customers by providing more information about your products.
Ease of Use
Weebly is known for its ease of use, with a user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop website builder that makes it easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores. It also offers a range of tutorials and support resources to help users get the most out of the platform.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Weebly offers a range of subscription plans starting at $6 per month for its basic ecommerce plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $12 to $38 per month. It should be noted that Weebly does charge transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using Weebly include its user-friendly interface and drag-and-drop website builder, as well as its wide range of customizable templates and website design options. It also offers a range of integrations with popular tools and services to help businesses streamline their operations and manage their online stores more efficiently.
However, some cons of using Weebly include its transaction fees for certain payment gateways, which can add up for businesses with high sales volumes. It may also not be as scalable or feature-rich as other ecommerce platforms, and it may not offer as much flexibility in terms of customizations and integrations.
WooCommerce
WooCommerce is an open-source free ecommerce platform that has been developed and owned by WordPress. It offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers. Almost 30% of the online stores are using this ecommerce platform for establishing their business in internet.
WooCommerce is among the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses that already have a WordPress website. It this very suitable when your marketing budget is limited to create a strong store online. It offers a wide range of third-party plugins and themes to give you the flexibility to use it as per your requirements.
Features
One of the standout features of WooCommerce is its extensive plugin library, which offers over 55,000 plugins to help businesses customize and extend the functionality of their stores. Some of the popular plugins available on WooCommerce include email marketing tools, customer review tools, and social media integrations.
WooCommerce also offers a variety of customizable and professional-looking themes to help businesses create a unique and visually appealing online store. Additionally, WooCommerce provides extensive documentation and support to its users.
The free features offered by this platform include:
- Geo-location support
- Free themes and templates (via the build in WordPress themes & plugins repository)
- Mobile-optimized shopping
- Inventory management
- Catalog management
- Advanced SEO tools (via many free & premium third-party extensions)
- Shipping options and calculator
- Product reviews
- Coupons and discounts
- Reports and stats
Ease of Use
WooCommerce is known for its ease of use, with a user-friendly interface and customizable website builder that makes it easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores. It also offers a range of tutorials and support resources to help users get the most out of the platform.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, WooCommerce is a free plugin that can be added to a WordPress website. However, businesses will need to pay for hosting, a domain name, and any premium themes or plugins that they want to use. This can add up, but overall WooCommerce is a cost-effective option for businesses on a budget.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using WooCommerce include its low cost (as it is a free plugin that can be added to a WordPress website), as well as its wide range of features and customization options to help businesses build and manage their online stores. It also offers a range of support resources and tutorials to help users get the most out of the platform.
However, some cons of using WooCommerce include the need to pay for hosting, a domain name, and any premium themes or plugins that businesses want to use. It may also require additional technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities and customize the platform to meet the needs of the business.
This ecommerce platform does not provide any support through email or phone but you can use online help guides, community forums, and live chat to get the support of this platform within 24 hours.
PrestaShop
PrestaShop is an open-source ecommerce platform that is known for its extensive feature set and customization options. It offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
You can use the features of this ecommerce platform to grow your business by building an innovative and effective online store. This technology is used by over 300,000 online stores all over the world as this open source technology can help in developing innovative software to build world-class online stores. With the help of the community of this platform, you can start a successful online business. It has designed more than 5,000 fast-growing private European eCommerce companies since its inauguration in 2016.
Features
Some key features of PrestaShop include support for multiple languages and currencies, a range of customizable and professional-looking themes, and an extensive module library with over 3,000 modules to help businesses customize and extend the functionality of their stores.
You can use the features of PrestaShop to build a better online store.
Customize your store: It can help in improving the looks of your online store by choosing the logo, design, and colors of your choice.
Drive your business: It will help in managing your online business by tracking your statistics and managing relationships with your customers.
Attract visitors: You can attract more customers to your online store by sharing your blog and content on social networks.
