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Small business owners have an ever-increasing asset in today’s Internet.
An ecommerce platform may sound complicated, but you see them every day. Any website that is selling a product or service is an ecommerce website. It’s your online storefront – where customers come to learn what your company is all about, and what you have to sell.
With so many companies trying to build an online presence, it’s important that websites be just as professional and appealing as their brick and mortar counterparts.
Luckily, this isn’t 1995, and there are many viable options for business owners.
But how do you know which ecommerce platform to use? It’s important to choose wisely because not all platforms will possess each of the functions your business requires. Each platform has different features to offer, some of them requiring different levels of experience too.
These four are a few of the top ecommerce platforms available today.
1. Squarespace
This is a fully loaded ecommerce platform. It has modern templates that you can utilize without knowing how to code. It already comes with inventory management and the ability to upload an unlimited number of items to your online store.
Being the jack-of-all-trades of platforms, Squarespace also offers a blog feature for companies that are interested in producing regular content.
Though the templates are beautiful, there are a lot of features missing that a more established company might find useful, such as Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and built-in Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
2. Symphony Commerce
For those that already have an established business and are looking to expand online, this may be one of the most viable options for you.
Not every successful small business owner has the time to hire an IT professional; however, with Symphony Commerce, you don’t need to have an IT person. This platform will take care of the, “how does this work online” part and help you focus on what you know best—your product.
With some great pay-as-you-go plans, Symphony Commerce is an excellent option for small businesses that are running at full steam and growing rapidly.
3. Magento
This is an ecommerce platform that has matured with age. It can fit the needs of small or large businesses, making it very flexible.
It is an open source web platform, which means that adding features is extremely easy.
Magento can be a little bit more complicated than the aforementioned platforms as it has more features to work with. This platform is recommended for FEARLESS small business owners that know or want to learn the ins and outs of their website.
4. Shopify
With a platform that boasts over 100,000 stores and users, it’s definitely a favorite for small businesses selling products online.
Shopify gives you the ability to upload an unlimited amount of products. One feature that helps set it apart from the rest is their app store. It offers many helpful apps, some for free and some that are paid.
These range from social media apps that help track your followers, to marketing plugins that work with Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
5. Bookmark Website Builder
Bookmark, an affordable website builder, powered by a proprietary artificial intelligence design assistant called AiDA, makes it possible for non-technical small business owners to instantly create a professional-looking website.
AiDA eliminates up to 90% of the pain points associated with website creation and design by building a brand-new website in less than 2 minutes. It then simply walks the user through the process of editing content and design.
Bookmark is chock full of features that help entrepreneurs optimize their website, without needing to hire a web design professional. From hundreds of beautiful templates and drag and drop capabilities to e-commerce and search engine optimization (SEO) — with Bookmark, it has become possible for any entrepreneur to build a business website at a very affordable rate.
There are many options out there for building your online empire.
When choosing an ecommerce platform, you should always consider what your current needs are and what you may possibly need in the future.
How will your company expand and grow in the coming months and, hopefully, years? Is there a blog in your future? Videos? How will your online store grow?
Choosing any option for your business is a large investment of time and money – so choose wisely and happy building!
The advice we share on our blog is intended to be informational. It does not replace the expertise of accredited business professionals.
