Key Features to Look for in a B2C eCommerce Platform: An Overview of Popular Solutions

A business-to-consumer or B2C eCommerce platform connects sellers directly with customers. It enables store owners to reach a wider audience, as online sales reach millions of products globally, driving significant retail sales online.

According to the latest research, the entire niche of B2C eCommerce platforms will reach $7.5 trillion by 2030. This fact makes a business-to-consumer model one of the fastest-growing sectors.

Launching online stores gives entrepreneurs immense opportunities to enter the massive market. All they need to do is choose a B2C platform that meets their needs in terms of flexibility, ease of use, and scalability.

In this guide, we will highlight fundamental features and benefits B2C online stores should have. Moreover, we will showcase 5 best solutions to start with an eCommerce platform.??

Let’s dig in!

How a B2C eCommerce Platform Works

As the term “business-to-consumer” supposes, a B2C eCommerce platform is a digital instrument that helps online retailers reach consumers directly with their services and products. Vendors use it as a virtual storefront to show their goods online. It generally has built-in tools to manage inventory, build supply chains for prompt order fulfillment, promote products, and process payments.

There are two major types of B2C eCommerce websites:

• Single-vendor platforms: a type of online business where single-seller websites offer products or services online. Generally, they are the brand’s websites. For example, Apple has an online store where buyers can make online sales and purchase the brand’s gadgets and accessories.
• Multi-vendor marketplaces: these platforms allow multiple sellers to list their products in one place. For instance, eCommerce platforms like Amazon and eBay host multiple sellers providing various goods.

B2C eCommerce platforms are to simplify the buying process. The idea is to deliver a seamless online shopping experience, from navigating product categories to making payments and tracking orders.

With all-in-one B2C solutions, businesses may focus on selling their products instead of technical aspects related to platforms’ configurations.

Common Types of a B2C eCommerce Platform

Understanding the types of a B2C eCommerce platform makes it simpler for beginners to select the tool that meets their business expectations. Each type serves a unique purpose and caters to different business models across various industries.

Direct Selling

Direct-selling B2C eCommerce platforms are among the most popular ones. Besides, it is one of the most straightforward ways to sell products and reach individual customers.

To start, entrepreneurs build an online store to sell directly to consumers. The store owner handles everything from product listings to order fulfillment.

Direct eCommerce platforms give store owners complete control over their brand, pricing, and customer experience.

Dropshipping

With dropshipping platforms, businesses do not need to physically hold a product. Whenever a buyer places an order, the goods or service is shipped directly from the supplier.

It works well for beginners, as they do not have to manage inventory, which means lower associated costs. AliExpress is a good example of a dropshipping B2C eCommerce platform. It cooperates with suppliers who handle shipping operations and logistics in general.

With dropshipping platforms, sellers can focus on marketing and customer service while the platform takes care of the rest.

Subscription-Based Models

The idea is to let clients repeat purchases. It makes sense for products that the target audience needs regularly, for example, beauty products, streaming services, or software updates. Such platforms provide tools to let business owners manage recurring transactions, shipping schedules, and user subscriptions at a time.

Subscription models help a business owner build customer loyalty and generate predictable revenue flows.

Key Features of B2C eCommerce Platforms

Now, let’s have a look at baseline features to look for in a B2C eCommerce platform. They define how successful your project is gonna be. Besides, a comprehensive toolkit ensures fast launch, platform flexibility, and options to scale.

Ease-of-Use

A user-friendly interface is important for both online retailers and clients. Buyers should find it easy to navigate through different product categories. eCommerce platforms, on the other hand, have the tools to quickly set up their store with zero technical expertise.

With a simple and intuitive design, customers can browse products, add items to their cart, and complete transactions with ease. It helps an eCommerce business drive high-potential leads and boosts revenue.

Secure Payment

Payment data safety is always a #1 priority. Experts say payment fraud can amount to $343 billion by 2027. Scammers develop new fraudulent schemes to steal credit card data. So, having a digital shop with secure payment gateways is vital. First, it protects users’ sensitive data. Secondly, it helps to build customer loyalty and reputation on the web.

You need to make sure a selected platform supports multiple payment options, like Stripe, PayPal, and digital wallets with strong encryption.

Streamlined Order Processing

Efficient order processing is crucial for customer satisfaction. The store should automate as much of the process as possible, from order confirmation to shipping notifications. This reduces the risk of errors and ensures clients receive their products promptly.

