Almost all ecommerce websites are built using pre-existing platforms. These platforms allow business leaders to track inventory, customer data and a whole host of other important things. New business owners are confronted with a host of platforms to choose from. This article explores the attributes of some of the more popular examples.
Shopify
Shopify is one of the most popular ecommerce platforms around; over 1.75 million traders use Shopify. Due to its relatively simple architecture, it can be picked up by beginners which helps its popularity. However, it also has a high level of customizable features that professional developers can use to make a highly tailored site. One of the great advantages of using Shopify is its compatibility with Search Engine Optimization tactics. With a bit of know-how it is possible to optimize your Shopify store for search. The platform allows for the editing of metadata, lots of linking and lots of multimedia content – all good SEO practices. A good ecommerce web design company can also help with setting this portion of the site up, as long as they have SEO experience as well!
Shopify is compatible with almost 7000 plugins and apps, there are lots of Shopify wholesale apps, cross-sell, upsell, and others – far more than Due to its popularity, it is often the first port of call for developers that want to make applications that will actually get used by traders. Business owners will need to get used to searching for Shopify apps and plugins as Shopify is not as feature rich ‘out of the box’ as some of the other platforms on this list.
Zyro
Zyro is aimed at small business owners and is cheap, cheerful and easy to use. While it is not a particularly feature rich platform, it is extremely quick to set up. For cottage industry sellers, Zyro is a great choice. Don’t expect it to be suited to massive scaling up of operations, however. Zyro is very affordable, making it the first platform used by many traders. Because of its simplicity, this platform performs well in terms of average website speed. Website speed is important for two main reasons: SEO performance and User Experience. If you don’t want bells and whistles but do want a dependable platform, then this one is for you.
Wix
Wix is another platform that is very well suited to small business uses. It is perfect for shops with under 100 item inventories. It has an extremely intuitive website builder that even the most rookie business leader will be able to work with stress free. Wix sites look great with minimal input, making the platform a great option for somebody that wants to waste absolutely no time in launching their business. The one downside of Wix is its pricing model, which can be relatively hard to understand or predict.
Bigcommerce
Bigcommerce is a platform that is well suited to larger businesses with complex inventory needs. It is designed to handle large and varied inventories in a hassle-free manner. It incorporates a generous number of plugins and is relatively easy to customize for optimal search engine performance. It is, however, relatively hard to make big design changes using the platform. Both Wix and Shopify beat Bigcommerce for site building User Experience.