The 5 Best Ecommerce Platforms For Small Businesses

Intuit, Squarespace, Magento, Shopify—there are many popular ecommerce platforms available to you in 2018, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Which one should you choose? If you’re looking to start an online store and take your business to the next level, this guide will help you decide which platform is best for your needs by listing out the pros and cons of each platform so that you can make an informed decision as to which platform will be the best fit for your unique company.

1) Shopify;

Shopify is a best ecommerce platform for small business; however, it is a bit more expensive than some of its competitors. The top-rated Shopify plans start at $29 per month, with basic features like unlimited bandwidth and no transaction fees. However, most of Shopify’s plans are in tiers, so those with little traffic or low sales might want to start on the $12 plan or try out another e-store platform until their business grows. All Shopify plans include access to best ecommerce platform software templates and apps, as well as 24/7 customer support.

2) Big Commerce;

One of our favorites here at Demandware, BigCommerce is one of top ecommerce platforms with a focus on providing an incredible selection of design templates and stunning visual displays. Though it’s not free, Big Commerce boasts dozens of powerful tools to help small businesses easily run an online shop. On top of that, there are over 150 third-party integrations to help make your business run more smoothly. Big Commerce is our top pick for best ecommerce platform for a number of reasons, but they all boil down to a highly intuitive system with tons of templates and high availability (24/7 customer support). If you want to take your small business into high gear, check out what Big Commerce has to offer.

3) Squarespace;

Squarespace is a great platform for entrepreneurs who want to focus on their product or service, rather than on technical details like building a website. It has been ranked #1 for best ecommerce platforms for small businesses by Forbes and The Huffington Post because of its simplicity, clean design, robust features and customer service. Squarespace also allows you to create a professional-looking website without any programming knowledge. And if you’re working with an ecommerce business model, you’ll be happy to know that Squarespace integrates with Stripe or PayPal so you can begin selling products in minutes. Oh!

4) Weebly;

Weebly is one of the best ecommerce platforms for small businesses because it offers users both design flexibility and ease of use. As a self-hosted ecommerce platform, Weebly lets you build your store on any web domain. You can create professional storefronts with ease, customize your store’s colors and fonts, and easily add new products from your Weebly dashboard. Plus, there are no setup fees or long-term contracts to worry about. If you’re looking for an easy way to start selling online without breaking your budget, Weebly might be right for you. (Shopify also offers a free 14-day trial if you want to test out its features before committing.)

5) Magento;

Although it’s not as well-known or popular as Shopify, Magento is another excellent choice. Launched in 2007 by a team of developers who split off from eBay when they saw an opportunity to create a better shopping cart solution, Magento has seen steady growth ever since. It boasts some 3 million active online stores and stands out among other ecommerce platforms for its design flexibility and high-end integration capabilities. These features have made it particularly popular with luxury retailers such as Louis Vuitton and Burberry; online boutiques; and sites that handle B2B transactions like Saville Row tailors Gieves & Hawkes, which also happens to be one of Magento’s flagship partners. It’s worth noting that Magento is a paid platform (starting at $150/month) and requires some technical know-how to set up.