Revamp Your Online Store: Top 5 Ecommerce Platforms for Success in 2024

Summary

Do you own an online store? Or, are you stepping into the dynamic and competitive landscape of the eCommerce industry as a beginner? Regardless of your situation, you can’t deny the need for the best eCommerce platform for your online store. 

With the right platform in place, you can reduce your development costs and efforts and improve your customers’ overall experience. From elevating your checkout pages to incorporating advanced security practices, from designing intuitive UI to creating personalized user experiences, eCommerce platforms are the basis of these transformations. 

Therefore, picking the best platform for eCommerce websites appears as a challenge. You have to consider your specific requirements, platform features, customizability, developer availability, and budget constraints before you decide on it. 

It should also help you avail of appropriate eCommerce development services as you would look for developers skilled in specific tools and technologies.

This blog post is here to introduce some of the most popular eCommerce platforms of 2024 that can up your eCommerce game. So, take a look!

What is an eCommerce Platform?

A comprehensive software tool that enables you to create and manage online stores effortlessly are known as eCommerce platforms. These software solutions help you set up a digital front from where your customers can check your products (name, description, images, videos, price, etc.) and purchase those securely. 

Besides developing an eCommerce website or app, they also facilitate product management, inventory management, payment processing, order fulfillment, and customer service. 

An eCommerce platform aims to provide optimum experience to businesses so they can set up and start selling products effortlessly. It makes buying and selling easier and helps you reach a broader section of the audience. 

Now that you are familiar with the term ‘eCommerce platforms’, let’s look at some key features that make these tools extraordinary and invincible.

Key Features to Look for in an e-Commerce Platform

Different eCommerce platforms come with distinguished features that make them unique. While most of the platforms possess the most popular ones, some platforms are known for their unique and innovative features. 

It is up to you to look for the features you want in your eCommerce platform and decide accordingly. But to do so, you must learn about the features that make these eCommerce platforms superior. Here’s a list of features that most businesses look for while choosing a custom eCommerce development tool. 

• Intuitive UI: Since your website is the only way to interact with your customers, it has to be intuitive, interactive, engaging, and most importantly easy to navigate. Therefore, pay attention to the UI of the backend (that you and your employees will be using) and frontend (that the customers will see and interact with). Most eCommerce platforms allow integration of various themes and even have their own app store with a plethora of themes and templates. 

• Customizability: If you are planning to launch an eCommerce store, you might have gauged your competition in the market. So, how can you attract customers to your site when thousands of others are already ahead in the race? Well, customizability is one thing that can give you the initial push. With a well-personalized and unique online store, you will be able to tell your brand story more responsibly. 

• Mobile Responsiveness: Did you know mobile eCommerce sales reached $2.2 Trillion in 2023 and make about 60% of all eCommerce sales globally (as per Statista)? Also, about 49% of shoppers use smartphones to compare the pricing of products and services. Thus, making your eCommerce store mobile-first is imperative.

• Security Traits: Your customers input their private information like name and address, save card information on your eCommerce store, and make monetary transactions. Therefore, you need to build a reliable and secure site that protects sensitive customer data. 

• Scalability: The platform should be able to grow with your business, handling increased traffic and product listings without performance issues.

• Payment Gateway Integrations: Since different customers have different payment preferences, you must choose a platform that supports multiple payment gateways. 

• Inventory Management: To be able to fulfill customer orders and avoid problems of overstocking or understocking, eCommerce platforms are equipped with inventory management tools. Whether available as an add-on feature or available through third-party apps, they can help you manage inventory levels seamlessly. 

• Shipping and Fulfillment Integration: Shipping and logistics are another important part of your product purchasing-selling lifecycle. Integration of such features and allowing tracking of shipments are another desired feature of eCommerce platforms. 

• Analytics and Reporting: Access to detailed analytics helps you understand customer behavior, track sales, and make informed business decisions. It can improve your sales and marketing efforts. 

• Marketing Tools: Features like email marketing integration, discount and coupon functionalities, and social media integration are important for promoting your products.

• Dropshipping: Some eCommerce platforms also provide dropshipping facilities so you can ship products to customers immediately even when they are out of stock. Or, if you don’t have a warehouse to stock products. This feature is extremely useful for small-scale businesses. 

Customer Support and Community: An active community and good customer support are essential ingredients for your business. It ensures you can reach out to them for any unprecedented events or issues or find solutions immediately.

