5 Universal eCommerce Platforms For Small Businesses

In the digital world, a consistent presence on the internet is vital for a business to obtain desired objectives. Currently, eCommerce platforms for small businesses are on a high trend. Since customers presently prefer to purchase from eCommerce stores instead of buying from the local market. Being available on eCommerce platforms is necessary for every small or big business these days. However, it’s also important to register on the correct platform as the outcomes always vary.

Are you still confused as thousands of options are available in the market to sign up on eCommerce platforms? Not to stress anymore, we will resolve your concern through this blog.

We will share the top 5 eCommerce platforms that small businesses should use to create their own eCommerce portal. Let’s start!

Leading eCommerce Platforms For Small Businesses

Here is a list of the best 5 eCommerce platforms for small businesses which are used across the globe by startups to enterpriselevel businesses. Discover the best eCommerce platforms for YOUR businesses as per the requirement and attain your business goals.

#5 WooCommerce

#4 Squarespace

#3 Wix Ecommerce

#2 BigCommerce

#1 Shopify

Understand the Need of eCommerce Platforms For Small Businesses

Digitalization has brought huge change globally. Now, everything has changed drastically. Earlier, things were very different as there was no need for marketing because the targeted audience was within a limited area. Nowadays, it doesn’t really matter if a business is small or big, online presence is crucial for each type of business as it is the master key to succeed in the internet generation. Many small businesses have gained huge success by right online marketing strategies, especially via eCommerce platforms.

To grow rapidly, it’s required to smash all the bars and rise high. Currently, eCommerce websites can bring massive differences in the outcomes to small enterprises. Therefore, have a brief look at the top 5 eCommerce platforms for small businesses and choose wisely the best for YOUR BUSINESS to achieve the desired results.

Shopify

One of the most popular eCommerce platforms for small businesses is Shopify. It’s one of the largest platforms across the world for all sizes of businesses. It offers a simple and easytouse user interface (UI), so it is easy to establish customized stores without knowledge or skills of codes. Regardless of how big or small your business is, Shopify renders to both small and large enterprises. If you own a small business and wish to expand, no need to worry in order to change platforms. It is possible to upgrade to a plan that is more suited to larger businesses.

With Shopify, get access to countless design themes for your company. It provides a variety of different themes for all types of businesses. Choose which theme fits best with your aesthetic.

Key Benefits

Codefree thus, easy to use.
Tremendous business with advanced salesspecific features.
Multichannel selling options (e.g. Amazon and eBay integrations).
Sync inventories if selling on another platform.
Strong inventory system.
Builtin dropshipping tools.

Main Drawbacks

For small retailers, it is not the most affordable eCommerce platform.
If you don’t use the Shopify Payment gateway, then you’re charged transaction fees on sales.

BigCommerce

Besides Shopify, BigCommerce is also one of the amazing eCommerce platforms for small businesses as well as big enterprises. BigCommerce offers a comprehensive set of eCommerce tools to help you build your online store. There is also the possibility of integrating social media channels into your site and selling your products through them.

BigCommerce can embed on other sites like Amazon and eBay, etc. it’s easy to register or branch out business on other mediums as well to increase reach while maintaining brand consistency. Furthermore, turn to BigCommerce to get expert help while your website is under construction. Just like Shopify, BigCommerce also offers 24/7 customer service. Besides handling payments and shipping, BigCommerce makes it easy to establish and maintain your website. It’s a flexible platform that makes it easy to create and maintain your site.

Key Benefits

Rapidly grow from small business to big brand.
Sell across multiple platforms to expand your store’s reach and keep costs in check (BigCommerce comes with plenty of multichannel integrations).

Main Drawbacks

Advanced tools are chargeable.
BigCommerce isn’t convenient or easily manageable like other eCommerce platforms.
Without any plans to grow your business, don’t enroll on BigCommerce as you’ll be charged for tools even if you don’t use or need them.

Wix Ecommerce

Wix Ecommerce is an excellent solution for businesses with a small product assortment. This platform is easy to use, and it enables businesses with less than 50 unique products to create beautiful web pages in no time. A draganddrop theme is available for Wix eCommerce. The features can be added and removed according to your business needs. By using this feature, you can create a storefront that suits your needs.

