If you are starting to bring your business online, then you are taking the right path.

Businesses with online shops have more sales and more potential customers. They have the opportunity to market their brand even on the other side of the world.

However, moving your shop online doesn’t just happen in a second. There are questions to ask before you make the final decision.

Luckily, we are here to help you decide on a particular aspect of building your online store.

Where Should I Set Up my Shop?

Many places on the internet offer space for business owners to build their shops. You could either choose from selling through a marketplace, an e-commerce platform, or both. But, there are factors you have to consider based on your business’s needs.

It’s not only about where to start, but other questions you need to ask are the following:

• What’s your budget?
• What features do you need to manage your shop?
• Will your chosen space be able to handle the growth of your business?

One particular place you can start building your shop is through an e-commerce platform. These platforms are software applications where most business owners start their online shop. There are hundreds of these platforms available. Each of these platforms has excellent features, but you have to know what you need before deciding to choose from it.

For you not to feel completely overwhelmed, we have put together different e-commerce platforms that you can choose from. Take a look at the list below and see which one you like the most.

SHOPIFY

Shopify is the most popular platform used by businesses online. The company has established its name since 2004 and has built its way up.

Now they are about to hit a million users. Shopify is often sought out by businesses because of its easy to navigate interface. This platform is best for beginners because there are no required coding skills, and it offers technical support when needed.

Price starts at $13 per month.

WOO COMMERCE

If you are a content creator or you have an existing blog on WordPress, and you want to monetize it, WooCommerce can be the platform for you.

It’s a free plugin for WordPress users who want to include a shop on their website.

WooCommerce is best for small businesses that don’t require a lot of traffic. It has basic features that are easy to use, and it includes a secure payment processor.

An additional fee is required if you want to integrate the shopping cart into your website.

BIGCOMMERCE

This platform is best for startup businesses and enterprises. It’s packed with features such as advanced security, integration with email marketing services, unlimited staff accounts, and more.

Despite being expensive, many merchants prefer to use BigCommerce to run their online stores.

Price starts at $29.95 per month.

MAGENTO

One of the leading and popular names in e-commerce is Magento. It’s a platform that best suits larger businesses.

Even though it caters to businesses with a large number of stocks, it still has features that make it easy to set up and control. Shop owners can manage their store without trouble.

If assistance is needed, Magento has excellent customer service. They have developers on the side, ready to assists any merchant who requires customization.

Other features you can enjoy with Magento:

• SEO tools
• Integration of Google Analytics
• Landing page creation tool
• Checkout, payment, and shipping tools
• Web management features

Magento has a free basic plan. If you want to experience its full features, try their paid plans.

SQUARESPACE

Another place to build a shop for beginners is through Squarespace. This platform allows users to build a website and an e-commerce store in one place.

It’s user-friendly features and navigation makes it an excellent platform for beginners, and businesses with a few product listing.

The disadvantage of using Squarespace is the restrictions when it comes to customizing the shop. Despite seeking help from professional developers, they won’t be able to change some features of your shop because of Squarespace’s constraints.

The basic plan for the online shop is $26 per month.

OPENCART

One of the best open-source platforms that work like Magento is OpenCart. It allows users to add plugins or add-ons to extend its basic features. However, the plugin selection is not as large as Magento.

OpenCart requires skills or patience when setting up the shop. Therefore, if you are only starting up, OpenCart is not best for you.

ZEPO

This platform is one of the leading e-commerce platforms in India. It’s a Mumbai-based company that has begun since 2011. It has simple features that beginners can use to navigate or set up their shop.

Other features of Zepo:

• Courier services
• Payment gateway
• Best for newbies with its easy interface
• Faster speed

Zepo, aside from being one of the best e-commerce India has, it powered multiple small businesses. If you are planning to open an online shop, Zepo can help you with that.

Also Read: 5 Ways to Optimize eCommerce

WIX

Wix is similar to Squarespace. It has hundreds of themes and an easy way to handle its editor. This platform is often suitable for beginners or small businesses with no skills in setting up an online shop.

However, if you are looking to grow your store into a bigger one, Wix doesn’t have the ability to expand. Therefore, it’s best to use a platform that allows scalability.

Wix’s e-commerce plan starts at $17 per month.

SHOPIFY PLUS

If you have outgrown your Shopify account, it’s time to take one step further. Shopify Plus is a platform that can manage huge volumes of orders, large traffic, and advanced customization for online shops.

Despite its complex set up, Shopify Plus works best for larger businesses.

Other features of this platform:

• Boost customer engagement
• Improve sales
• Increase brand awareness
• Excellent customer support
• Increase online shop speed

VOLUSION

Last in this 2020 list of Best E-commerce Platform is Volusion.

Volusion is a scalable platform that is best for startup businesses that are looking to expand or grow in the future. It offers tiers/plans for a small price for startups and higher costs for bigger businesses.

Other features of Volusion includes:

• Easy setup
• Inventory management
• Unlimited product listing
• Can connect or integrate with other tools or apps
• SEO management tool
• Built-in CRM
• Social media selling tools

Volusion has a 14-day free trial. If you have decided to give this platform a try, their paid plan starts at $29 per month.

Conclusion

When choosing the right e-commerce platform, it ultimately boils down to what you need for your business. You may choose the most common platform to run your shop, but popularity is one thing. Sometimes a platform may be popular but will disappoint the user because it is not what they often need.

Some platforms mentioned are open-source, and this becomes vulnerable to attacks. If you want to have a secure online shop, choose a platform that offers a security feature.

