With the right eCommerce website builder that is suited to your business needs, it becomes easier to adapt to the changing trends in online shopping. Statistics reveal that online retail through e-commerce has considerably grown to a whopping 40 % worldwide in 2020 and will continue to grow rapidly.
Ecommerce today is the fastest and the easiest way to sell products or services online. The post-pandemic landscape has also facilitated the growth of online shopping. Therefore, this makes it the right time and opportunity for businesses to go online and upgrade to or build eCommerce websites.
So, whether you are a small business looking to grow or an established business with an existing website, this is the time to ensure that your website is e-commerce ready. An e-commerce website will not only increase your sales but would also ensure that your business is available 24/7 to a wider network of potential customers, thereby bringing it greater exposure.
What is an eCommerce website builder?
Ecommerce website builders are the platforms where online stores are generated, They are the tools that make it possible for businesses to launch an e-commerce business by building or re-building a website that is equipped for e-commerce. For people with no or limited knowledge of web design, there is a wide range of best eCommerce website builders that simplify the process of upgrading to e-commerce. In order to build a successful online retail business, you need to choose the best website builder for eCommerce that caters to your business needs. Here’s a list of e-commerce website builders that we would recommend.
WIX :
Wix is one of the most popular drag and drops eCommerce website builders. Great for beginners and the most user-friendly platform, it has over 160 million users worldwide. Wix is a cost-effective multifaceted drag n drop website builder with powerful e-commerce features. It comes with over 500 templates and diverse segments that can be easily customized according to your requirements. If you are not comfortable with drag n drop, it has an artificial design intelligence that can create what you need in just a few clicks.
Special e-commerce features that make Wix the best website builder for small businesses:
Track and manage orders
Sell Subscriptions
Save payment methods and delivery addresses for an easy checkout experience
Abandoned cart recovery
Mobile optimization of your website
50+ payment methods
Global shipping
Coupons and discounts
Online orders and reservations
Online appointment booking
Disadvantages of Wix:
Not multichannel friendly
Weak back-end order management tools
Website storage is limited by your plan
No POS system
Once published, the website theme cannot be changed. You have to rebuild for a new theme
BIG-COMMERCE:
One of the best eCommerce websites and probably one of the biggest, BigCommerce has sites across 120 countries that have generated billions worth of sales. This site is for those who do not want to be restricted by limitations. This eCommerce website builder comes with B2B specific features and is great for building large eCommerce sites.
Special e-commerce features that make Big Commerce the best eCommerce website builder:
Omnichannel selling
Drag and drop building tools
Easy to use
24/7 customer care
Integrated multi-currency functionality
Built-in Javascript, HTTPS, and CSS
Word press integration
Powerful eCommerce analytics
Customer insights
Single page checkout
Unlimited file storage and products
Real-time shipping quotes
Product rating and reviews
Cross channel sales support
Cross border fulfilment
Disadvantages of Big Commerce:
On exceeding the annual sales volume, upgrading to a more expensive sales plan is required
Limited free theme options
SHOPIFY:
Shopify is the most popular, economic, and best small business website builder that is trusted by over 1 million websites across 175 countries. Known for its versatility, it is great for people starting a new business or business looking to upgrade their website to eCommerce. It comes equipped with a smooth combination of website hosting, product management, order management, digital marketing, and multi-channel sales functionality. It also has a retail Point Of Sale (POS) that supports in-store sales, which means it is designed to sell your products both online and offline.
Special eCommerce features of Shopify as an eCommerce website builder:
Amazing plug-and-play themes that can be customized
Templates meeting specific industry needs
Quick launch
Great inventory management
Built-in shipping label printing with Shopify shipping
Social eCommerce enabled via Facebook, Instagram, etc
Drag and drop store builder
24/7 customer support
Digital marketing tools
Multichannel sales
Business insights
Unlimited products
Disadvantages of Shopify:
Third-party apps are required for additional features which incur costs. There are no built-in sales options for such apps
The blogging functionality of Shopify is very basic
WORD PRESS / WOO-COMMERCE:
Word-press is a very popular, economical best small business website builder, especially for those who have just started out. WordPress per se is free along with some basic eCommerce plugins. However, this most popular eCommerce website builder comes with a specific e-commerce plug-in called Woo-Commerce. It is a plug-in specially created for WordPress and is great for businesses who have a WordPress website and need to upgrade or add e-commerce features.
Special e-commerce features of WooCommerce as an eCommerce website builder:
Can be easily customized
Features with extensive functionality
140+ gateways and payments integration
Physical products, digital products, and subscriptions are supported
Multiple choice of free and paid extensions
Fully scalable
Disadvantages of WooCOmmerce:
It is WordPress specific since it is a plugin for WordPress.Therefore, sites that are not established with WordPress will not be able to use this plugin or will have to rebuild their website to use it.
While downloading and installing WooCommerce as an eCommerce website builder is free, certain extensions that are required to run your site at an optimum capacity may require payments.
SQUARESPACE:
It is an all-inclusive e-commerce website builder that can be used to create any type of website. It comes with e-commerce sales tools along with 40 plug-and-play website design templates. With multifaceted e-commerce options and strong blogging facilities, SquareSpace is the best website builder for small businesses. Squarespace is great for professionals who want to display their creativity and sell their portfolios online.
Special eCommerce features of SquareSpace is an eCommerce website builder:
Abandoned cart auto-recovery: It identifies and automatically emails users who put items in their carts and do not complete the purchase
Built-in tax tools
Advanced discounts and subscriptions and gift cards
24/7 customer support
Secured checkout process from any device
Real-time carrier shipping
Supports subscription and sale of digital content
The site adjusts automatically on tablets and mobile devices
Disadvantages of Squarespace:
It cannot be directly integrated with Amazon, eBay, and other sales channels
There is no autosave feature
Not suitable for large websites
Low ratings by google page speed tool
How to Choose the best eCommerce website builder?
Different businesses have different requirements. As mentioned above, there are many platforms available to build custom eCommerce websites. The best small business website builder is the one that meets the unique requirements of your business in order to achieve your goals. Here are certain factors to consider while choosing an eCommerce website builder.
Pricing: you should choose a platform that fits your budget and can be continued on an ongoing basis
Features: depending upon the type of e-commerce website you want to create, its features, the product you are going to sell, and your marketing strategy, you should choose the best website builder for eCommerce that offers what you are looking for
Payments: Payments are the most important aspect of e-commerce. You have to consider the payment options provided by the platform. Whether it is offering in-house processing or third-party integrations, monthly subscriptions, online processing rates, etc need to be kept in mind in order to get the best deal
Expandability: You have to consider how the platform resonates with the potential growth of your business. How useful will the platform be once your business grows? How much can the platform accommodate in terms of progress and expansion? These should be some questions to keep in mind as migrating from one eCommerce website builder to another is not an easy task
We at Pravaah Consulting can help you choose the best website builder for small businesses based on the unique requirements of your business. We are there to help you take the burden of this decision off your shoulders if you feel that the complexities of e-commerce website designing are not your forte or if you feel that you do not have the access to the right tools and to top it all if you feel that you cannot dedicate hours to upgrading and running your e-commerce website. Our team of e-commerce website designers is not only qualified to build e-commerce websites but also has the experience and knowledge to choose what is best for your business, with regard to your short-term and long-term goals. At Pravaah Consulting our aim is to create the best user experience for your e-commerce website. So, are you ready to upgrade?
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