Knowing which ecommerce platforms are best suited to building your online business from scratch can be tricky, even if you’re an expert in the field. Fortunately, this Ultimate Guide to Ecommerce Platforms breaks down the pros and cons of each platform, making it easy to figure out which one is right for you and your business goals. With our top 10 list of ecommerce platforms, you’ll be able to find the perfect platform for your unique needs – whether that’s simplicity, security, flexibility or anything else! Let’s get started!
Dropshipping
Services
Because
platform ecosystems can be daunting, many companies choose to offer modular
solutions. With a modular e-commerce business model, a company can provide
customers with customized components that allow them to build their own online
store. For example, Lightspeed uses its e-commerce solution for drop shipping
and payments processing for online businesses of all sizes. Other companies
that have seen success with modular services include payment solutions provider
Shopify, which now provides more than 100 apps through its App Store. Many of
these offerings are built on top of other platforms such as Amazon Web Services
and Shopify’s own software development kit (SDK). Most experts agree: If you
want an integrated solution without having to worry about building it yourself,
then look for a modular e-commerce platform.
Pick and
Pack and Fulfillment by Amazon
Picking,
packing and shipping goods for online businesses is time-consuming and
expensive. But PFP has all sorts of cool features that traditional outsourcing
companies don’t: Amazon Prime customers, secure facilities and in-house
fulfillment (so you never have to leave home). Add in competitive rates,
unlimited orders and speedy deliveries -- not to mention a fully customized
service designed specifically for your business -- and it's clear why so many
ecommerce entrepreneurs choose FBA. As with most things, FBA isn't without its
drawbacks; primarily, it can sometimes be difficult finding good workers willing
to pick goods in a warehouse setting.
eCommerce
Website Builders
Using a
website builder service means that you'll have access to many modules, which
will allow you to create your own online storefront. This can be especially
useful if you're still learning about ecommerce platforms, or if you need a
one-stop solution. While each of these services have their own strengths and
weaknesses, they can definitely help get your business up and running quickly
while also providing many functions that may make life easier as time goes on.
For example, Shopp offers an extremely detailed tax settings tool (which is
worth it's weight in gold for tax season). However, since its platform is quite
general and doesn't offer anything more than other services in terms of store
design tools or analytics capabilities, it might not work for everyone.
eBay
Alternative Marketplace
Although
Amazon is well-known for its ecommerce platform, you may want a different
solution for your online business. In that case, an eBay alternative
marketplace might make more sense. Many online sellers use eBay as their main
channel but there are a number of vendors out there providing great tools that
compete with Amazon and eBay alike.
Social
Media Management
When you
first open your store, social media is going to be an important part of your
overall strategy. Whether you’re looking for likes on Facebook or users on
Instagram, it takes time and effort to build a following. Fortunately, there
are companies that can help manage your e-commerce presence so you don’t have
to. Social media management platforms like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to
schedule posts at different times throughout a day, week or month.
Online
Advertising
Once you’ve
got your online store set up, it’s time to look at your options for generating
sales. On a small scale, you can use social media and take advantage of free or
discounted promotion on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. If
you’re looking for more targeted traffic from places like Google or Bing, there
are paid options that can supplement your organic search results. Banner
ads—also known as display ads—are one way but may not be necessary if your
budget is limited. Another option is pay-per-click (PPC) advertising; again,
low budget shops will have limited success with PPC because it costs money
every time someone clicks on an ad.
Listing
Optimization
It's
important for retailers to have a clear understanding of their complete
ecosystem, which is why we've compiled a list of all available ecommerce platforms
and organized them by category. Read on for our full guide.
Abandoned
Cart Recovery Tools
The top
abandon cart apps, when setup and implemented correctly, can be a great asset
to your store. They can increase conversions by up to 15% or more for some
stores. However, it is important not just to install one of these apps without
giving it some thought beforehand. Some ecommerce platforms and carts have
their own abandoned cart features built in that are not set up by default. When
you’re making your decision about what platform or shopping cart software is
right for you, make sure you take into account whether or not abandoned cart
recovery tools will need to be added on. In fact, a few ecommerce solutions
have abandoned cart recovery tools baked right in!
Data
Management and Analytics Platforms
This type of
ecommerce platform allows you to get information about your customers, analyze
that data and then use it to customize their online experience. For example,
you might be able to deliver special offers or send them personalized email
campaigns. These platforms include: Shopify Plus BigCommerce Magento Amazon Web
Services Cart66 Salesforce Commerce Cloud Wix WooCommerce Oracle Eloqua
Acquisio Silverpop Ascential Ignite Commerce SAP Hybris Custom Code eBay
Merchant Server Microsoft Dynamics 365 In a report on ecommerce trends in 2016,
A.T. Kearney identified 9 different categories of business apps that are
required for running an e-business.
Customer
Service Software
Don’t make
your customer service department do more work than they have to. Make sure you
have a customer support software system in place, so they can focus on dealing
with your customers’ questions, concerns and complaints. And by extension, that
means you don’t have to deal with them yourself (and suffer through all those
messages). Start with Zendesk or Sprout Social and then integrate other tools
like social media management into it over time. Don’t make it harder for
yourself than it has to be!
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