The thing about ecommerce is that it is highly lucrative, but also highly volatile ground and only those who are ready to evolve are going to make it. This is why, the first thing you need for your ecommerce website is a solid platform that will allow you such freedom of customization and payment versatility. Luckily, in this field, there is no shortage of great digital tools, so with this in mind, here are 5 best ecommerce platforms you are likely to encounter in 2016.
1. WordPress
The first thing that we should most definitely mention is the incredible WordPress (WP). Now, there is a lot to be said about this content management system (CMS), but the most important thing is, that it is a platform with astoundingly large number and versatility of plugins. Even though not specifically meant for e-stores, with the right set of plugins, you won’t even be able to tell the difference.
2. Magento
If you want something open-source (like WordPress), but would still rather go with something a bit more niche specific, it is probably your safest choice to go with Magento platform. Easy to use and quite well rounded, Magento is completely focused in improving customer experience (CX) and increasing your profits in this manner. All in all, going for Magento is definitely not a choice you are going to regret.
3. Shopify
Next, niche specific platform on this list is famous Shopify. This platform makes website setup a piece of cake as well as its customization. Now, we already mentioned that ecommerce is a volatile ground, which may make your conduct updates quite often. For example, a new item may appear or you might be out of stock or an old one. In either way, making these tiny (yet essential) changes has never been easier. Shopify gives you a 14 days’ free trial after which you would have to pay $29 per month for continuation of services.
4. 3dcart
For something a bit cheaper, you can always go for 3dcart. If anything, this platform will teach you a valuable life lesson, that cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean inferior. Even though only $19.90 3dcart comes with 200+ payment providers (even more than Shopify), built-in Facebook store and of course, SEO friendly shopping cart. When you add to this a real-time shipping and tracking, what you get is a winning-combination at quite the modest price.
5. BigCommerce
Finally, for those who don’t find budget to be an issue, BigCommerce is really as big of a help as its name suggests. First 15 days of this product are completely free, while to continue using it, you would have to pay a monthly fee of no less than $29.95 a month. However, for this price, what you get are fully customizable themes, transactions in every currency as well as descriptive analysis dashboard. All in all, this platform may be considered expensive but it is worth every penny.
Choosing any of these platforms would be a smart choice for your ecommerce website, but alas you would have to go with only one. Because of this, make sure to check them all out, make a list of pros and cons that each of them offers and try to figure out which one suits your purposes the best. One last thing, the thing you should value above all else is your CX which you can easily evaluate through customer reviews that are not that hard to come by.
Guest article written by: Dan Radak is a web hosting security professional with ten years of experience. He is currently working with a number of companies in the field of online security, closely collaborating with a couple of e-commerce companies. He is also a coauthor on several technology websites and regular contributor to Technivorz.