Which eCommerce Platform Should I Choose?

The world of eCommerce has never been bigger, with an estimated 87% of households making at least one online purchase in the last 12 months. This makes it a highly attractive industry and is giving small startups and entrepreneurs the chance to launch their own online stores.

However, when it comes to finding the right eCommerce platform for your needs, it can be tough to know which is the right option for you. To help you, we have taken a closer look at some of the most popular on the market:

WordPress and WooCommerce

WordPress, along with the WooCommerce add-on, is one of the world’s biggest and most popular eCommerce platforms. The incredibly easy interface means almost anyone can use it, and WooCommerce offers a wide range of extensions and themes to ensure users can create customised and engaging websites.

There are also no recurring service fees, which makes it very attractive for small businesses, while the platform is also very marketing-friendly. This is actually the platform that we use at Me and My Glass.

Shopify

Shopify is another of the world’s biggest platforms and is a very good platform for selling. There are also a huge array of extensions from Marketplace and custom themes from Liquid that allow users to create and design a truly customised website that their customers will love. There are some limitations on functionality, though, which users should be aware of.

However, unlike the WordPress and WooCommerce options, Shopify is not as straightforward to use. In order to get the maximum from the platform, users should undertake significant training, which can be quite time-consuming and costly.

BigCommerce

BigCommerce is one of the higher-end eCommerce platforms and is used by a lot of the larger retail brands. Its robust search engine ensures customers are able to easily find the items that they are looking for.

As you would expect with a high-end platform, BigCommerce does have very expensive monthly costs, meaning it is out of reach for many startups and small businesses. It also has quite limited functionality, particularly when compared to the others, and it also requires significant training in order to be able to use it as designed.

SquareSpace & Wix

When it comes to creating a beautiful website and eCommerce store with ease, Squarespace and Wix are a fantastic choice. The simple drag and drop functionality allows users to quickly build their site, and there is a range of sleek templates and design capabilities to choose from.

The use of SquareSpace and Wix is also a very low-cost Content Management System (CMS), making it ideal for businesses and startups of all sizes. However, while it can be very beneficial for smaller organisations, SquareSpace and Wix does have some setbacks and compared to the likes of WordPress, their availability and functionality is a little limited.