The Best Ecommerce Platforms for Startups in 2021

Ecommerce is leading the trend of businesses in all possible ways in the modern world. Grocery, apparel, equipment, furniture, pharmaceutical products, and anything else you can name now has an ecommerce store. So, we have compiled a list of the best ecommerce platforms for you to shop from.

Ecommerce is now also becoming the go-to choice for entrepreneurs launching their small businesses. Everyone looking to walk into this field has the same first question to ask; What platform do we use to create our ecommerce store?

In this article, we discuss some of the most befitting platforms for small ecommerce businesses. Many factors like SEO, site speed, cost, UX, mobile optimization, etc., play a vital role when deciding to choose the right software. These platforms are the best picks, in no particular order: 

• Shopify
• Wix Ecommerce
• Squarespace
• Selz
• WooCommerce
• BigCommerce
• Big Cartel
• Weebly
• Zyro

Shopify

We start our list with Shopify, which is one of the most used ecommerce platforms powering over 3 million websites. Because of its scalability, Shopify is widely used by businesses of all sizes. Here is the pricing plan from Shopify: 

We already know that different pricing packages offer different services for each user, and Shopify follows the same. However, none of Shopify’s packages come with a limit on the number of items you can sell, which is one of the best features. 

Additionally, what makes Shopify stand out is the simple UX of the platform, which makes it straightforward for anyone to get started with their ecommerce business. Not only this, but Shopify also goes an extra mile to ensure they provide quality customer service to their clients. This is why you can avail it 24/7 via email, live chat, and call. Finally, Shopify supports all the renowned payment gateways making it easier for users to collect money for their sales. So, if you’re looking to get started as soon as possible, Shopify should be your pick.

Wix Ecommerce

Many people know Wix as a free website-building tool, but it offers more than that. Wix ecommerce is a tool for launching an ecommerce business at the most optimum pricing plans. The table below shows how Wix ecommerce charges its users per month for different pricing packages:

Wix is breaking the market because of its affordable prices. So who should pick Wix? Wix is designed to support small businesses with limited products up their sleeves. The basic plan allows you to share up to 50 products. 

However, Wix does more than just selling products. You can even use it to make appointments for other small businesses like a salon or a spa. Moreover, designing your store using Wix does not take long. With quality themes at your disposal and a drag and drop approach to design your page, you can prepare your store in just a matter of hours. No coding skills are required to make use of services from Wix. So, if you are a small business with limited products and no plans for expanding for a while, you should think about considering Wix as your source. 

Squarespace

Squarespace is another ecommerce platform to help out small businesses with their websites. The per month charges of Squarespace are as follows:

This is what you have to pay for using Squarespace services if you decide to get billed monthly. However, with annual billing, you can save upto 30% on these prices. This is what makes Squarespace one of the most cost-friendly options available to you. 

While all the options in the list offer mobile-friendliness, Squarespace is one platform that goes the extra mile in that department. It ensures that users get an equally good, if not better, user experience when interacting with the website on smartphones. It optimizes charts, images, emails, and everything very efficiently for mobile devices, making it the platform’s USP. So if you think that the majority of your subscribers will be coming in through smartphones, this is the platform you should opt for. 

Selz

Selz is another platform rocking in the ecommerce market with numerous websites currently active. Selz offers three different pricing plans, and this is what they look like: 

Selz is another platform specifically targeting small businesses with limited products or even a narrower niche, solopreneurs. If you are going solo with your business trying to sell a limited number of products, then Selz is what you are looking for. It not only offers a codeless setup for your ecommerce business, but it also brings additional features for selling digital tools. 

For example, limited downloads or streaming times can be managed if you are selling an online course. For your journey starting from setting up a store and selling your first product, Selz is the fastest solution. However, if you plan to expand and create a huge retail store, then Selz brings you no promise of scalability. So Selz is limited to supporting a small business only.  

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a WordPress plugin and is an important and highly implemented source for ecommerce stores. This option is famous with small businesses that have an existing WordPress website, and they later decide to integrate an ecommerce store with it. 

While the plugin itself is free of cost, there are other expenses associated with the website you need to bear. Here’s the estimate of these prices: 

These costs are variable depending on the services you choose for your ecommerce website. The catch here is that you get control of every little detail of your website from design to development, along with access to countless themes. But as we know, ‘with great power comes great responsibility’; Woocommerce makes you completely responsible for the design and development of your website. 

