April 3, 2018 | Web Design
Work desk with laptop

Starting an online business is a good idea especially now. To give you a rough idea, by 2021, it is expected that the total worldwide e-commerce sales will balloon to $4.5 trillion. That simply means that starting your own business online has a great potential.

However, let’s admit that not all businesses are the same. Each has their own needs when it comes to e-commerce requirements. The good news is that there are a number of e-commerce solutions that you can try. What these e-commerce platforms offer is a wide variety of solutions ranging from improved online presence to improved sales.

For starters, there are a few top options that you can go for. You can either go for Magento, Shopify, or WooCommerce. Each platform has its pros and cons. But for starters, let’s take a closer look at the things that you will have to know first when narrowing down your option.

Things to consider first

Price

You will first have to consider your budget. How much money are you exactly willing to pay for the e-commerce platform? There are those that are free while there are those that require you to pay monthly to use the platform.

Content management

Also, you have to understand that selling products online isn’t enough. And when it comes to online marketing, content is king. This means that you need to consider the blogging capabilities of your e-commerce platform. You want content to be a priority mainly because it offers an advantage in terms of SEO.

Inventory

Next, you also want to take a closer look at the inventory management offered by the platform. Inventory management allows you to not oversell and to know exactly how much is still in stock for certain items.

User-friendliness

You also have to consider if the platform is user-friendly. A good platform should work well even if the user isn’t tech savvy. You want a platform that has an interface that is quite self-explanatory. At times, it may also limit your store’s overall functionality.

Customer Support

It is also important to consider the type of customer support that the platform offers. Are you having a difficult time setting up your e-commerce store? Perhaps, you need some assistance? It is important that the company offers superb customer service that can help you figure things out.

So what exactly are your best options if you want a good e-commerce website? Here are three of the best ones available today.

Shopify

You can consider Shopify as one of the best platforms out there as a Service E-commerce platform that can set up your store in a short period of time. It is a cloud-based and a stand-alone platform that offers both unlimited transactions and bandwidth for its users.

By using Shopify, you will be able to customize your store easily. It offers 100 professional store templates and themes for users to choose from giving you the proper look that fits your website. It also organizes your products depending on the category.

Shopify offers no limit on how many products you can sell. And you gain access to 70 external payment gateways not only using PayPal but even cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin. And in terms of security, Shopify is certified Level 1 PCI compliant.

Shopify offers free hosting and provides automatic updates as well making sure that your site runs with very minimal hiccups. It also offers editable title tags, categories, and meta descriptions that can all play a role in your site’s SEO.

Of course, it isn’t a perfect platform. You will also have to consider the fact that it offers only basic blogging functionality. This means that if you are particular about blogging, then we recommend you stick with WordPress.

Next, cheaper plans don’t include both discounts and real-time shipping.

What type of businesses benefit from Shopify? If you are running a simple store, then Shopify can definitely do the job for you. It is an easy-to-use solution that offers most of what your business requires.

Woocommerce For WordPress

If you are a WordPress user, then perhaps, you want to focus your attention on WooCommerce. It has been developed in order to work seamlessly on WordPress. What makes WooCommerce a great option is the fact that it is an open-source solution. Developers from all over the world can contribute to its codebase that can give you the custom functionality that you want.

Just like Shopify, it offers no limit to how many products you can place in your store. It also offers mobile-friendly themes allowing you to sell products to those who are using their mobile devices. Also, you can sell a wide variety of products from real products to digital downloads.

It has built-in payments for Cash on Delivery, PayPal, and BACS. You can also easily add shipping rates and may also add taxes automatically.

So what are cons that you may encounter with WooCommerce plugins? One, you will have to use WordPress. And because of this, you will have to invest in your own hosting. And lastly, some custom functionality will require the purchase of premium plugins.

If you are already running a WordPress, site, it’s a no-brainer to stick with this solution. But if you don’t want to pay for additional hosting, then perhaps, it is a good idea to just stick to other options.

Magento

Magento is used by 20% of all e-commerce websites today. That’s a great number of websites. Magento offers extensive features. For this exact reason, it is usually reserved for companies that have a large budget.

Among the things that you can expect include site management, catalog browsing, SEO, customer service, gift registries, and more. However, Magento isn’t exactly a straightforward tool that you can use for your business website. Honestly, you will need to have an expert that can guide you especially when you have no experience whatsoever. If you have a background in web development, then Magento is the perfect option for you.
Conclusion
There are many things that you need to consider if you wish to start an e-commerce store. By taking a closer look at these things, you will be able to find the right one that not only matches your budget but also your needs.

Contact Word Of Mouth Agency for further details on which E-commerce platform will suit your business needs today!