5 best eCommerce Platforms of 2024

There are multiple kinds of eCommerce platforms with unique features, functionalities, and benefits. While one platform may seem like the best for your unique business requirements, the other may lack in some respect. 

Thus, you need to explore the various eCommerce platforms and find the one suitable for your online business. Now without further ado, let’s jump right to the list!

Shopify

Founded in: 2006

Shopify is a proprietary eCommerce software for online business owners and retail POS systems. It helps businesses set up an online store, sell products, accept payment across multiple sales channels, scale and grow – all in one place.

It’s a self-hosted solution, meaning you don’t have to take care of hosting independently. Your store will be hosted on Shopify itself. However, you can achieve better flexibility with headless Shopify in the picture. Avail of Shopify development services to further customize your Shopify store and sell faster and better.

Cost: There are multiple Shopify plans which you can choose from. Shopify Basic starts from $29/month, $79/month for Shopify, $299/month for Shopify Advanced, and $2,000/month for Shopify Plus users. You can also get a free trial and then pick a plan of your choice.

Features: 

• Clean and intuitive user interface. 
• Wide range of customizable templates so you can curate unique Shopify stores aligning with your brand identity. 
• Shopify themes are built with mobile responsiveness in mind. So, they are automatically optimized for mobile and you don’t have to worry about that. 
• Shopify Payments allows for the acceptance of various payment methods, simplifying the process of managing transactions. However, if you plan to use any other third-party payment provider, you can do that as well. But remember, Shopify charges transaction fees on such transactions. 
• With Shopify, you don’t have to worry about security practices as it provides secure hosting with SSL certificate integration to ensure safe transactions and protect customer data.
• With Shopify’s inventory management tools, you can track inventory, replenish inventory, manage orders, add products, etc. 
• Shopify’s App Store offers a plethora of apps to extend the functionality of your store in areas like marketing, SEO, inventory management, and customer service. 
• Shopify supports multiple currencies and languages. 
• Shopify POS helps streamline your physical and online store sales for improved and consistent performance of both channels. Furthermore, Shopify experts developers can help manage both units’ operations seamlessly. 
• Shopify provides round-the-clock customer support through various channels, including phone, email, and live chat.

Use Cases: Abode, Aloha, Blenders Eyewear, Chubbies, Complex Networks 

Suitable for: 

• Small to medium-scale businesses 
• Online-only retailers with no physical store 
• Niche markets and boutique stores 
• Brick-and-mortar stores operating online 
• Dropshipping businesses 
• Global sellers 

Magento

Founded in: 2008 

Magento is a PHP-based eCommerce platform. It was acquired by Adobe Inc. in 2018 and is alternatively known as Adobe Commerce. The flexible and scalable platform is built to meet your unique B2B and B2C needs, regardless of your industry and business scale. 

Unlike Shopify, working with Magneto is rather difficult as it requires technical proficiency. You may have to avail of Magento development services to build a unique store for your audience. 

Cost: Free, if you use Magento open-source. Adobe Commerce licensing fee starts from $22,000 and Adobe Commerce Cloud licensing fee starts from $40,000. 

Features: 

• Responsive web design 
• Multi-store management from a single backend 
• High scalability, customizability, and extensibility to create unique shopping experiences 
• comprehensive product management features, including bulk import and export, product variations, customizable options, and multiple product types 
• Streamlined checkout process with multiple payment gateways 
• integration with numerous third-party applications and systems, including CRM, ERP, and marketing automation tools 
• Large developer community 

Use Cases: Bulk Powders, Rossignol, Rite Aid, Lovesac 

Suitable for: 

• Medium to large businesses 
• Organizations with high customization needs 
• B2B Enterprises with specialized features like custom pricing, account hierarchies, bulk order management, etc. 
• Multi-language and multi-currency support 
• Businesses with complex product catalogs 
• Global sellers and businesses requiring high scalability 
• Tech-savvy retailers 

Check the various features of these platforms and compare Magento vs Shopify to decide the suitable one for your business.

WooCommerce

Founded in: 2011 

WooCommerce is an open-source plugin launched for WordPress users. Due to its customizability and scalability, it is highly preferred for developing small and medium to large-scale eCommerce stores. Avail of WooCommerce development services to further custom-create your online store for your audience. 

