E-commerce has become an important part of our lives: an increasing number of people are purchasing items online, and, in order to remain profitable, most businesses have started suggesting online purchase options. This means they have created online shops.
This type of commerce is called e-commerce, and it has been quite popular for the last decade. Thinking of starting selling items online? First, you need to choose an e-commerce platform. This guide can help to decide on this matter.
E-commerce platform definition
An e-commerce platform is a crucial part when starting an online business that includes selling products. Simply put, it is a platform that allows you to create an online store – upload and manage items, process payments, etc. The platform usually has a variety of tools that help you to monitor and operate e-commerce easily. It includes such features as product management tools, shopping carts, payment and shipping options, analyzing the store’s activity, and others.
Is it easy to build an e-commerce store? It depends on a variety of factors, such as technical skills, the complexity of the store, integrations, and customization. For example, if you use pre-build themes and basic customization, it can be relatively easy.
Probably the most important thing is an e-commerce platform, which comes with its own advantages and disadvantages. In short, it greatly influences the ease of building and maintaining the store. So we are going to discuss the most popular ones.
WooComerce
WooCommerce is an integral part of WordPress. It means Woocommerce cannot stand on its own – it can be considered both an advantage and disadvantage. WooCommerce allows you to add e-commerce activity to your WordPress website without creating a new store, offers flexibility, and is familiar with WordPress, but it may take some time to build the store. WooCommerce is suitable for both domestic and international trade.
Also, the big advantage is that the platform is free. However, if you want additional benefits, you can purchase a plan. Our verdict is that the WooCommerce platform is a great choice for businesses of all sizes that use WordPress, and with pre-designed templates for WooCommerce, the store is easy to build.
Shopify
Shopify is a popular platform for e-commerce. The platform is known for its simplicity and easy usage. Shopify is suitable for international trade as it allows one to ship abroad and use such sales models as dropshipping. Currently, the platform is available in over 175 counties. There is a possibility to integrate social media channels, such as Facebook, and sales channels, such as Amazon.
Unfortunately, Shopify is paid. However, it means that it comes with a lot of benefits, such as built-in marketing tools, SEO features, and a variety of payment methods and shipping options. Our verdict is that Shopify is worth choosing for businesses that are willing to invest in order to get more benefits and simple usage. Also, you can use pre-designed templates for Shopify that will make the process of building the store even simpler.