An effective order management system helps keep track of orders from start to finish. It allows sellers to manage inventory, process returns, and handle customer inquiries all in one place.

A B2C eCommerce platform with a robust order management system streamlines your operations and helps you maintain high customer service standards.

Virtual Cart

The virtual shopping cart is an essential component of any B2C website. The key criteria here are ease-of-use letting buyers quickly add, remove, or modify items before checkout. A well-designed cart also supports features like saving items for later and displaying shipping costs upfront.

22% of buyers globally leave without buying a product because of the complex or too long checkout process. With a user friendly and intuitive virtual cart, entrepreneurs can count on higher conversion and lower cart abandonment rates.

Advanced Filtering Options

Accurate filtering options improve the customer journey. Advanced algorithms help them pinpoint products quickly.

Features like search suggestions, product recommendations, and filtering by category, price, or ratings make it easier for buyers to find what they want. These tools increase the conversion rate and encourage clients to explore more goods in your store.

Mobile Optimization

During the 1st quarter 2024, 70% of all buyers used mobile devices to browse through online shops. So, having a mobile-optimized store increases sales volume and drives more potential customers. Moreover, it improves website rankings on search engines and engages users, making your store more visible to the target audience.

Key Benefits of Having a B2C eCommerce Platform for Business

As for the key advantages, a B2C eCommerce platform ensures a wider outreach, helps to significantly expand sales, and increases the brand’s online visibility. The key benefits are as follows:

1. Global Appearance: with access to the global market, you may reach clients beyond your local area.
2. Cost-Effective Operations: business owners do not need to hire staff or manage physical storefronts. A B2C platform helps lower overhead costs.
3. Valuable Data Insights: sellers gain purchase transparency and a better understanding of clients’ behavior or buying preferences. It improves strategic decision-making and business development.
4. 24/7 Sales Capability: clients shop whenever they want despite the location at their convenience. It boosts revenue and enhances customer satisfaction.

A B2C online store is a fast and simple way to deliver your products and services to a global audience with zero technical skills.

5 Popular B2C eCommerce Platforms to Choose from

Advanced solutions for building an eCommerce project may look the same. However, they do vary when it comes to critical details. Each service provider aims to deliver a set of unique features. Learning them will let you decide on the best-matching option based on your specific business needs and expectations.

1. CS-Cart

CS-Cart is an all-in-one solution for launching digital stores and marketplaces of any size. With this platform, users get all the needed features in the pack to quickly design, set, launch and manage their B2C projects.

It comes with a multi-vendor feature to support an unlimited number of sellers in one place. The system delivers lots of flexibility with extra add-ons from the CS-Cart App Store.

Business owners may host their stores on their servers or use already-configured hosting from Scalesta tailored to CS-Cart. This is what makes CS-Cart very easy to set up and run quickly.

CS-Cart Pros:

• Out-of-the-Box Solution: CS-Cart is an all-in-one solution for building eCommerce projects of any size.
• Multi-Vendor Feature: users can create a marketplace website with an unlimited number of sellers offering their products on the same platform.
• Fast Start: no need to look for a separate hosting. The product comes with a preconfigured hosting solution.
• Perfect for Newbies: The intuitive admin panel has all the needed tools to design your storefront, manage products, configure general store settings, and promote your project with zero coding skills.
• App Store: a selection of extra add-ons and apps helps to quickly scale your digital shop.

CS-Cart Cons:

• Outdated Built-in Theme Design: an out-of-the-box default theme looks a bit out-of-date. However, users can find more stylish storefront designs on the App Market.?
• Paid Support: While CS-Cart comes with a 30-day free customer care subscription, once this period expires, users will need to pay for continued access to technical support and additional services.

?? CS-Cart offers dedicated platforms for both traditional online stores and marketplaces, all built on the same powerful core. This means you can start small with a cloud-based CS-Cart solution at an affordable price and easily scale up as your business grows. Seamlessly migrate to on-premises CS-Cart solutions or even the enterprise platform as your needs evolve.

Shopify

Initially, Shopify served small eCommerce business purposes. Users could create simple web shops or sell via social media platforms. Today, the solution comes as a time-tested instrument to launch solid marketplaces and distribute online products via multiple sales channels.

