6 Best E-commerce Website Builders to Launch Your Online Store


Snigdha
By Snigdha | Last Updated on April 21st, 2024 7:35 am

In this digital age, starting an online store is easier than ever. With the best eCommerce website builder, you can swiftly list your products, accept payments, and handle shipping, all from the comfort of your home office. Ahead in the post, we will explore the top eCommerce platforms for online businesses, offering solutions for those newly venturing into online sales or selling physical products.

You can also expand upon the inherent abilities of website builders and implement workflow automation through various app integrations.

What Makes the Best eCommerce Website Builder?

When you're in the market for an eCommerce website builder, it's crucial to consider various factors to ensure that you choose the best eCommerce software for your online store. To help you make an informed decision, let's delve into the key criteria that define the best eCommerce website builder:

  • User-Friendly Interface: The best eCommerce website builders should offer a user-friendly interface that allows even non-technical users to create an appealing and functional online store. Look for platforms with intuitive drag-and-drop editors and straightforward setup processes.
  • Customization Options: Your chosen platform should provide ample customization options. It should allow you to personalize your online store's appearance to align with your brand's unique style and identity. This includes the ability to change themes, colors, fonts, and layouts easily.
  • Product Versatility: A top-notch eCommerce builder must support various types of products. It should enable you to sell physical goods, digital products, services, or a combination of these. Additionally, it should handle product variations, such as size and color options, effortlessly.
  • Payment and Shipping Flexibility: Ensure that your chosen platform supports multiple payment gateways, giving your customers options like credit card payments, PayPal, and more. It should also offer flexible shipping solutions, including international shipping and the ability to calculate shipping costs accurately.
  • Full-Service eCommerce Capabilities: The best eCommerce builders provide end-to-end solutions. This means you should be able to manage orders, track inventory, process payments, and handle shipping within the platform itself, without needing external tools or spreadsheets.
  • Integration Options: Your eCommerce platform should seamlessly integrate with other apps and services you rely on for your business. Look for builders that offer a variety of integrations through plug-ins, extensions, or built-in features. This allows you to connect your eCommerce operations with tools like accounting software, email marketing platforms, and more.
  • Affordable Pricing: Transparency in pricing is essential. Opt for platforms that offer clear and affordable monthly pricing. Be wary of hidden fees or excessively high costs, especially if you're a small or medium-sized business. Calculate the total cost, including transaction fees and payment gateway charges, to ensure it aligns with your budget.
  • Scalability: Consider your growth potential. The best eCommerce website builders should accommodate your business's growth. They should offer different plans that allow you to start small and scale up as your online store expands.
  • Support and Documentation: Adequate customer support and comprehensive documentation are crucial. When issues arise, you should be able to rely on responsive customer support for assistance. Clear and accessible documentation helps you troubleshoot common problems independently.
  • Analytics and Reporting: Robust analytics are vital for making informed business decisions. Ensure that the platform provides detailed reports on key metrics like sales, traffic, and customer behavior. These insights empower you to optimize your online store's performance continually.
  • Security: Protecting your customers' data and transactions is paramount. The best eCommerce website builders should prioritize security, offering features like SSL encryption and compliance with industry standards.
  • Mobile Responsiveness: With a growing number of shoppers using mobile devices, your eCommerce site must be mobile-responsive. It should provide an excellent user experience on smartphones and tablets.

The best platform for eCommerce website development combines ease of use, customization options, versatile product support, flexible payment and shipping solutions, full-service capabilities, integration opportunities, transparent pricing, scalability, excellent support, analytics, security, and mobile responsiveness. Carefully evaluate these factors to select the ideal platform for your online store's success.

Best eCommerce Website Builder

Now that you know what makes the best platform for eCommerce website development, it is time to check out the list of the top eCommerce solutions for website development.

  1. Shopify - The Quick Starter
  2. Shopify is a powerhouse in the ecommerce world, with a 16-year track record and millions of successful stores built on its platform. It's the perfect choice for businesses looking to get up and running quickly. With a user-friendly interface, even those with minimal technical expertise can create a stunning online store. Shopify offers various themes and customization options to match your brand identity. Additionally, you can explore potential Shopify app integrations on Appy Pie Connect for enhanced functionality.
  3. Square - The Multichannel Seller
  4. Square is an ideal choice for businesses that want to sell both in-person and online. Acquiring the website builder, Weebly, in 2018, Square offers a seamless integration between online and offline sales. You can manage both types of orders from a single dashboard, simplifying your operations. Square's onboarding process is detailed, ensuring you set up your store effectively. While customization is possible, it may require a bit more effort than other platforms. However, you can also implement Square app integrations on Appy Pie Connect to automate various tasks.
  5. Ecwid by Lightspeed - Starting for Free
  6. For those looking to minimize initial costs, Ecwid by Lightspeed offers an excellent free plan that allows you to start selling up to 10 physical products. As your business grows, you can easily upgrade to affordable plans starting at $14 per month. There are no hidden transaction fees, making it a budget-friendly choice. Ecwid also integrates seamlessly with your existing website, supporting platforms like WordPress, Drupal, and more. Ecwid integrations on Appy Pie Connect further enhance its capabilities, connecting it to a wide range of apps for automation.
  7. BigCommerce - Catering to High-Volume Sales
  8. BigCommerce Essentials offers a powerful e-commerce platform for small businesses aiming to sell online. While it is suitable for businesses of all sizes, it particularly shines for those with high-volume sales. The onboarding process prompts you to set up crucial elements like sales taxes and automated shipping, which may be unnecessary for smaller stores. BigCommerce's app marketplace provides a variety of extensions to enhance your store's functionality. You can also opt for BigCommerce app integrations using the workflow automation platform Appy Pie Connect can help you further leverage the true potential of the eCommerce website development platform.
  9. WooCommerce - Seamlessly Integrating with WordPress
  10. If you're already using WordPress for your website, WooCommerce is the best choice to add an ecommerce component. This plugin integrates effortlessly with your existing WordPress site, allowing you to sell products without the need for a separate platform. Managing orders, creating coupons, and viewing sales reports can all be done from your familiar WordPress dashboard. WooCommerce also offers numerous extensions for additional features, and you can also use Appy Pie Connect to establish meaningful app integrations with WooCommerce for even more automation possibilities.
  11. Wix - Building a Complete Site
  12. Wix is perfect for those who want a full-fledged website with an integrated online store. As of 2023, Wix is the top website builder in the world with more than 43% of the global market share (Source). It offers a robust site builder that doesn't compromise on ecommerce features. With Wix, you can easily track orders, manage automated sales tax, and recover abandoned carts. Setting up your store is straightforward, thanks to Wix's user-friendly interface. It also boasts an extensive third-party app marketplace for additional functionality. You can also use the automation platform Appy Pie Connect to explore various Wix integrations available on the platform.

Conclusion

Selecting the right ecommerce platform for your online store depends on various factors such as your budget, required features, familiarity with website builders, need for support, and analytics preferences. Be sure to evaluate pricing structures and fees associated with each platform to make an informed decision. Whether you're looking for a quick start, multichannel selling, affordability, high-volume capabilities, WordPress integration, or a complete business website, these top ecommerce platforms offer a solution tailored to your needs. Starting your online store journey in 2023 is more accessible than ever with these top-notch ecommerce platforms at your disposal.

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Snigdha

Content Head at Appy Pie