5 Best E-commerce Platforms for 2022
Online shopping is growing rapidly. According to the Macedonian Association of E-commerce, more than 40% of people with internet access, purchased something online in 2022. And the numbers are expected to grow even more in 2022. This is good news for vendors because, with the proper techniques, it's becoming easier and easier for any small business to scale up their business.
The internet offers many possibilities for putting your products and services out there, no matter the size of your business. When starting an online business, one of the first things is to choose an e-commerce platform that will provide you with a stable future.
This article will start with the term e-commerce platform and reveal the five most influential platforms for 2022.
What Exactly Is An E-commerce Platform?
An e-commerce platform is a software application that helps businesses efficiently operate with their website, marketing, sales process, and many other activities. Platforms like Shopify offer powerful e-commerce features that, at the same time, can merge with other business tools. This enables your business to run the operations from one place.
Whether you are starting a hair salon or looking to start an enterprise-level company, or level up your current one, choosing the right e-commerce software can greatly impact your revenue and the stability of your business.
There are three available e-commerce platform options:?
Let's take a look at the most popular e-commerce platforms for 2022!
BigCommerce is undoubtedly one of the most well-developed platforms in the e-commerce world. What does it offer? It has two categories: BigCommerce Essentials and BigCommerce Enterprise. BigCommerce Essentials is more of a DIY platform as a service, and BigCommerce Enterprise is a custom-made platform for larger companies.?
This platform offers a step-by-step experience for setting up your e-commerce store. You can begin by adding your services and developing your website further through the whole process. One significant advantage is that it keeps you well organized. It offers precise instructions and links to help you in every step.
The list will not be complete without Shopify, the best software-as-a-service e-commerce platform. It can service businesses of all kinds and sizes. It's been on the market for more than 15 years, and 1.75 million sellers use this platform, of which 25% are located in Europe.
One of the main reasons people are choosing Shopify is its flexibility. It offers more than 150 paid and free themes to start your store and keep it going. Shopify Lite is an option for those who barely need a payment option on their website. Shopify Plus is the right choice for companies that have no problem spending more than 3000$ monthly for their e-commerce platform.
It is a very intuitive platform, and everyone can easily manage it. You could add any feature you want, even if it is not built-in in Shopify. Simply, you can find an extension or a plugin on apps.shopify.com that could efficiently work. It is also integrated with Zapier, so if you want to add your new customers to your mailing list automatically, keep track of your orders, or connect it with any other apps, you can do it.
Square has started its business by easing credit card charges since 2009. Everyone used Square to accept payments via credit cards using a mobile app. Even though they began as a transactions solution, they expanded into the online world with time.
If you want to have an option to make the sale in person, like at a bazaar or an online store, then Square is the right choice for you. Every order from your business is well organized in a single place, so you won't have to shift through different apps. Say goodbye to the thousands of spreadsheets and do things the manual way. They purchased the website builder Weebly four years ago, so actually, you are using their service for your online store.
When you first start with Square, you need to answer some questions about your business and its details. Depending on your needs, you have multiple options to set up your store, like a single booking site, complete online store, or simply checkout links. You can also choose a theme that will best describe your business.
WooCommerce is a platform that is well suited for entrepreneurs. It is built on WordPress, and you can operate it from your site on WordPress. You can also leverage the SEO opportunities that it offers. A significant thing to mention here is that you need to add many extensions to make the most of your WooCommerce site. For example, add payment methods like Stripe, PayPal, Amazon Pay, and also the adds-on for shipping and tracking. It allows you unlimited product offerings and options and limitless digital products.??
The good thing here is that the installation of WooCommerce on your site is very straightforward. You need to sign up and proceed to auto-install on your site. Then you just need to log in and set up the plugin.
Ecwid is the right choice for you if you start an online store but want to minimize your costs. It offers an excellent free plan to start selling your first ten products. Ecwid is different from the other platforms above because you can add an online store to your existing site instead of building an eCommerce platform. It is straightforward to use and navigate through your website, social media, e-commerce stores like Amazon, and much more.?
Although Ecwid has great options with the free plan, it also offers excellent features with the paid plan. You can integrate it with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram and sell directly to your audience there. You can put your product list on Amazon or eBay and take payments in person. It has a calculator that computes taxes and discounts.
Whether you are beginning a new business or upgrading your current site with an online store, it is crucial to find out the best way to promote your products! Luckily, you could have it all in one. On the Professional Diploma in Digital Marketing program, you will learn everything you need to know about digital marketing in 10 modules. From SEO, Website Optimization to Social Media and Email Marketing. Leverage this opportunity, get the skills required, and level up your business! Sign up for the program now.