Sell globally: It allows you to present your store easily in several currencies and languages to sell your products globally.
Ease of Use
PrestaShop is known for its extensive feature set and customization options, but it can be more difficult to use and set up compared to other ecommerce platforms, and it may require additional technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, PrestaShop is an open-source platform that is free to download and use. However, businesses will need to pay for hosting, a domain name, and any premium modules or customizations that they want to use. This can add up, but overall PrestaShop is a cost-effective option for businesses on a budget.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using PrestaShop include its extensive feature set, customization options, and low cost (as it is an open-source platform). However, it can be more difficult to use and set up compared to other ecommerce platforms, and it may require additional technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities.
Examples of successful businesses using PrestaShop include Peugeot, Nivea, and Amnesty International.
OpenCart
OpenCart is an open-source ecommerce platform that is known for its simplicity and ease of use. It offers a range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
This eCommerce platform is one of the premium platforms that can be used for various types of business-related purposes like building websites, cloud apps, hosting, creating emails, and DNS.
Features
Some key features of OpenCart include support for multiple languages and currencies, a range of customizable and professional-looking themes, and an extensive extension library with over 13,000 extensions to help businesses customize and extend the functionality of their stores.
Customize website: You can use its web builder to design, develop, and maintain your website even without having experience in coding.
Ready to use Website: It will help in building an attractive and efficient mobile-friendly website then you can start using it as soon as possible. It also allows you to edit the pages existing on your website as well as add new ones.
Premium Domain Option: The portfolio of the premium domains available for the use of its customers is managed by this feature. It also allows you to ensure the online presence of the website you have built through this platform by getting it registered.
Register a Name: If you want to use the domain you already have or register a new domain name then you can use this platform. The price package of this platform includes fees for annual renewal so that you need not worry about losing your domain name or email for its renewal.
Cloud Tools: It uses applications of Google Workspace up to 30GB to purchase more options to retain forever. You can use this tool to search for anything and its filters and labels will keep you organized every time.
Work Better Together: You and your team will work smarter and faster with the help of collective working of all the partners, employees, and vendors, etc. by using Google Workspace across locations, companies, and their teams.
Stay Connected: By using Google Workspace you can save all of your works in the cloud automatically. It will allow you to access your calendar, email, sites, and documents anywhere and anytime.
Custom Development: It can customize your website according to your requirements.
Ease of Use
OpenCart is known for its simplicity and ease of use, but it may not have as many features and customization options as other ecommerce platforms, and it may require additional technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, OpenCart is an open-source platform that is free to download and use. However, businesses will need to pay for hosting, a domain name, and any premium extensions or customizations that they want to use. This can add up, but overall OpenCart is a cost-effective option for businesses on a budget.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using OpenCart include its simplicity, ease of use, and low cost (as it is an open-source platform). However, it may not have as many features and customization options as other ecommerce platforms, and it may require additional technical knowledge to fully utilize its capabilities.
Examples of successful businesses using OpenCart include HTC, Nestle, and Canon.
Magento
Magento, now Adobe Commerce, is a powerful and feature-rich ecommerce platform that is known for its flexibility and scalability. It is used by many large and enterprise-level businesses, and offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
Features
Some key features of Magento include support for multiple languages and currencies, a range of customizable and professional-looking themes, and an extensive extension library with over 5,000 extensions to help businesses customize and extend the functionality of their stores.
Ease of Use
Magento is known for its extensive feature set, flexibility, and scalability, but it can be more difficult to use and set up compared to other ecommerce platforms, and it can be more expensive due to its higher monthly subscription fees and the need for additional extensions and customizations.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Magento offers a range of subscription plans starting at $22,000 per year for its basic plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $49,000 to $190,000 per year. It should be noted that Magento does not charge transaction fees, making it a good option for businesses with high sales volumes.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using Magento include its extensive feature set, flexibility, and scalability. However, it can be more difficult to use and set up compared to other ecommerce platforms, and it can be more expensive due to its higher monthly subscription fees and the need for additional extensions and customizations.
