With so many options to choose from, small businesses will probably be left feeling a little overwhelmed when it comes to choosing an eCommerce platform. There are tons of options that have varying features including website building tools, integratable stores, data encryption and many more, but which of the dozens of ecommerce tools is best for your business? You’ll have to determine a few things before you come to a conclusion.

First, how new is your business? If you are just starting out, you may want to consider a basic setup that you can upgrade from before trying to build out your online store to be fully integrated with your website and social pages. That’s a great goal to strive for, but unrealistic for a brand new company. For brands looking to expand their already existing stores, it may be time to upgrade from your basic tools to a more in depth and supported system such as Shopify. We asked a few top business leaders what the best platform was, and we got some varying answers. Today, we’ll look at a few major players in the eCommerce space, and why some of them might be a better choice for some and a not so good choice for others.

Shopify

Shopify is a classic choice, and still probably the most popular eCommerce platform out there. Most stores these days are hosted using the Shopify engine. “Shopify remains a staple in the ecommerce industry. It’s a go-to one stop for setting up an online store and linking it to your website and other tools. Because of its popularity and longevity, it is one of the easiest platforms to use with the best customer service being available 24/7,” said Justin Chan, Growth Manager of JuneShine. Because of its vast network and history as a company, the support, security and strength of their system is truly hard to beat.

This is in part because Shopify’s main focus is creating secure, safe and practical online stores, rather than focusing on website aesthetics. There are separate tools that are much better for that that you can integrate with a shopify store. Will Waters, Co-founder and Creative Director of Western Rise said “There are a lot of tools that you can use to build your stores, like Squarespace, that do indeed offer selling tools, but Shopify is still the most supported engine for online sales out there. Plus, you can integrate with website design spaces easily with Shopify.”  

Volusion

Volusion is the closest competitor with Shopify, it has been around for a comparable amount of time and features a number of templates and features that make it easy for businesses to set up an online store. Ann McFerran, CEO of Glamnetic said of the service “Volusion is another popular choice that has been around since the late 90′s. It’s an all-in-one ecommerce platform and is now fully cloud based, making it a fierce competitor for online sales.” What makes it an even fiercer competitor is it’s data and security capabilities, as Jeremy Goldstein, CEO of Navitar tells us. “Volusion has the great benefit of its data and analytic capability. This is what puts it in deep competition with Shopify, the other major ecommerce platform.”

Additionally, Volusion has an extensive history and support system just like Shopify. “Volusion also has extensive support lines available 24/7, making it a definite competitor with Shopify. Plus it is extremely easy to use, allowing you to build up a simple store in just minutes,” said Dan Lewis of Convoy. This makes Volusion a great choice for those looking to use a more open-source service with comparable features to Shopify, and just as much support to feel comfortable working with them.

Wix

There are a series of new eCommerce platforms that at first, were primarily used as website building tools. Ted Toledano, Founder of Modloft tells a bit about one such service. “Wix is an interesting tool because, like many new ecommerce platforms, they began as tools to build portfolio websites to showcase rather than sell. However, over the years Wix has offered a lot more selling features, making it a great way to integrate their already existing building tools into your store.” This is a great tool for aesthetically minded companies looking to put a lot of effort into the image and organization of their online store.

That’s because Wix gives you a ton of control over the look of your website using their editing tools. “Wix gives you complete control over the aesthetic of your store while being easy enough for total beginners to use. It’s designed as a drag and drop editor making it a very visual and interactive way to set up your online store,” said Kashish Gupta, Founder and CEO of Hightouch.  This makes it an optimal choice for businesses looking to get selling quickly and smoothly without needing to search for additional help to build their website or store.

Ecwid

For businesses that deal in retail, you are likely already using a POS system which means that your online store should ideally be able to integrate with what you’re already using. James Shalhoub, Co-founder of Finn, tells a bit about Ecwid. “Ecwid is a great tool for businesses that already use a POS system such as square or toast. This including it’s straight forward features will make it a great solution for an existing business to set up an online store.” It’s also an extremely affordable option, one of the few that offers a free tier. This makes it a great option for new businesses. “Ecwid is a great platform for businesses on a budget. They are one of the few that have an entirely free option for new users, allowing you to quickly launch an online store and upgrade to higher management features later on as your business grows,” said Michael Hennessy, Founder and CEO of Diathrive.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is a WordPress based application, and is extremely popular among small businesses! It has a ton of features that allow a lot of control and oversight from the company’s end. “WooCommerce is great for small businesses who want to retain control over the hosting privileges of your store server,” said Ryan Rottman, Co Founder and CEO of OSDB. “This means you edit everything about your store without limits that other platforms will set. Although it’s not as beginner friendly, it will give small businesses a greater amount of control over the sales on their server.”

It’s also a great platform for companies looking to expand their marketing and search engine results. Sumit Singh of Chewy said “WooCommerce is great for it’s SEO capabilities, both on it’s own and for businesses looking to do more for their SEO. Having a system that works well with search engines is essential for small businesses today.” WooCommerce is a great choice for developing businesses looking at ways they can grow and bring more attention to their online store.

Ultimately, the eCommerce platform you choose depends on your budget, the longevity of your business and what tools you are capable of using in house. Some platforms require more knowledge of coding than others, such as WooCommerce. While some of the more popular platforms like Shopify and Wix require less experience in web design, they leave you with some limitations that may, at some point, become frustrating for your business. It’s all about weighing your options, researching price points and determining what will save you the most time and money in the long run, not just right now.

You’ll also want to consider what your store should look like. Visit some of your favorite brands’ websites, and compare them to some of the templates with the services you’re considering. This is a great way to narrow down your search and come to a decision over which platform to choose. Ultimately, any of the platforms you choose have optimal features for hosting an online store, it’s about your company’s personal preferences and needs being met to the fullest degree that they can be.