When choosing a platform for your ecommerce business, it’s important to do your research. That means deciding whether you shouldbuild your own ecommerce siteinstead of using an existing marketplace or platform or pair third-party tools with your site —like using HubSpot’s Sales Hub on your Shopify or BigCommercestore.
Once you've landed on the option that best suits you, you have to actually pick one. Let’s go over the best selling platforms on the market — including their features and benefits — so you can make the best decision for your business.
A platform built with marketing in mind means each feature and design is made to convert leads and get more customers. HubSpot’s CRM platform offers a selection ofHubsto grow your business — each one focusing on a different aspect of that process. TheCMS Hub, for example, is a content management system for building your website, while theSales Hubis for tracking, advancing, and closing deals.
HubSpot offers well-rounded options based on proven strategies to grow your business. Not to mention, HubSpot software is used by the likes of ClassPass, the World Wildlife Fund, and Casio.
Building an online store has never been easier now that Shopify exists — especially if you’re selling products from a Shopify subsidiary, like Oberlo, or a global drop shipper, like Alibaba.
This platform has all the usual features — like templates, payment systems, and marketing tools — as well as a wide range of integrations with other applications. TheShopify App Storehas a huge selection of features that give you the option to customize your store.
If you’re new to online selling, this is the best option because of the ease of use. Shopify offers easy ways to choose and ship products, provide customer support, develop marketing materials, utilize social media, and grow your business overall. This platform is made to help the average person with little experience conduct an ecommerce business.
Magneto handles over $100 billion in gross merchandise volume. It’s a trusted and popular platform because it’s reliable, scalable, user-friendly, and packed with essential features.
Whether your business is a small online boutique or a large retailer, Magneto can fit your needs. The software is quite advanced, so the features it offers are extensive. This may make the startup process a little more time-consuming — but it also means you can thoroughly customize the platform to your business.
Magneto also offers a free plan that covers basic features — otherwise, the service will cost your business at least $12,000 depending on what elements you use.
Adobe, Magneto’s parent company, also offersMagneto U— a series of online courses and resources to become a Magneto developer. This means you can learn how to build a site yourself or hire experts that were directly trained for the platform.
Larger businesses will often need more intensive or complex features and extra support. Platforms made for smaller businesses might charge a lot of fees or higher prices for those things — so a platform built for large-scale companies will have a lot more value for the price. It’s the choice for big brands like Toyota, Yeti, and Ben & Jerry’s.
The powerful integrations, helpful management tools, 24/7 support, and robust applications make BigCommerce a top choice. It also provides security to its users — protecting your business with hacker deterrent provisioning and hardware firewalls. BigCommerce stores are also built to withstand sudden spikes in traffic, so it can keep up as your business grows.
This platform started as just a website builder sans the ecommerce tools. Over time, SquareSpace developed into a great ecommerce platform as well.
Squarespace doesn’t just present a library of every feature and application available, it offers curated integrations that choose the best ones for your business specifically. This platform guides users through each step of the way, making site-building streamlined and simple.
The best part of this platform is the design aspect. The templates are gorgeous, focusing on sleek lines and photography. Creating a beautiful site on desktop and mobile is easy with the templates and customizable options that Squarespace offers.
Wix was once just a website builder until they developed Wix Commerce for online stores. If you’re a new business owner who doesn’t want to be overwhelmed with high-tech features and intensive customization, it’s a great option. With hundreds of templates and an easy setup process, you can set up a simple store in minutes.
If your business is on a budget, Wix can offer you the essentials for no cost at all. The free Wix plan lets you build a site on a Wix-based domain and sell products. It won’t be the most customizable or have the most advanced ecommerce options, but being able to start for free is a great benefit if you’re just launching your business.
Square’s card swiper became popular for its convenience and ease of use. Since its success, the company has expanded to offer a lot more. Square Online is made for small-scale operations and newly opened businesses. There isn’t a huge variety of integrations, apps, or customizations, so you can just focus on the essentials necessary to sell.
This platform sticks to the basics. The design templates and user dashboard are both minimalist in style, so you can quickly navigate both. Users also get a free Square card swiper that syncs to the platform. Getting things up and running is fast and simple with this platform for small businesses.
You may have started your business on a marketplace — like Amazon, eBay, or Etsy — to get things off the ground. In the long-term, though, it’s more beneficial to have your own site on a robust selling platform that can help you scale. Having full control over your business and how you sell will give you more opportunities for growth and profit.