Examples of successful businesses using Magento include Nike, Ford, and Warner Bros.
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is another popular ecommerce platform that offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores. Some of the key features of BigCommerce include a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
Features
One of the standout features of BigCommerce is its support for multiple languages and currencies, which makes it a great option for businesses looking to sell internationally. It also offers a range of customizable and professional-looking themes to help businesses create a unique and visually appealing online store.
Ease of Use
BigCommerce is known for its ease of use, with a user-friendly interface and customizable website builder that makes it easy for businesses to set up and manage their online stores. It offers a range of tutorials and support resources to help users get the most out of the platform, including a comprehensive knowledge base, video tutorials, and live webinars.
In addition to its user-friendly interface, BigCommerce also offers a range of integrations with popular tools and services to help businesses streamline their operations and manage their online stores more efficiently. These integrations include support for popular payment gateways and shipping carriers, as well as integrations with marketing, customer service, and accounting tools.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, BigCommerce offers a range of subscription plans starting at $29.95 per month for its standard plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $79.95 to $299.95 per month. It should be noted that BigCommerce does not charge transaction fees, making it a good option for businesses with high sales volumes.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using BigCommerce include its support for multiple languages and currencies, its customizable website builder, and its robust set of features. Cons include its higher-than-average monthly subscription fees and its lack of an app store like Shopify.
Examples of successful businesses using BigCommerce include Kodak, Gibson, and Ben & Jerry’s.
Overall, BigCommerce is a good option for businesses of all sizes looking for a user-friendly platform with a range of features and integrations to help them build and manage their online stores.
Salesforce Commerce Cloud
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is a powerful and feature-rich ecommerce platform that is known for its integration with the Salesforce CRM platform. It offers a wide range of features to help businesses build and manage their online stores, including a customizable website builder, a powerful dashboard for managing orders and shipping, and integrations with popular payment gateways and shipping carriers.
Features
Some key features of Salesforce Commerce Cloud include support for multiple languages and currencies, a range of customizable and professional-looking themes, and integration with the Salesforce CRM platform for enhanced customer management and analytics.
Ease of Use
Salesforce Commerce Cloud is known for its extensive feature set and integration with the Salesforce CRM platform, but it can be more expensive and complex compared to other ecommerce platforms, and it may require additional technical knowledge and resources to fully utilize its capabilities. It is best suited for larger businesses with more advanced ecommerce needs.
Pricing
In terms of pricing, Salesforce Commerce Cloud offers a range of subscription plans starting at $2,000 per month for its basic plan, which includes all of the basic features needed to build and manage an online store. Its higher-tier plans offer additional features and support for larger businesses, with prices ranging from $4,000 to $12,000 per month. It should be noted that Salesforce Commerce Cloud does not charge transaction fees, making it a good option for businesses with high sales volumes.
Pros & Cons
Pros of using Salesforce Commerce Cloud include its extensive feature set, integration with the Salesforce CRM
Conclusion
In conclusion, there are many top ecommerce platforms to choose from in 2023, each with their own unique features and capabilities. Some of the best ecommerce platforms include Shopify, BigCommerce, WooCommerce, Wix, Weebly, PrestaShop, OpenCart, Magento, and Salesforce Commerce Cloud.
When choosing the right ecommerce platform for your business, it’s important to consider your specific needs and goals. Factors to consider include the size of your business, your budget, your technical expertise, the type of products you sell, and your desired level of customization and control.
It’s also important to regularly review and reassess your ecommerce platform choice to ensure that it is meeting your needs and helping your business grow. As your business changes and evolves, your ecommerce platform may need to change as well in order to support your growth and success. By regularly reviewing and reassessing your ecommerce platform choice, you can ensure that you are using the best platform for your business and maximizing your online sales and growth.