If you’re considering selling products or services online, you need an online storefront that lets shoppers find your business, compare what you have to offer, and complete purchases. Small business ecommerce platforms can help you set up your storefront and begin transacting with your customers.
Fortunately, there are lots of easy-start ecommerce platforms that eliminate the need for coding or web design. Some are feature-rich and include a host of options for customizations and integrations, while others are bare-bones storefronts that help owners set up shop without a huge outlay of cash.
Choosing a platform isn’t simple. But, here, you’ll find three solutions that will set you up for success.
BigCommerce
- 15-day free trial
- No additional transaction fees
- Most robust sales features
- Sell through Walmart, social media, Google, eBay, and Amazon
- Connects with third-party payment providers
- Offers industry-specific templates
Ionos
- $1/month for the first year
- Good for selling physical products
- No additional transaction fees
- Sell through social media, Google, eBay, and Amazon
- Connects with third-party payment providers
Shopify
- 14-day free trial
- Up to a 2% transaction fee (waived if you use Shopify's payment processing)
- Up to 2.9% +$0.30 transaction fee for card payments, reduced to 2.4% + $0.30 with the $299/month plan
- Sell through Walmart, social media, eBay, and Amazon
- Industry-specific templates
BigCommerce
BigCommerce is one of the most popular ecommerce solutions on the market today. With this service, you can list, optimize, and sell products across more than 100 channels (including Google, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, eBay, Walmart, and Target) and handle order fulfillment with industry-leading shipping rates.
BigCommerce makes it easy to design storefronts. Its drag-and-drop page builder, theme customizations, and checkout options are some of the many reasons owners use this service, but other features, which include custom product recommendations, digital wallets, native discounts and promotions, and best-in-class search tools, also help to drive more sales.
There is lots to like about BigCommerce. Some other great features include the option to create a scalable catalog and simple sales tax automation. BigCommerce also boasts a 99.99% uptime and state-of-the-art site security to help you protect your business and your customers’ data.
Pricing starts at around $30/month, but owners with sales of more than $50,000/year will need to level up to BigCommerce’s Plus plan (available for around $80/month). This and other higher-tier packages also introduce more features, including store credit cards, an abandoned cart saver, customer product filtering, and more.
BigCommerce doesn’t charge transaction fees or fees to help you migrate your online store from another small business ecommerce platform.
Interested in learning more about BigCommerce? Sign up for a free demo.
Ionos
Ionos makes it easy to launch and manage your own small business ecommerce website.
With this feature-rich solution, you can set up a website, allow for a multitude of payment options, and incorporate a shipping wizard tool to help customers take charge of how and when they receive their goods. You can also benefit from the store management tools that allow you to manage orders, set up promos and coupons, track sales, and create customized reports.
Marketing tools push this solution ahead of other options at its price point. Ionos simplifies social selling by making it simple to link your store to your social media profiles. It also provides easy-to-use SEO tools that can help you improve your Google ranking and get in front of customers ready to buy your products or services.
Prices start at $1/month for the first 12 months and increase to $12/month thereafter. However, many opt for the Plus or Pro plans, which start at $5/month and $25/month for the first six months, respectively.
Learn more about Ionos to find a solution that’s right for your business.
Shopify
Lots of owners start with Shopify because it’s a recognizable name and has great reviews.
Shopify is simple to set up, but you can also work with the experts in Shopify’s marketplace and outsource the work of setting up a store, moving your business online, transitioning from another ecommerce platform, and even navigating SEO.
There are three things we love about Shopify:
- You can use the platform to sell to anyone, anywhere, which means selling in-person, through your website, on social media, and across online marketplaces. Shopify integrates with more than 6,000 apps to help you sell at the places that matter most.
- Shopify has killer marketing tools that can help you create, execute, and conduct thorough assessments of the campaigns your run. You can use Shopify to design your email marketing campaigns, set up an online chat feature, and manage Facebook ad campaigns.
- Shopify makes running an online store a simple task with its robust set of store management tools.
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Shopify also has the financial piece of running a business expertly optimized. Payment options, which can include pay installments and one-click checkouts, can certainly improve conversions, but what we like even more is that you can keep a balance on Shopify (and earn 2% cashback) and even access capital to grow your business right from the platform.
Businesses that make occasional sales online can usually get by with Shopify’s basic plan (starting at around $29/month) or Shopify Lite (starting at around $9/month). Businesses really focused on online sales often need a higher-tier plan, like the Shopify plan (starting at around $79/month). Scaling businesses that want better reporting and features like third-party calculated shipping rates will need to level up to the advanced plan (starting at around $299/month).
Ready to start a free trial? You can explore the service free for 14 days here.
What’s next?
Interested in other small business solutions? Let us help you find the right systems. Then, log into your owner’s portal for more articles and advice tailored to your business’s needs.