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Round-up of our best-performing e-commerce platforms

You certainly have resolved a few matters since you hatched your business idea: your company name, business model, products, etc. Now, all that remains is opening your online store. But which to choose?

Choosing a platform for an online store is an important decision that engages your business in the long term. Indeed, moving your website from one platform to another later on is generally complex and costly. Of course, if you want to undertake an initial round of evaluating platforms for your future online store before contacting an external partner, or if you decide to embark on this adventure alone, here are a few points that will be useful in helping you make a decision.

We suggest analyzing the following e-commerce platforms for launching your online store.

Shopify

To begin, Shopify is a Canadian platform and is one of the most-used e-commerce companies worldwide. Easy to use and intuitive, Shopify provides various options for creating an online store that reflects your company image. One of Shopify’s strong points is the quality of its SEO parameters. Also, Shopify provides tools for tracking so you can analyze your website’s performance.

Shopify Pros

  • Customer service

  • Organic search results

  • Multiple available plugins

  • Your clients can choose their payment option

Shopify Cons

  • Your client’s membership fees are slightly higher than their competitors

Shopify Pros Shopify Cons
Their customer service

Organic search results  

A number of available plugins  

Your clients can choose their payment option

Their membership fees are slightly higher than their competitors’

Wix

Founded in 2006, Wix is simple to use. In fact, the platform offers numerous sophisticated and professional templates. Since the designs are classified by activity, it is easier to find a model that suits your industry. Unlike other platforms, online stories created with Wix are not entirely responsive in the strictest sense. Still, configuring your website’s mobile version may take some time.

Wix Pros

  • Elegant and professional design

  • Easy to manage

  • Good quality/price ratio

  • Good SEO functions

  • Templates are catered to your business type (restaurant, hotel, music, etc.)

Wix Cons

  • Not recommended for a multilingual site

  • Coding isn’t accessible (HTML/CSS)

  • If you want to change the design, you have to redo the entire content

  • Emails associated with the domain name aren’t provided

Wix Pros Wix Cons
An elegant and professional design  

Easy to manage 

A good quality/price ratio 

Good SEO functions 

Templates are catered to your business type (restaurant, hotel, music, etc.)  

Not recommended for a multilingual site 

Coding isn’t accessible (HTML/CSS) 

If you want to change the design, you have to redo the content entirely  

Emails associated with the domain name aren’t provided  

WooCommerce

Launched in September 2011, this plugin quickly became famous for its simple installation and possibilities for personalization. WooCommerce is the e-commerce version of WordPress. Also, this platform is ideal for small to medium-sized businesses or individuals who already have a WordPress blog and want to add an online store to it at the lowest possible cost.

WooCommerce Pros

  • Free basic package

  • Managing of multiple extensions to personalize your online store

  • Easy management of inventory

  • Detailed sales statistics

WooCommerce Cons

  • Certain themes are not compatible with the basic package

  • Elevated cost of certain extensions

WooCommerce  Pros WooCommerce  Cons
Free basic package 

Managing a number of extensions to personalize your online store 

Easy management of inventory  

Detailed sales statistics

Certain themes are not compatible with the basic package 

The elevated cost of certain extensions

BigCommerce

To continue, this is the 4th most-used e-commerce platform on the internet. Nevertheless, BigCommerce seems to be less popular than other platforms in Google searches. Precisely, their package is easy to use and provides tools for maximizing purchase conversion rates. Also, BigCommerce supplies various relevant options to support small businesses launching on e-commerce. It is important to note the platform hosts prestigious clients, such as Ubisoft, Toyota, Gypson, etc.

BigCommerce Pros

  • An easy-to-use platform

  • Multiple available options

  • SEO solutions that facilitate Google searches

  • Options that promote conversion maximization

BigCommerce Cons

  • Difficulties with personalization

  • Fees change according to the volume of online transactions

  • Certain plugins are expensive

BigCommerce  Pros BigCommerce  Cons
An easy-to-use platform 

A number of available options  

SEO solutions that facilitate Google searches  

Options that promote conversion maximization  

Difficulties with personalization 

Their fees change according to the volume of online transactions

Certain plugins are expensive  

Squarespace

Created in 2003, this website-creating platform is also a hosting site. Squarespace distinguishes itself with its modern and refined designs and templates. Websites created on this platform are responsive. Precisely, they adapt perfectly to mobile and tablet formats.

SquareSpace Pros

  • Refined design

  • Easy management

SquareSpace Cons

  • Technical support

  • Cost

  • Fewer options for personalization

Squarespace  Pros Squarespace  Cons
The refined design  

Easy management  

Technical support

Cost

Fewer options for personalization

PrestaShop

Used by over 300,000 people worldwide,  PrestaShop is the ideal tool for a small company that wants to create an online store. Management is simple and you can activate or inactivate plugins, according to your activity. Hence, PrestaShop offers good options for managing your logistics and inventory.

PrestaShop Pros

  • Simple to use

  • Technical support

  • Active community

  • Possibility to offer promotions and discount vouchers

PrestaShop Cons

  • Their search engine referrals aren’t very optimized

  • Expensive themes

PrestaShop Pros PrestaShop Cons
Simple to use

Technical support

An active community

Possibility to offer promotions and discount vouchers

Their search engine referrals aren’t very optimized

Expensive themes

Magento

This e-commerce platform is the oldest and most used when it comes to B2B. Whether you have a project that needs a massive product catalogue, choose Magento. Indeed, two of Magento’s points are personalization and its rich functionality. However, Magento is a complex platform. You will most likely need the services of a partner (like us!) to develop your website.

Magento Pros

  • Possibilities for personalization

  • Their platform is 100% geared around SEO

  • Possibility to create a personalized website for each country

Magento Cons

  • The interface is less ergonomic than other platforms

  • On the hosting side, it requires a lot of support

  • Pages take longer to load since they contain a lot of information
Magento Pros Magento Cons
Possibilities for personalization

Their platform is 100% geared around SEO

The possibility to create a personalized website for each country

The interface is less ergonomic than other platforms

On the hosting side, it requires a lot of support

The pages contain so much information they take longer to load

Main keypoints to remember

As you may have realized over the course of this article, choosing a platform to develop a website for an online store reveals a multitude of critical factors. Clearly, there is a lot to consider! However, our team of experts can accompany you on different stages of your project, from development to integration, and global strategic marketing. Contact us, or learn with us!

Written by
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Caroline Godin

President & Founder

info@staging.billy.social

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    2023-10-03T13:54:11-04:00