As a result, you must have the required skill set, or you may have to hire a professional to get the job done using Woocommerce. In the case of WooCommerce, you get top-notch optimization and full control of your website at the cost of ease of development and management. If you are someone skillful enough and have enough time to invest, WooCommerce can prove to be an ideal choice for you. 

BigCommerce

With its vast array of features and tools to help create ecommerce websites, BigCommerce is among the best platforms for small business owners. It offers three primary pricing plans, as follows:

The pricing is very straightforward because BigCommerce doesn’t charge users any extra money with random add-ons and transaction fees.

BigCommerce provides its users with numerous customizing options to fulfill their needs. The BigCommerce Stencil upgrade framework allows business owners to choose from pre-built, responsive templates to create an online store that resonates with their customers in the best manner possible.

The platform also includes a built-in SEO feature to help SMBs get greater organic exposure. Its ‘Analytics’ dashboard provides valuable customer insights and visibility into page- and product-level performance. 

BigCommerce also supports a variety of third-party payment services, including PayPal, Apple Pay, Stripe and Amazon. Moreover, it can easily integrate with many external applications, such as HubSpot CRM, adding to the convenience of users.

Big Cartel

If you are a budding artist, designer, musician or the like, then Big Cartel is the right ecommerce platform to take your business website to the next level. You can set your store with several pre-created themes and tweak the HTML, CSS and JavaScript directly if you want greater customization. The monthly charges are as follows:

There is also a free plan that allows you to post up to five products to sell.

The platform markets itself as ‘an easy-to-use solution for creatives who want to sell their works in the simplest manner possible’. It aims to provide artists with a ridiculously simple platform, free from any complexities, that they can use to their advantage. This is the reason why, unlike other platforms mentioned in this article, Big Cartel doesn’t boast an extensive list of features.

Some of its features include search engine optimization, order management, inventory tracking and real-time traffic statistics. There are also numerous integrations offered, from WordPress and Squarespace to Olark.

Weebly 

Weebly is another reliable option for small businesses to create their website without breaking the bank. Indeed, one of its USPs is its budget-friendly pricing options, a summary of which is given in the table below:

When using Weebly, you don’t need to have any knowledge of using HTML codes because the platform is intuitive enough to assist you along each step of the way. You just have to choose a suitable theme and start building your website with simple drag-and-drop sections and text boxes. Take a look at this Weebly tutorial to help you get started.

The platform is highly optimized for today’s SEO standards and provides a seamless and efficient workflow for creators. There are no annoying plugins, custom codes or screens to flip through from time to time; navigating is a breeze, without limitations. As a user, once you are past the slight learning curve, you can create your business’s website in a flash!

Zyro

With its many standout features and seamless website-building capabilities, Zyro stands firm as one of the finest ecommerce platforms out there for small businesses. Here is how its monthly ecommerce pricing plan goes:

Zyro provides all its users with a free SSL certificate, encrypting the connection between the website and the visitor. This adds an extra layer of safety to your online store. Additionally, Zyro allows you to sell via multiple channels apart from your website, including social media sites and marketplaces such as Amazon.

Both the eCommerce and eCommerce Plus plans offer amazing features, including:

• Order tracking and management
• Storefront customization options
• Catalog management
• Secure online payment options
• Automated tax calculations

Furthermore, Zyro comes equipped with many outstanding marketing features like Google and Facebook ads, automated email notifications and creation of gift cards.

Zyro also has AI-powered tools to help your ecommerce business reach new heights. There is an AI Slogan Generator to assist you in creating catchy slogans, while the AI Logo Maker allows you to generate attractive logos as per your selected icon templates and color schemes.

Final Thoughts

All the above-mentioned platforms are hosts to hundreds of thousands of ecommerce websites. This is because each one of them offers something different and special that attracts a potential customer. 

You need to start by defining a business model that you want to follow. Decide important factors such as the scope of your website, what you aim to achieve with it and how you plan to attract visitors. Once you do that, picking the right platform will become a piece of cake for you. 

Do you think any other platform should have made this list? Which one would you like to add? Share your thoughts in the comments with us!

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