Now, if you have decided what you need, it’s time to choose which platform from the list will work for your online shop.

AUTHOR BIO

JOHN OCAMPOS

John Ocampos is an Opera Singer by profession and a member of the Philippine Tenors. Ever since, Digital Marketing has always been his forte. He is the Founder of SEO-Guru, and the Managing Director of Tech Hacker. John is also the Strategic SEO and Influencer Marketing Manager of Softvire Australia – the leading software eCommerce company in Australia and Softvire New Zealand.

In an age where brick-and-mortar stores are struggling to compete with online retail, eCommerce has become a major player in the market. Optimizing eCommerce sales should be at the forefront of any business’s to-do list, seeing as online sales are outpacing physical stores.

The online eCommerce environment has become incredibly crowded, with big digital retailers like Amazon taking up large shares of the market. However, by focusing on certain key aspects of your online store, you can build a more competitive business. Implementing five key concepts can help you in e-commerce optimization and boost your success in the online marketplace.

Loyalty Programs

• Loyalty programs are a simple and straightforward way to build brand engagement and boost online sales. By having site visitors sign up for a points or tier program, you can not only have a contact list of names and emails to reach out to with promotions and content but also derive other benefits.
• A set of purchases tied to user identity can be incredibly useful, giving you data to determine to buy patterns. A user logged in through a loyalty program can also provide data on which products they view and what they look at but decide not to buy. This sort of “ghost data” can help you see what products could be redesigned or repriced to increase the rate of closure.
• But the primary reason for starting a loyalty program is to drive more sales. By offering incentives like free shipping, percentages off, and even small bonus gifts, you can convince consumers to spend more and buy more frequently than they otherwise would. These loyalty program incentives more than pay for themselves in the increased revenue they lead to and are a must for any company looking to optimize eCommerce.

User Experience

This one may seem obvious: make it as painless as possible to buy, and people are more likely to. As obvious as aiming for a good user experience should be, many businesses don’t consider all the factors in play and the magnitude of effects they can have. Not only does a good experience lead to more sales, but it can also be a way to set yourself apart from other eCommerce sites with similar products but a worse interface.

• Speed is a major issue, especially for mobile optimization and the modern attention span. Two extra seconds of loading time can lead to a 17% increase in people abandoning their online shopping carts. Many companies look to the technological trends powering online stores to help with the optimization of their user experience.
• Make sure to test your website’s speed on both desktop and mobile browsers, and determine whether it’s worth it to pay for higher hosting speeds or a different platform. Ensuring a good user experience also comes down to offering options like quick guest checkout (with an option to create an account later), retaining a cart when the page is refreshed or accessed later, and simple and clean navigation around the site. Weigh the cost of improvements in all of these areas against the potential gains in sales, and you’ll see that it’s worth it to invest in user experience. Make sure your website is attractive and eye-catching, this will help with sales. It might be useful for you to check out the benefits of Wix compared to Shopify if you want to use a different website platform.

Basket Abandonment

• To get a little more specific, basket abandonment is actually a key problem that, if solved, can boost your sales greatly.
• You’re much more likely to sell to a customer who’s already added to their cart but left, than to someone who’s just visiting your site. By using cookies and tracking, you can send targeted emails to people who have left an empty cart reminding them to check out. Another cart-related strategy to optimize your eCommerce returns is to have a constant push notification or reminder that the cart has items in it. This will leave the customer more invested and more likely to take the actual step of completing a purchase, which is the main goal.

The Human Touch

You’re selling to real people; try using real people in your advertising. Good photos are crucial to selling your products online. Instead of simply including a picture of a shirt, accessory, etc, try hiring a real person to model the article for you.

• Promo models are not hard to find and will give your online marketplace a more personable experience.
• In 2019, the focus is on the consumer, not the product or the company. By including people in your messaging, consumers can see themselves in your product better and feel a closer connection to what you’re selling.
• Another option is using brand ambassadors to lead traffic to your eCommerce site. By partnering with people who have a large social media following, you can direct people straight to your platform with integrated social media purchasing links, bypassing the potential competition.

Flash Sales

Lastly, a tried and true way to e-commerce optimization productivity is to utilize flash sales. Sending emails about sales that are limited time or only open to a certain number of people builds pressure to buy. You can also integrate sales into banners on your website itself. When people don’t have a timeline to buy something, they may keep putting it off and never get around to it.

• A flash sale can change that, offering a better deal that needs to be acted on immediately.
• Flash sales can take the form of dated sales, timers and countdowns, or even single-day sales.
• Use them to lead to a higher closure rate and to offload products that aren’t being purchased at their regular price.

FIND: REASON TO OUTSOURCE DIGITAL MARKETING SERVICES

Conclusion

• With eCommerce marketplaces surpassing physical stores at every turn, every business has to get good at digital.
• Online stores are no longer a bonus experience, they’re a mainstay.
• By utilizing loyalty programs effectively, you can both analyze more customer data and boost sales at the same time.
• Faster and more enjoyable user experience can help you beat out the competition, and a focus on fixing basket abandonment has been shown to be an incredibly effective way to increase revenue.
• Lastly, giving your site a human touch by using promo models and social media influencers, as well as putting pressure on consumers to buy using flash sales can contribute to eCommerce success.
• Of course, there are plenty of other factors to consider when trying to e-commerce optimization for the platform, but these five big ideas are the place to start.
• For more tips on eCommerce and other digital marketing topics, check out Nimap Infotech’s website and facebook page!