3 Platforms to Use If You Plan to Start an E-Commerce Business
Today, it is very easy to turn your business into an e-commerce venture. With all the technologies available, selling online seems effortless. First, you have to have a domain name that will serves as your business web address. Next, you need to find a web host that will support your business. If you don’t know how to build a website, you would need to pay someone to develop one for you. Plus, you need to secure the payment process of the website.
Well, that can be overwhelming for the newbies. What if I will tell you that there’s a simpler way? Below, I will share different platforms in order to create an e-commerce website. The options given are great for small businesses. You can freely sell online without having the need to know about websites and other technical details. Read about them carefully:
Shopify
- The owners of Shopify used to sell snowboards, and they wanted to create an e-commerce solution for their business. Hence, Shopify was created. According to their website, they already helped more than 800,000 businesses.
- Shopify is ideal for those looking for an all-in-one solution that will cater to everything they need in an online store. There are ready made templates, free tools, and helpful guides for those who are just starting. Most importantly, the payment options are already set up for you. No need to take spend more just to ensure the safety and security of your customers.
- As for the fees, the basic plan costs $29 per month. With this, you can set up an online store and post an unlimited set of products for sale. If you happen to have a physical store, you can integrate it with your Shopify online store. It will be easy to sync what products are available on the e-commerce store and the retail store.
Bigcommerce Essentials
- Bigcommerce Essentials is part of the Bigcommerce group of companies. This is their answer for anyone looking for small business solutions. With their essentials package, the standard plan costs only $29.95 a month. It’s similar to Shopify in terms of price range and store features. A business owner can have his own online store with unlimited products and storage.
- It also supports social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and more. Not only that, a Bigcommerce store accepts Apple Pay, Google Pay, and Amazon Pay. Pretty convenient, huh?
- You can also quickly integrate other business tools such as QuickBooks, MailChimp, and Constant Contact. The only downside though is that you can’t use Bigcommerce Payments if you are NOT based in the U.S. You will need to set up a separate credit card system. If you are unsure, you can always take advantage of the free 15-day trial.
Volusion
- On their website, Volusion promises an e-commerce for everyone. Whatever you decide to sell online, it offers a complete package deal. You can try Volusion for free for 14 days and there’s no credit card needed during this free trial period.
- With its Personal plan, you only need to pay $29 a month with unlimited bandwidth. You can only list 100 products though for this plan. However, you can integrate it to your social media channels, use built-in SEO tools, secure the checkout process, and many more.