Which is the best E-commerce platform?

One of the most challenging problems for any online business is selecting the appropriate ecommerce platform. Building an ecommerce website is not difficult, but adopting an improper ecommerce platform may severely damage your business.

In this post, we'll go through some of the top ecommerce platforms for 2022. As one of the top web development companies in India, we take up the responsibility to discuss their outstanding features, their benefits and drawbacks, what you can expect from them, and how to choose the best ecommerce platform for your business.

Related Article: E-commerce Website Development in Kerala

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The Top Best Ecommerce Platforms

There are several options for getting started offering items and services online. BigCommerce and Shopify are both ideal business systems. They were all designed and created as one-stop shops for setting up an online store.

Squarespace and Wix are website builders that also make it simple to create an online store. Even if you're not a developer, these platforms will enable you to build a more unique website experience than ecommerce-only platforms.

Continue reading for in-depth assessments, followed by a buyers' guide to ecommerce platforms that take you through the key factors to consider before making a final decision.

Also Read: How to Start an Online Store in 2022

Shopify – Best All-Around Ecommerce Platform

Shopify is the most popular platform for creating an online store. It is user-friendly yet capable of handling large-scale sales.

Shopify Wins

Shopify triumphs over 6,700 applications and plugins: By far the most extensive ecommerce app shop, that is what Shopify is. BigCommerce, its nearest rival on the list, has about 1,000 applications. Shopify members have access to a broader range of more sophisticated tools for connecting on social media, merchandise items, fulfilling orders, and reporting on sales. What's the best part? Over 3,000 applications are available for free.

Easy to scale: Shopify's entry-level plans offer numerous staff user accounts, currencies, and inventory locations. The inventory management bulk editing tool makes it especially simple to categorize, track, and update huge numbers of goods in a short period of time.

Deep knowledge base: Shopify's online resources were quite helpful to the users we spoke with. Despite the fact that they provide 24-hour customer service, one user stated, "I think they do a pretty fantastic job of giving you enough information so you don't need to contact them."

Shopify Drawbacks

Limited free layouts: Shopify only provides nine free templates for your store's layout. You'll be able to alter these to make them seem more like your business, but you won't have as many free themes or as much creative flexibility as you have with Wix and Squarespace.

Plugins can increase cost and complexity: While every platform relies on plugins to some level, users regarded Shopify as "reliant" on plugins. A large number of plugins might raise your monthly costs, slow down your site's speed, and perhaps cause conflicts.

Fewer product variations than BigCommerce: While Shopify is far more flexible than Wix, WooCommerce, and Squarespace, it also does not allow consumers to fine-tune their product listings as much as BigCommerce. Shopify, for example, limits you to 100 product versions, but BigCommerce allows you 600.

Why We Recommend Shopify

Based on our research and discussions with active users, Shopify is on this list. Shopify users adored it. Nobody had any difficulties getting started or expanding their business.

Smaller firms that plan to stay small can get by with Zyro, but Shopify is my top recommendation for those trying to make a big impression. You don't have to start huge to explode on this platform.

Bottom line: It's no coincidence that more individuals launch their online business on Shopify than anyplace else.

Related Article: Why Ecommerce Startups Choose Shopify for Online Store Development

Wix - Recommended for Stores with Less Than 100 Products

Wix is by far the greatest solution for stores that will never hold a huge amount of product.

Wix Wins

Quick setup for new users: While all of the platforms we mentioned are simple to use, Wix stands out. It contains hundreds of industry-specific templates to get you started, as well as rich in-platform guidance. The lack of complexity on the backend won't matter to those who don't have a large product variety, and it simplifies day one.

Design that is truly free-form: Page components may be dragged and dropped anywhere on the page. The Wix templates have guiding lines that make it simple to construct an intuitive layout on the page. Wix, unlike Squarespace, allows you to disregard such lines.

Easy to edit: Users appreciated the ease with which they could modify the layout of their site and add new material, pages, or interactive aspects. Other systems, most notably BigCommerce, made it more difficult for users to adapt their sites as the industry moved.

Outstanding security: When it comes to online transactions, both merchants and customers want to know that their financial information is secure. Wix provides that guarantee immediately, with no further procedures necessary.

Wix Drawbacks

Not built to scale: Wix is fantastic for simple businesses, but if you start carrying and shipping a lot of products, it won't be as straightforward to handle as something developed particularly for that purpose, such as Shopify or BigCommerce. At size, fewer supported currencies, inventory locations, delivery alternatives, and payment channels become major concerns.

Decent plugin selection: Wix includes a few hundred applications, many of which are appropriate for usage with ecommerce. It's a good variety, but Wix may be lacking a social network, marketplace, shipper, supplier, or another partner that more experienced ecommerce platforms have.

Uncertain pricing parameters: Users noted that the price of Wix was difficult to forecast here and in other studies. It wasn't always apparent what was an upsell, what was included, and what was just available for a trial period.

Why Do We Advise Wix?