It offers broad integration capabilities with third-party and custom apps from the Shopify App Store to handle promotions, process payments, and more.

With a simple content editor at its core, the platform has a ready-to-use environment with pre-designed templates, access to CSS, a user-friendly style editor, reporting and analytics feature, and the Shopify AR function to let users remotely feel the real size, color, and quality of each product.

Shopify pros:

• Ease of Use: launching a ready-to-go store will take several hours thanks to an intuitive editor.
• eCommerce Templates: responsive themes do not require customization. Users may add products and content to start selling right at once.
• App Store: a variety of widgets and add-ons to grow your store.
• Advanced eCommerce Functions: from dropshipping and abandoned cart recovery functionality to email marketing, reporting, multi-currency support, POS for physical stores, and Amazon integration.

Shopify cons:

• Third-Party Services: Some features may call for additional app installation.
• Higher Costs: Transaction fees when using third-party payment gateways.
• Support: in some countries, users cannot access support via phone.?
• Limited Customization: Shopify users do not have access to the source code.?

Squarespace

quarespace used to be a tool to build content-oriented websites like blogs, not web shops. Now, it is an all-in-one eCommerce solution that relies on the WYSIWYG concept. The solution offers dozens of well-designed store templates with an integrated checkout page editor for building a unique checkout page.

The product offers baseline eCommerce features, analytics, and major payment options ready to connect. However, the overall functionality looks quite limited, especially if you target bigger projects like multivendor B2C eCommerce platforms or complex marketplaces. So, it works mainly for small businesses.

Squarespace Pros:

• Responsive and Stylish Templates: they are well-designed and run well on any device including tablets and smartphones.
• Mobile App: Squarespace has a custom mobile app that makes it possible to edit the storefront right from the smartphone.
• Built-In Features: each template comes with integrated features that you do not need to manage or configure manually.

Squarespace Cons:

• No App Store: the software does not have a typical app market with widgets and add-ons to download.
• Limited eCommerce Options: the platform does not deliver that eCommerce flexibility as in CS-Cart or Shopify.
• Plan Upgrade: you can get baseline features like scheduling, advanced analytics, and promotion tools with premium plans only.
• Limited Scalability Options: the platform does not offer extra add-ons to grow your store. Besides, there is no access to the source code for storefront customization.?

BigCommerce

BigCommerce evolved over the years. Today, it mainly focuses on large businesses and enterprise platforms delivering simpler ways to manage inventory, market and promote your digital shop.

However, some scratching reviews and complaints still take place. Mainly, users do not like limited template options and issues with store settings.

BigCommerce Pros:

• Ease of Use: looks quite easy to get started, but then things go more complex with store editing.
• Responsive Themes: users may choose from a limited selection of responsive store templates designed pretty well.
• Integrations: the system offers around 600 add-ons and integrations.
• eCommerce Tools: business owners will find extended checkout, billing, and shipment features.

BigCommerce Cons:

• Limited free templates: despite good design and customization options, the template selection is limited.
• Complex Settings: users with zero technical background will find it hard to the store.
• Price: for such a limited functionality, BigCommerce plans look way too expensive.

Wix

The platform follows the latest web-building trends relying on machine learning AI-based tools powered by Wix ADI. However, some critical issues make Wix a less favorable option for eCommerce. It might work great for a business website or a blog. When it comes to selling products online and scaling, it may not work out.

Wix Pros:

• Ease of Use: good for newbies with no coding and programming skills.
• App Market: a range of add-ons and widgets available on a free or paid basis.
• eCommerce, SEO, Marketing: built-in features for merchants and marketers, who want to promote their projects and drive more traffic.

Wix Cons:

• Limited Template Usage: once you have selected a layout, you cannot switch to a completely new one.
• Low Speed: the loading speed is not ideal, especially when you have thousands of products.
• Lacking Customization Options: no access to the template source code although you may still add a custom code to eCommerce sites using several ways.

The Bottom Line

To get your solid and fully functional digital store online, you need a good B2C eCommerce platform. Major products offer only baseline functionality that meets mainly small business needs.? This makes it hard for business owners to scale.

From this perspective, CS-Cart is a better option with its multi-vendor feature, advanced eCommerce tools, intuitive admin panel, and more instruments to grow your online project.

Article from the CS-Cart Blog

Written by Den Simmon