Cost: Free to download and use 

Features: 

• Extremely useful to turn your website into an eCommerce store if you use WordPress already 
• Easy-to-use interface 
• Extensive customization of look and features with WooCommerce themes and plugins 
• Easy management of inventory, product variations, and provides multiple options for product customization.
• Accepts multiple payment methods and integration of payment gateways through extension 
• Improved search engine compatibility because of WordPress 
• Seamless integration with tools like Google Analytics 
• Multi-currency and multi-language support 
• A wide range of WooCommerce-specific plugins and extensions available 
• WooCommerce has a large community for support, including developers, users, and third-party service providers 

Use Cases: Legal Network International, Financial Services Capital, Fox + Hare, WJD Exclusives 

Suitable for: 

• Small to medium-sized businesses 
• Startups, WordPress users 
• Businesses seeking international sales 
• Content-focused businesses 
• Niche and specialty stores 
• eCommerce businesses requiring custom solution

BigCommerce

Founded in: 2009 

The NASDAQ-listed eCommerce platform BigCommerce helps with store development and management. It is suitable for medium to Enterprise-level online stores. The software solution is feature-rich, scalable, and requires a steeper learning curve. 

Cost: BigCommerce Standard plan starts from $29/month, BigCommerce Plus for $79/month, and BigCommerce Pro for $299/month. You also get a 15-day free trial, after which you can pick your preferred plan. 

Features: 

• It supports selling across multiple channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, eBay, Amazon, and more, allowing businesses to reach customers wherever they are
• No limit on product catalog size, file storage, and bandwidth
• Single-page checkout 
• Less downtime with a cloud-based solution 
• Bulk pricing and bulk discounts for mass purchases 
• BigCommerce Plus users can use Abandonment Cart Saver to send automated emails and notifications to customers. 
• BigCommerce provides robust security features, including SSL encryption and compliance with PCI DSS to protect online transactions. 

Use Cases: Skullcandy, Yeti Cycles, The Good and The Beautiful, Badgley Mischka 

Suitable for: 

• Small to medium businesses who need ease of use and scalability 
• Large enterprises with advanced features and robust security features 
• B2B companies 
• Omnichannel retailers
• International sellers 
• Retailers with diverse product ranges
  

Wix

Founded in: 2006 

Known as a modern, user-friendly eCommerce website builder, Wix is suitable for startups and small-scale businesses. With over 800 designer-made templates, you get a range of free and premium themes to build aesthetically pleasing eCommerce websites. 

Cost: Get Wix Lite for $16/month, Wix Core for $27/month, Wix Business for $32/month, Wix Business Elite for $159/month, and Wix Enterprise for your custom needs 

Features: 

• Wix is popular as a drag-and-drop website builder that doesn’t need coding proficiency on your part 
• Mobile-optimized websites 
• Wix offers a variety of customizable templates specifically designed for e-commerce
• supports a range of payment options, including credit cards, PayPal, and other local payment methods, processed securely 
• Shipping and tax management tools for automatic calculation of taxes based on your location 
• Multichannel sales with other eCommerce marketplaces and social media platforms 
• Access to analytics tools to track performance, visitor behavior, and sales, facilitating informed decision-making 
• Access to Wix’s App Market, where you can find additional apps and services to extend the functionality of your online store 
• Wix provides customer support through various channels, including phone, email, and an extensive online help center

Suitable for: 

• Startups and small business stores 
• Used by artists, creatives, boutiques, and niche retailers 
• Service-based businesses 
• Event-based selling 
• Blogs with merchandise sales 
• Dropshipping businesses 

Your hunt for best ecommerce platform for small business starts now! With all these sources of knowledge, you are equipped to pick a technology that speaks to you the most, your business challenges, and specific requirements. 

Once you decide, you will have to look for technicians who can assist you in this venture. If you are looking for such technical professionals, BiztechCS might help you on that note. Whether it is custom eCommerce website development or eCommerce maintenance, our specialists can help you instantly. 

Get in touch with our eCommerce experts today!

Final Words

Whether you’re a budding entrepreneur, a small business owner, or managing a large-scale enterprise, the success of your online store hinges on choosing the right e-commerce platform. From Shopify’s unparalleled ease of use and customer-centric approach to Magento’s scalability and customization, WooCommerce’s WordPress integration, BigCommerce’s enterprise-grade solutions, and Wix eCommerce’s user-friendly design capabilities, there’s a solution tailored to every business need. With this guide, you can be informed and make sound decisions regarding your online store.

FAQs