Wix is difficult to surpass in terms of site design, and they are constantly upgrading their platform. Editor X, their new web design interface, piqued the interest of all the developers.

Wix is one of the greatest plug-and-play ecommerce choices for consumers who want a good-looking business that "simply works." It costs somewhat more but you get more of everything: design tools, integrations, templates, dependability, security, and so forth.

It will be fantastic if you have a small assortment of things to sell. Wix is all you need to be up and running in one hour.

Bottom line: Wix is difficult to surpass for a modest internet shop.

Also Read: Reasons Why Ecommerce Is So Important For Your Business

BigCommerce is the best option for large inventories.

BigCommerce is a well-known ecommerce platform that is constantly improving. There's a lot you can accomplish, and it won't take you long to figure it out.

BigCommerce Wins

Inventory management that is complex: BigCommerce supports up to 600 variations per SKU. Although not everyone requires this level of choice, items with a broad selection of colors, finishes, sizes, and so on make it easier for customers to purchase.

No need for a code: You can nerd out if you want to, but you don't have to. No HTML or CSS experience is necessary to create and optimize your site with BigCommerce.

Channel administration: You can quickly keep track of your clients and revenue, as well as configure any channels you employ. The platform supports Facebook, Instagram, Walmart, Amazon, eBay, Wish, MercadoLibre, and TikTok channels; more are available through third parties through the BigCommerce App Store.

Cons of BigCommerce

More than a simple store requires: BigCommerce may add unneeded complexity to your online store if you simply want to sell a few goods from your blog or have a limited inventory.

Grows bigger, not fancier: Building a distinctive and dynamic shopping experience on BigCommerce is likely to demand developer-level abilities. "If you were doing more of the same," one user observed, "you could probably scale up," but "I don't think you could increase feature-wise."

It is more difficult to make design changes: Although editing the look of your site is simple, it is not as configurable as Wix and Squarespace. BigCommerce does not allow you to "make it your own" to the same extent.

Why We Recommend BigCommerce

BigCommerce is a secure choice for getting your stuff in front of internet buyers. There isn't much it can't accomplish. A newbie will not be able to create a stunning site, but the users we spoke with felt that this platform boosted their potential to expand.

With pages of items and hundreds of permutations, it shines in key areas that are important to people. With BigCommerce, you can display items in whatever way you want and provide your consumers with a plethora of alternatives.

Bottom line: BigCommerce provides everything we wanted in a large-scale ecommerce platform and none of the unpleasant limitations we encountered with other solutions.

Read More: 5 Ways to improve Customer Satisfaction in your eCommerce Business

Squarespace – Best for Cornering a Niche Market

Squarespace is the #1 choice for web development companies in India who want a more stylish and substantive web store than the conventional commercial, shopping-cart-focused ecommerce systems. You'll be able to provide a far more on-brand, one-of-a-kind experience to clients, which is crucial for firms operating in a specialized industry.

Squarespace Wins

Squarespace triumphs against complexity in customization: Users praised the design interface for building their website. Squarespace allows you to change the template without having to start over, but Wix does not.

Easy to maintain: If you use a free Squarespace theme, it will be updated automatically (unlike WordPress). There are also several crucial capabilities integrated into Squarespace that need plugins or apps in other platforms, like email marketing and analytics.

No storage limits: Other website builders, such as Wix and WordPress, have storage and database constraints. Squarespace does not, therefore there is no limit to the number of high-quality photographs and videos you may submit.

Cons of Squarespace

Design template: You do not have complete control over the appearance of your website. The majority of users were pleased with the end outcome, however, you did not have total design flexibility. Changes to the code can be made by advanced users, however, this is more difficult than on other platforms.

Scaling is difficult: It will be more difficult to manage a huge number of goods, hundreds of variations, and different inventory locations than it is with Shopify or BigCommerce. We spoke with successful Squarespace vendors who did not have a big amount of orders.

Limited extensions: There are just 28 pre-built Squarespace extensions, which means you have fewer alternatives for improving your store's tracking, shipping, merchandising, and other features.

Why We Like Squarespace

Squarespace provides a website builder that produces spectacular outcomes with no effort. Squarespace allows you to create a store that goes well beyond the templates of Shopify or BigCommerce for people who require something on-brand and engaging.

And, although Wix gives you a bit more freedom to customize your site, Squarespace is far more forgiving in terms of allowing you to switch designs without having to start from scratch.

Bottom line: Squarespace is ideal for those that need to make a solid first impression on their target audience.

Related Post: Top Reasons to Choose WooCommerce For eCommerce Development Project

The Top Ecommerce Platforms in Summary

Ecommerce solutions come in a variety of sizes and forms. Some are designed for global internet marketplaces with thousands of goods. Others are better suited to merchants that only have a few things.

All of the top ecommerce systems allow you to sell online, but not all of them are meant to expand. Be mindful that your requirements may vary as your site expands. If that's the case, make sure you pick a platform that can expand with you.