The user interface contains a draganddrop theme that can be customized according to your business needs. Thus, creating your own storefront on Wix Ecommerce is simple. You don’t need to know how to code in order to create an eCommerce store on Wix eCommerce. Since it is one of the best eCommerce platforms for small businesses with a couple of products to build your website.

Key Benefits

Site speed is good.
Huge template collection.
Automatic drag and drop interface.
Site features with Wix App Market.
Additional features.
Support.

Main Drawbacks

Templates are not interchangeable.
The free plan forces Wix branding.
The paid plan is required for tracking and analytics.
The site isn’t transferrable.
Premium plans are single site only.

Squarespace

Squarespace is an excellent choice for small businesses presently. Especially for those who are looking for a simple yet advanced eCommerce store builder. It offers a variety of store themes to choose from for its websites. Squarespace provides you with an inventory management system that allows you to keep track of the inventory and know when certain products are running low. You can integrate it into your site to keep track of inventory.

The features of Squarespace empower you to have complete control over your website, from setting up coupon offers and shipping configurations to managing your email list. It comes on number 4 on the list of top 5 universal eCommerce platforms for small businesses.

Key Benefits

Extensive creative control
Besides the beautiful templates, you can further customize them to fit your needs
Additionally, sell products on Instagram, as well

Main Drawbacks

There is no app market to add extra features to those that come out of the box, and you cannot add your own
Only three payment methods are available: Apple Pay, PayPal, and Stripe
Instagram is its only multichannel selling platform
In comparison to other eCommerce solutions for small businesses, it doesn’t have powerful sales features

WooCommerce

WooCommerce has gained huge fame across the globe. Many small businesses are accessing it as an eCommerce solution. It’s created on WordPress thus, it integrates with a popular content management system. It is one of the major reasons that WooCommerce is trending as one of the finest and easiest eCommerce platforms for small businesses across the world. WooCommerce provides more than 300 extensions for eCommerce websites. The open-source platform has plugins for marketing, payments, shipping, and accounting.

As the platform runs on WordPress, these extensions are as simple as adding boxes. However, some payment or shipping solutions do require a fee. There are several variations of the Storefront theme that can be customized to fit your particular store. It is a free theme, and it is customizable. Your only constraint is your coding ability. WooCommerce sites also need to be hosted, so it costs extra for hosting and domain registration.

Key Benefits

Open source and WordPress-based.
Customizable functionality.
Simple & powerful design choices.
Sell Unlimited products.
Integration capabilities.
SEO-friendly.
Analytics facility.

Main Drawbacks

Demands technical expertise
Requires a third party payment gateway
WordPress Specific
Expensive

Choose the Finest eCommerce Platform to Excel

The eCommerce trend is booming presently. For small businesses, it’s a perfect time to open their eCommerce store on the best eCommerce platform and plan to grow. Otherwise, get ready to face many severe consequences for not being updated as per the requirement of the industry.

Currently, eCommerce has become a necessity for every small business, as there are very high expectations. Moreover, starting up an eCommerce business means embracing every new trend. However, it’s quite difficult to follow every trend of the industry as not every individual is comfortable or skilled to adapt to the new changes. Still, the abovementioned eCommerce platforms for small businesses and other similar platforms allow startups as well as established firms to scale effortlessly and excel in the market.

Wrapping Up

Countless options are available in the market to register on eCommerce platforms. However, picking the right one for your business is highly vital to succeed in the technological era. Every eCommerce solution has its own distinct benefits and disadvantages, so the right eCommerce platform for your small business is the one that best suits its needs and budget.

While seeking out the best eCommerce platforms on the market, you need to bear in mind that it will depend on a number of factors, from the type of platform to payment processing options to specific tools and features. These 5 universal eCommerce platforms for small businesses are a great place to start as they can accommodate businesses of all shapes and sizes. Now, it’s time to make a firm decision for your business in order to become a big brand from a small business. However, don’t forget to consider the advantages or disadvantages of each eCommerce platform before choosing one. Still, if you are unable to make a decision, then no need to stress out as our experts are always happy to assist.