While Shopify remains a giant and probably the most recognized eCommerce platform, there are other platforms that store owners may choose to use depending on their functionality needs, store sizes and budgets.
When deciding which platform to use, many frustrated business owners find that focus is taken away from the business itself while trying to navigate the never-ending questions that can come with choosing which platform to host their store on.
“Will I be able to customize my store and make it look exactly how I want it?”
“Where can I find a developer to help me customize my store?”
“Will my current platform still be right for me as my store grows?”
Doing a quick eCommerce platform comparison and knowing the benefits of each platform will aid you in your decision of choosing which online platform to use and understand why a development team is a crucial part of opening up and maintaining your online store.
On the very basic level, a platform is a tool for companies looking for a simple and powerful way to handle their products and back-end inventory. But a platform is a lot more than that – it’s a way to capture data about your customers, communicate with them and promote your store and products to the world.
These platforms give you the opportunity to create an optimized website and allow you to sell their products hassle-free. Let’s take a look at the platforms our clients use and love!
SHOPIFY
Shopify is a fantastic platform with tons of capabilities and room for customization. Both small businesses and enterprises companies depend on Shopify to help them find customers, drive sales and manage their day-to-day. Well known corporations like KylieCosmetics trust Shopify to conduct their business online. With great features such as 24/7 support, custom apps, an array of Shopify Partners as well as certified Shopify Experts (developers), it gives stores owners extra customization, powerful marketing tools and more.
Shopify’s “mission control” is aptly named. This back-end of Shopify allows merchants to fulfill orders quickly, accept any payment, manage the dashboard and have access to built-in tools and expert help. Craft & Mason coffee quotes, “Shopify has allowed us to create a start-to-finish operational plan that would have been impossible in the past.” This platform is highly functional, and allows for a lot of individualized customization.
More than 1,000,000 businesses in 175 countries have made over $200 billion USD in sales using Shopify. This is due to the stand alone functionality, as well as the Shopify Experts that know Shopify inside and out.
As an expert Shopify Partner, we’ve developed over 1,000 Shopify customization projects and we aren’t stopping. If your store needs custom work, get in touch.
BIGCOMMERCE
Another fantastic eCommerce hosting option, Bigcommerce is an extremely flexible and intuitive SaaS platform. Its target market is those who are just starting out or are already established and want to accelerate their growth.
Much like Shopify, BigCommerce has 24/7 Customer Support to support their 60,000 strong merchants. They have 0% transaction fees for using a third-party payment solution and provide powerful tools that help build agile websites.
BigCommerce provides an advanced marketing toolkit, with leading SEO tools, 70+ promotions and discounts, single-page checkout, and abandoned cart saver. They also have easy integrations with multiple marketplaces. Perhaps one of the most popular draws of BigCommerce is that they are an open source SaaS platform. Schedule a call to get your shop online and ready to go!
WOOCOMMERCE
Another great, open-source eCommerce platform built on WordPress is WooCommerce. This WordPress plugin allows anyone to set up a store in minutes. It also allows people to start for free, boasts a 30-day money back guarantee, and doesn’t charge a portion of your profits as your business grows!
With a tight-knit community, WooCommerce hosts worldwide meetups, providing support and a wealth of resources! They are built with a REST API, which means that WooCommerce can integrate with many services. As an open-source software, it’s ideal for cost-conscious users who don’t mind doing a lot of the work themselves!
WooCommerce Marketplace is chock-full of features and extensions that add functionality and customization to your online store, trusted by agencies and startups all over the world! Schedule a call to get your shop online and ready to go!
ADDED CUSTOMIZATION
There are many great hosting platforms out there, each with their own singular benefits. It’s important to consider what you want out of your online shop right now and what you may need in the future. It’s also a good idea to have a development team or IT specialist that will help get your shop to where it needs to be.
While these hosting platforms afford 85% of functionality, our development team provides that extra 15% to give your site those extra final touches. If you are looking for an expert software development company that focuses on eCommerce, operates only in North America, works in your timezone, and never offshores, give us a call today! Let’s get your store enterprise-ready and your site equipped to join the world of eCommerce!
